Dawn had not long broken; it wasn’t even 7:00 AM yet.
The back area of the shop was somewhat dim. The lights inside hadn’t been turned on. The outbreak had occurred in the afternoon when it was still very bright, unlike the hospital where the lights remained on during the day.
Lin Yuzhi walked to the door. The banging inside grew increasingly violent, causing dust to fall from the wall. It was obvious that whatever was in there was not a living human.
Reaching out, he placed his hand on the doorknob, paused for a moment, and then quickly threw the door open. At that exact instant, the zombie inside lunged forward. However, since the door opened inward and wasn’t fully open yet, the zombie slammed heavily into it.
Lin Yuzhi seized the opportunity, swinging his axe into the zombie’s neck. He kicked it back into the room, causing the axe to dislodge, and quickly followed up with several more strikes. The zombie soon stopped moving, lying on the floor with its head completely mutilated, putrid blood and brain matter spilling everywhere.
The school uniform it was wearing was completely soaked in blood—a horrifying sight. Judging by this, a student must have made it back early, only for the outbreak to occur, leading them to hide in the restroom. But it seemed they were already dying when they arrived; Lin Yuzhi saw a large, mangled bite wound on the student’s neck.
This was just a small restroom. A schoolbag and some books were lying on the floor, but since they were smeared with blood, Lin Yuzhi didn’t bother picking them up.
Closing the door, Lin Yuzhi returned to the shop. He scanned the books, prioritizing those Xu An had requested, and then simply stuffed any that looked useful into his bag in bulk. Fortunately, the backpack was large enough that it didn’t look bulging. He also spotted several comic books; while he hadn’t read comics much before—usually preferring anime on his phone or novels—given the current situation, he grabbed a few anyway. It would soon be impossible to read novels on his phone, and anime would be even more out of the question. As things stood, if this wasn’t over in a day, the power and internet would cut out, leading to even greater despair. And he felt it wouldn’t last much longer, so he still needed to find a solar charger as soon as possible. Having seen numerous post-apocalyptic movies, he knew how these things went.
He hurriedly shoved the comics into his backpack but stopped as he was about to leave. He turned to look at a decorative cabinet on the wall, which was covered in bizarre graffiti. There, nestled among the clutter, was a pink baseball bat. The bat itself had no graffiti and was perfectly clean.
Lin Yuzhi looked at the axe in his hand, then back at the bat on the wall. “How unusual,” he remarked, somewhat surprised. Baseball isn’t particularly popular in this country—at least, he didn’t like it; he preferred basketball. Baseball bats weren’t very common either, only occasionally seen as home decorations or car self-defense tools. Of course, a sporting goods store would have them, but it was surprising to see one in this bookstore. Still, given its placement, it was probably meant as a decoration.
This was perfect. He had been grumbling about how difficult the axe was to use. The killing power was there, but it required an amount of precise finesse that he simply lacked. Furthermore, axes were prone to getting stuck in bone. It was fine if it dislodged, but if it got stuck while another zombie was lunging, he’d be in deep trouble.
Seeing the baseball bat, he grabbed a stool, stood on it, and reached up to take the bat down.
He grabbed it and immediately found that the handle had been thoughtfully wrapped in tape, providing a secure grip. It felt balanced and comfortable in his hand. But why hadn’t the shop owner used this as a weapon? Lin Yuzhi looked over at the owner’s corpse and realized the bat was mounted so high that the owner probably hadn’t even had time to react. If he did, his first instinct would have been to flee, likely forgetting about the bat.
Stepping down from the stool, he gave the bat a light swing. It wasn’t solid wood; there was some weight to it, but the weight actually made it feel more substantial and manageable, not light or flimsy. The bat wasn’t thick but long and slender, excellent for swinging. In truth, the thing he was most satisfied with was the color—it matched his hair perfectly.
Lin Yuzhi gave the bat a few trial swings, listening to it whistle through the air. In no time, he got the feel of it and a smile spread across his face. This was great; he had picked up a nice piece of gear on this trip, just like in a game. He swung it a few more times before looking at the axe on the floor. He picked it up and jammed it into his backpack; although it was awkward to use, it was still a weapon. If he lost the bat, the axe could be a backup.
