Chapter 2, The Living Dead

"Empty city?" I was taken aback and suddenly asked, "Are we the only three left in the entire city of Dalian?"

The female police officer did not speak, raised her gun, and fired. With a "bang," a long tongue of flame shot out from the muzzle of the shotgun. Due to the close distance, the power of the shotgun was fully unleashed, and in just one shot, it shattered the monster's head into pieces.

Although the bullets are not heavy, those three items are increasingly weighty, pressing down on me to the point where I can hardly stand upright. Su Wan, however, did not even glance at me, instead shouldering a bulging bag and then commanding in a tone of authority: "Fatty, lead the way. I will follow behind, and you stay in the middle... What is your name?"

I had checked long ago, and Su Wan seemed to be comforting me, but it felt more like she was comforting herself as she said: "The walls all around are made of poured concrete, absolutely solid. Although the Zongzi are incredibly strong, a 370-centimeter thick concrete wall is more than enough to withstand them."

The stout man flicked his tongue, first lifting his foot to take a look at his shoes. Fortunately, since it was winter, he was wearing cotton shoes. Although that little bulldog was fierce, it was ultimately too small, merely biting a few small holes in the tip of the shoe. He cast a disgruntled glance at me and said, "It's nothing serious, but I truly appreciate that you used a brick instead of a knife."

Hungry ... ... not ... ...

Su Wan gritted her teeth and said: "At that moment, I was immediately anxious when I saw it, I pushed open the door and rushed out, shouting at Xiao Hua, 'Are you crazy?' Xiao Hua and the others all looked up, their blood-red eyes staring at me. Just as I realized something was wrong, they released my mother's corpse and lunged at me together..."

She nodded slightly, then took down the shotgun slung over her shoulder, tossed it to me with a flick of her hand, and then stepped in front of me with the gun. Swiftly, she disengaged the safety, ... ejected the chamber, removed the shell, loaded the bullet, chambered it, and pulled the bolt ... She completed all these actions in less than ten seconds, then asked me: "Did you see clearly?"

All the way, the wind howled and the atmosphere was tense, making us feel as if every blade of grass and tree was an enemy. The three of us cautiously arrived at the entrance of a nearby small savings bank, where a medium-sized armored truck was parked.

I cannot help but feel a bit ashamed, nodding in agreement—after all, which writer is willing to write eunuch novels? Each work is like a child to the writer; we hope they can thrive and grow. However, many times, things do not go as planned, and we are forced to abandon them midway or simply stop writing altogether

On a winter noon in the north, the sunlight is not particularly warm, yet the pug behaves as if it has seen a ghost, rushing with its eyes closed towards the shadow of a building. Su Wan fired her gun again, this time blowing off one of the pug's hind legs. The pug did not stop at all, charging straight into the shadow of the building, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished from sight

I couldn't help but secretly admire the choice; no matter how small the savings institution is, it is still a bank. Since it is a bank, the security work must be reliable. Su Wan and the others chose this place to hide, and I must say it is quite clever. However, I still felt a bit puzzled. Taking advantage of the time when the fat man was opening the door, I asked, "Why didn't you choose a larger place? For example, the XXX Bank on the street ahead? Isn't it much better than here?"

I glanced down at the down jacket my mother bought for me 8 years ago and said with a wry smile, "Do I look like someone who has a lot of money?"

I was momentarily stunned before I realized that it was a small, bloodied pug!

Are you alright? I asked the fat man

I waved my hand to signal him not to interrupt, and then I heard Su Wan continue, "At that time, after we captured that madman, the leader saw that I was exhausted, so he sent me home to rest. The other comrades in the team escorted Li Yan (the male police officer) and the several injured civilians to the hospital for treatment

The stout man extended his chubby hand and gave my shoulder a hearty pat, saying in a very jovial manner: "My name is Yang Ke, with 'Ke' as in tadpole. From now on, just call me Yang Frog."

I had no mood to bicker with him. Seeing the situation was urgent, I bent down and picked up a brick. Before I could strike, the fat man was already scared and pulled his foot back, fearing that the top of his foot would be hit by the brick. The mutated pug still clung on tightly, its entire body lifted off the ground along with the fat man's foot, suspended in mid-air.

