Chapter 6: Twenty-Four Hours
1327 Words
Lin Yuan didn't realize that his brief outing had misled others. When he returned to the office building, his life-sensing ability detected that the zombies, originally on the third floor, had somehow moved up to the fourth floor.
Although the door to that office had been broken down, they still had tables and cabinets for barricades. As long as they didn't intentionally put themselves in danger, they could hold out for a few days.
He opened the door to Shen Rong's office, and the room was pitch black. Shen Rong’s life signal was in the partitioned section of the room; he wasn’t sure if she was asleep.
Lin Yuan opened the door to the partition and saw Shen Rong lying on the bed. He took out a flashlight, turned it on, and placed it on the table beside him. The light reflected off the ceiling, dimly illuminating the bedroom but still bright enough to see everything around.
Shen Rong was curled up at the head of the bed, completely wrapped in a thin blanket, with only her head exposed. There were clear tear marks on her face, and the fear in her eyes had not yet faded.
She had heard the noise when Lin Yuan went out earlier. Thinking about being alone in the empty office with zombies wandering outside, she couldn’t stop her tears from flowing.
"I went out to get some anti-inflammatory medicine and some food."
He took out the medicine from his backpack, selected a few useful ones, and tossed them to Shen Rong, preparing to leave.
"You're not going out again, are you?" Shen Rong asked pitifully. Compared to the grievance of being bitten earlier, the fear of being abandoned was far worse.
"Where could I go this late?"
After a busy day, although Lin Yuan didn't feel physically exhausted, he knew it was time to rest. He moved the sofa to the window, sat down with snacks and a drink, and gazed at the brilliant starry sky outside. It had only been a few days without human interference, and already the night sky looked clearer, giving a sense of brightness.
Not far away, in a building, a few figures were sprinting through an empty corridor, being chased by a group of snarling zombies. The slowest runner stumbled and fell. Before he could get up, a zombie pounced on him and bit into his neck. His screams didn’t cause the others to hesitate; instead, they ran even faster!
When they finally made it back to the safe house, the four survivors hurriedly moved tables and chairs to barricade the door tightly. "Zhang Beiming, didn’t you say they wouldn’t attack? Old Liu’s dead!" The manager’s voice trembled, his chubby face shaking as he sobbed.
"It shouldn’t have happened, how could this be?" Zhang Beiming was drenched in cold sweat, unable to lift his head from the guilt of his misjudgment, which had cost his comrade's life.
Lin Yuan woke up early before dawn, disturbed by helicopters flying overhead, some even weaving between the buildings at low altitudes. The noise they created stirred up excitement among the city's hidden survivors, who rushed to open their windows and shout for help. Some bolder individuals even made their way to the rooftops, hoping for priority rescue. But the helicopters only surveyed briefly before quickly leaving, without providing any effective assistance.
“It seems the rescue operation is about to begin,” Lin Yuan keenly observed that the helicopters' flight patterns were deliberate, and their low altitudes were meant to create a loud distraction, guiding the zombies on the ground to move. In just a short time, the zombies on the street began to migrate, slowly following the main roads of the city.
If not carefully managed, even deploying a large number of soldiers wouldn't prevent casualties. Though zombies are merely flesh and blood, once they form large masses moving like tidal waves, even a rain of bullets wouldn't be able to stop them. After all, there were still many survivors in the city, so the use of large-scale destructive weapons was impossible.
Shen Rong emerged from her bedroom as well. Despite having slept, her complexion hadn’t improved; in fact, she looked even more haggard.
"I think I heard helicopters just now?"
Even though she was in a separate room with decent soundproofing, in the absolute silence of the night, she had been listening for any outside noises.
"Yes, a few helicopters flew by. They’re probably trying to lure the zombie hordes away to prepare for the rescue mission," Lin Yuan replied, but he didn’t feel much hope. After all, whether there was a rescue or not didn’t really matter to him.
"That’s great!"
A trace of joy finally appeared on Shen Rong's face. On Blue Star, Huaguo had the fastest rescue response, but even so, it had taken seven days to begin preparations, showing just how terrifying this crisis was. Now that she had hope, her mind relaxed significantly. After washing up with a little water, Shen Rong took out some food and began to eat, all the while fantasizing about how she would no longer have to stay with this p*****t once the rescue came.
"How’s your wound healing?"
Currently, the only way Lin Yuan could strengthen himself was by biting people, but so far, he had only managed two bites. It would take who knows how long to reach the 100 evolution points he needed. Just as he reached out to check, Shen Rong quickly guarded her shoulder with caution.
"I just applied medicine last night!"
The pain of being bitten was secondary; it was the overwhelming, numbing sensation throughout her body that made her feel so shy. Just as Lin Yuan was about to force a check, a loudspeaker suddenly blared outside.
"Attention, survivors, attention! The government has designated this area as a rescue zone. Please remain in safe places and do not go outside, do not go outside! We have formulated a rescue plan. In 24 hours, once most of the zombies have been drawn out of the city, the rescue operation will begin. Please stay calm!"
Helicopters roared overhead, the wind howling, and the booming broadcast echoed throughout the city. At the same time, special frequency sound waves were emitted, gradually guiding the city's zombies to move. In just a few moments, a massive zombie horde had formed on the street, slowly advancing in one direction.
Of course, not all the zombies would be lured away, but at least 60 to 70 percent of them would be.
"Is the rescue really starting in 24 hours?"
That meant by tomorrow morning, the army would enter the city to clear the zombies. Although no one knew what the follow-up rescue plans would be like, this news greatly lifted everyone's spirits. Shen Rong was especially excited, organizing supplies one moment and sorting her personal belongings the next, imagining how they would be taken care of once the rescue arrived.
In the future, wealth and status would likely be reshuffled, and only the families and relatives of the most powerful people might receive special attention. So, from now on, she would have to rely on herself.
Lin Yuan, however, had other thoughts. After all, he had killed someone. If the people upstairs were rescued, they would surely report what he had done. Although chaos and crime were to be expected in an apocalypse, if his actions were recorded, there might come a time when he’d have to face consequences.
"I need to find a way to keep them quiet."
Sitting on the sofa, Lin Yuan focused on sensing the life forces upstairs. Those people were still in the office and hadn't gone out at all.
"Right, zombies can’t talk—what do I have to be afraid of?"
Once he figured that out, he felt completely at ease. However, Shen Rong also knew about this, so he’d have to deal with that loose end as well.
- Writer