Next, he continued scavenging the shop, wondering what else he might find. He grabbed several thin books and wrapped them around his wrists and ankles. They say that “books hold houses of gold,” but in a crisis, they could also hold your life. The wrists and ankles were the easiest places for zombies to bite and claw. For maneuverability, he chose thin books—just enough to deflect a fatal bite.
After taping the books on, he spotted a power bank sitting on a desk. He clicked the button; it was 50% charged. He shoved that into his backpack too and then went to the door. Since it was a glass door, he could press against it to check outside and to both sides.
Just as he was leaning in to look, a zombie appeared out of nowhere and slammed against the glass, pressing its hands against the door and leaving bloody prints.
“Holy crap!” Lin Yuzhi stumbled back, staring at the sudden intruder. It was a man, shirtless, with large chunks of flesh missing from his body. His mouth was full of blood and his lower jaw appeared to have been bitten off. Lin Yuzhi could see its bloody tongue writhing, and a low snarl was audible. This was not a pleasant sight.
A moment later, the zombie pushed the door open and came inside. Since it was just a glass door with no lock, it could be opened with a simple push. Lin Yuzhi didn’t try to barricade it; he could handle one zombie, and there were many outside. Barricading the door now would make a lot of noise, which could attract more zombies—that would be a major problem.
He took a step back as the zombie fully entered the room, reaching out to pounce. Lin Yuzhi ducked away while glancing at the baseball bat in his hand; perfect opportunity to test its power. The zombie crashed into a nearby bookshelf, then turned and charged again. Seeing this, Lin Yuzhi raised the bat and brought it down heavily on the zombie’s head, producing a solid thwack. The bat vibrated with the force, which transferred up his arm, causing his hand to go a bit numb.
Still, it was definitely better than the axe. At least he didn’t have to worry about it getting stuck.
The zombie fell to the floor but quickly began scrambling back up. Lin Yuzhi didn’t hesitate, swinging again and connecting with the zombie’s head. Only when the head was completely smashed open did he finally relax. The pink baseball bat was now smeared with blood, creating a striking contrast.
It did vibrate his hand quite a bit, but the swinging power was excellent. More importantly, he didn’t have to worry about finding the perfect angle of attack; the bat was like any club—you could just swing and hit. Aside from the vibration, it was mostly due to him not being used to it; he should find some gloves later.
Stepping over the zombie’s corpse, he took the baseball bat and stepped outside to the adjacent shop.
This one was a stationary store. No zombies here, but it was just as chaotic inside, with items scattered all over the floor. Lin Yuzhi ignored the pens on the ground, opting instead for those still on the shelves, stuffing them into the small pouch across his chest. He also grabbed several notebooks. He needed them for drafts, and Xu An sometimes needed them to set questions; they were essential. If he could carry more, he truly would have taken more. As he scavenged, he kept a careful watch on his surroundings in case a zombie burst out.
Before leaving, he noticed a half-used bottle of floral mosquito repellent water on the counter. He remembered Xu An’s last warning that zombies might have a sense of smell. Although it couldn’t be confirmed—it was possible the zombie outside the inpatient building had really seen him—since he saw it, he took it. This stuff had a strong scent. But he actually liked the smell because once you smelled it, you knew summer had arrived.
Stuffing it into his backpack, he checked the door again. Making sure there were no zombies, he pulled the door open and stepped out. The zombies were still wandering nearby, and he could see a few of them gnawing on a corpse on the ground—he couldn’t tell if it was recently dead or not. Lin Yuzhi cautiously sprinted across the street to the wall.
He surveyed the area to make sure it was safe before taking a running start and scaling the wall. However, the wall was very high. He managed to grab the top and haul himself up, but it took considerable effort and he almost fell. Of course, it was also possible that having too much stuff on his back made climbing more difficult.
As soon as he was on top of the wall, he heard movement. Looking down, he saw a zombie wearing a school uniform right beneath him. Next to it was half a corpse, also in a uniform. The zombie reached up, its hands and uniform soaked in blood—horrifying. Lin Yuzhi knew immediately that these two had likely tried to escape over the wall but failed.
