Chapter 1, Zombie Outbreak

He is indeed a thorough zombie enthusiast

The smog has persisted for several days, becoming increasingly dense since it first appeared, with visibility reduced to less than five meters. Once immersed in the smog, it feels as if one is trapped in a maze, unable to find any direction or exit. The sun overhead is obscured, and the surrounding scenery is invisible.

Hu Fei took my money, said a word of thanks, smiled at me, put on his mask, and left the dormitory

Hu Fei! I exclaimed in surprise, wondering what he was doing, knocking on the door so forcefully. I did not remain seated any longer; I hurriedly got up from the stool and ran to the door to open the wooden door of the dormitory.

I was taken aback, "Run? Run from what?"

Zombie

Hu Fei raised his head and glanced at me, uncertainly saying: "It shouldn't be P, right"

At the end of 2013, the haze in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions of China was severe. It was that year that our generation began to grow up

I can't be bothered to think about the other two people; whether they live or die is none of my concern. I got up from the stool, stretched my back, felt hungry, but also very sleepy, so I asked Hu Fei to help me buy some food

"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion

Rather than this, it would be better to think of something else to make oneself feel more comfortable

Inside, the two entangled figures remain. The person on top is covered in bright red blood, while the one below is severely injured, with a gaping wound in the neck, blood gushing everywhere.

Seeing his desire to bite Hu Fei, two words instantly sprang to my mind

Who is it! I shouted impatiently while sitting on the stool

... ...

I looked at this photo, but due to its excessive blurriness, I still do not believe it. As I continued to scroll down the webpage, a second photo appeared

Bored and staring at the phone screen, I watched the time pass second by second, not knowing what I was thinking. Suddenly, I realized that the bag of chips in my hand was already empty, yet Hu Fei had not returned. I glanced at the time; fifteen minutes had already passed.

Hu Fei was lost in thought and said nothing, his eyes revealing a sense of confusion, unsure of what he was contemplating, as he continued to browse through news and information about zombies on the web

I closed the door to my dormitory, ignoring the noisy commotion downstairs. Standing by the sealed window, I gazed at the gray haze outside

What are you looking at? I leaned down and lowered my head to look at the image on the computer screen

Several articles popped up online about the emergence of zombies due to smog. I skimmed through them and found that many of the photos were fake, except for the incident at West Lake in Hangzhou, which did not appear to be artificially created. After looking at it for a while, I felt a bit fatigued, so I closed the webpage and opened a game to play a round.

Moreover, I also saw that there was a large gash on the back of that person's neck, from which blood flowed out like a trickling stream, pooling on the ground.

On December 7, 2013, I stood in the corridor of the dormitory, wearing a white disposable mask, completely enveloped by thick smog, unable to see anything in the distance, not even the small grove below the dormitory.

The notion of zombies, which is entirely unfounded, can lead to nightmares if one thinks about it too much

"Fifteen minutes have passed, why hasn't Hu Fei returned yet?" I began to wonder. The dining hall and the library are just in front of the dormitory building; a round trip should take at most ten minutes. Could it be that the dining hall is crowded now, and Hu Fei is still waiting in line?

Hu Fei's voice came from outside the door, sounding very anxious and hurried

Originally, zombies were merely products of movies and television series; if they were to truly appear in the real world, would it not lead to chaos

Check it out, since it's boring anyway

This scene resembles a photo seen on Hu Fei's computer in the afternoon

Pao! Hu Fei's eyes were filled with fear and despair

I frowned, is the haze causing zombies to appear in Hangzhou? This must be a joke

That year, my best years were lost, and the bloody slaughter filled my eyes, unable to dissipate. When I watched my best brother turn into a zombie, I could only raise my knife and sever his head. When I saw my beloved walk away, I could only lift my feet and continue walking towards the unknown distance. When I numbly raised my knife to kill the living who came to seize water, blood splattered on my face, and I could only turn away to wipe off the blood, then continue to live on.

After standing in the corridor for a while, I felt a bit of difficulty in breathing and hurried back to my dormitory. Upon removing the disposable mask from my face, I noticed that the inner lining had already turned yellow, rendering the mask unusable.

Due to the severe smog today, all classes in the school have been suspended. Hu Fei and I spent the entire day in the dormitory, utterly bored. As for the other two people in the dormitory, I have no idea where they went. With such heavy smog outside, it takes commendable courage to venture out. I hope they haven't been poisoned by the smog.

