Chapter 6, Leaving One's Own Home

Habitually patting his pants pocket, he found a Nokia phone, a lighter, and cigarettes, but realized he had forgotten his wallet. Oh, now he no longer needed a wallet. Well, he was ready and could head out. The cold sun was like the days of old when he would go out. After checking his gear, he stepped outside. Behind him, above his head, the light blue bed sheet was lifted by the wind, fluttering in the sunlight, resembling a warrior's banner on the march.

Calm down, I need to calm down, no fear, no fear. Restart, restart the server. Cold Yang silently shouted. He released his left hand, preparing to grab the bed sheet below.

After firmly grasping the bed sheet with his left hand, Leng Yang discovered that his right hand was inexplicably gripping the bed sheet tightly and could not be released. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, the server has restarted, it has restarted," he repeatedly said while gently bumping his head against his right hand. He dared not bite it with his mouth, fearing that the smell of blood would attract the zombies

At that moment, a sound coming from the door panel startled him. With a loud crash, the damaged door panel could no longer bear the weight of the zombies, and one by one, they fell down. The remaining zombies did not attempt to climb back up the door panel.

But now, compelled by reality, he has no choice but to embark on this unknown path, leaving little room for further consideration. The water has a hint of vinegar, and Leng Yang smacks his lips before taking a sip.

After several minutes, Leng Yang did not feel any discomfort. At this point, he felt quite liberated, so he simply took off all his clothes and used the remaining water to give himself a bath. While washing, he listened to the sound of zombies downstairs continuously pushing aside debris. During this time, Leng Yang's nerves had indeed become much more resilient.

Leng Yang swiftly grabbed an iron fork and blocked the zombie's hand as it reached for him. He then kicked the zombie hard in the thigh, saying, "Stealing my bag? Don't think you're something special just because you're a zombie. I specialize in hunting you guys down." Leng Yang knocked the zombie to the ground with the iron fork, relentlessly stabbing at its head—once, twice, and then a third time. He tossed aside the iron fork, now smeared with the zombie's brain matter, and stood up.

Leng Yang took out a white sand cigarette, crouched down to light it with the remaining embers on the door panel, took a deep puff, and looked at the zombies across from him, the ones downstairs that had fallen to their deaths, and the one lying on the ground behind him. As he motivated himself, the thoughts came rushing back. From the trepidation of hastily formulating a plan to climb the stairs to the sudden inspiration of using the bed board, and then to burning the bed board to eliminate the ambushing zombies, Leng Yang felt that he had done quite well.

After pushing down two more zombies, Leng Yang took out a lighter from his pants pocket and ignited a large piece of discarded cowhide paper on the rooftop, which was the part he found that had not been soaked by the rain

"Wow," he retched. Although he had killed quite a few zombies, this was the first time he had done so up close and personal. Leng Yang looked at the zombie's head, which was covered in white and red, and the more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt. His stomach was churning, and it was about to give out.

As Leng Yang began to indulge in his chaotic thoughts, pondering "What year is it in the new calendar?" he, as a member of humanity, had perished in... This was unavoidable; it was a side effect of reading too many novels. His hand unconsciously pressed down on the bed.

"Do not be afraid, do not be afraid, the server has restarted, it has restarted." He closed his eyes, grasped the hemp rope on the stretcher, and forcefully took a few steps forward. At this moment, his entire body was suspended high above the door panel.

Seeing the large holes scratched by zombies on the door panel, Leng Yang began to search the house for usable items. The balcony on the 4th floor is about two meters away from the opposite rooftop. In fact, on flat ground, it is possible that Leng Yang could jump over without a running start. However, now that it was daylight, Leng Yang glanced down and immediately withdrew his head, obediently starting to look for tools.

In the early days when zombies first appeared, Leng Yang thought about how he could go down from the blocked corridor. However, he now understands that thoughts are merely thoughts, much like his frequent musings about wielding power over the world while indulging in the beauty of a woman.

Leng Yang quickly took the iron fork that was lying horizontally on his backpack and forcefully pried up the door panel. The creaking sound was the result of the door panel rubbing against the bricks, accompanied by Leng Yang's heavy breathing. He glanced down at the street below; fortunately, most of the zombies had entered the building where his home was located, and there were very few zombies on the street.

Then he felt the door panel shaking. Startled, Leng Yang forgot all about his acrophobia. He opened his eyes and quickly climbed up to the rooftop. When he turned to look around.

I saw several disheveled zombies standing on the balcony, and more zombies were continuously emerging from the room. One of the zombies was vigorously shaking the door panel, while another was slowly climbing up the door panel.

