Chapter 11

Just as he hung up the phone, Chen Fei heard a series of loud noises coming from upstairs, followed by a desperate scream and cries for help.

Given the current spread rate of the zombie virus, it should still be confined to the streets, which largely ruled out the possibility of zombies breaking into the apartment upstairs. The tragedy was likely caused by someone whose latent zombie virus had fully erupted, leading them to instinctively attack the nearest person after turning into a zombie.

All these signs indicated that the zombie virus could lie dormant in the body, and a portion of people would turn into zombies due to their physical condition or other factors. Once they turned into zombies, it meant the virus had matured into its complete form.

Zombies spread the virus through attacks, with an almost 100% infection rate. Being bitten was essentially a death sentence.

"Mom!!!"

While Chen Fei was still analyzing the situation, Nan Gong Jin, who had just left to make a call, let out a heart-wrenching cry.

Hearing this, Chen Fei quickly walked from the balcony to the living room and saw Nan Gong Jin, her hands trembling as she clutched her phone, tears dripping onto the screen.

"Jin, what happened?" Chen Fei asked, his voice filled with concern.

Nan Gong Jin didn't answer but instead threw herself into Chen Fei's arms, sobbing. Chen Fei, experiencing this soft and warm embrace for the first time, found himself unable to feel any excitement. He didn't ask any more questions, just let Nan Gong Jin cry in his arms, her bitter and painful tears soaking his clothes. Chen Fei gently stroked her hair.

This went on for about ten minutes before Nan Gong Jin gradually stopped crying. She looked up at Chen Fei with tear-streaked eyes and said in a trembling voice:

"My... my dad suddenly fell ill, he turned into one of those crazy people on the street, and my mom..."

At this, Nan Gong Jin's tears started flowing again. Chen Fei understood what had happened. Watching a loved one turn into a zombie and then being bitten by them was one of the most painful things imaginable.

Just as Chen Fei was about to say something to comfort Nan Gong Jin, he heard a series of urgent knocks on the front door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chen Fei quickly made a gesture for Nan Gong Jin to be quiet, then tiptoed to the door and peered through the peephole.

The person knocking was the young wife from the apartment next door, whom Chen Fei remembered. Though she wasn't particularly attractive, her figure was definitely eye-catching, the kind that made otakus worry about her losing balance and falling over.

"Open the door! Please help me, please help me!"

The woman was shouting for help while knocking, and Chen Fei noticed that her clothes were revealing, with a chunk of flesh missing from her shoulder, blood staining her arm. The door behind her was tightly shut, and there were loud thuds coming from inside.

Nan Gong Jin peeked through the peephole and then frowned at Chen Fei, who was almost nosebleeding, and asked softly:

"Why aren't we opening the door?"

Chen Fei shook his head helplessly and pointed to his shoulder, replying:

"She's been bitten by a zombie. If we let her in, she'll turn into a zombie, and we'll be in trouble!"

Nan Gong Jin, recalling the scenes from the TV, could only nod helplessly. Even though she knew the woman would turn into a zombie, the cold-heartedness of their decision still made her feel uneasy.

After knocking for a while and getting no response, the woman turned and ran down the stairs, seeking help elsewhere.

Chen Fei's emotions didn't fluctuate much. He was curious about who had bitten the woman. He often saw the man from the apartment next door in the elevator, a passionate and hardworking man who worked at an insurance company, diligently going to and from work every day, with only one day off on the weekend.

If Chen Fei remembered correctly, today was Thursday, and it was 10:30 AM. The question of who had bitten the woman was both intriguing and thought-provoking.

Nan Gong Jin's sadness gradually subsided as she realized that what had happened to her parents was happening in families across the country and the world.

Nan Gong Jin suddenly felt very weak and helpless, wanting to retreat to her room and curl up in bed to escape it all.

Outside, the sounds of car horns, screams, and gunfire filled the air. The gunfire was sporadic, likely from a police officer defending themselves against an attack.

