In the pitch-black night, a cry suddenly pierced the air, awakening the people who were still in their dreams. With fearful eyes, they looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what had happened, but not knowing where to begin.
In the small square where tens of thousands of people gathered, there should have been whispered conversations even in the darkness. But after the horrifying scream, the place fell completely silent.
Until… a second scream rang out.
A loud bang! All that remained in people’s eyes was terror. Some who had encountered zombies before had bloodshot eyes as they reached out to find a weapon for self-defense. More people screamed and searched for their loved ones. Some couldn’t bear the horror and broke down in tears.
“Don’t panic! Don’t panic!”
Several flashlights illuminated the area, and people dressed in military and police uniforms maintained order while running toward the source of the sound. Soon, gunshots could be heard.
Those gunshots seemed like a signal, and before long, the sound of gunfire echoed throughout the city. Xu Song was certain he heard the sound of machine guns.
For almost the entire night, no one could fall back asleep.
It wasn’t until the break of dawn, when the sunrise painted the sky and the sound of gunfire gradually faded, that the exhausted and near-breaking point crowd finally let out a sigh of relief.
Water delivery trucks arrived and parked at several points around the shelter. There were also a few mobile medical vehicles and supply distribution trucks. Xu Song’s location was relatively close to the edge, and he saw a group of injured and exhausted soldiers not far away, sitting and resting.
Suddenly, he became worried about Yue Zheng, whom he hadn’t been in contact with all night, wondering if he had participated in the operation.
As for the SUV containing some supplies, it would be great if he managed to secure it, but if not, Xu Song didn’t dwell on it. After all, it was Yue Zheng who found the vehicle, and they collected the items together.
In the current situation, it was uncertain if they would ever see each other again, let alone those belongings. If worse comes to worst, Xu Song could always look for another vehicle while he roams the city in the coming days.
After fetching water, Xu Song washed his face and took out a bag of packaged bread from his backpack. Among the supplies he had collected, these bread packets had the shortest shelf life, so he had to start with them. As for finding food on the road ahead, he could only take it step by step.
The police could only provide a large amount of drinking water and a small amount of food for the time being. It was said that the food supplies hadn’t arrived yet, and even the soldiers and police officers were relying on their own compact rations.
As he pondered where to go to find provisions, Xu Song was suddenly drawn to the whispering of nearby people.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Nonsense! Where did these so-called zombies come from? I think it’s all a hoax!” The young man’s mother scolded him impatiently, “Stop playing those stupid games and focus on more important things!”
The young man disdainfully muttered, “Whatever! Am I talking nonsense? It wasn’t me. It was you who went inside that day! If you get bitten by a zombie, you’ll turn into one!”
The young man’s voice was not low, and many people, with a fearful look in their eyes, turned to look at him. Another kind of suppressed tension slowly spread through the crowd.
Xu Song couldn’t stand this silent atmosphere any longer. He threw the leftover plastic bag aside, stood up, put his belongings on the bicycle, and pushed it toward the exit.
He had also wondered if those undead were the same as the zombies described in the games, but the fact that those bodies moved swiftly, feared sunlight, and attacked humans in an unnatural way. It made him suspect that these undead had significant differences from the zombies depicted in those works.
Especially yesterday, when he witnessed the black aura enveloping his father’s body and even trying to escape after losing its physical support, he became even more certain that these things had no direct relation to zombies or viruses. He would rather believe that they were “dark energy” or “ghosts.”
As for whether being bitten by these undead would turn someone into one as well, Xu Song personally believed it was less likely, but he didn’t know why these things would attack humans. Based on his current observations, it seemed that the black aura actively sought out bodies to possess. Perhaps their attacks on humans were simply a means to acquire more vessels?
Mounting the bicycle, Xu Song left the shelter and rode towards the city center. Although it seemed like a considerable number of people had gathered at the shelter, many had chosen to flee when the anomaly occurred. Among those who remained, most chose to stay in sturdy residences that had little to no plants.
They chose to stay were those living in high-rise buildings. On the contrary, those in low-rise buildings and bungalows couldn’t continue living there due to the age of the houses and the presence of many plants that the older generation planted.
As Xu Song rode into the city center, he was contemplating where to go when suddenly, his phone in his pocket began to ring.
Ever since he made the call to his mother yesterday, his phone had displayed no signal. Could it be that there was a functional signal tower nearby?
He quickly stopped the bicycle and took out his phone. The screen showed an unfamiliar number, but since he could receive a call at this time, Xu Song naturally disregarded the possibility of it being a scam and promptly answered.
“Xu Song?”
The voice on the other end of the line sounded somewhat familiar, but it was muffled due to the poor signal.
“Yes, who is this?”
“It’s Yue Zheng.”
“Brother Yue!” Xu Song’s eyes lit up. “How did you know this number? Is there a signal now?”
