Veins bulging all over his face, eyes popping, waist and abdomen pushing upward, limbs convulsing violently.
The fruit racks on both sides were kicked over by him, and fruits fell from the baskets, rolling across the floor.
The few people remaining in the shop could clearly see the man’s condition now—what else was there to misunderstand?
“Damn you, you stinking b****, you’re gonna get us killed…” the man cursed, but his hands and feet were agile. He grabbed his backpack and sprinted crazily out of the fruit shop.
Once the others inside realized what was happening, they all fled for their lives as well.
The woman, who had been starving for several days, had filled her jacket with fruit. She had one piece in her mouth and was holding two more in her hands.
Looking at her roommate, who had completely turned into a zombie, her eyes reddened. Clutching the fruit, she began running for her life as well.
As she ran, she muttered, “Don’t blame me… you wanted to protect me yourself…”
In just a few seconds, the shop was empty; only the man remained on the floor, convulsing.
At this moment, the man had not yet been completely overtaken by the zombie virus. His brain retained a shred of rationality, while blood vessels crawled across his eyeballs.
He looked toward the direction the woman had fled, eyes filled with unwillingness. His right arm had a chunk of flesh bitten off by zombies, and black blood had begun to ooze from the wound—no longer the healthy red of normal blood.
He got up from the floor and chased in the direction the woman ran. But as he stepped out of the fruit shop, all rationality vanished.
The scent of fresh blood and flesh completely eroded the last trace of his humanity.
After leaving the fruit shop, Su Yun thought of the largest supermarket on the street and headed straight there.
When she was about a hundred meters from the supermarket, she noticed several people lurking in the shadows, but none of them had entered.
Su Yun observed the situation and did not rush in.
The zombie outbreak had started around 4 PM, which was also the time supermarkets stocked fresh vegetables.
At this hour, the supermarket was crowded with local housewives, elderly people, and students.
Even from a distance, Su Yun could hear the roars of zombies coming from inside the supermarket—proof of the sheer number of mutated zombies within.
The rolling shutter at the supermarket entrance had been damaged from impacts on the inside, leaving deep dents.
Those standing nearby shared Su Yun’s thoughts—they all wanted to go inside to get supplies, but with the situation unclear, no one wanted to be the first to enter.
As some people left one by one, Su Yun felt reluctant. Listening carefully to the sounds inside, she estimated there were at least a hundred mutated zombies.
In her previous life, when she entered the supermarket, the zombies had already been cleared by officials—but the supplies had also been taken.
What could be scavenged were mostly useless pots, pans, and some appliances.
Su Yun wanted to sneak in for some loot, but this was not something to rush—she needed a plan.
Those outside clearly shared her thoughts. They began forming groups, temporarily allying to figure out a strategy together.
Within half an hour, over twenty people had gathered. The leader was a man in his thirties.
In that short time, he had rallied all the nearby able-bodied fighters. People like Su Yun, with thin arms and legs, were not invited to join.
A few were discussing plans nearby, and some others tried to join them.
Su Yun had been thinking of her own strategy, but seeing their enthusiasm, she decided to wait on the sidelines. If things got chaotic, she might be able to take advantage.
Another ten minutes passed. It seemed they had come up with a plan, and soon they began moving.
Su Yun concealed herself in the shadows, following them at a moderate distance. Many others also followed from afar, just like her.
She noticed that they were moving with familiarity, clearly heading straight for the supermarket’s back entrance.
Being familiar with the back door, like her, meant they lived nearby.
The back entrance was essentially a staff passage; only supermarket employees or locals who lived nearby would know about it.
This entrance led down a staircase to the underground supermarket.
One side of the rolling shutter was stuck halfway by a table, while the other had collapsed, leaving only a single-person passage.
The group shone flashlights toward the entrance. The small passage was covered in blood. On the collapsed metal shutter, pieces of cloth and flesh still hung, evidence of how brutal it had been.
Seeing the blood, no one dared enter at first.
The leader lay on the ground, shining his flashlight through the entrance. The zombies had wandered to other parts of the supermarket, making it temporarily safe to enter from here.
“Let’s follow the plan we discussed. I’ll go in first to get the key to open the shutter, then we’ll work together to lure the zombies out…”
This had been their initial plan. Su Yun finally understood—she had first thought the man was some kind of superhuman.
But he was just a supermarket employee, which explained why he could rally everyone. Being familiar with the supermarket, he could guide them to the areas they wanted to scavenge.
Crouching carefully, the man entered the supermarket through the small entrance and headed directly to the security booth on the right.
The glass in the booth was covered in blood, but the small space was empty. He climbed in through the window, opened a drawer, and took out the shutter key.
After pressing the switch, the partially collapsed rolling shutter slowly rose, the clattering sound sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
The man emerged, key in hand, shouting, “Hurry, the things are coming…”
Panic spread through the group as the distant roars grew louder.
Those who, like Su Yun, had hoped to scavenge quietly began fleeing in all directions.
Even the six people the man had organized earlier ran without looking back.
With Su Yun included, fewer than a dozen remained.
Yet they had come this far, just one step from entering the supermarket. Everyone wanted to try their luck.
“Stick to the plan. Hurry…” the man calmly instructed his team amidst the chaos.
Su Yun secretly admired his courage.
The remaining people, following his instructions, took out their phones.