Chapter 4, Soldier Leng Yang

Leng Yang did not find what he was looking for; food was scarce, and there were no beverages, which meant that his hopes of finding water were dashed

The water in the rooftop water tank seems to be problematic. After using it for a while, Leng Yang noticed something was wrong; it appeared to be leaking or something similar, and the water level decreased sharply. It was only that day that Leng Yang learned to use less water. Now, when he is thirsty, he merely moistens his lips, whereas before he would drink deeply from the canister.

Slowly, Cold Sun felt that something was amiss. Standing atop the tall water tank, he, who had a slight fear of heights, regained his composure and observed the scene below. The buildings around were numerous, many of which showed signs of being scorched and burned. In the distance, the road was densely packed with dilapidated cars, some of which were deformed, while others lay overturned. Meanwhile, groups of zombies were slowly moving through this desolate city.

Half an hour later, after eliminating the remaining zombies using the same method, Leng Yang stepped into the last room on the eighth floor like a hero

Leng Yang is sometimes very broad-minded, which seems to be a benefit of reading a lot of novels. He immediately began to take action, searching through several families' rooms. Then, he used triangular iron brackets designed for outdoor air conditioning and fitted them with a long iron pipe to create his new weapon, named Fork Stick No. 1, while the one from the neighbor's house was called Iron Fork Stick.

"Hey, over here, over here, there are people!" Before Leng Yang could see the shadow of the car, he began to shout loudly, hoping that his voice would be even louder so that those inside the vehicle could hear. This was his hope, the hope of being alive

The sound was somewhat distant, yet it grew increasingly closer. Leng Yang ran to the balcony he had opened and looked around. The sound of car engines on the distant road, growing ever nearer, drove him to madness

Through his observation, there are a total of 3 zombies on the seventh and eighth floors, with one being trapped behind the security door and unable to come out for the time being. The remaining two have become increasingly agitated due to the disturbances caused by Leng Yang over the past few days. Although Leng Yang has blocked the entrance with various debris, the wooden door, which has several holes, will not hold for long.

Leng Yang curled his fingers, listing his thoughts one by one. All the food from the two floors above was already with him, and the water was dwindling. It seemed impossible to continue staying upstairs.

In fact, the best method is to use purification tablets, or iodine tincture would also suffice; however, neither of these is available to Leng Yang. Normally, rainwater can be consumed directly in the wild, but in this world where zombies have appeared, who knows what issues the rainwater might have. Leng Yang looked again and still could not make up his mind.

At that moment, a loud noise erupted from the pitch-black sky outside, followed by thunder. Leng Yang instinctively exclaimed, "A loud noise from the sky, here I come in a dazzling entrance!" As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed to the balcony on the eighth floor, grabbing various pots and pans to diligently collect the rainwater.

The water source for Leng Yang is nearly depleted. Regardless of whether the rainwater is problematic, what he needs to do now is to collect as much as possible. He keeps running up and down, desperately gathering rainwater from every spot, completely oblivious to the zombies downstairs, each resembling a ghost, walking onto the street to receive the baptism of rainwater. They stand there silently, without a sound.

After everything was ready, he arrived at the room on the eighth floor where the two zombies were located. These two zombies had previously broken through the wooden door, but due to the fact that Leng Yang had pushed a cabinet approximately 1.6 meters high against it from the outside, and had blocked the corridor with numerous benches and small cabinets, the zombies were unable to escape. They could only continue to claw at the wooden door, leaving it in tatters.

There was no large troop as Cold Sun had imagined, no mighty tanks, nothing at all. Only the sound of a car.

Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, one must go outside, to the lower level, and beyond the city. Venturing outside inevitably requires finding water, and the most accessible source is the puddles formed by rainwater. The water inside supermarkets may be confronted with a large number of zombies, which is not safe.

He had not eaten hot food for a long time. That night, Leng Yang once again tasted the flavor of hot soup in his own home. He boiled a pot full of somewhat moldy cabbage leaves, cured meat, instant noodles, and sprouted garlic.

Leng Yang slowly crouched down, looking at the zombie that was baring its teeth at him with its head tilted back. Carefully, he aimed Fork No. 1 at the larger zombie and thrust it forward with a sudden force. The triangular iron prong precisely pierced the zombie's neck, and the long iron rod forcefully pushed the zombie to the ground

However, after thinking for a long time, Leng Yang ultimately picked up a bottle of mineral water and started drinking. He still did not dare to try, even though he knew that sooner or later he would run out of water. This is how homebodies are; they know the reality, understand the reality, yet refuse to confront it.

After summarizing two fortunate battles, Leng Yang developed his own understanding of zombies; they are not the Grim Reaper, nor are they invincible. He found inspiration in another room on the eighth floor, where a family had crafted a clothes drying fork using iron pipes from the building. This device features a forked top and a single rod below that allows hangers to be suspended on the balcony.

Indeed, a sedan appeared on the distant highway. Leng Yang was a poor man and did not know many cars; he could not tell the brand or model. He only knew it was a business vehicle with three rows of seats. This vehicle did not travel on the road but rather drove on the sidewalk. In this manner, it sometimes encountered abandoned vehicles, which it crashed into one by one. This was the source of the crashing sounds that Leng Yang heard.