Everything was similar to what Chen Fei had seen in movies. The streets were in chaos, with crazed zombies and terrified escapees chasing each other. Going outside was more dangerous than facing the zombies, as people would do anything to survive, often crossing moral boundaries.

Vehicles that managed to escape were heading towards the southern highway exit, where Chen Fei knew the military would be stationed. The dense gunfire from the south five minutes later confirmed his guess.

The apocalypse had begun!

Chen Fei took several deep breaths to calm himself, then went to his bedroom and retrieved a suitcase from under the bed. He chose a Navy SEAL uniform, and when he put on the steel-reinforced high-top military boots, he felt a surge of confidence, as if a U.S. soldier had possessed him.

He put on cut-resistant gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads, and strapped an M9 multi-function bayonet to his leg. Fully equipped, Chen Fei left the bedroom, ready for battle.

The heart-wrenching screams outside continued, but Chen Fei had become numb to them.

Bang... Bang... Bang...

Just as Chen Fei left the bedroom, he heard the front door being knocked on again.

Hearing this, Nan Gong Jin also came out of her room, looking shocked at Chen Fei's exaggerated outfit.

The woman who had been knocking on the door earlier was still there, but now her eyes were bloodshot and white, and she was making a gurgling sound, as if something was stuck in her throat.

Chen Fei noticed that her neck was also bitten and bloody, with a piece of flesh hanging off. She must have been bitten by another zombie while seeking help downstairs.

Bang... Bang... Bang...

The continuous knocking made Chen Fei frown. If this continued, it would attract more zombies, putting them in danger.

He had to deal with this zombie!

Chen Fei quickly returned to the bedroom and took out a crossbow, loading it with 10 steel bolts.

"Chen Fei, what are you doing?"

Nan Gong Jin finally asked.

"Jin, if she keeps knocking, it will attract more zombies from other floors. We need to kill her to stay safe!"

Nan Gong Jin thought for a moment. The situation was chaotic, like an apocalypse. Killing a few infected people would be considered self-defense. With this in mind, she walked into Chen Fei's room and took a shiny katana from the suitcase.

To Chen Fei's surprise, Nan Gong Jin also came to the door.

Nan Gong Jin whispered, "What do we do?"

Chen Fei raised the crossbow, looking tense.

"Um... headshot! To kill a zombie, you need to shoot through its head or cut it off! Jin, on the count of 1, 2, 3, open the door!"

Nan Gong Jin took a deep breath, placing her left hand on the doorknob and her right hand on the katana.

"1... 2... 3"

As Chen Fei counted to 3, Nan Gong Jin pulled the door open. A wave of blood hit them, and the zombie woman lunged at Chen Fei. Chen Fei's hand trembled, causing his shot to miss, the bolt flying past the zombie's ear and embedding itself in the wall next door.

With the first shot failing, the zombie woman, reeking of blood, was right in front of Chen Fei. This was not the scenario he had imagined, and he was flustered and unsure what to do.

In a critical moment, Nan Gong Jin, with a burst of fragrance, rushed to the zombie woman, lifting her long leg and kicking her back.

Nan Gong Jin quickly moved forward and swung the katana at the zombie's neck. However, due to her lack of experience, the angle was wrong, and the blade got stuck in the zombie's neck bone.

The zombie woman let out a roar, ignoring the katana in her neck and swinging her arms wildly at Nan Gong Jin.

Chen Fei, who had been scared stiff, came to his senses at the zombie's roar. He raised the crossbow again and shot a bolt directly into the zombie's eye socket, piercing her skull. The zombie woman stopped moving instantly.

Chen Fei and Nan Gong Jin both let out a sigh of relief and looked at each other.

Roar...

Before Chen Fei could say anything, they heard more roars and footsteps in the hallway.

Nan Gong Jin pulled out the katana, ready to fight, but Chen Fei pulled her back into the room and closed the door.

Soon, two more zombies appeared at Chen Fei's door: a middle-aged man with half his face missing and a middle-aged woman with only one arm.