A blinding light burned white into his vision.
Alan Han instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, his head tilting slightly to the right in discomfort.
All he could feel was a cool breeze brushing past his fingertips, along with a low humming sound like a running refrigerator.
In his haze, Alan Han thought he heard someone calling him.
It was unclear how much time passed before his consciousness gradually cleared, and the ringing in his ears began to fade.
Instinctively, Alan Han cracked his eyes open slightly, but the light flooded in, forcing him to shut them tight again.
Just as he raised a hand to block the glare, he heard someone speaking nearby.
“Hold… on… you’re not hurt…”
…
Ten minutes earlier
On the asphalt road, a Jeep cut quietly through the rainy night, leaving behind splashes of water and a faint reddish trail.
The headlights illuminated the road ahead, where countless silver strands of rain flashed and shattered in the beam.
A low, steady drumbeat played inside the car.
Leon, dressed in a black jacket, gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
The interior light cast a glow across his profile, a few strands of golden hair catching the light.
The sound of the wipers sliding across the windshield blended into the gaps between the beats, while his fingers tapped rhythmically on the wheel.
Leon shifted gears smoothly, glancing down toward the lower right at the fuel gauge before looking back up.
“Looks like it needs refueling.
Hope there’s a Gas Station ahead.”
As the rain grew heavier, Leon adjusted the wipers to medium speed, and the drumbeat became more scattered.
He pressed the accelerator slightly, and the Jeep surged forward, leaving only the fading echo of music behind on the road.
Not far ahead, Leon spotted the Gas Station sign.
He slowed down, shifted gears, turned on the signal, and eased the vehicle into the station.
Twisting the key, Leon shut off the engine.
Click.
He opened the door, stepped out, and casually scanned his surroundings before closing it behind him.
Picking up the fuel nozzle, he inserted it into the tank with a dull thud.
While the tank filled, Leon idly looked around.
A hint of confusion crossed his face.
“Why is there no one here?”
He turned his head toward the other side of the Gas Station.
A police car sat there with its doors open and engine still running.
Both the interior and exterior lights were on, casting two patches of light onto the wet ground.
Was an officer on duty?
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass came from inside the convenience store, breaking the stillness.
Leon’s gaze shifted from the patrol car to the tightly shut store door, a trace of caution appearing in his eyes.
Curiosity and a sense of duty pulled him toward it.
As he walked, he glanced down and noticed the ground was covered in blood.
Dark red streaks had been washed and spread by the rain.
Leon raised a hand to shield himself from water dripping through the roof, stepping carefully around the larger pools of blood as he approached the store.
At the door, he gently pushed it open.
Inside was pitch black, except for a flashlight lying on the floor, its beam illuminating scattered items on the shelves ahead.
“Hello?
Is anyone there?”
There was no response.
Leon looked down at the flashlight, still on despite having fallen, and bent to pick it up.
It felt cold in his hand as he swept the beam across the room.
Messy shelves.
Scattered goods.
Bloodstains.
An armed robbery?
“Something’s not right.”
Moving forward slowly, Leon listened carefully.
From behind the shelves came rough groans mixed with labored breathing.
Lowering his voice, he cautiously leaned out from behind the shelves and looked left.
A cashier came into view, clutching his neck, his body covered in blood.
“Don’t move.
I’ll help you.”
Leon’s pupils tightened slightly as he hurried over and crouched beside him, trying to assess his condition.
But before he could do anything, the cashier raised a trembling hand and pointed deeper inside.
“…I’ll come back for you.”
So the suspect hadn’t been subdued yet.
Leon’s expression hardened as he stared into the darkness.
He switched off the flashlight to avoid being noticed and moved carefully inward.
Even though he hadn’t officially reported for duty yet, being a rookie officer wasn’t an excuse to ignore this.
Entering the room behind the door, Leon paused to observe.
It seemed safe.
Nothing unusual at first glance.
