Chapter 12

After a few futile attempts to break down the front door, the two zombies returned to the stairwell, growling as they made their way downstairs...

Chen Fei's building, number 7, had a total of thirty floors, so the elevator and stairwell were separate. To reduce the risk of accidental fires, each floor had a heavy fireproof door. Since pushing these doors open was always a struggle, they were usually propped open with blocks of wood or stones.

The fireproof door on Chen Fei's floor had been left open when the supermarket delivery was made. If he could close it, the 11th floor would be much safer. Zombies, like beasts, only chased and bit people; they couldn't open doors and relied solely on brute force to break through.

After confirming that the two zombies had left, Chen Fei cautiously opened the front door and quickly rushed to the stairwell, removing the wooden block that was holding the fireproof door open. In the stairwell, he heard faint cries for help from below, which was likely why the two zombies had left.

Chen Fei walked over to the female zombie that had been completely killed, pulling out the crossbow bolt that had pierced her skull and the two bolts embedded in the wall, to reuse them. He knew he would face situations in the future where he couldn't recover his bolts, so he had to be meticulous from now on.

When he returned to the room, Chen Fei found himself drenched in sweat. He had always thought that the protagonists in TV shows faced zombies so easily, which had indirectly misled him into believing that zombies weren't very formidable. If not for Nan Gong Jin's help earlier, he would have been in close contact with the female zombie.

Chen Fei plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. In his current state, even if he had a gun, escaping the building would be a daunting challenge, let alone rescuing Mu Meiqing at the hospital.

Nan Gong Jin's expression had become increasingly calm, making Chen Fei seriously doubt whether she was a bewitching fox spirit or an imported android with a man's strong heart!

The biggest takeaway from this battle for Chen Fei was the realization of his poor physical condition!

From the battle, he could analyze that zombies' strength and speed were based on human levels. They had lost their intelligence but gained tireless endurance and a reckless, fearless nature. Humans, on the other hand, were prone to fear and fatigue, which made them easy prey for zombies.

To survive in this apocalyptic world, Chen Fei needed to improve his physical fitness. At the very least, he needed to run a bit faster and have a bit more endurance. Even a small improvement could mean the difference between life and death.

Of course, it was too late for Chen Fei to start training now. Mu Meiqing's situation was dire; her food supply was pitifully low, and she could only last a week at most. Even with water, she would eventually starve to the point where she couldn't even run, drastically reducing her chances of survival. Therefore, the maximum time he had to rescue Mu Meiqing was seven days.

Chen Fei would need at least a month to see significant results from his training, so in seven days, he could only get a basic feel for the intensity of the exercises.

Chen Fei suddenly remembered the apocalyptic dominion system inside him, which sounded incredibly powerful. However, the activation condition was quite extreme, requiring the killing of 50 zombies.

Although Nan Gong Jin had helped with the first zombie, it should still count as Chen Fei's kill. This meant he needed to kill 49 more zombies to activate the system, a daunting task for a beginner. But Chen Fei had no choice unless he was willing to let a delicate beauty turn into a zombie.

Although Nan Gong Jin and Mu Meiqing sometimes treated him a bit harshly, Chen Fei knew they had always taken care of him. He often freeloaded on the meals they bought, and they never complained, sometimes even buying extra.

Chen Fei wasn't a protagonist from a novel with a savior complex. In this apocalyptic world, saving someone meant adding another mouth to feed. Unless that person could prove their worth, they would be a burden.

Having been an orphan for a year, Chen Fei had experienced the coldness of human nature. As he said 12 years later, he would never betray those who were good to him or trusted him! He had already promised Mu Meiqing that he would rescue her, and even if the situation was difficult, he had to try. To be safe, Chen Fei decided to activate the apocalyptic dominion system first to see what help it could provide.

While leaning against the door, Chen Fei thought about these things, while Nan Gong Jin stood by the window, using a telescope to observe the surrounding streets and the distance. The noise outside continued, with fires and smoke visible in over twenty places.

The most chaotic area, with the most vehicles, was the main road leading to the highway, Kangzhuang Road!

Gunshots, car horns, and screams were intertwined, making it hard to distinguish what was happening.

