Chapter 25

It was already past noon. Now, it was the hottest part of the day. The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud in sight, and the scorching heat seemed to pierce the ground, as if it could dry and melt everything.

At the end of the gray road, two women, supporting each other, were walking from a distance.

Cao Rui's face was drenched in sweat. She had Zhang Jingjing's arm over her shoulder, almost struggling to move forward. The sweltering heat quickly drained the little energy they had left. Their eyes were dull, their lips cracked, and their movements were stiff and mechanical, like zombies.

The clothes were sportswear they had obtained from a roadside clothing store. The purple velvet fabric was covered in dust, large patches of blood, and mud. On the left side of her leg, there was a dried, dark yellow, and extremely nauseating patch of feces.

Cao Rui knew she smelled terrible—last night, they had encountered a group of zombies. She and Zhang Jingjing had spent a lot of effort to kill one. With no place to run, they had cut open the zombie's abdomen with a knife, smeared the rotten innards all over their bodies, held their breath, and lay on the ground, covering themselves with the dead body. The scene of being so close to death still made her shudder when she thought about it. As for the smell and the filth on her body... Cao Rui felt that her sense of smell had become numb. Even if she sprayed the most expensive "Chanel" all over her body, she couldn't tell the difference between the rotting flesh and the perfume.

She didn't know if the method of deceiving zombies with rotting flesh and innards would work; she had only heard the story that bears don't eat dead people. By chance, they survived.

Zhang Jingjing had sprained her right foot, and her ankle was swollen like a bun. Carrying her, Cao Rui felt like she had a mountain on her shoulders. She felt itchy down below and could smell a strange odor through her pants. Recently, in the gym, she had been repeatedly raped by men, causing an increase in vaginal discharge and abnormal secretions. Her greatest wish now was to take a good bath. Thinking about it, the image of water appeared in her mind, and her dry throat felt increasingly thirsty.

She looked up blankly. The shops on both sides of the street were either closed or in chaos. In the distance, she could faintly see zombies moving around. The surroundings were a blinding white, and the sunlight was glaring everywhere.

If it were before, she would be at home or chatting with her close friends in a cafe. There would be cool and refreshing strawberry ice cream, air conditioning, chocolate walnut cookies, almond egg rolls, and apple cheese cakes...

She shouldn't think about these things; the more she thought about them, the hungrier and more uncomfortable she felt.

"Cao... I... I have no strength left..."

In her ear, she heard Zhang Jingjing's voice, almost like she was crying. It was very weak, half-dead.

"Shut up—"

Cao Rui looked at the few zombies wandering in the alley with fear and anger, and she lowered her voice to a fierce whisper: "Don't talk, and nothing will happen. If they find us, none of us will survive."

"I... I don't want to live anymore."

Zhang Jingjing's voice grew weaker: "Put me down... you, go on by yourself."

"At this point, what are you talking about nonsense for?"

Cao Rui moved forward mechanically, turned her head with difficulty to look at her companion lying on her shoulder, and her expression was indescribable, neither laughing nor crying: "It's not far. As long as we get through this street, we can find the people who left us food last time. They said they live nearby."

"Do you still believe what men say?"

Zhang Jingjing was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed maniacally, "Hahaha": "I have nothing left. There won't be any police, and no one will come to help us. Those people just want to deceive and use us, like Mei Zi and Xiao Dan, who were eaten after being played with. I... I... I don't want to become like them, I... help... help me—"

Suddenly, Zhang Jingjing mustered some strength and broke free from Cao Rui's grip. She hobbled forward, limping and hopping. She kept crying, and her hair was completely disheveled. The loud noise caught the attention of the zombies in the alley. They slowly came out, sniffing the air for the scent of living beings, getting closer and closer to the two women on the road.

"Stop, stop—"

Cao Rui used her last bit of strength to pounce forward, pinning Zhang Jingjing to the ground, and cried out hoarsely: "Do you think I want to? I... I can't take it anymore. I have nothing left, what can I do? What can I do?"

She raised her arm and slapped Zhang Jingjing twice, who was completely stunned. A few seconds later, she regained consciousness, didn't fight back, and just hugged Cao Rui's shoulders, sobbing like a child: "Sister Cao, I don't want to live, I can't live... sniff... let me die, just let me die, it's better to be done with everything!"

Cao Rui swallowed a dry, sticky mouthful of saliva and let Zhang Jingjing shake her like a piece of wood. She cried silently, everything in front of her becoming blurry, even the few zombies approaching from a distance turned into indistinct, chaotic images.

Yes! Even if they could survive, what would be the point?

Die!

This thought had never been so clear.