There was another door on the right, and faint movement could be heard inside.
He approached the half-open door and slowly pushed it open.
The moment it opened, he saw a police officer restraining someone.
“Stay where you are!”
The officer had the suspect pinned against the wall, but the man continued struggling violently.
“Do you need help, Officer?”
Leon quickly turned on the flashlight and aimed it toward them.
The officer, still holding the suspect with one hand, raised the other to signal Leon to stop.
“Step back, sir!
I’ve got this.”
But with only one hand holding him, the suspect suddenly surged with strength.
“Grr!”
With a roar, he broke free and slammed the officer to the ground.
Before Leon could react, the man lunged down and bit into the officer’s neck.
“Let him go!
Let him go right now!”
Leon rushed forward, trying to pull him away, but failed.
The man had already sunk his teeth in.
The sound of tearing flesh filled the room.
“Ah—”
In an instant, a chunk of flesh, along with the officer’s windpipe, was ripped out.
With his last breath, the officer choked out:
“Help—guh…”
Seeing the officer go still, Leon immediately drew his gun and aimed at the attacker, who still had flesh in his mouth.
“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”
The warning went ignored.
Leon fired.
The bullet hit, but the zombie showed no reaction.
“What the hell is this?”
Without hesitation, Leon aimed at its head and pulled the trigger again.
A flash burst from the muzzle.
The bullet tore through the zombie’s skull, spraying dark blood.
The body collapsed.
Leon stared at it grimly.
After a brief moment of silence for the fallen officer, he raised the flashlight and scanned the area again.
There was someone else.
Leaning against a shelf.
Unconscious.
Leon approached carefully, nudging him lightly with his foot.
“Are you still alive?
Are you okay?”
The half-conscious man flinched under the harsh light, turning his head away, brows tightly furrowed as he showed signs of waking.
Unable to ignore the brightness, he struggled to raise a hand to shield his eyes.
“Sorry.
You seem fine.
Are you hurt?”
Leon lowered his gun slightly and moved the light away from the man’s face.
The man slowly regained some awareness, his voice hoarse.
“I don’t know… I just feel dizzy.”
Suddenly, something crashed behind them.
The cashier.
He had turned into a zombie and was now groaning as he staggered toward them.
“Damn it.
No time to rest.
We need to move.”
Leon clamped the flashlight between his teeth and used his free hand to pull the man up.
Raising his gun, he fired at the approaching zombie.
The shot hit, knocking the zombie back slightly from the impact.
Seeing the man could now stand, Leon took the flashlight back, nodded to him, and moved to open a nearby door.
“It’s locked.
Damn it.”
Alan Han steadied himself, feeling a little better.
Something seemed to click in his memory.
He scanned the surroundings.
Then his eyes landed on a key hanging on the wall behind the shelves.
“There’s a key over there.
I’ll get it.”
Leon glanced over and nodded, then raised his gun and fired at the approaching zombie’s head.
The gunshot exploded in the confined space, ringing painfully in his ears.
The zombie’s brain was destroyed instantly, and it dropped to the ground.
Alan Han flinched at the deafening sound but still pushed past Leon to grab the key.
Leon lowered his gun, covering him as he retrieved it.
Once Alan Han had the key, they hurried back to the locked door.
As the door opened, Leon stepped in to support him again.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The moment they stepped out, a zombie lunged at them.
Leon swung the butt of his pistol hard into its temple, knocking it down, then kept moving with Alan Han toward the exit.
“Hurry.
We can’t stay here.”
Alan Han nodded, dodging another zombie as they ran.
Just as Leon reached the door, it suddenly burst open.
A woman stumbled in.
Instinctively, Leon raised his gun.
“Don’t shoot!”
She raised her hands, signaling she meant no harm.
Leon was about to lower his weapon when he spotted a zombie approaching behind her.
“Get down!”
The next second, he pulled the trigger.
Bang.