Lin Ya pressed her back tightly against the wall. She could almost imagine the zombies breathing right beside her ears.
Their fingernails scraped against the wall, producing a horrifying sound. She had to find a way out as quickly as possible, or she would never escape this place.
Her gaze swept over the rope as she searched for somewhere she could use to pull herself up. However, two zombies were gathering behind it and moving in her direction. The Bespectacled Man had also cut through part of the rope she had painstakingly woven, so she couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t snap while she was holding onto it.
All she could do was let her eyes travel across the horde again, searching for even the tiniest opening. Her heart was pounding like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, as though it were about to leap right out of her chest.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t even the slightest gap through which she could avoid the zombies and escape. The obnoxious alarm clock was ringing so loudly that zombies from all around were continuously gathering in her direction.
Lin Ya closed her eyes briefly. She couldn’t afford to delay any longer.
She then summoned all her strength and suddenly kicked the zombie in front of her hard in the head, sending it tumbling backward and crashing into several zombies behind it.
The momentary chaos gave Lin Ya a precious opportunity. She swiftly picked up the alarm clock and hurled it to the side. The zombies gathered around the outer perimeter immediately changed direction, as though they had received an order.
Only the few zombies closest to Lin Ya continued inching toward her.
Lin Ya weighed the two buckets in her hands. Excellent! The buckets from this small water purifier had two handles, making them easy to grip. They were just a little heavy. But she had practiced a few amateur martial arts moves and still had some strength in her arms. She could swing them around!
Everyone could only watch as the so-called AIDS woman downstairs swung one bucket after another at the zombies’ heads, alternating between her left and right hands. The zombies fell under the force of her blows, only to slowly get back up and continue closing in on Lin Ya.
The cheers from upstairs grew even louder, as though the zombies were their own army and they were waving flags to encourage them.
Lin Ya had no choice but to keep running forward while knocking the zombies down. When she passed the zombie with a knife stuck in its shoulder, she even snatched the knife out of it.
Once she reached a safe place, she waved the knife in her hand, as though thanking the Bespectacled Man or perhaps trying to infuriate that hateful four-eyed bastard upstairs.
Then she quickly disappeared from the sight of the Burly Man and the Bespectacled Man.
The cheers from the Big Brother, the middle-aged woman upstairs, and the Bespectacled Man on the second floor abruptly stopped. The smiles on their faces froze, replaced by disappointment and anger.
The middle-aged woman and the Bespectacled Man on the second floor were especially frantic, like ants on a hot pan. With the zombies outside, they didn’t dare open the door and chase after Lin Ya. All they could do was fret helplessly by the window.
They all knew that if Lin Ya returned, there might be nothing left for them. But now that she had escaped, they would undoubtedly be the ones to suffer next. Those Burly Men were not the sort of people who would listen to reason.
It was said that all the Burly Men staying at the inn had once been condemned prisoners. Their leader had also been involved in the underworld. His eyes had witnessed the deaths of far too many people, and to him, prison had been nothing more than a gladiatorial arena on a different stage. The apocalypse that began last night had given him the perfect opportunity to escape, and he had led his men out of prison.
At that moment, the Big Brother’s breathing grew rapid, and his chest heaved with anger. He was determined to let everyone staying at the inn know that no one could escape his grasp and no one could challenge his authority.
His expression grew even colder, and his voice was low and filled with murderous intent.
“Find her no matter what. I’ll make her pay.”
His words echoed through the inn’s corridor, sending a chill down the spine of everyone who heard them. But in a world crawling with zombies, who would be willing to go outside and search for a woman who had escaped and was also suffering from a contagious disease?
Perhaps he had thought of that problem as well.
Everyone saw him pause for a few seconds after speaking before turning toward the innkeeper, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.
The innkeeper felt a chill run through her. The fear on her face grew more pronounced, and her entire body trembled. A pool of yellow liquid slowly gathered beneath her feet.
“You damn old woman! Look at the mess you’ve made!” the underworld boss threatened in a low voice. His heavy, powerful footsteps carried him steadily toward her.
The innkeeper’s legs began to shake. She instinctively tried to retreat, but the cramped room left her nowhere to run. Her back pressed against the wall, and her eyes widened in terror.
“I… I…”
The innkeeper stammered, trying to explain herself, but the boss gave her no chance.
“You let that little bitch escape, wasting our precious time and resources! Tell me, what do you think I should do with you?”
His voice thundered through the inn’s corridor.
Although he sounded somewhat nonchalant, the innkeeper’s face turned pale as she realized just how dangerous her situation had become. She tried to beg for mercy, but the words caught in her throat, leaving her able to produce nothing but helpless whimpers.
“I was wrong! Please spare me! I’ll do anything you ask. Look at me, I’m just as capable as Lin Ya! Whatever she can do, I can do too. Please, please let me go! I can be a dog at your feet. Just spare me…”
The innkeeper had become completely incoherent. She crouched on the floor, gently tugging at the boss’s trouser leg as she pleaded for a chance to live.
The boss kicked her away and brushed off his clothes, as though trying to rid himself of the germs she had left on him.
“Do you take me to a garbage dump? Someone like you isn’t even fit to shine in my shoes, and you still want to be my dog?”
“Our boss’s dogs have dignity. Not just anyone gets to be one, right?” Third Brother chimed in, looking at the innkeeper with a mocking smile.
The innkeeper trembled with fear at their words, unable to figure out how she could escape this ordeal.
The boss didn’t want to waste any more time on her. He walked up to the innkeeper and grabbed her by the collar with a hand like an iron clamp, lifting her into the air. Her feet dangled off the ground as she struggled desperately, but she couldn’t move his arm even an inch.
“No! No! Please, I’m begging you! Don’t!” Her voice was filled with despair. She clawed wildly at the air, but there was nothing she could grab.
The boss sneered. His strength was immense, and he lifted her effortlessly toward the window. With his other hand, he yanked the already-open window wider. A cold wind howled into the room as the innkeeper’s body was suspended outside.
Drawn by the noise, the zombies raised their heads. Their eyes gleamed with greed in the darkness. The innkeeper’s screams were swallowed by the night wind as her body trembled in the underworld boss’s grip.
“This is what you get!” the underworld boss roared before mercilessly hurling her out of the window and into the horde of zombies.
Her body sailed through the air. Her screams abruptly ceased, replaced by the zombies’ snarls and the sounds of them tearing into her flesh.
The boss watched coldly, not a trace of sympathy in his eyes. The others inside the inn held their tongues in fear, shocked by his cruelty.
After dealing with the innkeeper, the boss turned his icy gaze toward the second floor. His footsteps grew heavier, and each step made the wooden staircase of the small inn creak.
The dim light overhead cast his long shadow behind him, making him look all the more terrifying.
On the second floor, the Bespectacled Man had witnessed Lin Ya’s escape and the innkeeper’s tragic end. His heart raced, his palms began to sweat, and his body was so frozen with fear that he couldn’t move at all.
Only now did he begin to regret his actions. If he had simply pretended not to see Lin Ya escaping just moments earlier, would he have been spared the same horrific fate of being fed to the zombies?