Mark watched the scene with a shiver running down his spine. In no time, over thirty zombies had swarmed the woman, silencing her voice forever. Once the zombies had finished their gruesome meal, they grew quiet again, resuming their aimless wandering.
"Damn, foolish woman!" Mark cursed under his breath. Initially, there were only a few scattered zombies in the vicinity of the residential complex, no more than ten visible to Mark. However, the woman's cries had attracted more from outside. These zombies were still within the complex, not leaving.
"It looks like I'll have to take action by tomorrow at the latest," Mark thought. According to his initial plan, Mark had a katana and some confidence. But with dozens of additional zombies now, the difficulty of going outside had increased exponentially.
"If this continues, attracting two more of these idiots every day, I fear I'll starve to death at home," Mark acknowledged. The plan could no longer be delayed, though he felt a sense of urgency. He forced himself to remain calm for the moment.
Looking at the zombies below, Mark's scalp tingled as he noticed nearly ten zombies had gathered near his apartment building. Occasionally, a stray zombie would wander in from the outside streets, but none seemed to leave the complex.
Mark suspected that the lingering scent of blood from the woman's remains below was attracting the zombies. As for the woman's body, it had already been devoured by the undead, leaving nothing behind, not even a bone.
"I have to take action," Mark decided immediately, knowing that his remaining food would only last for one more day. While humans could survive for a short time without food by drinking water, Mark didn't want to be rendered completely defenseless due to hunger, as that would be no different from death.
With determination, Mark devoured the last of the bread from his bag. Although he was now out of food, his body was in the best condition it could be.
"If I can find some supplies, there's hope for the future. If luck isn't on my side and I meet my end outside, at least it will be a swift one," Mark reflected. Starving to death was the outcome he couldn't bear.
With his cigarette stub extinguished, Mark retrieved another katana from a cabinet in his apartment. It looked identical to the one he had practiced with before, except this katana had a sharp blade and had been kept for collection.
Then, he strapped on a large backpack to carry any provisions he might find. He was ready.
Mark lightly caressed the katana in his hand. "Old buddy, it's up to you now," he muttered. With that, he opened the apartment door and cautiously stepped outside.
He had already checked the peephole to ensure there were no zombies right outside the door. Quietly shutting the door behind him, Mark made sure not to make any loud noises.
"6th floor! Should have rented a lower one," Mark lamented silently as he pondered the challenge of descending from the 6th floor. Taking the elevator was not an option, as he didn't want to risk being trapped with zombies once the doors opened, even though the elevator's lights were still on, indicating it was functional.
"Take the stairs," Mark decided. Surveying his surroundings, he found the 6th floor was relatively safe at the moment, with no signs of undead activity.
Mark carefully descended from the 6th to the 5th floor, then to the 4th. He moved silently, doing his best to avoid making any noise.
So far, it was quiet, and he hadn't encountered any zombies. With each descent, Mark made sure to close the stairwell door behind him. This served two purposes: to prevent any zombies from emerging from within and to ensure a safer retreat if needed.
"I hope these guys don't know how to open doors," Mark mused, continuing his quiet descent.
When he reached the 4th floor, Mark's concentration heightened as he noticed a bloodstain on the wall at the corner between the 4th and 3rd floors.
Mark carefully leaned over and peeked through the gap in the staircase. Indeed, just below him, there lay a corpse. He was nervous but not panicked.
Mark couldn't be sure if the corpse would rise as a zombie. As he approached, he quietly drew the katana from his waist.
One step, two steps. By now, the katana was aimed at the corpse.
Just one more step, and Mark would be able to cross over and continue his journey. Suddenly, he saw the corpse's nose twitch ever so slightly, as if it were sniffing something.
Without hesitation, Mark thrust the katana into the back of the corpse's head, and at that moment, its eyes snapped open.
"Phew, that was close! This corpse is definitely a zombie," Mark sighed in relief. He watched as the zombie remained motionless, then forced down the nausea rising in his throat.
"I killed? Me?" Mark couldn't help but question himself. While he knew that zombies were no longer human, the sensation of plunging a katana into one's head still unsettled him. Even his hand that held the blade had trembled.
"In the end, no matter how calm I am in my daily life, I'm still just an ordinary person," Mark admitted to himself as he pulled the katana out. He stepped over the zombie and continued to the 3rd floor.
Leaning against the wall, Mark took a moment to compose himself before proceeding. The katana in his hand was steady, and his resolve had strengthened.
"My only goal is to survive. To do that, I need to adapt to this feeling," Mark reminded himself. He no longer had the luxury of time.
With no further delay, Mark moved forward, thankful that he hadn't encountered any danger from the 4th to the 1st floor.
Now, it was time for the most critical part of his journey.
"The main senses of zombies are sound, vision, and smell," Mark reflected. "Keep quiet, hide your presence as much as possible, and as for smell..."
"I don't have any bloodstains on me, so even if a zombie's nose is keen, it will need to be within two meters to detect me."
Hiding against the wall, Mark observed the surroundings and made quick mental calculations. The nearest zombie was about five meters away, with its back turned to him. There were four more zombies wandering aimlessly nearby.
"Let's hope their path won't lead them here for a while," Mark thought.
After assessing the immediate area, Mark set his sights on a convenience store within the residential complex, approximately 100 meters away in a straight line. He decided to take a detour to avoid drawing attention by walking directly towards it.
With a planned route in mind, Mark stood up and took action.
"I need to be careful," Mark silently reminded himself. He didn't dash out of the building like the three people he had seen earlier. Instead, he moved quietly, slowing his pace as he approached the closest zombie.
He made sure to stay behind it, so the zombie's back was facing him. The first zombie was too close, and Mark couldn't go around it. As he reached within three meters of the zombie, Mark suddenly sprinted past it.
Drawing from his experience, Mark knew that the zombie's weakness was its head. He thrust the katana into the back of the zombie's head as he passed.
Years of training came into play, and Mark executed the move perfectly.