Chapter 8, The First Battle Against Zombies
Before him lay a scene of bloodshed; the female zombie was still biting her own shoe and clutching her calf, but it was evident that she had already been reincarnated. To the right, the male zombie's face was mangled beyond recognition from his own actions. The first female zombie was hidden behind the male zombie, but she was undoubtedly dead. Zheng Jieming raised his hands, and not a single inch of clean skin was visible.
It seems a bit too many; it would be better if there were only one. He stopped on the second floor, contemplating that elderly zombies are easier to deal with because of their poor physical condition. These three zombies are banging on the door with such force; they must be young adults, and he fears he might not be able to handle them alone
He tried to pull his left foot out, but no matter how he twisted, he could not break free from the zombie's arms, fingers, and teeth
What the hell? I'm screwed! Zheng Jieming couldn't help but exclaim, turning to glare at the fence gate of the old lady's house, feeling a mix of fear, anger, and hatred in his heart. He immediately got up and ran downstairs. The zombies from the third floor were chasing him down; these zombies were not slow runners, and their speed going down the stairs was even faster. Zheng Jieming glanced up and saw the leading female zombie on all fours, leaping down seven or eight steps in one bound, chasing him like a wolf. Just as he reached the first floor, the three zombies had already caught up to the corner between the first and second floors.
Uncertain of how many times he had stabbed, Zheng Jieming felt as if his heart was about to fall out of his body. His head was spinning and turning white, and he collapsed onto the ground, unable to steady the knife in his hand, which was left behind on the zombie's back. He gasped for breath a hundred and eighty times before he felt his vision and heartbeat return to normal, finally able to open his eyes.
Is this helping me or setting me up for failure
At that moment, he heard the sound of the door on the second floor once again. Zheng Jieming, who had narrowly escaped death, looked up angrily at the household across the floor, as if he could see through to the old lady who had made the noise and put him in such peril.
Zheng Jieming cautiously stepped forward, observing the surroundings. The community roads and parking spaces were littered with numerous corpses: women in floral dresses, adorable yet pitiful children, and elderly individuals. Two elderly zombies were sitting side by side at the fitness equipment; the one on the left seemed to catch a whiff of his scent and stood up, limping towards him, while the one on the right appeared oblivious, tightly gripping a cane, its eyes different from the other zombies, emitting a white light. "Cataracts, perhaps?" Zheng Jieming thought, drawing out his baton and stepping forward. With decisive strikes, he easily ended the lives of these two osteoporotic zombies. This was his first time taking action against zombies. Looking at the shattered heads of the corpses, his heart raced, and he felt a wave of nausea, but he quickly regained his composure.
Entering the doorway, he crept upward, carefully listening to the sounds emitted by the zombies. Three of them! He heard three different frequencies of low growls, two females and one male
Zombie attack! Zheng Jieming immediately understood what had happened; it was the girl's scream from the third floor that had attracted the attention of the zombies in the hallway at the entrance.
A sharp female voice came from upstairs. Zheng Jieming looked up and saw a girl on the open balcony of a third-floor apartment, her eyes filled with sadness and fear as she stared at him. A woman rushed to the balcony, covered the girl's mouth, pulled her back into the room, and closed the door, after which not a sound could be heard.
The zombie on the third floor clearly heard the sound of the door downstairs, stopped checking the water meter, and Zheng Jieming stood still, fearing that he might make even the slightest noise
Confronted with the zombies across the floors, a sound of something falling could be heard from the old lady's home. This initially subtle noise further attracted the attention of the zombies on the third floor, one of which let out a piercing scream and ran downstairs
This is an old-style residential community, with the entrance facing south, equipped with an iron sliding door, which is open this morning. Upon entering, there is a semi-enclosed courtyard surrounded by four six-story apartment buildings, arranged in the northeast, northwest, east, and west directions. Between the buildings are flower beds and parking spaces, with more than half of the parking spots vacant, seemingly left empty since the early morning rush two days ago—never to return.
"Damn! So fast!" In that moment, Zheng Jieming thought that if he ran out of the building, he would be surrounded by three, whereas in the corridor, it was at least a one-on-one situation. Thus, he held a police baton in his left hand and a knife in his right, mustering his courage to turn around and prepare for the confrontation. However, the zombie did not need to adopt any stance or muster any courage; the leading female zombie lunged at him like a wolf. Zheng Jieming sidestepped to the left, thrusting the knife upward into the zombie's abdomen. The zombie curled up and fell to the ground, yet its hands and feet continued to move, as if nothing had happened, trying to grab Zheng Jieming's right calf. Meanwhile, a second male zombie charged at Zheng Jieming, using the height of the steps and the force of the slope, like a cannonball aimed directly at his head. Zheng Jieming's vision went dark, and he had no time to think; he couldn't even pull out his knife. He retracted his right leg, leaned left, and fell towards the entrance of the building, narrowly avoiding the attack. The two zombies had not yet gotten up when a third female zombie, with red eyes, completely naked, covered in blood, with disheveled hair, and claws bared, climbed over the stair railing and bore down on him like a mountain. He shrank back against the wall, unable to pull out his knife in time, and kicked upward with his left leg, landing a solid kick to the zombie's chest, causing it to fall sideways.
If I rescue them, perhaps we could stay at her house for a while? Let's first assess the situation; if it seems manageable, I will lend them a hand, but if it appears difficult, then so be it. Zheng Jieming thought to himself, confirming that it was safe behind him, and quietly walked towards the doorway. He had just gained his first experience dealing with zombies, and it was precisely a moment of confidence.
Immediately following was a series of violent knocks on the door! Zheng Jieming listened carefully and realized that the sound was indeed coming from the unit in front of him. Although it was daytime, the motion-sensor lights in the corridor were functioning, and he saw that the light on the third floor was the first to illuminate.