Constantly talking to himself is his way of forcing himself not to think about other things. It is said online that this might be a precursor to depression or mental illness. However, Leng Yang scoffs at this, believing that these so-called experts do not understand anything. If a homebody did not relieve stress in this way, he would have truly developed depression long ago

Leng Yang sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, turning his head to look out the window. There was no way in from the heavens and no door out from the earth; this was quite a predicament. The zombies outside seemed to be stronger than the previous ones. Leng Yang heard the sound of the wooden door cracking, indicating that the entire door had been shattered.

The final moment has arrived, and the zombies will soon break in. Even if Leng Yang had a more secure plan, he no longer had time to implement it. Kneeling on the door panel, Leng Yang's legs trembled as he peered through the gaps in the barricade, and the scene below made him feel dizzy and disoriented

Leng Yang has acrophobia; he does not even know if the bedsheets mentioned on television are sturdy enough for him to climb down two stories. Perhaps he will fall to his death before he even steps outside. The flashlight in his hand is directed at that bottle of rainwater, the rainwater that Leng Yang has always been too afraid to touch.

As Leng Yang was gesturing grandly, he felt someone pushing his bag from behind. "Damn it, a thief!" Leng Yang turned around, only to see a thief dressed in zombie skin. The rotting flesh on its body and the stench of decay confirmed that it was merely a cameo thief.

Leng Yang's hands began to tremble again, and the hair on his body stood on end. He felt that in the next moment, he would fall down. Uncontrollably, his hands gripped the bed sheet tightly, causing the veins to bulge. He dared not move a muscle.

However, within less than five minutes, Leng Yang regretted it. Although the backpack was quite sturdy and the items inside were not damaged, the sound of zombies crashing against the door indicated that his mission had completely failed

After an indeterminate amount of time, perhaps only one or two minutes, perhaps much longer, at this moment, the torment in Leng Yang's heart felt no less than several hours. Finally, his right hand was able to move.

The zombies downstairs finally opened the large door leading to the upper floor. Leng Yang clearly saw that the heaviest and largest cabinet on the stairs had been smashed by the zombies. Due to the force of gravity, many miscellaneous items began to slide down. Although this crushed quite a few zombies, Leng Yang knew he was running out of time; at most, he had five or six hours before the zombies would come up.

The fierce fire blazed, and Leng Yang, still not at ease, threw more flammable materials onto it. He then watched the flames while laughing heartily at the zombies crawling towards the door, oblivious to their fate. "A bunch of idiots"

Opening his eyes, Leng Yang glanced ahead and quickly shut them again, "There is no way back, let's go. Don't be afraid!" This time, although his whole body was still tense, it was somewhat better than when he had just climbed the bed sheets, as he no longer felt the stiffness in his limbs that rendered him immobile.

Upon returning home, Leng Yang felt somewhat lost. Is he finally about to embark on an unknown journey? Where in this vast world can he find a place that accommodates him?

Leng Yang suddenly stood up. Right, this is an old-fashioned bed, specifically a spring bed, just like the one at Leng Yang's home. As Leng Yang thought, a bed is approximately two meters long, with wooden ends that can be secured. These two beds are long enough.

In fact, his procrastination is not due to his confidence, but rather because he has fallen back into his old habits, constantly making excuses to avoid responsibility. However, the zombies repeatedly deny him any opportunity.

The Lengyang residence is a type of old-fashioned apartment building, with the buildings densely packed together. He stood on the balcony and looked down; about two meters away from the edge of the balcony on the second floor below, there was a platform of another building.

He braced himself with both hands, ready to fight the zombies to the death. After all, he was bound to die anyway, so he might as well take a few down with him. Being bitten to death was better than being thrown to death; at least he could die a dignified death in battle.

Imitating the postures from the movie, Leng Yang tightened his backpack, moved his limbs a bit, turned around, and walked towards the small door of the rooftop. Bathed in the light of the rising sun, Leng Yang embarked on a new journey. In his heart, he not only wished to survive but also secretly resolved that one day he would return, back to his home.

With his eyes closed, Leng Yang's hand grasped a gray, dusty wall tile. He felt the difference in texture and dared not relax. His other hand quickly followed suit. At that moment, he heard the sound of movement and footsteps coming from the room behind him; the zombies were coming in

Leng Yang could not push the heavy door panel above, which was weighed down by zombies. He had just used a pitchfork to push one zombie down the stairs, and the dull thud of the zombie hitting the ground somehow made Leng Yang feel quite happy

He no longer worries about the sound of the door panel falling later; in fact, having just this few zombies attracted is somewhat manageable. Leng Yang continuously pushes the door panel, while the zombies do not hesitate like Leng Yang does when crossing the door panel; they come over much more quickly.

