Chapter 2

Behind the heavy wooden slats, two men and two women were hiding.

"Who... who are you?"

The first to speak was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was thin, with dark trousers hanging from his hips and his sleeves rolled up. The top button of his white shirt was open, and there was a large patch of grease on his chest. He held a small iron hammer, his voice low and rapid, his tone stern, but his body was trembling uncontrollably.

Su Hao's muscles were already tense, ready to swing his axe without hesitation at the slightest change. He glanced at the man, noticing that no one had been infected by the virus, and there were no signs of bites or scratches on their bodies.

"Just like you, a refugee."

After saying this, he quickly flashed past the man and entered the inner storage room.

In the corner, close to the wall, was a dusty old wooden box. It was small, with a volume of about one cubic meter, and its surface was covered with dirty and tattered burlap fragments. The disguise, combined with the dim light in the storage room, made the hidden refugees either not notice it or not show any interest in it.

Su Hao's abrupt and forceful entry made the middle-aged man's face immediately turn dark. However, the moment his eyes met the fire axe in Su Hao's hand, which was covered in blood, flesh, and human hair, his eyes twitched, and he swallowed the angry rebuke that had risen to his throat.

Su Hao did not notice the subtle change in the man's expression. The old wooden box in the corner had captured his full attention. When he saw that the iron lock securing the lid was still intact, with no signs of being tampered with, the heart that had been pounding since a few hours ago finally began to calm down.

"Bang——"

The steel axe, not particularly sharp but heavy enough, fiercely shattered the lock. Su Hao squatted down, forcefully lifted the lid, and the items he had placed inside himself appeared before his eyes.

This was the first box he had sent from 56 years in the future.

The space inside the box was divided into three sections. In the first section, Su Hao picked up a .500 caliber M500 revolver, skillfully flicked the cylinder loaded with bullets, and with a "click" closed it, quickly slipping it into the leather holster at his waist.

Interdimensional travel could encounter unpredictable dangers. Su Hao clearly remembered that, besides the revolver, he had also packed 200 bullets in the box. Now, only 16 remained, the rest having turned into a thick layer of grayish-yellow powder at the bottom of the box.

He did not lament or become angry. Instead, he directly grabbed the rubber tourniquet from the second section, rolled up his left sleeve, and took out a metal box with a red "cross" on it, opening it... Although he had mentally prepared for the loss of most of the bullets during the interdimensional travel, when he saw the empty foam slots in the box, he still felt an urge to curse.

Fortunately, at the end of the metal box, there was a syringe wrapped in a rubber tube, containing a pale blue liquid visible under the dim light.

Su Hao quickly calmed down, took the syringe from the box, drew the liquid from the tube, and forcefully inserted the needle into the slightly protruding blue vein on his left arm. After the blue liquid in the syringe was completely injected into his body, the tension in his nerves finally eased with a long sigh.

In the future, a vaccine against the virus had been developed. Humans who had developed immunity would no longer be infected by zombie bites. This vaccine also had a revitalizing effect on metabolism, causing white blood cells to split and strengthen periodically. Normally, this state would stabilize within two years. However, Su Hao did not have time to wait for his new body to go through this long phase, and the interdimensional travel device could not guarantee the safety of the revitalized cells during the journey. He could only choose the most conservative and reliable method—separating the body and the medicine for transmission, and then injecting it upon arrival.

A warm, indescribable sensation flowed through his veins, not painful but certainly not comfortable. For a few seconds, Su Hao felt as if his body and mind had lost connection. It was like standing at the entrance to the abyss of hell, where no one knew what lay behind the door, but there was no way to retreat.

He opened his backpack and put the items from the last section of the box into it. It was a large bag of white powder in reinforced polyester packaging, a set of precision measuring tools, and hundreds of empty oval rubber tubes.

Everyone in the room was watching Su Hao. Their eyes revealed curiosity, suspicion, vigilance, and indifference. Only now, after confirming that he would not be infected by the virus and turn into a zombie, did Su Hao have the time to pay attention to the other three refugees besides the middle-aged man.

The two girls were young, around 18 or 19 years old, and very beautiful. They clearly knew each other, and one of them was always close to a boy of the same age, seemingly a couple.

"Who are you? How did you find this place?"