"Chen Fei, if the military intervenes, they should be able to quickly deal with these infected, right?" Nan Gong Jin asked, looking out the window.

Chen Fei shook his head with a bitter smile. If the military had thousands of soldiers and heavy firepower, they might be able to clear out tens of thousands of zombies. However, in reality, even if Chen Fei wasn't at the highway, he could guess that the number of soldiers stationed there was at most a few dozen. They could handle a few dozen zombies, but facing thousands or tens of thousands would be impossible, even with tanks.

"I hope so..."

Chen Fei didn't want to crush Nan Gong Jin's hope, as people need hope to have motivation!

...

The screams, car horns, and gunshots continued for a full day and night.

By the eighth day, the noise had significantly decreased. Helicopters occasionally flew over the city, though zombies couldn't fly, and only a few buildings in Zhongnan City had helipads. Helicopters also had limited capacity, and even if hundreds were deployed, the rescue efforts would be limited. In reality, such a large-scale deployment was unlikely.

So Chen Fei didn't rely on external rescue efforts. They were already doing well to survive on their own. The zombie virus had just erupted, and most people were still hiding at home. As the number of zombies increased, people would realize the severity of the situation and start to abandon their humanity for survival. What was the difference between a person without humanity and a zombie?

So far, the power and communication systems had not completely failed. The authorities claimed on TV that the virus was a mutated rabies virus, trying to calm the public and urging everyone to stay at home and wait for rescue. Chen Fei turned off the TV after hearing this.

On the internet, netizens were already discussing the infected, comparing them to zombies from classic movies and labeling them as such.

This was a more convincing explanation for most netizens than the official one. The young survivors, though scared, were excited, while the middle-aged, who were used to a comfortable life, angrily denounced the zombie theory, still hoping the authorities would quickly resolve the issue and restore normalcy.

Chen Fei entered the most popular and largest forum on the internet, titled "Apocalypse! Zombies Are Here!"

Browsing through it, he was amazed by the ingenuity of the people. Many, like Chen Fei, had stockpiled supplies, though not as extensively as he had, who had practically moved the supermarket into his home.

Most people had only a normal amount of food, enough to last a month. With the uncertainty of the lockdown and the infected outside, they were anxious and willing to pay high prices for supplies.

Some minor characters had become overnight successes.

A typical example was a netizen with the ID "I'll Support You, Beauty." His job was a warehouse keeper at a supermarket, and after the zombie virus outbreak, he became one of the few people with more supplies than Chen Fei.

Many people left messages for "I'll Support You, Beauty," offering to pay high prices for food, but the warehouse keeper refused. His username already revealed his true intentions:

"If you're a beauty and want to eat well, come to me, and I'll support you!"

Chen Fei thought this warehouse keeper was a true survivor, destined for greatness, though what his flashy behavior would lead to was unknown...

Initially, the survivors who were self-isolating at home could still chat and comfort each other, and many didn't take the situation too seriously. However, on the eleventh day, when all phones and computers lost internet access, and even the TV stations went off the air, and power outages occurred in many areas, people realized the situation was far more critical than they had imagined, but it was too late...

In Zhongnan City, the West and North districts had already lost power on the tenth day. Fortunately, Chen Fei's neighborhood in the East district still had power, though it was only a matter of time before it went out.

The most desperate situation would be a water outage, but fortunately, that hadn't happened yet. On the eighth day, the authorities had announced that they would not cut off power or water during the pandemic.

Over the past three days, Chen Fei had been doing one thing: exercising!

Although it was too late to make a significant difference, it showed his determination. He didn't expect to gain strength quickly but was running on the treadmill to build endurance. Every extra step he could run meant a better chance of survival against zombies.

In addition, Chen Fei had been practicing with the automatic crossbow. The dartboard on the wall was riddled with holes, making him more proficient with the crossbow.

As for Nan Gong Jin, she spent most of her time practicing with a katana, wearing tight workout clothes that made Chen Fei's blood boil. She seemed to have a particular fondness for the katana and had taken the most exquisite special forces uniform, which Chen Fei suspected was genuine, along with a triangular bayonet and all the accessories, except for the high boots...