Several heads poked out from the sixth-floor window, their faces painted with stark terror.
Su Jin strolled among the zombie corpses, his blade rising and falling again and again.
Some were decapitated, some dismembered, and others cut into diamond-shaped pieces.
Whatever else he did, he opened every heart.
After watching the butchery for a minute, Fu Qingdai gagged, covering her mouth as Zhang Wan helped her retreat from the glass.
The two elderly men, along with Fu Hu, observed for a moment longer before collectively pulling their heads back and silently sliding the window shut.
Earlier, the Talent Residential Community had echoed with intermittent cries for help. Now, with Su Jin's gruesome display, the entire compound was dead silent, every curtain pulled tight.
Only the sound of Su Jin chopping through bone broke the silence.
...
After cutting open the last corpse's heart, Su Jin let out a heavy, disappointed sigh.
With his new power, he no longer feared the infection.
This field trip was supposed to be a chance to look for fleshy orbs, overcome his fear of corpses, and learn how to fight zombies.
The practice was useful. He discovered a fatal weakness shared by almost every zombie, one that might save his life someday.
That discovery, together with his new strength, made him much bolder.
After dissecting two corpses earlier and practicing again today, he thought he could keep his hands steady against a living enemy.
Unfortunately, fleshy orbs were extremely rare.
He searched every corpse and found none.
He had come full of hope and left disappointed.
After heading upstairs to change clothes, Su Jin marched right back down to the second floor.
He rapped his knuckles against the door twice and caught a muffled response.
Raising his pistol, he shot the lock and entered.
The tenant was still peering through the peephole. Before he could even process the breach, Su Jin had the muzzle pressed firmly against his forehead.
Recognizing Su Jin’s face, the man’s legs gave out. He scrambled backward across the floor, his eyes wide with fear. "Brother, please don't shoot! It's me, Cheng Du! We literally smoked cigarettes together!"
Su Jin glanced around the room, put away his gun, and smiled. "Captain Cheng. I'm here to save you. Don't be afraid."
Cheng Du was the captain of the Talent Residential Community security team, whose job mostly involved making the rounds.
Su Jin had spoken to him before moving grain and oil at night, so they were vaguely acquainted.
In his early thirties, Cheng Du had a cushy job, but he kept himself in decent shape and had solid self-discipline.
Though Su Jin meant him no harm, Cheng Du remained rigid with fear. "Brother Li... you... down in the courtyard just now, you were..."
"I was practicing on those zombies, trying to get used to it. We'll have to face them again sooner or later," Su Jin stated plainly. "Do I look like a psychopath to you? Get up."
"Ah... right! Right!" Cheng Du seemed to understand. Tears streamed down his face as he scrambled up, about to rush over and hug Su Jin.
"Brother! I was losing my goddamn mind! I saw you several times, I shouted myself hoarse! What took you so long?!"
Su Jin raised his pistol, using the barrel to wave him back. "Stay back. First I need to know whether you touched the rainwater."
"Hell no!" Cheng Du wiped a grimy tear from his cheek. "Someone sealed my door and slid a warning flyer under the crack. Then the text message arrived... I knew that rain was toxic. I wouldn't dare touch it!"
"Then what have you been drinking?"
"I rationed some soda for the first two days. Then I moved on to toilet water. After that... I drank lubricating oil... I was completely out of water. Today I drank my own urine..." Cheng Du wailed. "Why couldn't you have come a day earlier?!"
Su Jin glanced at the dining table, where a cup held a little "iced tea." He felt a mild wave of relief.
He was probably safe. He was careful—he literally drank his own urine to avoid the rain. Though the lubricant detail was a bit much.
"Why didn't you save some water? It shouldn't have come to this."
"How was I supposed to forecast the apocalypse?! I thought someone would come to rescue me!"
"Right." Su Jin nodded. "We're all upstairs. I'll take you there soon, and someone will help you."
"Do you know what's going on across the hall?"
"Yeah. Sister Liu is a widow. We were talking while you were outside... uh... cutting up the corpses. She lives alone and has a water dispenser with two full backup jugs. She has enough food and water." Cheng Du paused, nervously licking his chapped, foul-tasting lips. "But the third floor... something happened in 301 above me. I heard the scuffle and the screaming."
