Running for Their Lives

Quite a few survivors had already gathered in the only small supermarket on the shop-lined street. They fought over all the convenient, easy-to-store bagged and canned foods inside. Fortunately, they remembered Zheng Kun's words, and although they were somewhat hostile toward one another, none dared come to blows.

Zhang Yi did not want to get mixed up in it and waste time, but Nan Shao walked straight inside. Under their unfriendly gazes, he picked up several towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, a dozen pairs of men's underwear, two sets of children's clothes, and even a toy car... Their looks gradually turned peculiar, and finally they turned their attention elsewhere.

At the corner of an aisle, Nan Shao encountered the woman. She stood there stuffing all kinds of sanitary pads from the shelves into her backpack. Seeing nothing he needed over there, Nan Shao was about to go around her when his gaze suddenly sharpened, settling on the floor behind her. A bloodstained hand with black, pointed nails was slowly reaching out through an open storeroom door toward her feet.

There was no time to warn her. He swiftly raised the wooden club in his hand and hurled it over. The woman jumped in fright, but reacted quickly, leaping forward without looking back. When she turned around, she saw a zombie with both legs half eaten away, unable to stand. This kind of zombie was not difficult to deal with. She walked over and finished it off with one blow of her pickaxe. Rather than keeping the zombie crystal she dug out, she handed it to Nan Shao.

Nan Shao accepted it without ceremony and put it away. But when he went to retrieve his wooden club, he discovered it had actually snapped in two, and his expression darkened. Still, he said nothing, merely turning to leave.

Once the others learned there was still a zombie, they lost any desire to continue their standoff and immediately split into two groups. One went to sweep the supermarket inside and out again, lest another zombie emerge at some unexpected moment, while the other hurried to grab supplies.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Nan Shao. As he passed the supermarket entrance, he casually swept the unnoticed lollipops beside the checkout counter into his bag.

"Where's your club?" Zhang Yi asked curiously, noticing his empty hands.

"There was a zombie inside. It broke when I hit it," Nan Shao answered helplessly. He really was becoming more and more destitute. At first, he had used all kinds of firearms. After the ammunition ran out, he still had a bayonet and a military machete suited to hacking and slashing. Now he could not even get his hands on a sturdy club.

Zhang Yi fell silent, then drew the cleaver he used to dig out zombie crystals from behind his waist and handed it to him. The cleaver was too short and poorly suited to fighting zombies, but it was better than nothing.

Chapter 11: Running for Their Lives

Zombie corpses and severed limbs littered the narrow street. There was no sign of the vanguard among those grabbing supplies, and the zombies that had escaped extermination were gradually gathering again.

"Where did the vanguard go?" Nan Shao asked casually.

Zhang Yi shook his head. He and Nan Shao had taken turns keeping watch, focusing entirely on the nearby zombies, and neither had noticed where the vanguard had gone. Of course, the main reason was that, although they had been on guard against the vanguard's intentions, they had never doubted that its ultimate objective was supplies. Besides, they had already planned to leave early, so they had not kept track of its movements, leading to their present oversight.

If not for supplies, what had they come here for? Doubts arose in Zhang Yi's mind. Surely they hadn't lured a group of ordinary people here to feed the zombies? What good would that do them?

Nan Shao had clearly noticed something amiss as well. Pointing toward the other end of the street, he asked, "What's over that way?" Although he had roughly memorized the surrounding layout earlier, he had been short on time, after all, and did not remember it that clearly.

"The secondary school's main gate opens onto that side, the old public security bureau, the armed police squadron..." Zhang Yi recalled, but as he uttered the last two names, he vaguely guessed something. He exchanged a look with Nan Shao. "This is bad. We need to leave now!"

No sooner had he spoken than a dense mass of zombies appeared at the far end of the street, shambling toward them. Neither dared delay any longer. They fled along their previously planned escape route, though before leaving, they still shouted several times to warn the others.

"Zombies are coming! Zombies are coming! Run-"

Nan Shao's backpack was still empty at this point, holding only a few things that could neither be eaten nor drunk. Reluctant to give up, he wanted to hurry into the grocery store from earlier and grab some rice, flour, and other supplies, but Zhang Yi caught him and pulled him away.

"Stay alive, and you'll have plenty of chances later," Zhang Yi snapped. In truth, he knew very well that if they missed this opportunity, it would be difficult for the two of them to get another with their abilities.

Nan Shao was frustrated, but there was nothing he could do. By now, he had long forgotten that before the apocalypse, never mind this meager collection of goods-even an entire large supermarket placed before him might not have merited his attention. It showed that often, people did not choose to quibble over every little thing; their circumstances forced them to.

"Fuck, which bastard has a death wish? If you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you!" Their shouts drew plenty of curses. Zombies were especially sensitive to sound, and shouting like this was no different from announcing to all the zombies nearby that there were people here, so come feast. But when they poked their heads out and saw the horde surging toward them, the curses cut off abruptly, replaced by panic.

"Zombies! How can there be so many zombies?"

"Where's the vanguard? Wasn't the vanguard up ahead? Why are there still so many zombies?"

"Fuck, the vanguard screwed us over! What are you waiting for? Run!"

"You're still grabbing stuff? Grab, grab, grab-grab your fucking mother! You're about to lose your life. Even if you grab more, will you live to eat it?"

While everyone descended into chaos, some running back the way they had come and others taking advantage of the confusion to grab more goods, Zhang Yi and Nan Shao had already escaped the shop-lined street and were making their way through a secluded alley. Yet after they passed several low, single-story houses without incident, a few wandering zombies appeared ahead. Catching their scent, the zombies immediately came toward them in excitement.

Although demolition had already begun around here, some residents had refused to leave, unwilling to part with their old homes, so the presence of zombies was expected. Still, having so many gathered here at once was a little more than the two could handle. Judging by the zombies' appearances, four had been elderly people and two had been children before they mutated. In terms of strength, they had once been among the weaker humans. Unfortunately, after they became zombies, those distinctions vanished entirely. Zombies were immensely strong. Even elderly people, children, and women could tear an ordinary grown man apart alive. Fortunately, they moved slowly; otherwise, how could ordinary humans have any hope of survival?