In the blink of an eye, it was the third day after the explosion in the square.
The plaza in front of the tall building was deserted, with withered leaves scattered all over. The pavement, trampled and dried under the sun yesterday, was now mixed with strange, sticky liquid, giving off an odd odor after a night's breeze had passed.
A security guard at the entrance, a middle-aged man in a tight uniform, was carefully scanning the area, ensuring there were no corpses around before slowly making his way down.
This was the same security guard who had contacted Jiang Xing earlier, Uncle Chen. His name was Chen Zhichang, a local of City G, and he had previously served in the military. With a strong and healthy build, he was capable of handling tasks as vital as those of a typical security guard, as well as handling responsibilities similar to a delivery person.
It was about 8:30 a.m. The sun was not yet too harsh, and the light was just right. Chen bent slightly, scanning his surroundings while cautiously heading towards the underground parking lot.
It seemed that the corpses outside had been drawn away by the noise from yesterday. As he walked along, he didn't encounter a single one, so when he saw the dark entrance to the underground lot, Chen took a deep breath, resolutely deciding to go in.
He had already deactivated the automatic control system, and the entire company was without power. Entering the underground lot, although there were still some dark spots, was a step toward finding out what was happening.
The parking lot was very spacious, dimly lit, and he could faintly hear the sounds of zombies. Chen held his breath, crouched down low, and moved toward the direction of the parked cars.
He had hidden his car well. It was in a small corner of the lot, parked at the highest spot, and that one was definitely his.
The surrounding area was devoid of zombie corpses, but as he got closer, Chen could hear their grunting more clearly, so he quickened his pace and dashed toward his car.
Just at that moment, something unexpected happened. A dry, bony hand suddenly grabbed his ankle. The hand was thin and pale, with an inhumanly strong grip, and it immediately began pulling him downward.
The clothes on the corpse had already faded to a dirty color, and you could only vaguely see that it was once a woman. The long nails on its claws were stained with dark, sticky liquid, emitting a rancid stench, and the creature's throat was a gaping hole, probably having been bitten off earlier, which was why it made no sound.
At that moment, it looked like a ghost as it climbed up Chen Zhichang's leg. The taser in his hand had disappeared somewhere in the struggle. He almost instinctively kicked at the corpse, trying to shake it off. The grip on his ankle felt like it was stuck to him, even tighter than before, and despite the thinness of the fingers, they were surprisingly strong, with no signs of breaking.
But he didn't stop and try to pull his leg free. Instead, he bent down slightly, took a gulp of water, and continued to force himself to calm down. His physical state had already deteriorated; no matter how much effort he put in, he could only watch as the crawling corpse slowly pulled itself closer.
What was even more terrifying was that he could hear other footsteps approaching. Confused and panicked, Chen Zhichang couldn't distinguish whether those footsteps belonged to other zombies or people, but what else could there be in this chaotic parking lot other than more corpses?
He gritted his teeth and prayed that the footsteps would not get closer. If another corpse came, he wouldn't be able to fight it off, and it would be over.
But the footsteps drew closer, and they didn't belong to a zombie.
"Uncle Chen?" A young woman's voice came from above his head. When Chen Zhichang looked up, wasn't that Lin Moxi?
Saved!
That was his only thought.
He saw Xiaojin cautiously approaching from the dimness, holding a small knife tied to a metal rod, and she plunged it into the eyes of the corpse on his leg. The zombie twitched twice and quickly went still.
Chen Zhichang immediately struggled to get up, shaking off the cold sweat on his body.
"Thank you, thank you." Chen Zhichang patted his chest, feeling relieved.
Xiaojin quietly glanced at him, having always found Chen Zhichang quite impressive. This man had long been known for his reliability; every time he stood at the company entrance, he had a calm, composed look. But when she saw Chen Zhichang's panicked and fearful eyes just now, she thought, how could he not even handle a weak zombie that couldn't even stand up straight and could only bite at his legs?
But after looking at Chen Zhichang's pale face, Xiaojin felt it would be better not to comment.
Most of the zombies had been drawn away by Jiang Xing, so the ones they encountered were basically fallen, unmoving ones. Although the corpses' aura was much stronger, their bodies were still rotting. They lay there motionless, occasionally twitching, and it was even easier to deal with them than before. With a precise strike to the head, they would take care of themselves.
Of course, this only applied to single zombies.
Because the two had initially stayed very close to Chen Zhichang's car, they didn't run into any zombies on the way back, and they quickly found the vehicle.
Seeing the black car with tinted windows, Lin Moxi and Xiaojin couldn't help but show a complex expression.
Was this car really that valuable to the security guard?
"Xiaojin, do you know how to drive?" Chen Zhichang suddenly asked.
"I drove it once two years ago, why?" Xiaojin answered hesitantly.
"Alright, you drive."
"Wait, what?" Before she could react, Chen Zhichang had already pushed her into the driver's seat.
"I haven't driven in two years! And that was a driving school car!" she exclaimed.
Xiaojin looked at Chen Zhichang nervously, wanting him to take over, but found that his hands were trembling. He was still shaking, and his eyes, hidden behind those black-rimmed glasses, were filled with a sense of helplessness.
...
On the other side, through her search last night, Jiang Xing discovered that there was still a ventilation duct on the far left side of the underground parking lot.
Early this morning, she moved the corpse of the long-tongued zombie to that exit, then deliberately exposed half of the body outside, and made some noise. If things went as planned, it would attract most of the zombies over there.
She observed the zombie in the distance and sent messages to the others, signaling them to act. Meanwhile, she prepared to return to the ventilation duct near her position. If nothing unexpected happened, once they got to the car, they could immediately drive to the location. That would be the moment for her to emerge and join them.
The plan was simple, and executing it wasn't difficult.
She took one last look at the distant zombie, made sure the corpse wouldn't fall down, and prepared to return.
But just as Jiang Xing turned around, a chilling feeling crept up her spine, cold and unfamiliar, like the moment the long-tongued zombie had grabbed her.
The dark duct stimulated Jiang Xing's nerves, and her entire body's senses became clearer than ever. Despite the faint groaning of zombies below, an unhurried "footstep" echoed, coming from the dark passage ahead.
Something was coming!
Jiang Xing stood still, turned on her phone's light.
With the path illuminated, she took a breath.
It was the one-eyed zombie that had fought with the long-tongued zombie yesterday!