As the mutated rat lunged at her, Yao Tao raised her fire shovel, blade pointed down, and the sharp edge of the shovel struck true against the mutated rat’s neck.
It severed the cervical nerve instantly.
The mutated rat shrieked, its limbs convulsing, and the other mutated rats scattered in every direction the moment they heard its screams.
The four survivors stared at Yao Tao, still shaken.
A middle-aged man in the lead stepped forward. “Are you here to rescue us?”
Yao Tao shook her head. “No. I’m just passing through.”
The middle-aged man: “…”
Yao Tao finished off the still-twitching mutated rat at her feet with the shovel, then stepped past the middle-aged man and continued on, shovel in hand.
“Thank you so much just now, if it weren’t for you, the four of us would’ve been in real danger,” the middle-aged man said, catching up to thank her.
Yao Tao had no interest in getting entangled with anyone else. “No need to thank me. I wasn’t trying to save you in the first place.”
Her attitude was clear: I’m just passing through, I don’t know you people.
The middle-aged man paused, realizing she clearly didn’t want to be lumped in with them, but kindly offered a warning anyway. “You’re going the wrong way, the exit is back the way you came. I’m the electrician here, I know this place well.”
At those words, Yao Tao stopped. “I want to get to the basement level. How do I get there?”
The middle-aged man immediately said, “Turn the corner up ahead, there’s an escalator, but the wall’s collapsed there so you can’t get through, you’ll have to go around the other way…”
Yao Tao had been testing him, not expecting him to actually be right, and clear and accurate about it too.
Seemed like he really was just being kind.
In the apocalypse you had to stay on guard, otherwise, like in her past life, you’d get sold out and end up helping count the money afterward.
“Thanks. We’re even now, we don’t owe each other anything,” Yao Tao said, and walked on.
The middle-aged man watched her retreating back, his feelings complicated: this young woman looked barely twenty, yet she was so cold, like she was terrified of owing anyone a favor…
“Uncle… let’s hurry up and go,” the three survivors urged the middle-aged man.
“Who are you calling uncle, you’re making me feel old, I’m only 39… just call me by my name. I’m Li Lin.”
“I’m Zhong Huaiming,” said the narrow-eyed young man.
“I’m Qin Jiang, and this is Song Lianqiu,” said the other young man, pointing to the woman in her twenties beside him.
Li Lin walked while shining his flashlight ahead. “Be careful, the ceiling’s collapsed up there, watch out for falling debris.”
Trembling between Zhong Huaiming and Qin Jiang for protection, Song Lianqiu asked, “What if we run into another giant rat?”
Zhong Huaiming went pale and asked Li Lin, “How much farther to the exit? Maybe we should’ve just gone with that woman from before, she’s heading out too eventually, safer in numbers.”
“Almost there, there should be a staircase up ahead, and the exit’s right past it… hold on, no good, it’s caved in here!” Li Lin found the original exit blocked by a pile of rubble, thoroughly frustrated.
“That woman came through this way, she must have known the exit was blocked, but she didn’t say anything. That’s pretty cold-hearted,” Song Lianqiu muttered under her breath.
Li Lin frowned. “That’s not fair to say. Don’t forget who just saved us.”
He wasn’t close with Song Lianqiu and the others three, he was only leading them because he was older and knew the layout well. Her comment left him a little uncomfortable.
Song Lianqiu scoffed. “She said it herself, she was just passing through, not trying to save anyone. If she really meant well, why didn’t she stay and protect us, walk us out?”
“Exactly, Lianqiu’s right, that woman didn’t look like a good person at all, good thing we didn’t go with her,” Zhong Huaiming chimed in, nodding along, every bit the sycophant.
Song Lianqiu wasn’t pleased by Zhong Huaiming’s agreement, instead she shot him a disdainful look. “Are you stupid? If we hadn’t gone with her and we run into another giant rat, what then? She looked plenty capable, if there’s danger, she could protect us.”
Zhong Huaiming looked baffled. “…so what exactly do you want, then? Should we go back and find her or not?”
Before Song Lianqiu could answer, a rustling sound came from the darkness, and her legs went weak with fright, nearly sending her to the ground.