I hurriedly put on my clothes in a fluster while listening to the chubby guy muttering, "Don't blame Sister Wan; she was just trying to help you. If she hadn't checked properly, who would have known if you were just a freshly made zongzi."

I am truly confused

I almost laughed out loud, but seeing him ask so seriously, it didn't seem like a joke, which left me a bit puzzled. Then I thought about it; my down jacket was indeed bought during the winter of 2005 when I was on winter break from university, when my mother bought it for me. No wonder he took me for a time traveler

What on earth is going on? I asked: A week ago everything was fine, how could it change so drastically in just a few days?

Su Wan cried out with tears, saying: "As soon as I heard the screams, I sensed something was wrong. I quickly jumped out of bed, opened the door, and saw my brother... my brother was leading a group of more than ten bloodied people... they had brutally killed my mother... sob... sob..." No matter how strong the female police officer was, she couldn't help but break down in tears at this point, crying as she said: "I really don't understand how Xiao Hua could do such a thing..." The female police officer, despite her strength, couldn't hold back her sobs, continuing: "I truly don't understand how Xiao Hua could do such a thing... My father passed away early, and our family relied solely on my mother to support us. She worked hard and saved every penny to raise my brother and me, and in the end, Xiao Hua..."

I nodded slightly, thinking that their leader is quite considerate of people

I cleared my throat and thought to myself that her husband was probably at home kneeling on the washboard. Since this woman was unreasonable and had a rude tone, I replied with irritation: "I've been at home writing a book for a week, so what? Am I breaking the law?"

Su Wan glanced behind me and said, "Be careful, there are zongzi everywhere outside—these are the virus-infected individuals." She looked at me with a hint of sorrow and added, "Our luck might be even worse; it seems that the zongzi here possess a degree of intelligence."

I gasped and said: "My surname is Ning, my name is ... ... Ning Xueming ... ... My pen name is Hua Qianfang ... ... "

A glance at the result revealed that there was clearly a shiny diamond ring on the ring finger of the right hand.

For a writer, it is a kind of suffering, a heart-wrenching pain

"Enough, stop beating around the bush," the female police officer interrupted my conversation with the fat man, saying, "My name is Su Wan, and I am a patrol officer. From now on, you can call me Sister Wan." After a pause, she continued, "During your seclusion, our city has been attacked by an unknown virus. Once an infected person shows symptoms, they lose their sanity and become frenzied zombies, attacking those who are uninfected without hesitation... This virus spreads very quickly, and now Dalian has become a deserted city..." Su Wan painfully closed her eyes, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks, the crystal-clear droplets sliding down her charming face and shattering on the ground.

I felt a chill run down my spine; a mother was brutally bitten to death by her own son. What kind of human tragedy is this? Such actions are not only appalling but are truly unforgivable!

This world is simply too crazy

Moments later, the female police officer actually began to blush slowly. A surge of vengeful pleasure rose within me, and I wanted the brothers below to also stand tall and exude some authority. However, unfortunately, it had no spirit at all, hanging its head low as if it were a lifeless object

I was taken aback and instinctively asked, "What year is it today?"

The chubby man let out a sigh, turned his head, and smiled at me, saying, "Alright, we have arrived. I wasn't wrong, was I?" Although the chubby man is timid, he is undoubtedly an optimist; as long as the topic of zongzi is not mentioned, he can always maintain a cheerful disposition

The three of us lined up, walking down the empty street, and the feeling was somewhat akin to being a thief at midnight; it was utterly dismal. The large patches of black marks along the roadside and on the street were particularly striking. At first, I thought they were oil leaks from cars, but upon closer inspection, I realized they were all dried bloodstains. In some areas, the bloodstains connected to form patches, staining the entire road red

It seems to be a solitary rice dumpling. The fat man exhaled, casually patted my shoulder, and said: "Put on your clothes, it's freezing outside; if you wait any longer, you'll start to have a runny nose."

