Wang Tao's parents had met with an accident and passed away when he was young, and he was raised by his grandparents. However, his grandparents also died one after the other a few years ago. As for other relatives, he barely had any contact with them... so even with the apocalypse, Wang Tao didn't have many ties to worry about.
But he still had a few friends, and Wang Tao certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to them.
He opened his social media app, and a flood of 99+ messages popped up. But the content of the messages quickly sank his heart.
The chat history in the drama crew group showed that almost everyone who had gone to the film studio to shoot two days ago had met with disaster. He had not gone and had unwittingly escaped that calamity.
Now there was no one talking in the group. The last message was from yesterday morning, from an actress saying there was a monster lurking outside her room. She said she was very scared... and then there was no more.
What surprised Wang Tao was that the young director surnamed Zhao living across from him had made several phone calls to Wang Tao and sent numerous messages.
April 4th, 11:34
"Wang, I heard you didn't come for the shoot? Are you at home? If you are, reply to me! It's urgent!"
April 4th, 22:08
"Bro, I'm still at the film studio, hiding out for now. You haven't turned into a zombie, have you? It's terrifying outside; you must be careful!"
"By the way, your sister-in-law is also at home, but we don't have much food. If you can, please look after her. I, Zhao, will be greatly indebted to you when this is over!"
April 5th, 18:49
"Bro, I feel like I might not make it. Before I die, there's something I have to ask of you. Could you take care of your sister-in-law... She's too scared by herself at home and there's not enough food. I'm afraid she won't last until the rescue..."
April 5th, 21:13
"Bro, my good brother! Would you please respond! Are you dead or what! Ahhh! I'm going crazy!"
This was the last message, and it was evident that Brother Zhao was close to breaking point then.
Wang Tao tried replying:
"Brother Zhao, I'm here. Don't worry, I'll do my best to take care of sister-in-law!"
He didn't overcommit, only saying he would do his best. "Doing my best" meant he would help if possible, but if not, then so be it, as his own life was of utmost importance.
After sending the message, he waited for a while but got no reply. It seemed that Director Zhao's chances of survival were slim.
Wang Tao sighed and quickly reviewed the official news posted online.
After half an hour, he roughly understood the current situation—
The day after he was stunned, on the morning of April 4th, the zombie crisis had erupted without warning. The exact time was unclear. By the time a massive amount of information appeared online, the situation was already severe.
There were also many observations about the zombies posted by the public online.
These zombies had stiff joints, weren't very fast, lacked agility, and their vision had greatly deteriorated; their heads were their weak points. However, they never tired, possessed immense strength, were sensitive to light, and had keen hearing...
Anyone bitten or scratched by a zombie would be infected, and once infected, would turn into a zombie! But often, those bitten would be devoured by zombies before they could transform.
The Government quickly deployed soldiers to suppress the outbreak. Faced with an onslaught of steel, the zombies were easily crushed. But suddenly, without warning, the soldiers also turned into zombies!
An external enemy is not as frightening as internal collapse.
The Government's attempts to block the spread... failed.
At this point, things had pretty much fallen into chaos, and the more chaotic it became, the more people died. No one knew how many zombies were out there in the world now, but the number was undoubtedly terrifying.
Wang Tao checked other chat groups to see that some were still active.
In the groups, some people were venting their emotions, but even more were asking when the Government's rescue would arrive, as they had run out of food.
Seeing these messages, Wang Tao hurried to the kitchen to check his supplies, then his face turned somewhat gloomy.
He didn't have much food stored, enough to last maybe three or four days. After all, he didn't eat at home often, and if he kept too much food it would go bad. The 10kg of rice he bought last month was now half gone. As for gas, he had just bought a full cylinder, which could last three months.
Out of the blue, the same message popped up simultaneously in all the chat groups—
[Government announcement: All survivors are requested to stay in a safe place and not to leave their homes at will. The Government has mobilized a large number of people for the rescue. Large survivor bases have also been preliminarily established, and we will gradually transport everyone to these bases. Additionally, considering that some residents lack essential living supplies, we will soon perform airdrops of supplies in areas with fewer zombies. If your home is in critical need of supplies, you may take the risk to retrieve the airdrops. The large Survivor Base of Huangfeng City is located at No. 32 Fuqiang Street, Red Stone County, while the locations of the various small Survivor Bases are...]
The message ended with a photo of a survivor base with tall city walls, which seemed quite safe.
Many people became excited after seeing this message.
"The rescue is coming! Hang in there, brothers!"
"Wuwuwu, rescue is finally on its way! I want to go to the Survivor Base..."
"Luckily, I still have some rice at home, I can hold on for a few more days."
"Brother, I've run out of food at home! I have an elderly mother who is eighty and a child who is only three, I can't survive without food! Brother, could you please lend me some food, I will repay you a hundredfold in the future!"
"Uh, you better wait for the airdrop; this food is just enough for me and my wife. Besides, we're separated by several buildings!"
"But I'm afraid to go out! Please come and bring it to me, I'll wait for you at home!"
"Get lost, damn it, you're afraid to go out for the airdrops but want me to bring food to you? Blacklisted, no thanks!"
"Hey hey, don't be so heartless..."
Wang Tao shook his head, truly, all sorts show up in a big forest.
And this was his Happy Community group. The guy playing the sympathy card seemed to be from Building No. 2 opposite, who also worked at the film studio; Wang Tao had seen him. If he remembered correctly, the guy was a single bachelor—where would he get an elderly mother and child?
Wang Tao then looked at other groups, where in his crews' and classmates' groups, some proposed that once they reached the Survivor Base, they could meet up at a scheduled time.
After all, no one knew exactly what the Survivor Base was like. Arriving in a strange place where they knew no one, it seemed better for these acquaintances to stick together for warmth.
Wang Tao thought this was a good suggestion. Having fought and struggled in society for so many years, he knew well the dangers of human nature. He sent a "received" to acknowledge the message, wanting to agree with a response, but the message displayed a red exclamation mark.
"Huh? No internet? And the cellphone signal is gone, too?!"
Wang Tao's expression changed.
He could faintly hear some cursing from downstairs.
"I hope it's just temporary..."
With communication cut off, it's likely that power and water outages would follow.
Wang Tao hurriedly gathered all the containers he could find in his home to fill with water. Then he made himself a simple lunch. He didn't dare eat too much; after all, food was scarce, and he needed to conserve it.