The middle-aged man kept staring at the revolver on Su Hao's waist. A hint of regret and anger appeared on his face—he had arrived earlier than this young stranger but, due to panic, had not noticed the box hidden in the corner. Otherwise, that powerful M500 would now be in his hands.

Su Hao stood calmly, wiping the half-coagulated blood and flesh from the fire axe with burlap fragments. As if he had not heard the man's question, he directly addressed the other three people in the room: "Do you plan to stay here or leave?"

The four people looked at each other, but no one spoke. Su Hao did not waste time on their hesitation. He took a metal tube containing silver bones from his shirt pocket, unscrewed the cap, and swallowed two silver bone particles he had just collected.

The "Luther Coagulation Layer" had the effect of strengthening bones and solidifying calcium and various trace elements in the human body. According to the commonly accepted standards of the future world, only when bone hardness reached 20K (hardened) and muscle strength reached 20P (tough) could one be called a first-stage enhanced human.

Of course, only those who had been injected with the immune agent could directly consume silver bones. Otherwise, the virus attached to them would infect the consumer, causing immediate death or direct mutation into a zombie.

The silver bones were very light, and the two he had just swallowed weighed less than three milligrams. The effect on bone hardness would take at least 24 hours to manifest. Su Hao was very clear—this new body, though excellent, was essentially only slightly stronger than an ordinary person. Despite his familiarity with the habits of zombies, he could not survive in the chaotic city with just an axe and a dozen bullets.

He needed help, he needed friends.

After about two minutes, the girl standing to the right of the couple opened her lips hesitantly and asked, "Can... can you take us with you?"

She was slender, with long hair tied into a ponytail. A pure white cotton shirt tightly hugged her prominent chest, and she wore a simple blue denim mini skirt. Her legs, encased in stockings, showed a beautiful curve, and her smooth skin, long and thick eyelashes, and distinct facial features gave her a unique beauty and vitality.

"Xin Yan! We... we don't even know this person."

Before Su Hao could respond, the girl in the pink skirt quickly intervened, "We've already called 110 for help. The police should be here soon. It's safe here, maybe..."

"We've been waiting for over seven hours, and as for the police..."

Xin Yan took out her phone, pressed the redial button, and the screen immediately displayed "Emergency Call 110." She opened the phone's speaker, but only a strange, very piercing "static" sound came from the speaker.

"We've tried calling all the numbers we know, and none of them have responded. We can't get through to any emergency services. The police may never come. There's no water, no food... Huang Yi, we have to leave, now."

As she spoke, Xin Yan turned and looked at Su Hao seriously, "Since he can get in, he must have a way to get us out."

This last sentence clearly moved Huang Yi. She bit her lip, looking at Su Hao with fear. Perhaps feeling that she could not find security in this stranger, she turned her gaze to the boy standing beside her, her expression a mix of the arrogance and superiority characteristic of beautiful women of this era, but also fear and expectation, and she asked in a low, reluctant voice, "Zheng Chao... can... can you protect me?"

Zheng Chao was very fat, his solid facial muscles trembling with fear. He was probably Huang Yi's suitor, and the words from the girl had a strong impact on him that no words could match. He gripped the mop he had been holding, nervous but very determined, and nodded.

Su Hao watched this scene calmly, without offering any opinion. He picked up the last dagger from the box and handed it to the nearest girl, Xin Yan.

Throughout the entire process, he did not ask for the middle-aged man's opinion.

He instinctively disliked this person.

However, he knew the man's name—the middle-aged man had a nameplate on his shirt, clearly marked "Project Deputy Manager Li Libin."

...

The lights in the parking lot were still dim, and the ramp leading to the ground was covered in blood. If not for the pungent smell in the air, it could easily be mistaken for red paint spilled by accident.

Su Hao stood behind a thick pillar, silently watching the zombies gathered around the Mercedes-Benz, still gnawing on the remains of the two men and women. The flesh and organs had been almost entirely eaten, leaving only blood-stained, broken skeletons.

The underground parking lot had four exits. He had checked them all, and three of them were staircases connecting to the ground-level mall, where hundreds of zombies roamed. Any mistake would immediately put them in a siege, torn apart by the swarming zombies.

The only viable exit was the way he had come.

On the ramp leading to the second level of the parking lot, there were several triangular cones with fluorescent markings. Next to them was a sign that read "Pipe Construction, No Entry." Their presence prevented all vehicles from entering the underground area.