The fat man comforted me, saying, "Don't worry, there should be other survivors." He sighed and did not continue, clearly not optimistic about the survival chances of those survivors

What is going on? I stammered as I pointed at that monster and asked, "What on earth is that thing?"

Oh my! It's a zongzi! The chubby man exclaimed, not bothering to tidy up the cans any longer. He rushed in front of me with his big bag, and before I could react, he had already twisted his plump body and hidden behind me. He pointed a short, chubby finger at the creature that was struggling to burrow into the room, hoarsely shouting, "Sister Wan, hurry up and take action! I still want to live a few more years!"

As I carefully followed his finger, my heart couldn't help but skip a beat! The creature could indeed only be described with the word "monster": it had no scalp, its pale skull was exposed, and from its blood-red eyes, a viscous black liquid continuously oozed out. Its nose was mostly rotted away, and beneath its large nostrils was a gaping maw, with its cheeks torn apart. When it opened its mouth, all its teeth were visible, looking as disgusting as one could imagine. The monster was forcefully pushing against the door; from its posture, it was clear that it wanted to bite us to death. Beneath its large nostrils was a gaping maw, with its cheeks torn apart. When it opened its mouth, all its teeth were visible, looking as disgusting as one could imagine. The monster was forcefully pushing against the door; from its posture, it was clear that it wanted to bite us to death

The distance is indeed too close; even when a shotgun hits a target at close range, the pellets will cluster together. However, this distance is truly too close. If Su Wan and I wanted to shoot, we would hardly need to aim. Especially for me, as I stand right behind Yang Ke, I could almost poke the muzzle of the gun into the pug's nose just by bending down. But the fat man, out of fear, keeps kicking his legs, and the pug biting at the tip of his shoe is also restless, twisting and turning. It is quite difficult to shoot it without harming the fat man. Especially for me, as I stand right behind Yang Ke, I could almost poke the muzzle of the gun into the pug's nose just by bending down. But the fat man, out of fear, keeps kicking his legs, and the pug biting at the tip of his shoe is also restless, twisting and turning. It is quite difficult to shoot it without harming the fat man.

Su Wan did not show much reaction, but the chubby man let out a light exclamation of "Ah!" and asked, half-amused and half-astonished, "Are you the Hua Qianfang, the old eunuch who writes books?"

She rolled her eyes at me and flipped through the book again at a slower pace. Then, she pulled out four bullets from her pocket and placed them in the pocket of my jacket without asking if I understood. Next, she picked up a case of bottled water from the nearby shelf and shoved it into my hands, and then she also took down a large barrel of drinking water that was placed at the entrance of the small supermarket, sealed it, and tossed it to me.

Su Wan let out a "humph" and said nothing. The chubby man stuck out his tongue and said, "It seems that over there is the stronghold of zongzi; before nightfall, thousands of zongzi will be wandering around."

The female police officer estimated that I should be dressed appropriately by now, turned around, and asked, "Where were you this past week? What did you do?" Her tone had clearly softened, yet she still maintained an aggressive demeanor, which made me feel quite uncomfortable. I thought to myself, why does such a beautiful woman always have to be so fierce? Who would want a wife like that?

The shotgun is a double-barreled type; after one shot, there is still one bullet left in the chamber. The female police officer stands motionless, holding her gun, appearing as if she is facing a formidable enemy

The stout man was quite nice; noticing that I was shaking severely, he reached out to zip up my down jacket. Then, looking at me as if I were an idiot, he said: "Boss, did you come here from another time and space?"

A glance revealed a small pile of bricks beside the entrance of the savings bank, indicating that recent infrastructure renovations had just been completed within the bank

The fat man was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face, and he shouted at me: "With your skills, how can you be compared to a Blood Elf Mage? Your aim is so poor!"

Su Wan continued, "It was around five o'clock in the morning when I was startled awake by a knock on the door. Then I heard my mother asking, 'Xiao Hua, why are you only coming back now? What time is it?' Xiao Hua is my younger brother, a sophomore in college. He has been home for the holidays these past few days, often hanging out with his local classmates and returning home late. However, it was the first time he had not returned all night like that. Just as I was feeling angry, I suddenly heard my mother let out a terrible scream..."

