Wu Dayong couldn’t sit still any longer. He immediately found two men to discuss a plan, and they headed out early the next morning.
It wasn’t raining today. Song Jinhe and her group brought a pile of wood to the terrace. They first filtered the collected rainwater through clean cotton clothes to remove impurities, then boiled it pot by pot.
The survivors in the bath center had lived on rainwater for a long time, which indicated that doing this was safe. However, for the past few days, Song Jinhe had only been drinking the mineral water she had previously hoarded; the rainwater was primarily used for washing.
It took a considerable amount of time to boil several buckets of water. Taking advantage of the fire before the wood burned out, they also cooked a pot of noodles, adding a small piece of the hotpot base left over from two days ago.
The spicy broth stimulated their taste buds, and the group ate with great relish. Peng Zhixue, in particular, hadn’t eaten anything this fragrant in a long time; he was so excited that he even drank half a bowl of the soup.
“This smells amazing! While you guys were away, I could only gnaw on bread and make instant noodles with lukewarm water—and it was the worst flavor, too.”
Song Jinhe used bamboo skewers she had taken from the hotpot restaurant to thread four ham sausages, roasting them over wood that was free of paint.
Behind the doors, those who caught the scent couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Were these people even human? Boiling noodles was one thing, but they were actually hiding here having a barbecue and eating all to themselves!
Everyone was taking refuge in the bath center, so they were technically neighbors. Even if they didn’t look out for one another, this wasn’t the way to behave. If it weren’t for the rumors that the girl surnamed Song had a foul temper, someone would have definitely gone out there to give them a piece of their mind.
The clouds grew thicker, and the cold wind began to blow again.
A young man with a tattoo on his neck stepped forward, using the machete in his hand to slice into a severed limb on the ground. Having been soaked in rainwater all night, the arm was exceptionally soft and rotten; with a light poke of the blade, the liquefied fat beneath the skin burst out.
Despite the disgusting scene, the young man was still smiling. “Looks like it fell from above because of the weather the night before last. Tsk, a real shame for a body like this to turn into a zombie.”
“Chou Xiang, what the hell is wrong with you? Your tastes are truly unique if you’re actually interested in a zombie.” A man carrying an axe looked at the rotten meat on the ground with disgust.
“I haven’t seen a living woman in so long, I’m just lamenting. If I’d known the end of the world was coming, I should have played around with something more thrilling. It’s not like I’d go to jail anyway. Total profit.” Chou Xiang’s eyes were cold and perverse, as if he were reminiscing about something.
“Several hotels nearby were previously requisitioned as emergency shelters to house people rescued from severely flooded areas. They were packed to the brim, and then everyone was wiped out.” The burly leader narrowed his eyes and warned, “The zombies in the surrounding flooded areas are showing signs of moving this way. Everyone stay sharp; don’t let the ship capsize in a shallow ditch.”
“Got it, Brother Scab.”
The group entered the mall through the Sector F fire exit and headed up the stairs. A zombie corpse suddenly blocked their path.
“I don’t see any other wounds; the kill was quite clean.”
The man with the axe stepped over the corpse and continued forward. Their goal was warm clothing and food; only Chou Hui cared about those flashy brands.
“A lot of things are missing from the shelves, and it’s all the same size.” Chou Hui looked into an underwear shop, a look of excitement appearing in his eyes. “Maybe they’re still in this mall.”
Upon hearing this, the gaze of several men in the team changed.
Meanwhile, at the 10th-floor restaurant.
Wu Dayong was stuffing food into his bag when someone suddenly lowered their voice and said panic-stricken, “There seems to be movement outside. Is it the zombies?”
“That’s enough,” a short man replied. “Don’t scare yourself. Hurry up and pack the supplies. It’ll be dark soon, and I don’t want to spend the night out here.”
The men zipped up their bags and headed out with their heavy loads. Just as they reached the entrance, they ran straight into another group.
Looking at the weapons in the other group’s hands, Wu Dayong and his companions were startled.
The eyes of a desperate criminal are different from those of an ordinary person; that ruthless aura of someone who has killed before was immediately palpable.
“You guys look like you’re in pretty good shape—clean clothes and carrying so much gear.” Brother Scab walked forward with a fake smile. “Seems like you have a decent place to live nearby.”
Wu Dayong and the others shrunk back and said nothing.
In the next second, Brother Scab pulled a handgun from his waist and fired a single shot at the short man.
As the thunder rumbled overhead, Wu Dayong stared with wide eyes at the man who had collapsed beside him. A living human being was just… gone. The man across from him had killed someone and was still smiling.
He had never seen anything like this. His legs felt weak, and he nearly collapsed.
Seeing the burly man turn the muzzle toward him, Wu Dayong hurriedly nodded, saying “Yes” twice in quick succession.
“That’s more like it.” Brother Scab nodded with satisfaction and signaled his subordinates to check their belongings.
“The entrance to where we live is sealed. The people inside will open the door for us when they hear our voices,” Wu Dayong said tremblingly.
“Don’t worry. As long as you cooperate, no one will get hurt. But if anyone tries to pull any tricks… I’ll cut your hamstrings and throw you to the zombies.” The corners of Brother Scab’s mouth curled up. “First, tell us about your hideout. How many people, how many supplies? Be detailed.”
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
The other side had a gun and had brutally decapitated a man after killing him; they didn’t dare say no.
Song Jinhe turned all the empty bottles in her Space into Molotov cocktails and organized them separately so she could retrieve them easily when needed.
Then, she took a steamer basket from the kitchen and, working alone, washed some of the sweet potatoes and potatoes in her Space with boiled rainwater, steaming them to stock up on cooked food.
She couldn’t let anyone find out she could produce so much food out of thin air; being as stealthy as a thief throughout the process wasn’t easy. The steamer was too bulky, so in the end, she only kept the stainless steel steamer rack in her Space.
By evening, Song Jinhe felt dizzy. She barely ate any dinner and lay in bed with no strength, beginning to feel chills.
Despite being covered by a thick duvet she had found in a cabinet, her feet were still like blocks of ice. Her head was foggy, and her throat felt uncomfortable.
The noise outside lasted for a long time. It seemed people were worried because those who went out for supplies hadn’t returned, so they had questioned Cheng Yan and the others and even knocked on her door, but Song Jinhe ignored them.
She took the mercury thermometer from her armpit and held it under the flashlight. Her temperature was 38.7°C.
Song Jinhe found some medicine and swallowed it with cold water. She lay in bed miserably for several hours and couldn’t fall asleep even by the early hours of the morning. Instead, her condition worsened, and her temperature soared to 39.4°C.
Tinnitus set in, her throat was dry and parched, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. Cooling patches made her feel slightly better, but the temperature refused to drop, nearly reaching 40°C.
A common cold wouldn’t be this severe. It felt as if her brain was being scorched dry, and her breathing was so difficult she couldn’t lie flat to sleep.
In her memories, awakening her Talent hadn’t been this painful. These symptoms were more like those of the first batch of people infected by the zombie virus.