“I found it through a search. The city’s data wasn’t lost. They just finished repairing the internal base stations this morning, so we can make calls within the city now. Where are you?” Yue Zheng briefly explained before asking.
Looking at the buildings on the road, Xu Song mentioned his current location, and Yue Zheng instructed him to stay put and said he would be there soon.
Xu Song sighed at the functioning information system and Yue Zheng’s ability to remember to contact him. It just so happened that he was also curious about how the government would carry out the rescue operations and whether Yue Zheng had encountered any trouble.
It seemed that Yue Zheng was on the road when he made the call. Soon enough, Xu Song saw the familiar SUV turning at a nearby intersection.
Seeing that Yue Zheng was the only one in the car, Xu Song breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he pushed his bicycle towards him.
“Put your things in the car.” Yue Zheng parked the car by the roadside and got out to help Xu Song with his belongings.
“Brother Yue, how are things? Are you okay from last night?” Xu Song handed over the items he had taken off, casually asking.
“I’m fine. I didn’t go out last night.” After putting all the items in the trunk, Yue Zheng noticed Xu Song looking somewhat reluctant at the bicycle he had ridden before. “It won’t fit.”
“Yeah, I know.”
That car was bought by Xu Song’s father during his high school years. Later, when Xu Song went to college, his father occasionally used it. From now on, he probably wouldn’t need it anymore.
“Get in. I passed by an outdoor supplies store on the way here. It seems like the items inside are still intact and might come in handy.”
Xu Song quickly sat in the passenger seat. It had to be said that even though the car’s interior was small, it gave a sense of inexplicable reassurance.
Once they were both seated, Yue Zheng explained, “This morning, I received orders from higher-ups. In a few days, some colleagues and I will be heading to City S, and then north to City B. Since you’re also going to City B, would you like to join us?”
“Really? Won’t it be troublesome?” Xu Song’s eyes lit up. Although he believed that traveling with others would provide relative safety, in the current chaotic situation, who knew what kind of people they might encounter? Being alone and having special abilities, he could find a way to fight back against monsters, but if he encountered unkind people, he could only rely on luck.
It’s not that he had a particularly dark mindset, but ever since his parents started their business, they had encountered all sorts of cunning and deceitful people. They had been manipulated by business partners and superiors, and they had faced countless situations where they were taken advantage of.
Xu Song was never shielded from these things by his parents. He had heard and seen a lot, so he was naturally not as naive as those children who were solely focused on studying. However, just because he had heard and seen a lot didn’t mean he knew how to handle everything. After all, university, despite resembling a small society, was still built within an ivory tower.
“It won’t be troublesome. Some people from the city are also going to City S and will be traveling with us.”
Therefore, the group heading to City S this time was not small. Besides Xu Song, there were also some military personnel accompanying them, and there were even some influential people who wanted to go to the more heavily armed City S. The group had grown in size, not to mention the presence of individuals with special abilities.
“There are also some individuals with special abilities in the group, and they’re traveling with us.”
“Individuals with special abilities?!” Xu Song was surprised and looked at Yue Zheng.
Yue Zheng nodded. “I also just found out this morning. When the anomaly occurred, apart from some people exploding on the spot or dying with blood flowing from their seven orifices, there were also individuals whose bodies underwent changes. The higher-ups refer to them as ‘individuals with special abilities.'”
“Yesterday, I encountered a person who wasn’t tall or muscular, but had incredible strength. He could single-handedly push up half a wall!” Xu Song suddenly remembered the scene he witnessed yesterday.
“That person should have undergone a mutation in strength.” Yue Zheng explained, “Most of the individuals who have developed special abilities so far have experienced enhancements in certain aspects of their bodies, such as strength or speed. I’ve also heard that some people have only experienced changes in specific body parts, for example, one person’s nails grew longer and became incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through steel plates. It is said that there are other types of mutants in City S, but the specific classifications haven’t been determined yet.”
“Then…” Xu Song thought about his and Yue Zheng’s abilities and couldn’t help but glance at him.
Yue Zheng also turned to look at him and shook his head gently. “I haven’t heard anything. Maybe there are others, but we just don’t know yet.”
Was it the right decision to keep their abilities hidden? But it seemed that these mutations were not isolated cases, which brought some relief to Xu Song.
Even though the road was challenging, driving in the city was much faster than riding a bicycle. The two of them reached the sports equipment store that Yue Zheng mentioned in no time.
The store was located on the ground floor of a large shopping mall in the city center of City Y. The store’s glass was shattered, and it was pitch black inside. There was no one there. There were a few civilians nearby, some in cars and some carrying bags, mostly heading towards nearby snack and beverage shops.
After locking the car, the two of them entered the store. Although there were some bloodstains inside, they didn’t see any bodies.
Found each other, yay! Nice not to be alone in this crazy world build… Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️😳