The second photo is much clearer than the previous one, seemingly because the photographer was closer, resulting in significantly improved visibility in the image

Before he could finish speaking, a large figure suddenly rushed out from beside him and knocked him to the ground

I let out a bitter laugh and tossed the yellowed disposable mask into the trash can beside the stool

One second later

I saw him continue to immerse himself in his own zombie world, so I couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention

Xu Le, come and take a look quickly

Hu Fei called out to me, and I turned around and walked to his side. Hu Fei is my roommate and also my classmate. In this four-person dormitory, he is my only friend

Standing outside for just a few minutes, the mask has already turned yellow like this; the smog is indeed quite severe

However, I do not believe it. Because this haze has altered all the happiness in our original lives that we should have had

He looked at me with a conflicted expression, "I let you run and you just ... ..."

Suddenly, three loud knocks echoed at the door, startling me quite a bit

... ...

Currently, almost all reports on the internet, television, and newspapers are about smog, and it is uncertain when this smog will dissipate

It is chaotic downstairs, and I do not know what is happening

Returning to my seat, I opened the computer and gazed at the thick haze outside the window, feeling utterly devoid of emotion. "Haze causes zombies to appear in Hangzhou"? I don't know if someone is deliberately sensationalizing this, but if this matter is true, it is indeed quite terrifying.

As for whether the smog has indeed caused the emergence of zombies, I am currently unaware.

I frowned and said, "It should be out from PS"

Xu Le, it is me

That's probably not true, I said with a laugh

Since the emergence of the American TV series "The Walking Dead," Hu and his friend Tushufei have become fascinated with zombies. They have watched the series from Season 1 to Season 4 no less than five times, and then began to collect and watch various news articles and novels about zombies, as well as a wide array of videos. They even purchased several books on survival in a zombie-infested world.

"It's not Photoshop, could it really be true! If zombies really appeared in Hangzhou, would the government allow these pictures to be posted online? They would have been censored long ago." I chuckled.

To be honest, this disposable mask is really of no use to me. After just a few breaths outside, the inner fabric of the mask has already turned yellow, and it does not effectively block the invasion of smog. However, wearing it is still better than not wearing it at all; otherwise, breathing in the smog deeply would likely lead to shortness of breath in no time.

My stomach keeps growling, and I'm feeling a bit anxious from hunger. I can only dig out some snacks to tide me over.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As for the other two individuals, due to their differing fields of study and distinct personalities, they do not communicate well, resulting in a lack of rapport. Consequently, the dynamics within this dormitory have become polarized into two distinct groups

I opened the computer browser and typed the four characters "haze, zombie" into the search bar

I was shocked as I leaned out of the dormitory, looking at the two people lying on the ground

Look at this: "The smog has caused zombies to appear at West Lake in Hangzhou, biting dozens of people"

As he spoke, he scrolled down the webpage, and a series of blurry photos appeared in our view. The photos were taken in a hazy environment, which is why they appeared so indistinct.

When will this smog finally dissipate

My name is Xu Le, a student at Jiajiang University in Jiajiang City

In the first photograph, a gray haze occupies a large expanse of space, with only two indistinct figures entangled on the ground in the center, seemingly gnawing at the person below them

Hu Fei excitedly pointed at the enlarged image on the computer screen, showing it to me

Outside the door, Hu Fei leaned against the door frame, his brown coat seemingly marked with some viscous stains on the chest. A piece of the coat's sleeve had been torn away, and there were specks of red on his face, as if red paint had splattered on him. He was panting, his expression anxious, as if he had just run a thousand meters.

This matter must be traced back to early December 2013. The haze that enveloped the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions resembled layers of gray cotton fabric, covering all buildings, trees, and people, lingering for an extended period. During the haze, many online experts claimed that the extreme pollution of the environment was the cause of its emergence

At five thirty in the afternoon, my stomach began to rumble.

Hu Fei pointed to the title at the top of the webpage and read it aloud

I can't believe it, where is it fake! Is it really okay? There are photos below!

A sense of ominous foreboding suddenly enveloped my heart, though I could not discern the reason why

The person who had pounced on Hu Fei was covered in bright red blood, and his down jacket was in tatters, as if it had been ravaged by a dozen hawks. The down feathers floated in the corridor like dead birds, speckled with blood, falling to the ground

In the past, such a fierce knocking on the door would only occur when the other two people in the dormitory returned. As for Hu Fei, he would never do such a thing. This is simply his nature; he always considers others in every situation.

Aren't you just going to buy food? Why does it look like you've been robbed?