She sniffed hard, hugged the sobbing Zhang Jingjing tightly, took one last look at the street corner that had once held infinite hope but now seemed infinitely distant, and closed her eyes in despair, clenching her teeth, waiting for the zombies to pounce and tear at her body.

Suddenly, she felt a slight vibration in the ground. Soon, the sound of a car engine came from a distance.

"Bang—Bang Bang—"

Her ears heard the muffled, heart-wrenching gunshots. They were abnormally loud, wild, and brutal. Cao Rui felt an inexplicable tension and immediately opened her eyes. She saw two zombies, only about ten meters away, frozen in place. Blood spurted from their chests and backs, and there were clear bullet holes in their skulls. They swayed from side to side, mouths wide open, and fell to the ground simultaneously.

The car was already close, and through the front windshield, she could see the clear face of Xin Yan. Beside her, Su Hao leaned out of the sunroof, holding a "95" assault rifle and firing at the zombies approaching from all sides.

"We're saved..."

With these three words as her last thought, the extremely exhausted Cao Rui felt her vision go black and fainted, her body tilting to the side.

...

A faint, pleasant aroma lured Cao Rui out of her deep sleep.

It was a bowl of porridge, with egg flowers on the surface, finely stirred, looking both comforting and delicious.

The room was very clean, and many people were gathered around her. Some faces were familiar, including men and women, and a woman holding a child. They were kind and smiled at her.

Cao Rui instinctively reached out and touched beside her, finding that Zhang Jingjing was lying on the same bed.

I... I'm still alive?

She was sure this wasn't a dream because everything felt so real.

Xin Yan picked up the bowl of porridge, scooped a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and carefully brought it to Cao Rui's mouth.

There was a faint salty taste; the porridge had salt, and it was very fragrant.

Many of the people in the room were strangers, but for some reason, Cao Rui felt an unprecedented sense of relief, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

Xin Yan smiled, took out a tissue, wiped her eyes, and said gently, "We came back to the gym with food and clothes, but no one was there. Where did you go?"

This question pierced Cao Rui's heart like a needle. She turned her head in pain and looked at the crying Zhang Jingjing. The two of them hugged and cried bitterly.

...

Everyone has their own home.

The seven women who survived refused Su Hao's help. They didn't want to stay in the gym filled with decay and sin. Each had different opinions about the future, but they were unusually consistent about the concept of "home."

They were all women that Hu He had specifically kept, young and beautiful.

They didn't know why the outside world had become this way or where the zombies had come from. Since the day they were imprisoned, they had lost contact with the outside world. They only knew about the terrifying, flesh-eating monsters. They wanted to go home, to be with their loved ones, whether they lived or died.

"We gathered the remaining water and food from the gym, got some clothes, took the weapons you left behind, and then left."

A bowl of porridge gave Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing a lot of strength, allowing them to replay the memories of death and blood in their minds.

Because of the plan to kill the guards, Cao Rui was chosen as the leader by the women. She listed the addresses of the seven people and marked a winding line on the map according to their proximity.

"We are all women, with no police and no way to call for help. We can only rely on ourselves, trust each other, and search for our families in order."

Seven women sticking together... it was indeed a good idea under the circumstances.

Hu Weili's home was the closest.

They only walked for half an hour to reach the first stop on their planned route. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any zombies along the way. When the anxious Hu Weili excitedly pushed the slightly open door, a zombie pounced from the inner room and bit her arm hard.

It was Hu Weili's brother.

The women, including Cao Rui, didn't know how to deal with zombies. They screamed like mad, stabbing the zombie with knives and sticks, even splitting it in half from the waist. A zombie that wasn't hit in a vital spot quickly bit another woman's calf, and their screams attracted a massive horde of zombies... In the chaos and shock, the five women had to abandon their companion and flee far away. Even after running out of the residential building, they could still hear Hu Weili's piercing screams as she was devoured by the horde.

They had been kept in the gym by Hu He and didn't understand the zombies' weaknesses.

"I... I want to go home."

"Too many people, the target is too big. It's best to split up."

"I don't want to die, I'd rather go alone."

People have a tendency to be self-centered. The chaos and threat of death caused the temporary group to split instantly. Five women, three opinions... They could only agree to meet at the monument in the nearby square if they encountered any problems. At this time, they could only trust each other, who had suffered the same hardships.

Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing both lived in the newly developed area. The luxury community and ordinary residential buildings were separated by a road. They unlocked a bicycle lock on the side of the road and set off together.