“Tragic, 学弟 (junior),” he murmured softly. Crouching on the wall, he looked ahead.
A short distance ahead was the main school gate. Many trees were planted inside. No. 5 Middle School was known for being flush with cash, and the entire campus was like a miniature park, with teaching and office buildings enveloped by the greenery. But No. 5 was only known for its money; compared to other high schools, its academic ranking naturally fell short, and it had never produced a student who went on to a top university.
Oh, wait—there had been one: 徐安 (Xu An). Not only did he go to a top university, but he also achieved the top score in the national college entrance exam that year. He remembered the day Xu An achieved top scholar status; Lin Yuzhi had specifically detoured past the gate of No. 5 on his way home from work to see the festive banners. Envy. Thinking about it now, Lin Yuzhi was still envious.
A moment later, Lin Yuzhi was snapped out of his thoughts by the junior’s growls. Looking down, he saw the junior clawing at the wall, trying to climb up. But a wall isn’t like a car with a lower point; a wall is just a wall, so it could only snarl and reach up blindly.
Seeing the junior “welcoming” him like this, Lin Yuzhi was somewhat moved, but he still ignored it—he certainly wasn’t going to jump directly down. So he walked along the wall, planning to find a spot to climb down and then enter through the administration building ahead.
The administration building was located just inside the school gate. Not far across from it were the teaching buildings. Further in past the teaching buildings were the student dorms, even further were the cafeterias, and the playground was behind the cafeterias. The vegetation was lush, with heavy greenery. Even under the current scorching sun, these plants seemed to disperse much of the heat, blanketing the ground in shade.
But the normally boisterous campus was now terrifyingly silent.
What was even more terrifying was that, despite this being a school—a place typically packed with people, like the primary school earlier—there weren’t many zombies outside the gates of No. 5 Middle School, and the campus was so quiet. The fear was that the entire school was now filled with zombies, and any survivors were likely unable to escape.
You move one step, and there’s a classroom. One step, and there’s another classroom. Each classroom held around forty or fifty people; he remembered his Class 12 had fifty-one students. He didn’t dare to imagine what the scene was like.
Lin Yuzhi actually considered abandoning the exam, but if he did, the Scholar System would automatically unlink. Helpless, he could only brace himself and go on.
He walked further in, and the junior followed him along the wall, truly persistent. Finally, after finding a spot, he scaled down the wall. The junior immediately lunged, its blood-soaked mouth open, a strong stench of rot emanant. The prolonged exposure to the sun meant the corpses were beginning to decompose, unlike in the hospital where the air conditioning was on, slowing the process.
Lin Yuzhi recoiled from the stench. A moment later, he raised the baseball bat and brought it down heavily on the junior’s head. The junior fell to the ground, but wasn’t dead yet. Lin Yuzhi went in and struck a few more times, stopping only when the junior’s head was smashed open.
The grass was covered in blood and mutilated flesh. Under the baking sun, the stench of decay grew even stronger. He could only hold his breath and run quickly further inside.
He was currently located behind the administration building. He had to pass through it to reach the teaching buildings. As he reached the corner, he smelled the stench of decay. His steps naturally lightened, and hugging the wall, he cautiously peeked his head out to check.
Then he saw a scene that made his skin crawl: a countless, dense swarm of zombies crowded behind the administration building, every single one of them wearing a school uniform.
Why were there so many? And why were they all behind the administration building? Lin Yuzhi was just a hair’s breadth away from shouting that that profanity, but he managed to swallow it down in time. Gripping the baseball bat, he cautiously retreated a step.
There was no way through here. He planned to find another path.
Just as he retreated one step, the zombies, who previously hadn’t noticed him, suddenly turned their heads. Their blood-red eyes stared dead at him. He could even see one student’s eye hanging out of its face. The next instant, the zombies, like torrential flood beasts, lunged toward him with a snarl.
Author’s Note:
Lin Yu’zi Peeking: Holy crap!