“Watch where you’re going!”
Lin Chen’s low shout yanked her violently out of her chaotic thoughts.
He suddenly pulled her to his side. Almost at the same moment, a heavy plastic crate filled with rotting vegetables flew past her back, smashing into the wall behind them with a loud crash, foul liquid splattering everywhere.
A zombie in a greasy chef’s uniform, half its head mangled into a bloody mess, lunged out from a narrow doorway nearby, letting out a guttural “ghrr” from its throat.
Lin Chen reacted with astonishing speed.
Without the slightest pause, his body twisted smoothly. The arm that Su Qianqian had been gripping suddenly exerted force, swinging her behind him like a heavy sandbag to shield her.
At the same time, his free right hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing the zombie chef’s dirt- and blood-smeared wrist as it swung forward, then wrenching it downward with brutal force, using the creature’s momentum against it.
“Crack!”
The sickening sound of bone breaking rang out clearly.
The zombie froze momentarily, but its hollow eyes remained locked on the prey within reach. Its other hand clawed toward Lin Chen’s face with a foul gust of air.
Lin Chen’s gaze turned cold. He snapped his head back to avoid the strike, his grip on the creature’s wrist unmoving like iron. At the same time, he drove his knee upward—his hardened kneecap like a battering ram—carrying the full force and weight of his body as it slammed into the zombie chef’s already-collapsed chest.
“Bang!”
The dull impact echoed through the narrow alley.
The zombie was sent flying backward as if struck by a speeding truck, crashing heavily into a garbage pile in the corner. It twitched twice, then lay still.
The entire exchange happened in a flash—clean, efficient, and almost cruelly precise.
No wasted movements. Only direct, lethal efficiency.
Protected behind him, Su Qianqian stared in shock.
For a split second, she had almost felt that what emanated from Lin Chen wasn’t the presence of a human—but of a killing machine programmed with perfect precision.
She subconsciously loosened her grip on his forearm. Her fingertips still carried the sensation of his tightly coiled muscles… and a faint—
Warm, damp feeling?
She looked down, and her pupils shrank sharply.
On the outer side of Lin Chen’s right forearm—the one that had just broken the zombie’s wrist and delivered that precise strike—the dark gray fabric of his hoodie had been torn open by a two-inch gash.
Dark red seeped slowly outward from the torn edge.
“You’re hurt?!”
Su Qianqian’s voice rose sharply, trembling with fear.
That zombie chef—its nails… had they scratched him?!
Lin Chen glanced down at his arm, his brows knitting ever so slightly before returning to his usual impassive expression.
He raised his left hand and pressed his thumb firmly against the fabric near the wound. A trace of dark red stained his fingertip.
“Just a scratch.” His tone remained flat, as if stating something utterly trivial.
He didn’t even spare the wound another glance. His sharp gaze had already shifted toward the faintly visible, wider street beyond the alley’s exit.
“Up ahead is Nanhua Road. There’s a ‘Hui Jia Le’ supermarket at the corner. The structure is relatively enclosed, there are plenty of supplies, and it should be temporarily safe.”
He spoke as if analyzing a favorable ambush point in the game.
“But your arm!”
Su Qianqian panicked, stepping forward despite her fear, trying to check his wound.
The injury wasn’t large, but what if… what if the zombie’s nails carried some kind of virus?
That thought sent a chill through her entire body.
Was it still too late for her to run now?
With his combat ability, if Lin Chen turned into a zombie, how could she possibly fight him…?
But if she ran alone, she would be even less safe. She wouldn’t be able to handle even a single zombie!
Maybe she should stay with him for now… observe… and run if things went wrong?
“It’s fine.” Lin Chen shifted slightly, avoiding her hand. His tone carried a firm, unquestionable edge. “Priority is finding a secure location.”
He paused briefly, then added, “The supermarket’s pharmacy section should have disinfectants.”
His calmness was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the surge of panic in her chest.
She looked at his sharp profile. In those deep eyes, there was no trace of concern for his own injury—only complete focus and assessment of the situation.
That almost inhuman composure miraculously steadied her chaotic heartbeat.
“O-Okay!” Su Qianqian nodded hard, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to calm down.
She tightened her grip on the backup phone in her hand. The map on the screen was still active.
She glanced at it quickly—the direction of the supermarket showed no dense cluster of red dots (enemy players… zombies?), only a few scattered blue and green dots flickering inside the building.
This map… might actually be useful!
“Follow me. Stay close to the wall.”
Lin Chen spoke in a low voice as he moved toward the alley exit, his movements still swift, the injured arm seemingly not affecting him at all.
Su Qianqian followed closely, her heart still lodged in her throat.
Outside the alley, the situation on Nanhua Road was slightly better than the café street earlier—but still a mess.
Several crashed cars blocked half the road. Thick smoke rose from beneath an overturned vehicle. In the distance, sporadic gunfire and explosions added to the chaos.
On the sidewalk, a few zombies wandered aimlessly—or crouched over a corpse, gnawing.
Lin Chen’s target was clear—the supermarket at the street corner across from them, with the large “Hui Jia Le” sign hanging above it.
The glass doors of the supermarket had shattered into pieces. Inside was pitch black, impossible to see clearly.
“See that van lying sideways? Go around the back, stay close to it, and move along its side to the supermarket entrance.”
Lin Chen issued instructions rapidly, like commanding a tactical assault.
“I’ll draw the two at the entrance away.”
Following his direction, Su Qianqian spotted two zombies in store uniforms wandering near the supermarket entrance.
She nodded nervously, her palms slick with sweat.
She could fight people—but these disgusting zombies… she couldn’t bring herself to do it!
Without hesitation, Lin Chen bent down and picked up half a broken brick from the ground. His arm swung sharply.
“Whoosh—bang!”
The brick struck the metal shutter of a hardware store next to the supermarket, producing a loud noise.
The two zombies at the entrance immediately reacted, letting out low growls as they staggered toward the source of the sound.
“Move!” Lin Chen barked.
Like an arrow released from a bow, Su Qianqian dashed out of the alley, practically throwing herself toward the rear of the overturned van.
The rough, cold metal scraped against her arm, sending a sharp sting through her skin.
She pressed tightly against the vehicle, her heart pounding wildly, her eyes locked on the supermarket entrance just ahead.
Lin Chen followed right behind, his movements as light as a predator’s. He slipped to the front of the vehicle, his gaze sweeping the surroundings vigilantly.
“Run in! Go straight inside—don’t look back!” he ordered.
Gritting her teeth, Su Qianqian summoned all her strength and burst out from the back of the van, sprinting toward the dark supermarket entrance that loomed like the gaping mouth of a beast.
Broken glass crunched sharply under her feet.
A suffocating mix of blood, rotting food, and dust rushed into her face, nearly choking her.