Fortunately, Leng Yang had secured the door panel over there; otherwise, the zombies might have overturned his door panel. At this moment, several zombies were preparing to climb up the door panel.

Leng Yang closed his eyes, afraid to look down. His right hand descended, then tightly grasped the bed sheet. Only then did he dare to open his eyes, shifting his weight entirely to the right. His left hand again descended to grab the bed sheet below. In this manner, he crawled for a full fifty minutes to cover a distance of merely two or three meters to the next floor.

Upon the thought, Leng Yang immediately began to act, throwing all the bed boards from the bedroom into the living room. In the end, he directly inserted the screwdriver, managing to fit in as many as 6 of them. With the sound of his hammering, the zombies naturally became even more frenzied.

With a spitting sound, Leng Yang spat out a mouthful of phlegm, gritted his teeth, and began to prepare. He tied the torn bed sheet to the stones on the balcony. After all, it was just dawn, and the dim light made it difficult to see below, which had its advantages; at least it made him feel a little less afraid

He stood with one hand on his hip, while with the other he placed the ignited kraft paper on the hemp rope of the door panel, "Hehe, Zhu Ge Liang burns the vine armor soldiers, and I am here to burn the zombie soldiers, what a pity, there is no corn cannon!"

The flames grew larger, and the taut hemp ropes were burned one by one, causing the zombies on the door panel to become increasingly unstable. Leng Yang looked around; he could not stay here for too long. However, watching the swaying zombies on the door panel was quite a mood booster. "Let me tell you, don’t laugh at my acrophobia; now you know how serious it is, right? You won’t fall to your deaths!"

Ignoring everything else, Leng Yang resolutely stepped forward, unscrewed the lid, and drank it down. If there were any issues, he would rather die in his own house. He was truly afraid of dying from a fall; that so-called escape route was utterly unreliable. At that moment, he hadn't considered much, only knowing that if he didn't block the corridor, the zombies would come and he would die.

At last, Leng Yang donned his gear and checked the items he was carrying once more. Finally, he had no reason to procrastinate subconsciously. The rational part of his mind continuously used the threat of zombies to challenge his inertia. Gritting his teeth, he grasped the double-layered sheet in his hand and finally stepped out onto the balcony.

Half an hour later, Leng Yang finally stood on the balcony of the 4th floor. His first reaction was commendable; he rolled on the spot and quickly got up to push a cabinet from the room to the door to block it.

Leng Yang still felt a bit afraid. This taut bed would not break even if someone stood on it, but that was at home. Below was a ten-meter-high void. After thinking for a moment, he found several ropes in the room to secure the door panel at this end.

He looked up at his home, where the sheets he had just used were still fluttering on the balcony. He was still forced to leave his home, never to return to that place again. However, he was doing quite well now. The apocalypse had arrived, with so many people dead, yet this so-called social outcast was still alive, and he should be able to live even longer.

When everything was ready, Leng Yang turned on the flashlight and took another look at his little nest. Although this house could not compare to the comfort and convenience of most people's homes, and despite its dilapidated state, it was nonetheless Leng Yang's refuge.

Laozi is not afraid, what is there to fear? I have climbed walls and jumped from buildings when I was young, I am not afraid, what is there to fear? Leng Yang's face was pale, drenched in sweat, his eyes tightly shut, slowly moving forward.

Leng Yang glanced at the door panel, where the jute rope in the middle had been completely burned away, revealing a large hollow. The zombie across the way stood on the balcony, continuously reaching out its hands towards him, yet it was utterly powerless against Leng Yang. Observing this scene, Leng Yang, who had just felt a bit nauseous, actually felt much more at ease.

With the hope brought by the cold sun, he no longer regards zombies with disdain. Recently, he has been sleeping just a wall away from the zombies, and his nerves have been well trained.

The stool is not suitable; it is too short. That storage cabinet is still too short. Leng Yang felt a bit anxious, moving around the room, walking from the living room to the bedroom, and then to the kitchen. This family's renovation still features the popular floor tiles from over twenty years ago, densely decorated with small stones. They have little money and mostly old-fashioned furniture. There is simply nothing that Leng Yang can make use of.

Cold Sun gasped heavily, the four-meter-long composite door panel was not heavy, but it was difficult to exert force. By the time he finally propped one end of the door panel onto the opposite rooftop, he was already sweating profusely, and the shower he had so painstakingly taken that morning was all in vain

The sound of him moving the cabinet was too loud, and the hallway was filled with zombies who began to push against the door with force. "Damn it, you bastard! Get the hell out of here!" A stream of trash talk erupted from Leng Yang's mouth. He believed that he was being thorough in his actions, yet this was the result of his so-called thoroughness