Zhong Huaiming and Qin Jiang also went pale, huddling close to Li Lin.
Li Lin was tense too, he held a mop in his hands, standing close together with Song Lianqiu and the other two.
The flashlight beam lit up the source.
Two dog-sized rats were crouched over a corpse, feasting.
Li Lin felt his hair practically stand on end. Song Lianqiu clutched desperately at Zhong Huaiming’s clothes, and the four of them backed away.
“Squeak squeak!” One of the mutated rats suddenly turned to look at them and lunged.
“Help!” Song Lianqiu couldn’t hold it in any longer and spun around, screaming, and fled.
Zhong Huaiming and Qin Jiang followed right behind her.
Li Lin had thought that with two grown men, Zhong Huaiming and Qin Jiang, they’d finally be prepared this time and not end up in as pathetic a state as before, surely they could take down one giant rat.
Instead, before anything even started, the two of them abandoned him and ran.
Li Lin had no choice but to run too.
The mutated rat gave chase right behind him.
Li Lin fended off the rat’s snapping bites with his mop, but even so, his arm still got clawed. The bite wound burned with pain.
The four of them fled in a panic, running toward the basement level.
At that moment, Yao Tao was happily looting the basement level. “Queen of stockpiling, that’s me! Am I proud of myself?”
Yes, I am, proud!
She found a generator, a diesel generator, solar panels, and a storage battery.
Solar panels alone weren’t enough to use directly, she’d need an inverter and a power supply to go with them.
At another stall she found tents, sleeping bags, hammocks, chargers, binoculars, life vests, waterproof bags…
She packed everything collectible into her space.
The plants mutating was only the beginning of the apocalypse. Tomorrow the plants would undergo a second mutation, and by then trees would grow taller than buildings. A few days after that, the roots of the mutated plants would burst through the ground, tearing up the existing roads.
Underground fiber-optic cables and pipes would rupture, forming rivers on the surface.
Vehicles would become useless, and once-flat roads would turn into hills too steep to cross. The massive root systems of various plants would tangle together, forming what looked like floating bridges…
After collecting her target items, Yao Tao didn’t overlook the things scattered on the ground either.
A fire axe, various blades, a woodworking tool set.
The biggest surprise was finding two air rifles, along with three small boxes of pellets and BB rounds.
She’d already collected a nail gun for a weapon; now she had one more usable weapon to add to the collection.
She lifted the air rifle and took aim.
In her past life, she’d learned to shoot from Zhu Hua, and given the brutality of the apocalypse, she hadn’t wanted to be a burden to him, so she’d pushed herself especially hard, taking everything she learned seriously.
Her shooting skill had eventually surpassed Zhu Hua’s, though she’d never let him know that.
Suddenly a flashlight beam appeared ahead, and four figures came running toward her.
The one in front was a woman, her gait swaying awkwardly, clearly wearing high heels, moving slowly.
Behind her followed three men, who had it far worse.
They could have run much faster, but the woman ahead blocked the way, so all three of them could only scream in misery as the mutated rats chasing them occasionally caught up and struck.
“Lianqiu, can you run a little faster?” Zhong Huaiming begged from behind.
“My feet hurt so bad, don’t rush me, I’m trying my best…” Song Lianqiu panted. “Hey, look, that woman’s right up ahead.” She spotted Yao Tao ahead and waved excitedly.
Yao Tao’s flashlight beam swept over, and Song Lianqiu squinted against the glare. “She’s got something in her hand, pointing it right at us…”
“Looks like a gun,” Qin Jiang chimed in faintly from behind.
“She’s going to kill us!” Song Lianqiu screamed and skidded to a sudden stop.
Her sudden stop sent Zhong Huaiming crashing into her back, and Qin Jiang crashed into Zhong Huaiming.
Li Lin had the worst luck of all, after crashing into Qin Jiang, the two mutated rats behind him were about to slam right into him too…
Yao Tao tilted her head slightly, the air rifle aimed at them.
Under the glare of the flashlight, she looked like a marble statue, her cold eyes without a trace of mercy.