Changchun Street is perpendicular to the ring road around the lake in front of him. Zheng Jieming lowered his head, using the car as cover to avoid triggering the alarm, and cautiously crossed the ring road to reach Changchun Street. Changchun Street was similarly filled with cars, with a large bus blocking the middle of the road. A few zombies were dazedly wandering about on this road, but overall it was still relatively safe
It was uncertain whether this strike had killed the third zombie, but the second male zombie surprisingly turned over and stood up. Zheng Jieming's left foot was firmly grasped, leaving him unable to escape. The male zombie ahead lunged at him with red eyes. Aware of the dire situation, Zheng Jieming did not hesitate for a moment; he drew his knife, braced himself, closed his eyes, and thrust his arm forward to stab. This strike clearly hit something, yet he did not dare to open his eyes, fearing he would see his arm being bitten at that very moment. He quickly withdrew the knife and stabbed fiercely again, until he heard the male zombie fall to the ground, then he lunged at the female zombie at his feet.
Splash!
It seems there is no way to get through; for now, I can only operate on Changchun Street. He tightly gripped his baton, turned, and retreated back to Changchun Street, deciding to inspect the Anping Lake community. A tourist bus was parked in front of the community road, its front door wide open. Zheng Jieming cautiously leaned in to look inside; two zombies were standing in the middle of the corridor, and several corpses lay on the seats, resembling scarecrows among harvested straw. He dared not disturb the zombies and quietly pulled his head back, walking towards the community. A tourist bus was parked in front of the community road, its front door wide open. Zheng Jieming cautiously leaned in to look inside; two zombies were standing in the middle of the corridor, and several corpses lay on the seats, resembling scarecrows among harvested straw. He dared not disturb the zombies and quietly pulled his head back, walking towards the community.
On both sides of Changchun Street, there are only a few scattered clothing and accessory stores, most of which are wide open and abandoned, while some doors are tightly shut, leaving one uncertain if anyone is inside. "No wonder I can only find some gauze and snacks," Zheng Jieming thought, as he observed the six-story residential buildings of Anping Lake Community above the shops. There was little activity, and it was hard to tell if anyone was home. The entrance to Anping Lake Community was right beside him, yet he continued walking towards Zhenya Road.
After three rounds, Zheng Jieming's heart was almost about to leap out of his chest. He had just managed to get up and had no time to run when the first female zombie rose before him, a kitchen knife hanging from her abdomen, and she lunged at him, stepping on the back of the second male zombie. At that moment, Zheng Jieming could not afford to hesitate for even a moment. He threw his baton at her, which struck her head and bounced off; the female zombie's head merely tilted slightly upward, yet her steps did not falter, seemingly unaffected by pain. In a split second, Zheng Jieming pulled the knife from her abdomen and stabbed it toward her eye socket, then kicked her in the abdomen. The first zombie finally fell backward.
Zheng Jieming cautiously crossed the green belt, reached the edge of the lakeside road, crouched down to survey the surroundings. The area on both sides of the lakeside road was cooler, devoid of any commercial activity. Cars were haphazardly parked on the road, creating a congested mess; some windows were shattered, and several bodies lay inside the vehicles, flies buzzing around them. Some car doors were wide open, clearly indicating that the zombie outbreak had occurred during the morning rush hour. Once the incident happened, traffic was immediately paralyzed, forcing people to abandon their cars and flee.
Ah!
As Zheng Jieming hesitated, he suddenly heard the sound of a door from a neighboring unit. He turned to look, and the inner door was ajar, revealing a small gap. An elderly lady, standing behind the outer iron security door, sympathetically and tremulously handed him a slender multifunctional kitchen knife. This type of knife is quite common in households and resembles a dagger. Confused, Zheng Jieming accepted the knife, while the elderly lady hurriedly and forcefully closed the inner door with a loud bang, leaving Zheng Jieming feeling both amused and bewildered.
Zhenya Road Pedestrian Street is just ahead, to the right. This pedestrian street is quite long, with numerous shopping malls on both sides, offering a complete range of stores, making it a suitable base where many supplies can be found. However, as he crouched behind a trash can and peered towards Zhenya Road Pedestrian Street, he was still taken aback—dozens of zombies dressed in staff uniforms were gathered at the entrance of the nearest mall, while another group of zombies twisted their necks, aimlessly wandering back and forth on the street. Most critically, Zhenya Road Pedestrian Street has subway entrances, with the nearest one located diagonally across the street. The dark, gaping subway entrance reminded Zheng Jieming of the fear and despair he felt in the ventilation ducts, causing his lower limbs to go weak. He sat down on the ground, taking a while to regain his composure before returning to reality.
Still in a two-to-one situation, Zheng Jieming knocked down the first one and, already disinterested in the fight, turned to run. Suddenly, he felt a force gripping his left foot. "Ah!" Zheng Jieming thought to himself that it was bad, but fear made him shout loudly. Looking down, he saw the third naked female zombie grabbing his calf and left ankle, opening its bloody mouth to bite at his calf. Startled, Zheng Jieming swiftly pulled up his left leg, causing the zombie to miss its target and bite down on the tip of his shoe, then clamped its jaws tightly. Zheng Jieming was unsure whether he had been bitten, but he thrust his knife downwards, striking the zombie squarely on the back of its head.
Some cars were surrounded by scattered zombies, while others were trapped inside the vehicles. After a day of exposure to the sun, the zombies inside the cars appeared to be on the verge of death. However, whenever other zombies outside dragged their feet past or bumped into the vehicles, the zombies inside would suddenly spring to life. This sent a chill down Zheng Jieming's spine
He glanced at the blood-stained baton, with no pretentious words in his heart, only repeatedly thinking one phrase: I am sorry, I must survive