The female police officer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and spoke to me in a calm tone: "Alright, I misjudged you. Don't be afraid, we are the good guys..."

Turn around! she commanded me

I couldn't help but shiver upon hearing this, secretly speculating about the misfortune that had occurred at that time. The fat man had clearly heard this story before; he had been smacking his lips vigorously, but at this moment, he wisely closed his mouth.

I heard the fat man talking about zongzi and couldn't help but ask, "What is zongzi? Is it like that? What is it? How come I've never seen it before?" I didn't know whether it was frozen or scary; my hands were trembling so much that I couldn't find the zipper's opening no matter what.

The fat man let out a startled "ow!" and instinctively kicked out his foot. The little pug bit down on the tip of the fat man's shoe with such tenacity that despite several attempts to shake it off, he was unable to do so. The fat man's face turned pale, and in a panic, he shouted at me: "Don't shoot... Old Hua, hurry and help..."

Su Wan stared at me for a while and asked, "Can you use a gun?"

Upon hearing this, the stout man became animated, his small eyes shining brightly. I thought he was going to ask for my autograph, but to my surprise, he opened his mouth and asked, "Is it lucrative to be a writer?"

This is an extremely ordinary savings institution, just like those small savings institutions we usually encounter. The exterior features a hall for depositors, which, although referred to as a hall, is merely about twenty square meters in size. On the walls surrounding the hall, various basic interest rates for savings over different time periods are displayed, along with a currency exchange rate table between foreign currencies and the Renminbi. Additionally, there is a large employee introduction board, with five or six color photos of individuals with red backgrounds affixed to it, presumably representing the staff working here. The walls of the hall are adorned with various basic interest rates for savings over different time periods, as well as a currency exchange rate table between foreign currencies and the Renminbi. Furthermore, there is a large employee introduction board featuring five or six color photos of individuals with red backgrounds, likely depicting the employees at this location.

I couldn't help but shiver after catching a glimpse of the half-severed monster corpse on the back door

I feel a chill run down my spine; just thinking about the scene I saw in that video makes me feel nauseous. At that time, there was only one rice dumpling, and it created chaos on the street. If there were thousands of rice dumplings... would that not be the end of the world

My eyes lit up, and I let go of the short-barreled shotgun, the barrel of water, and the bottled water, throwing them all to the ground. I reached out and picked up a brick, gathered all my strength, and threw the brick out. As luck would have it, just as the fat man lifted his foot, the brick struck his foot squarely, causing him to exclaim in pain.

I do not know what she intends to do, but I cannot help feeling a sense of unease in my heart. I glanced at the fat man, who was looking over with a wicked smile, and I could not help but silently lament... Being forced to run naked in the cold weather is already bad enough; must I also face a tragic explosion of my rear end

I am coming! Su Wan swiftly snatched the brick from my hand, and without a second thought, brought it down forcefully, striking the pug on the head. The blow was quite fierce, causing the little pug to tumble to the ground. Without waiting for the pug to hit the ground, Su Wan kicked out in mid-air, sending the pug flying far into the street.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before I heard the fat man say: "This body, with its delicate skin and fair flesh, is really well maintained, showing no signs of infection; it should be clean, not a zongzi."

The fat man used a key to unlock the double-layered security door between the hall and the workspace, and the three of us entered the workspace. It was evident that the seating and equipment in the workspace had been moved by Su Wan and the fat man. Two tables were placed against the east wall, covered with several newspapers. Su Wan walked over and sat at one of the tables, which seemed to serve as her temporary camp bed. Looking back, there were also two tables set up against the west wall, likely belonging to the fat man. At that moment, the fat man's bed was conspicuously covered with a thick layer of hundred-yuan bills, which appeared to have been used by him as a mattress.

"Watch out, fatty!" I heard Su Wan's warning from behind me, still unaware of the source of danger. With a "bang!" Su Wan's gun had already fired. I looked in the direction of the flame that erupted, and saw a small, bloodied creature rushing towards the fatty along the shadow under the eaves with incredible speed. The creature was moving so fast that Su Wan's gun had already run out of bullets.