Leng Yang's voice diminished, and he knew that this must be fellow survivors preparing to escape the city, rather than the imagined People's Army coming to rescue Soldier Leng Yang.

The zombie was pinned to the ground and unable to move, only able to flail its hands around the forked stick. Leng Yang quickly stuffed a brick into the end of the iron rod and secured it to the top of the door frame, allowing him to exert less effort.

Then, Leng Yang gripped the fork staff No. 1 in one hand and held an iron pipe fork staff in the other, fiercely stabbing at the head of the fallen zombie. Meanwhile, the other zombie could only flail about on the side, unable to approach. Both pipes were made of construction-grade iron, and Leng Yang was not afraid at all.

Leng Yang no longer shouted, for he knew that even if the people in the car saw him, they would not come to his rescue. Once he calmed down, he realized that with his recent outcry, a considerable number of zombies had already gathered downstairs. This made him even more reluctant to make any noise; he could only silently watch the distant cars. At that moment, he hoped to see them escape.

He was pleased to find an alcohol stove.

Over the past month, there have been some results from the exercise. Leng Yang initially approached it with a try-and-see attitude, as this method would not harm him from the zombies. However, he ended up completing the task quite easily

This is a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, approximately built in the 1980s. The furnishings in the room are quite ordinary, with a bed that has been disheveled by zombies, a television that has been knocked to the ground, and various items scattered all over the floor in disarray.

Leng Yang hurriedly ran to the rooftop terrace, yet he still could not see anything. He frantically climbed up to the water tank, standing high at the vantage point. At that moment, all he could think about was that someone, anyone, would come to rescue him. However, he failed to notice that the zombies below were slowly gathering towards his direction, drawn by his shouting.

The cold sun slowly climbed up the pile of clutter, carefully maintaining his balance. When he stood on the cabinet over 1 meter high, he could clearly see the heads of two zombies. The wooden door had been broken from their countless impacts. The cabinet was also somewhat misshapen, but fortunately, it was filled with quite a few items.

He single-handedly killed a total of 5 zombies. The zombie inside the security door was also forcefully smashed through the small door by Leng Yang using an iron rod, and then he bound the zombie's hands before killing it. From being hesitant at the beginning to becoming bold and meticulous later on, he has traversed a significant emotional journey and undergone considerable inner refinement.

In fact, without this water, I wouldn't last a few days," Leng Yang muttered to himself. "During this period, I've been exercising a lot, and I didn't realize I needed to conserve. Now, there are only 5 bottles of Nongfu Spring left. Fortunately, the supermarket had a sale during the Spring Festival; otherwise, I would have run out of water long ago.

At this moment, he wished so much for someone to praise him, to commend him, even if it was out of jealousy, envy, or hatred, to say that he could achieve it, that what Leng Yang did was nothing remarkable after all

He discarded the cigarette butt in his hand, then picked up a computer case filled with cutting boards and stuffed it into the clutter, which made the previously somewhat loose pile of goods more secure

The next morning, as Leng Yang looked at the cup of rainwater in front of him, he began to let his thoughts wander again. He had purified this water with white vinegar from the kitchen. First, he allowed it to settle for half an hour, waiting for the impurities to settle at the bottom. Then, he carefully poured the clear water from the top into another cup. After that, he added some white vinegar and stirred it well, allowing it to sit for another half hour before it was ready to drink

Slowly, the car broke through the obstacles, driving along the road closest to Lengyang, and staggered away into the distance. Lengyang watched silently until the car was no longer visible, until the entire city once again returned to silence

Since February 28, it has been more than a month, and Leng Yang has not seen a single living person, only himself and the zombies, existing alone in this world. Although his reclusive nature has accustomed him to solitude, at this moment, he wishes more than anything for someone to talk to.

As a human, Leng Yang can do nothing for them now; he can only silently wish the people in the vehicle good luck. In this desolate end of days, he hopes they can survive, thus proving that he too has hope for survival

At that moment, while Leng Yang was despising himself yet still choosing to adopt an ostrich mentality, he heard the familiar sound of a car engine outside

Leng Yang looked coldly at the zombies. The success of the previous two encounters had changed his perception of them. The strength of humans over zombies lies in their ability to use tools. If Leng Yang were to encounter hundreds or thousands of zombies on flat ground, he would undoubtedly perish. However, in an obstructed area, it would be a piece of cake.

In the distance, the sound of a car became clear as it approached from the direction of Lengyang, but there was only one sound, occasionally accompanied by the noise of a collision

If there is an issue with the rainwater, then with this heavy downpour, most of the water sources on Earth will be contaminated, and thus, Leng Yang's life is surely on a countdown. Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, he must drink this water.

In recent days, he has been sleeping by the corridor, occasionally sneaking in items, while also testing his own courage. He is only a wall away from the zombies, and from the initial anxiety to becoming accustomed to it, he has surprisingly managed to endure completely. People are shaped by their circumstances.