“Ning Ran, don’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame this damn apocalypse. There are only so many supplies. If you eat them, your sister-in-law and I won’t have anything left to survive on…”
The man’s voice rang out alongside a series of dull thuds.
Ning Ran had only just transmigrated into this world. Before she could even begin to process what was happening, darkness swallowed her consciousness.
In her mind, she cursed the man’s entire ancestry, eighteen generations back.
“Ning He, is she dead?” another woman’s voice asked.
“Who cares? Let’s throw her out first. Once she’s dead, the supplies she leaves behind will be enough to last us a long time!”
With considerable effort, the man dragged the unconscious woman toward the stairs.
Her head knocked against the steps, leaving a long trail of blood behind her.
After finally dragging her to the first floor, he glanced around to make sure there were no terrifying zombies outside. Only then did he throw her out the door.
He quickly shut the door and hurried upstairs.
Not far away, zombies wandering around the residential complex caught the scent of blood. They staggered toward the woman, sniffed around, and then dispersed in different directions.
After an unknown number of nights and days, the woman who had been lying on the ground suddenly opened her eyes.
Her mind was completely blank. Her gaze was vacant, and she looked utterly foolish.
Ning Ran slowly got to her feet, tilted her head to one side, and began walking toward the place where “people” seemed to be moving around.
A foul, putrid wind blew into her face.
The zombies watched as she staggered toward them. Their murky eyes remained fixed on her for a long while before they eventually lost interest and turned away…
Ning Ran giggled twice and followed after them.
Someone upstairs heard the continuous sounds of “Hehehe” and “Hehehe” echoing throughout the residential complex.
“Damn it! Where did this idiot come from? Why is she making so much noise? Is she trying to lure every zombie here?”
“Fuck! I want to go down there and kill her…”
“Before you even get close to her, the zombies will kill you first. Haven’t you noticed that she’s surrounded by zombies?”
“Why the hell hasn’t that bitch been bitten yet?”
…
Following the wandering zombies, Ning Ran left the residential complex and arrived at the main road.
Ruined buildings and crumbling walls stretched in every direction. The streets were filled with those wandering “people.”
Unfortunately, none of them seemed interested in her. Even when Ning Ran tried talking to them, no one responded.
After she talked too much, she would occasionally receive two unusual greetings in return.
Looking at those smelly, ugly people, Ning Ran furrowed her brows tightly. She changed direction and headed toward a place where there were more “people.”
Without exception, those “people” would merely stagger toward her, “stare” at her for a while, and then turn around and leave.
“Hehehe! Hehehe! Don’t go!” Ning Ran reached out to grab the nearest zombie.
The other party growled at her twice before immediately moving away.
Watching one “person” after another ignore her, Ning Ran pouted in disappointment. Her mind felt like a tangled mess, and her head hurt a little, too.
Who was she?
Where was she?
Where was she supposed to go?
It was the tenth day of the apocalypse, and the outside world had already become a living hell.
Rubbing her flat, hungry stomach, Ning Ran plunged into a large shopping mall by the roadside.
The mall was full of wandering “people.” She squeezed through the crowd and headed straight for the food section.
“Why doesn’t anyone here like delicious food?”
Ning Ran rubbed her little belly and giggled twice.
Whatever. She would eat her fill first and worry about everything else later.
She picked up a piece of bread, but before she could even think about it, the bread had vanished without a trace.
The same thing happened when she picked up a drink.
After it happened several times, Ning Ran grew annoyed. She gathered all the food and piled it up beside her.
Then, in the very next second, everything disappeared right before her eyes.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Ning Ran was about to go crazy.
Where had all her delicious food and drinks gone?
It was fine. There was still plenty of food in the mall. She could just get more…
Several hours later, Ning Ran stared at the now-empty shopping mall and sat down on the floor in despair.
She had only wanted to eat something. Why was even that so difficult?
The “people” who had originally been wandering around the mall looked at Ning Ran as she wailed in despair. They growled at her twice before continuing on their way.
Ning Ran cried for a while. When she realized that no one was paying attention to her, she climbed to her feet and continued her struggle unwillingly.
She moved from one shopping mall to another.
Finally, on the evening of the third day, she managed to eat her first bite of food since waking up.
“Waaah… This is so delicious…”
Tears of emotion streamed from Ning Ran’s eyes, while an utterly undignified trickle of drool escaped the corner of her mouth.
Because of the cold weather, the unpackaged bread had not spoiled yet, although its texture was somewhat unpleasant.
As Ning Ran gnawed on the bread, she thought to herself that it would be wonderful if she could save the food and eat it later.
Then, to her horror, all the bread in front of her disappeared once again.
“Waaah… My bread…”
Ning Ran went berserk all over again!
“Boss, I can hear a woman’s voice…” A lecherous voice came from not far away.
“Damn it! We can barely keep ourselves alive, and you’re still thinking about women? Hurry up and find some food. If those zombies discover us, we’re all finished!”
Even in peaceful times, the darker side of human nature could never be completely suppressed. How much worse would it be during an apocalypse when everyone was struggling to survive?
There would always be people who wanted something for nothing, secretly exploiting loopholes to satisfy their own desires.
At first, their actions might amount to nothing more than petty mischief. Eventually, however, they would become brazen enough to rob others in broad daylight.
As the old saying went, birds of a feather flock together.
The group of people before them was a perfect example.
Back when society had been orderly, they had already been a bunch of idle troublemakers. Now, taking advantage of the collapse of social order, they had begun forming their own little gangs.
They looted supplies and bullied the elderly and the weak.
Perhaps they had felt some apprehension at first, but after getting away with it once or twice without anyone intervening, they grew increasingly bold.
Their leader was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. He was of average height and slightly overweight. He wore a designer jacket that clashed with his status and temperament, and a vicious glint lingered in his eyes.
“Boss, there really is a young woman here…”
One of his underlings dragged Ning Ran out of the bread section. She was still clutching a loaf of bread and happily munching away.
Ning Ran showed no fear when she saw them. She simply raised her face, smeared with blood and grime, and giggled at them.
“Damn it! She’s an idiot!”
The underling holding Ning Ran loosened his grip. She landed squarely on her bottom, and the hard floor hurt so much that she immediately burst into loud, wailing tears.
“Shut her up! Quickly!” the boss shouted, his eyes widening in alarm.
Fuck! This woman is way too noisy. Does she have any idea that she might attract the zombies?
One of his underlings casually grabbed an item from a nearby shelf and stuffed it into Ning Ran’s mouth, successfully silencing her.
The men cautiously peered outside. Only after confirming that no zombies had entered the mall did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Boss, even though this chick is an idiot, that doesn’t mean she can’t help us take care of our needs. Why don’t we tie her up and take her with us?”
The underling openly leered at Ning Ran, looking her up and down without the slightest restraint.
Although Ning Ran’s head and face were smeared with blood and her clothes were filthy and tattered, even the worn-out fabric could not conceal her well-proportioned figure.
“Boss, there’s water where we’re staying. We can wash this chick up when we get back. You can have the first turn, and then the rest of us can have some fun!”
The lecherous voice rang out without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Ning Ran watched them laugh and laughed along with them. Even the rag stuffed into her mouth could not stop her from doing so.
“This idiot! Hahaha…”
“She’ll definitely be fun…”
“Argh!”
Before the underling could laugh much longer, the boss kicked him to the ground.
“Fuck! Are you trying to attract every zombie in the area?”
The underling took the kick without getting angry. Instead, he grabbed a rope and tied Ning Ran up even more tightly.