Chapter 8

Tao Yuan never dreamed that someone would actually help him.

When he left the room, he was extremely careful, making no sound at all. This was not out of excessive caution; he had once seen two refugees being surrounded and torn apart by zombies just because their voices were too loud.

He searched for food everywhere, moving quickly. From leaving the room to returning downstairs, it took him less than half an hour. However, the entrance to the upper floor was already crowded with zombies. In the sealed room, the cries of his six-month-old son could be heard.

Adults can endure hunger, but infants cannot understand this.

Tao Yuan's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He roared with all his might, fiercely attacking each zombie. He tried to lure the horde away from the door, but it had little effect—the zombies' reactions to smell and sound were very peculiar. They could judge the strength and number of their prey and make the right choice.

Tao Yuan felt lucky. He was not alone. Through the thick riot helmet, he could not see Xinyan's face, but he could tell from her figure and movements that she was a woman. This made him less desperate and fueled his growing desire to kill the zombies.

But he also forgot that he had expended too much energy, which could not be quickly restored.

...

There were too many zombies gathered at the entrance. A rough estimate put the number at over fifty.

The harsh gunshots and the distinctly female curses made the horde unable to break through the door, so they began to turn and attack the provocateurs. The outer horde had already turned, and more than ten zombies rushed out from the entrance. They followed closely, the distance between them and Tao Yuan and Xinyan getting closer and closer. These infected clearly did not know what fatigue was; their faces, covered in sores and rotting pus, showed a terrifying and greedy expression. Their mouths were wide open, their arms stretched out straight, as if the fresh, moving meat was right in front of them, and they only needed to extend a little further to grab and tear it apart.

Tao Yuan's face was ashen. He felt as if all the oxygen in his lungs had been sucked out, and his breathing could not keep up with his body's needs. His steps became heavier, his backpack felt like a mountain, making it difficult to move forward, let alone swing the steel pipe to fight.

Soon, the distance between the leading zombie and him had shortened to less than five meters.

The terrifying, rotting face was closer than ever, and he could even smell the strong stench from between the teeth. It was a disheveled woman, with long, manicured fingers that were sharp like needles and thin like knives.

Tao Yuan's lips trembled violently, his pupils constricted to the size of pinpoints. Suddenly, as he was retreating, he tripped over a crack on the ground. Without rubbing the sore spot, he quickly got up, struggling to move his feet, gasping for breath, and raised the steel pipe again, thrusting it fiercely into the zombie's rotten, black eye socket.

This blow exhausted the last of his remaining strength.

Tao Yuan collapsed like a pile of mud, even the simplest action of getting up on one knee seemed impossible.

His exhausted body was crushing his will to survive, shattering his determination and perseverance, leaving only the last remnants of despair in his mind, about to be consumed by death.

In front of him, the distinctive, heavy throat sounds of the zombies became increasingly clear.

Tao Yuan raised his head with a numb face, his eyes suddenly widening. In the depths of his dark pupils, the twisted, shriveled, and abnormally excited face of the monster was reflected.

"Bang——"

Suddenly, an invisible line shot through the air, accompanied by a dull impact. The zombie's head, which was about to touch Tao Yuan's shoulder, exploded, the pressure lifting the top of its skull and sending it flying over ten meters away, crashing heavily into the wall on the opposite side of the street.

Su Hao aimed accurately.

He did not waste any bullets, calmly and steadily pulling the trigger. The ugly heads in his sights exploded one after another, the uncontrolled, rotting bodies falling to the ground, twitching.

Humans evolved through life-and-death struggles. Not just in physical strength, but also in intelligence and experience. The future world had a complete set of basic tutorials for dealing with various monsters, and children as young as four had to undergo Spartan-style combat training. They might not have the strength to surpass the monsters in a short time, but they had to be smarter, know the weaknesses of their opponents, and strike from unexpected angles and directions, killing with one blow.

Firearms were an important invention to compensate for human physical weaknesses.

With enough bullets and a favorable position, Su Hao could kill hundreds of zombies alone.

They were actually very weak, ranking at the lowest level "1" or even "-1" on the monster evaluation scale.

"Don't panic, keep your distance. These guys move slowly, get closer before shooting, or you won't hurt them."

Su Hao had already emptied one magazine. He pulled out a hunting knife from behind his back and slashed down on the neck of the approaching zombie. While shouting instructions to the flustered Xinyan, he carefully observed the movements of the horde, memorizing the steps, speed, and posture of each zombie, quickly judging their attack trajectories, and finding advantageous angles and directions. He precisely controlled his energy expenditure, each swing of the knife being just right, causing fatal damage without wasting too much strength, and his timely changes in position allowed him to quickly avoid danger.

To reduce the instability during the transmission process, he chose the other end of the city as the landing point for the other two supply boxes. Su Hao did not know when he would get ammunition replenishment, so he had to use it sparingly under the given conditions.

The large horde was rapidly decreasing in number, the ground covered with the bodies of dead zombies. Tao Yuan watched this scene with wide eyes, a strong sense of fear suddenly rising in his heart, and he subconsciously swallowed hard.

It was... really too strong.

He had never seen anyone fight so many zombies alone. Of course, he did not know that if it were two days ago, before his body was enhanced, Su Hao would not have been able to do this. Taking the gene agent for immunity, the "Luther Coagulation Layer" comprehensively remodeling the nervous system and bones... Su Hao's current strength was not great, but his reaction speed was more than twice that of an ordinary person.

"Bang——"

Xinyan, with a fierce expression, pulled the trigger again, blowing the head off the last zombie.

...

On the third floor, the tightly closed door was slowly pushed open.

A few minutes later, Xinyan and Su Hao supported Tao Yuan, stepping over the bodies of the zombies on the stairs, entering the room, and closing the door.