"302 has a new tenant. A female college student. I don't know how she is."
Cheng Du had given him useful information. Su Jin thought Cheng Du seemed reliable.
It made sense. Fools seldom survived this long.
Su Jin made up his mind.
"Pack anything useful. I'll get Sister Liu from across the hall, then we'll go upstairs together."
....
Inside Room 302, wood burned. The apartment was sweltering; wearing heavy clothes would induce a sweat in minutes.
Li Fang sat on the bed. Her eyes were vacant and her hair disheveled. She looked barely alive.
Slumped against two corners of the room were two sickly-looking young men.
"Li Fang... seriously... is there absolutely zero food left?" one of the guys rasped, his voice paper-thin.
Li Fang turned toward him, resentment in her eyes.
She had initially invited Cao Chengping and Li Kai over to collaborate on a group assignment.
They had drunk heavily that night, and by morning, the apocalypse had locked them all inside.
She had only a few snacks at home, and the two men had eaten half.
If she had been alone, she wouldn't be starving to death right now.
When Li Fang said nothing, Li Kai whined, "Did you... did you stash something? You must have a secret stash... why else do you have more energy than me?"
"Get lost," Li Fang hissed, plunging back into silence.
"Who are you telling to get lost?" Li Kai flared up, a weak burst of anger overcoming his starvation. "If you hadn't dragged us here for your stupid project, would I be rotting in this hellhole?! If you hadn't flushed the toilet, we'd have water! Who told you to flush your shit with our drinking water?! You selfish bitch! Do you ever think about anyone but yourself?!"
"Enough," Cao Chengping croaked. He staggered as he forced himself to his feet, his trembling hands reaching for the hem of his shirt. He began peeling off his clothes, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Li Fang. "If the thirst doesn't kill us, the hunger will. And if we don't starve, we'll probably die of carbon monoxide poisoning from this fire... There are monsters outside, and now a killer is guarding the door. It's over... we're dead..."
Pausing, Cao Chengping swallowed thickly, his throat clicking. "Li Fang... go wash your ass."
"Are you insane?!" Li Fang’s eyes blew wide with horror as she desperately scrambled backward against the headboard.
"Wash her ass... wait, you have water?!" Li Kai’s head snapped up, a manic gleam in his eye.
Cao Chengping’s features warped into a hideous sneer. "Yeah, I've got water! I collected water the day the rain stopped. I even drank some. I'm perfectly fine! There's no point hiding it now. There's barely any left, and drinking it won't save us! So, Li Fang, hurry up and wash your ass!"
"Where is it? Where's the water?! Give it to me!" Li Kai dragged himself across the floor, his filthy fingers clawing at Cao Chengping's pant leg, only to be casually kicked aside.
"Fuck off... one cup of water won't save you." Cao Chengping’s eyes were completely bloodshot now as he loomed over Li Fang. "I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to the bathroom to wash up?!"
"No! Are you out of your mind, Chengping?!"
Li Fang's eyes filled with tears. She shook her head frantically, sobbing as she shrank back toward the headboard.
"I'm not crazy... we're all dead meat anyway! Before I die, I want to be a man for once!" Cao Chengping roared, spittle flying from his cracked lips. "You won't wash?! Fine... don't wash... my tastebuds are completely numb anyway! Move your hands, let me get a look!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Cao Chengping lunged onto the mattress.
Li Fang shrieked, kicking and thrashing wildly against his weight.
"Chengping... Chengping, stop! You said you only saw me as a sister! Ahhh!!"
"Yeah, I always treated you like a stepsister... move your damn hands!"
"Li Kai... Li... Kai, help me! You said... you said you had a crush on me! Help... please!"
Hearing his name, Li Kai dug his nails into the plaster, pulling himself up against the wall. With a sudden burst of strength, he bellowed: "Cao Chengping!!"
"What the hell do you want?! We're literally dying, are you trying to stop me?!" Cao Chengping snarled, holding Li Fang down as he glared back with rabid eyes.
The muscles in Li Kai's sunken face twitched violently before he finally said.
"Count me in."
"......AHHH!!!"