Smashing the car window, pulling the ignition wire, and starting the engine to speed out... This method was safe and reliable. However, it required time, and the impact on the window would trigger the electronic alarm, providing the zombies with the exact coordinates of the living humans.

"One, two, three, four..."

Su Hao silently counted the zombies, 37 in total, gnawing on human flesh dozens of meters away.

Behind him, the fat boy Zheng Chao was staring with wide eyes, muttering, "I always thought Milla Jovovich's 'Resident Evil' was just a game. I never imagined these terrifying monsters actually existed."

Huang Yi's face was as white as paper. She kept asking in a low voice, almost to herself, "Are you sure this isn't a movie? Are you sure this is real? What... what should we do? What about my dad, my mom...?"

The middle-aged man Li Libin's face was ashen, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

Xin Yan's face was also pale, but she said nothing, just staring at the sunlight filtering down from the ramp. After nearly half a minute of silence, she leaned close to Su Hao's ear and asked in a very soft but clear voice, "What should we do now?"

Su Hao pulled out his revolver, checked the cylinder filled with bullets, and said calmly, "Wait."

Xin Yan frowned, not understanding his meaning.

"Wait until they are full."

Su Hao explained patiently, "They are living beings. When they are hungry, they are more aggressive and dangerous. A full stomach will make them slow and clumsy. At that point, whether we eliminate them or escape, it will be much easier."

The middle-aged man Li Libin interjected, "What if... I mean, what if the two dead people are not enough for them to eat?"

"Some of them with good teeth will get full and leave, and the rest will gradually disperse. Of course, there will always be some who want to wait for more. In such a situation, the only thing you can rely on is the weapons in your hands."

Su Hao's voice grew colder, and he turned to look Li Libin in the eye, "Remember! Their weak point is the head."

Li Libin forced a smile, his eyes on the gun in Su Hao's hand, his expression stiff, "I've had military training and know how to use this thing."

Su Hao was about to make a sarcastic remark when he heard Zheng Chao's low exclamation, "Quick... quick, look, they, they are coming this way."

Su Hao's face changed, and he quickly turned around. Two zombies that had been crouching around the Mercedes-Benz had stood up and were looking in the direction of the pillar where they were hiding. They seemed to have detected something, tilting their heads, their nostrils flaring, their half-rotten faces showing excitement and agitation as they slowly shuffled toward the hiding place.

Smell... it's the smell...

After a quick scan of the group, Su Hao's gaze finally settled on Huang Yi.

She was very fragrant, her entire body exuding a strong perfume scent. For a girl who loved to look beautiful, this was understandable. Now, this scent, which was highly attractive to men, had attracted the bloodthirsty zombies.

"Quick! Everyone, attack—"

Su Hao growled and charged forward a few steps, swinging his axe and fiercely chopping down on the head of the leading zombie. The dirty head split like a watermelon, oozing thick, yellowish-white pus. The others were clearly stunned by the sudden change, their minds frozen for a few seconds. Xin Yan and Li Libin were the first to recover, swinging their weapons and rushing forward. One stabbed the zombie's shoulder with a dagger, and the other's iron hammer hit the zombie's jaw.

"Good! Aim carefully, attack their vital points—"

Su Hao swung the fire axe again, forcefully severing the neck of another zombie. At the same time, he said in a rapid, low voice, "Don't be afraid, the terrain is in our favor. The zombies move slowly. Lure them all here, circling around the cars and pillars, and we can take the opportunity to rush to the exit. Don't panic, take it slow, and don't let them surround us from two sides. We still have a chance."

Su Hao did not want to waste bullets unless absolutely necessary. In a civilized society, firearms were strictly regulated, and it was not easy to obtain ammunition like in foreign movies. He did not know when he would find the other supply boxes he had sent from the future. Although the current situation was unexpected, it was not an unsolvable, fatal situation. Moreover, the gunshots would definitely attract more zombies, and the initial infected were not particularly strong. Their only advantage was their numbers.

Xin Yan's hands were shaking badly, her chest heaving, and her breathing rapid. Li Libin was in a similar state, his eyes bloodshot, but he still swung the iron hammer, striking the already decapitated zombie.

Zheng Chao, holding the mop, charged forward a few steps, then slowly retreated, maintaining a cautious stance. He kept swallowing, his muscles tense, his forehead and face covered in sweat, and his shirt soaked through.

...

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