As expected, the zombies didn't have a chance to turn their heads before they were dealt with swiftly. Mark withdrew his katana, and the zombies toppled into the nearby bushes without making much noise.
"That's it!" Mark said to himself with confidence after effortlessly handling the second zombie. As long as Mark stayed calm, he could use his full strength.
"If I can maintain this composure, I should be able to handle three to five zombies simultaneously," he thought. His confidence stemmed from years of training, even back in school, where he could easily defeat two or three kids of his age barehanded.
Mark had once tested his skills with a wooden sword and managed to take on up to ten strong opponents simultaneously, though not without getting injured.
In Mark's eyes, zombies had slightly lower combat abilities than humans, mainly because they acted on instinct without any real fighting techniques. The most dangerous aspect was the psychological pressure, but Mark believed that with his composure and caution, he could manage.
Though Mark had confidence in his abilities, he knew he had to be extremely cautious when facing zombies.
"No injuries, no forcing it," he reminded himself. Getting bitten by a zombie meant certain infection, and Mark wasn't sure if being scratched would have the same effect, so he couldn't take any chances.
Mark continued his silent and swift movement, carefully circumventing three more zombies. Since he had to take detours, he had walked about 80 meters away from the convenience store.
"Getting closer, almost there," Mark whispered to himself, hiding behind a car. From this position, he could already see the situation near the convenience store.
He felt relieved when he noticed that the store's door was not locked but slightly ajar, which was good news for him.
Sneaking around and taking his time, Mark finally reached a position about 10 meters from the convenience store.
"Where did these zombies come from?" Mark furrowed his brow. There were no zombies outside the store just a moment ago, but now, three had gathered.
Mark had initially planned to wait quietly for the zombies to disperse, but when he glanced to his left, about 30 meters away, he saw two zombies approaching.
If he waited any longer, the three zombies at the store's entrance might not leave, and the two from behind might discover him. Facing five zombies at once without a surefire plan was something Mark didn't want to risk.
"Time to go all in!" Mark made a quick decision. He abandoned his cover and charged towards the convenience store.
"Roar!" At the moment Mark emerged, the three zombies near the store noticed him and growled as they lunged towards him.
Mark sidestepped the first zombie's attack, narrowly avoiding it, and then swiftly thrust his katana into the back of its head.
"One down!" Without looking back, Mark's katana skills were in full display. With a fluid motion, he twirled the katana 180 degrees and sliced off the second zombie's arm.
The zombie, unfazed, continued to lunge towards Mark with its mouth wide open. Mark flipped the katana back into his left hand, bent slightly, and thrust it from under the zombie's chin, piercing through to its brain.
"Second one!" After retrieving his katana, adjusting his stance, Mark charged at the last remaining zombie.
Soon, the final zombie also fell to Mark's blade. He had dispatched all three in less than ten seconds.
Just as the battle outside the convenience store came to an end, the distant zombies were also drawn towards the commotion, making their way towards the store.
Mark glanced briefly at them but didn't pay them much attention. Instead, he rushed into the convenience store and locked the door behind him.
However, unbeknownst to Mark, a pair of eyes from a nearby building were fixated on him. Through a crack in the curtains, someone had been observing his every move from the moment he stepped out of the building to his entrance into the store.
"Phew, temporarily safe," Mark sighed with relief. Inside the store, he first checked and found no other zombies.
"I guess when the zombies appeared, the store's owners must have left in their car," Mark assumed. He had a good relationship with the store owner, and the fact that the car was missing suggested they had escaped safely.
Without wasting any more time, Mark began filling his backpack with items from the store shelves. Most of his choices included various snacks, sweets, chocolates, and canned meats—simple and easy to carry, they provided both sustenance and energy.
He decided against taking flour; not only did he lack the cooking skills, but it would also be inconvenient and physically taxing.
Finally, with his backpack filled, Mark noticed a bundle of rope underneath the shelves. He grabbed it, wrapped it around his waist, and prepared to bring it back with him.
"That should be enough. I still have water at home. It's time to go back!" Mark concluded. He was quite satisfied with his successful trip; as long as he could safely return home, these supplies would sustain him for some time.
As he approached the store's exit, Mark faced a dilemma. He had just discovered that there were nearly ten zombies outside the door.
"It won't be easy to get out..." Mark observed the zombies outside but remained calm. From the moment he had left his apartment until now, he had already dispatched five zombies, so he felt much more composed compared to his initial departure.
"I need to find a way to distract them," Mark thought, returning to the store shelves. He grabbed several cans of meat, knowing that zombies were particularly attracted to the scent of meat.
After opening the cans, Mark quietly opened a window, then forcefully threw the cans in the direction of the distant zombies.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The metal cans landed with a distinct noise. After tossing several boxes in a row, Mark stopped.
"Good opportunity!" As the zombies were drawn away by the noise and the smell of meat, Mark quickly dashed out of the convenience store.
Regarding why he didn't stay in the convenience store, the reasoning was simple. In Mark's eyes, staying there would be tantamount to suicide. The store was on the ground floor, and most people in the neighborhood knew about it. If he could find it, other survivors would too.
Mark could gather supplies here, but he believed that other survivors would have the same idea. If he remained at the store, and survivors came looking for food, they might resort to smashing the store's windows, inadvertently attracting zombies inside. That would put Mark's life at risk.
Mark was well aware of this, so he didn't consider staying in the store. Right now, his only safe haven was his familiar home.