Cao Rui's front door was open, and the expensive marble floor was covered with dried black blood. The large screen TV was smashed, and her father's body was trapped between the refrigerator and the cabinet. He seemed to have tried to move the refrigerator to block the kitchen door but was crushed under the overturned cabinet. His body below the waist had been completely eaten, leaving only a spine that could fall apart at any moment. The remaining upper body had turned into a zombie... He no longer recognized his daughter. When the pained Cao Rui swung a kitchen knife at him, he still opened his mouth, struggling to bite.

The bathroom door was locked from the inside, and the handle was tied with a thick wire. A male corpse with a chewed head lay in the hallway leading to the bedroom. He held a pair of pliers, already highly decayed. Despite this, Cao Rui recognized him by the ring on his left hand; it was her beloved husband.

She climbed onto a high stool and peered into the bathroom's skylight. Inside was a zombie. It was old, with gray hair and cloudy eyes that radiated hunger and madness, devoid of any human reason. It looked up at Cao Rui, reaching out to grab her, but it was too short and could only remain trapped below, emitting a terrifying howl.

That was... my mother.

Cao Rui couldn't remember how she left the house. She felt dazed, like a mindless person. She cried and screamed uncontrollably, smashing various items in the house with a stick. Finally, she carried a bucket of gasoline from the garage, poured it from the romantic bedroom to the living room, and, under Zhang Jingjing's terrified gaze, took out her husband's "ZP" lighter, lit it, and threw it into the million-dollar mansion, tears streaming down her face.

As for Zhang Jingjing's home... they couldn't enter. It was occupied by hundreds of zombies, and the streets and intersections nearby were filled with wandering flesh-eating creatures. Zhang Jingjing could only stand on the roadside, looking at the window of her home in the residential building, and cry out loud.

They returned to the agreed meeting place in the square and waited silently under the statue.

However, they didn't wait for the other three women who had split off, but for five strange men.

"I am a friend of Mei Zi and Xiao Dan. We have a place to stay, plenty of food and water, and they are safe there."

The leader of the men was young, in his twenties, with slightly long, messy hair. His eyes kept darting between Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing. His lips were thin, and his smile seemed exaggerated and somewhat uncomfortable.

He held a double-barreled shotgun, and the others had various homemade weapons. Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing had no choice but to be sandwiched between them, threatened and taken away from the square.

The place was a spa in the eastern part of the new district. Cao Rui had been there with her husband before; the decor was luxurious, and the prices were high.

The spa was a six-story building, and inside were gathered over a hundred survivors. When they saw Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing, the men's eyes all released a strange look.

They were searched and all their belongings taken away, then locked in a guest room on the fifth floor. As Liu Jiantao, the leader, put it: "This is the room assigned to you."

They were given food at regular intervals. The food was mostly a few small cookies or a bit of crushed instant noodles. As for water... it smelled foul, with a thin layer of dirt on the surface, clearly the water used for bathing in the pool.

Cao Rui spent half a day tearing the bed sheets into strips, connecting them into a long rope, planning to escape through the window at night. Whether it would succeed, she had no confidence.

After all, it was the fifth floor.

The man who brought them food wore glasses and looked kind. Zhang Jingjing took off her clothes, knelt in front of him, and bowed deeply, crying and begging for his help. Perhaps moved by her words, the man secretly gave her a knife and whispered that they should knock him out and escape through the fire escape on the sixth floor, where the guards were less vigilant.

The kind man said these words.

"I've heard about your situation. Two women who were caught were probably your friends. They were eaten yesterday. There's no food left around here. You... better escape quickly!"

The two women ran for a long time on the street. Many men came out of the buildings to search. They hid in an empty residential building, using the remaining water from a water dispenser to soak the raw rice they found in the kitchen, and ate for two days. After confirming that no one was chasing them, they left their hiding place and headed toward the base Su Hao had mentioned.

On the way, they encountered zombies and had to detour, sometimes hiding to avoid other survivors searching for supplies. They instinctively didn't trust anyone. Without food or water, if Su Hao and Xin Yan hadn't happened to pass by, Cao Rui and Zhang Jingjing would have become two skeletons picked clean by zombies.

...

The warm bowl of porridge in their hands calmed the trembling bodies of the two rescued women. They wiped away their tears and looked at the strangers standing around them. The eyes of those people were filled with pity and sympathy, anger and calm, but not evil or desire.

Xin Yan stood up from the bed, looked at the silent Su Hao, and said seriously, "Some women couldn't escape. We need to help them."

The look in Su Hao's eyes was complex.

He had seen too many cruel things, and he originally didn't want to get too involved in this strange world. However, he was now a part of this time and place, and he couldn't stand aside. In a sense, he was the leader of the survivors in the building.

Looking into Xin Yan's expectant eyes, Su Hao nodded affirmatively.

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