I certainly remember, "Yes, for that video, I was even scolded by our editor... So I had no choice but to unplug the internet cable and focus on writing." The chubby man, chewing on meat, asked indistinctly, "What did your editor scold you for?"

No.

The fat man took out an oversized kitchen knife from behind his back, the kind specifically used for chopping ribs, glinting menacingly. Without saying a word, he opened the door and walked out. I hurriedly followed him and quietly asked, "Where are we going?" The fat man, while carefully surveying the surroundings, replied, "Don't worry, it's an absolutely safe place, one you would dream of going to sleep in."

At the head of Su Wan's "bed," there was a sizable safe, and beside the safe was a small door. I initially thought that behind the small door was a basement or something similar, but upon approaching and taking a look, I realized it was a tiny bathroom. The walls of the entire workspace, including the bathroom, were sealed, and there were no windows.

"Stop talking nonsense, I am indeed a person of this era!" As soon as I finished speaking, the chubby man widened his comical little eyes in disbelief and asked, "You are a person of this era, so why are you still asking me what a zongzi is?"

When the fat man realized the danger, the little pug had already rushed to his side and bit down hard on the fat man's calf.

The female police officer remained silent, her beautiful large eyes constantly darting over me. I estimate that even the old curator of the Louvre Museum, while gazing at the "Mona Lisa's Smile," would not observe it as meticulously as she did.

Many people do not understand the pain of writers, and Su Wan is clearly one of them. She waved her hand impatiently and urged, "Hurry up, it is noon now. The zongzi fear the sunlight and will not appear easily. If we delay any longer, once the sun sets, countless zongzi will flood the streets, and at that time, it will be hard not to die."

Su Wan stared at the ring on her left hand for a while, then without raising her head, said: "Do you remember the video of the madman that went viral online a few days ago?"

The overweight man looked me up and down, and with disdain said, "Given your appearance, it seems you are not doing very well!"

At that moment, a loud "bang" came from the back door of the small supermarket. I quickly turned around and saw a large hole smashed into the back door by something. A bloody head poked through the hole, glaring at us with its blood-red eyes. It glanced at the three of us and immediately began hissing and screeching, struggling to crawl into the supermarket.

I still can't believe what they said, inching closer to the entrance of the small supermarket, muttering: "I don't believe it... I don't believe it... You must have watched too much of 'Resident Evil'..."

Come, come, let’s eat while we talk, eat while we talk... People are like iron, and meals are like steel... The chubby man took out three glass jars of luncheon meat from his large pocket, handed one to me and one to Su Wan, and then opened his own portion. He first sniffed the aroma of the meat, then couldn’t resist the temptation and licked it again. He frowned and muttered, "This taste is really not great, such good meat wasted..."

I am the fish on the chopping block, while others wield the knife. Although I have a thousand grievances in my heart, I still slowly took off my shorts. For a moment, I even thought it would be better to be killed by her directly.

The fat man sighed and said, "It is already December 28, 2012." He glanced at the down jacket I was wearing and couldn't help but lament, "Which year did you come from? 2005 or 2006?"

The stout man opened the roller shutter of the savings bank, and the three of us entered in succession. The stout man quickly lowered the roller shutter again, and the hall of the savings bank immediately fell into darkness

The stout man said nonchalantly: "If you want to stay alive, it is best to stick with us from now on. Although you seem quite useless, we do good deeds in the spirit of Lei Feng and do not expect any repayment from you."

A few days ago, the policewoman, who was portraying a heroic image in a video, has suddenly transformed into a female robber. At this moment, she is threatening me with a shotgun to take off the only shorts I am wearing

The office of the savings bank staff is located in the hall, covering an area of nearly twenty square meters

The chubby guy was still lamenting: "You have bad luck; if you had traveled back to the Qing Dynasty and had to wear a queue, you might have been able to become a prince..." This guy must have read too many online novels, his imagination poisoned him too deeply, only caring about his own enjoyment while completely oblivious to the fact that my big teeth were about to fall out from laughing.