The first to greet them was a robust old man. He was fat but not bulky. His white hair was a bit messy, and the wrinkles on his face were deep, etched by the passage of time. He held Su Hao's hand with almost fanatical enthusiasm, his eyes full of gratitude. The warmth in his palm was faint, and Su Hao could feel the old man's rapid pulse and slight trembling.

"Thank you! Thank you..."

The old man kept repeating these two simple words. He kept holding Su Hao and Xinyan's hands, as if only this could express the strongest and most intense emotions in his heart.

Two girls, about sixteen or seventeen years old, quickly walked to Tao Yuan's side, helping him sit down on the sofa. They were not particularly beautiful, and their figures were slim like most girls. When Xinyan took off her riot helmet, the two girls looked shocked. They probably never imagined that this person, carrying a large-caliber shotgun and covered in rotting flesh and blood, was also a woman.

On the side of the sofa, a pretty young woman sat in a chair. She wore loose, comfortable home clothes, her hair tied back with a white handkerchief, and she held a baby, who was sucking on a soft rubber nipple, looking curiously at the strangers.

Su Hao wiped the blood and flesh off his hands, took a large piece of chocolate from his backpack, and smiled as he placed it in the baby's swaddling.

Tao Yuan sat on the sofa, his body weak and limp. He panted heavily, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Only now did he realize that cold sweat had soaked through his clothes.

He raised his head, looking at the two strangers who had saved his life with infinite gratitude.

"Hello, I... I'm Tao Yuan."

He moved his sore and numb legs, trying to stand up. However, his over-fatigued nerves could not tighten his muscles, and he could only weakly raise his right arm, extending his hand in a feeble and grateful manner.

"My name is Su Hao."

With a steady voice, the two men's hands clasped together.

The brief conversation that followed quickly clarified their situations.

This was a temporarily assembled group of survivors.

The old man was Song Zhizhong, living on the second floor.

The two high school girls were twin sisters, living on the sixth floor. The house was the only inheritance left to them by their deceased parents.

The three families usually had a very harmonious relationship—the old man would always bring a portion of the vegetables he bought on the street to his neighbors. The twin sisters, Han Jing and Han Ying, respected him greatly. Tao Yuan was the only male in the group, and he took on all the heavy physical work. Of course, whenever he went to work, his wife, who was nursing, would receive the neighbors' meticulous care and attention.

Su Hao listened to Tao Yuan with a smile. This young man was friendly and talkative, and from his words, Su Hao could analyze some useful information.

"We have been trapped here, unable to contact the outside world. We have no water, and our food is running out. I have to go out and get some food, or we will starve to death..."

Tao Yuan's voice grew softer, and his eyes gradually lost their light.

Su Hao looked up and saw that everyone was looking at him. He sighed inwardly, took off his bulletproof vest, revealing the long-sleeved T-shirt underneath, and said seriously, "I am not a police officer."

The old man's expression was no longer filled with hope but more with disappointment.

The two sisters looked as if they had lost all color, hugging each other tightly, their whole bodies trembling.

Li Xiaomei, Tao Yuan's wife, bit her lip hard, her face pale, looking weak and on the verge of tears.

"There will be no rescue, no army, no police. This is a chaotic world without order. We can only rely on ourselves, believe in ourselves."

For some reason, Su Hao suddenly felt a bit reluctant to look into those eyes that had lost hope. The world he came from was filled with death and darkness. This era, however, was different—there was still friendship and care, even though it was close to a brutal and violent world, there was still a last bit of warmth to be felt.

Completely extinguishing their last hope... it was indeed cruel. But Su Hao had no better choice. It was better to let these people see the reality and become rational, rather than let them hold onto a vague and illusory hope.

Tao Yuan lowered his head, burying his face in his hands. His fingers dug deep into his hair, the joints turning white. After a long time, he slowly straightened up and said in a trembling voice, "What... what should we do?"

"I will make you stronger."

Su Hao looked at him with pity, his expression gradually becoming serious, "But you need to help me with something."

Tao Yuan's eyes were full of confusion, "What?"

"Chop up the remains of the zombies downstairs and take the bones from their tail vertebrae."

As he spoke, Su Hao took a metal tube from his pocket, removed the cap, and shook out a silver bone he had collected earlier.

...

Two hours later, the transport vehicle, loaded with people and supplies, returned to the bank office.

The addition of new residents brought vitality to the small building. Su Hao generously shared all resources except firearms—ample hot water made the women immediately like their new home; the electricity provided by solar panels allowed the baby to have milk and porridge at any time; the solid and tight security measures completely relieved the tension, allowing the always vigilant minds to relax and rest.

The vegetables on the dining table were still monotonous. Besides radishes and potatoes, there were only various types of canned food. However, the new residents ate happily and were very satisfied.

Su Hao led the new members through the inside and outside of the building, explaining in detail the functions of the passages and emergency measures. His intention was to add more eyes and ears to the residence. However, to Tao Yuan and the others, this act of sharing all the secrets was a sign of trust and sincerity.

"We need a lot more things. Food, medicine, gasoline... In a few months, the weather will get cold, and we need to start collecting fuel and clothes now."

The old man's way of thinking was much more comprehensive than that of the young. His voice was firm and powerful, "I can go out with you. I still have strength and can deal with those monsters."

Su Hao smiled faintly and handed him a police shotgun, "The women and children need to be taken care of. You need to protect them."

Song Zhizhong took the gun, glanced at Tao Yuan standing beside him, and no longer insisted, nodding steadily and seriously.

...

The morning light bathed the entire world, casting a light golden hue on all surfaces.

Su Hao squinted his eyes involuntarily, his pupils quickly adapting to the intense light, and he clearly saw the zombie, about ten meters ahead