Twenty days had passed since the world plunged into chaos.
Capturing zombies had become the sole occupation for the surviving residents.
They depended on Miles' rewards to stave off hunger, while the promise of more enticing prizes spurred their determination.
Anthony, along with three of his lackeys, was also on the hunt. They approached a high-rise building, the faint echoes of guttural snarls drifting from inside.
"Damn it! Finally found one!" Anthony exclaimed, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
Though ten zombies sounded like a manageable number, in the sprawling ruins of Cloud City, tracking them down was a herculean task.
While the blizzards had ceased, the bone-chilling temperatures were no less unforgiving.
Anthony wasted no time. With his pistol in hand, he led the charge into the building.
"Keep your eyes open! If it escapes, I'll deal with you lot myself."
"Don't worry, Anthony. We'll definitely bag this one!"
In their minds, zombies had become synonymous with roast chicken.
Though one chicken had to be shared among ten people, and the portions were laughably small, the prospect of savoring even a single bite of meat was a gift from the heavens.
At least it was better than splitting one chicken among a hundred people.
But their triumph was short-lived. From upstairs came the sharp voice of a woman shouting.
"Joseph, keep an eye on it! Don't let it jump out the window!"
"Relax, Sini. Either it dies, or I do today!"
The prolonged hunger had driven many to the brink of madness.
Hearing the commotion above, Anthony spat angrily, "Damn it! That conniving witch got to it first!"
"Anthony, it's just a woman. Let's head up and take her down. The zombie will be ours!" one of his lackeys suggested, licking his lips with anticipation.
Anthony knew Sini wasn't someone to be trifled with, but the allure of the prize left no room for retreat.
"Move! Let's take her down!"
Quietly, they climbed to the sixteenth floor, where an apartment door stood ajar, shadows flitting within.
Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air as a figure darted out of the doorway with lightning speed, heading straight for the stairwell.
"Ha! Perfect timing!" Anthony bellowed with laughter. "I was wondering how to snatch it, and here it comes running to me!"
Without hesitation, he swung his iron rod toward the zombie's head.
The creature dodged nimbly, but Anthony's team quickly closed in, surrounding it with their makeshift weapons, prodding and striking it repeatedly.
"Anthony!"
A voice rang out from the doorway, and Sini emerged with her team.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her eyes blazing with anger. "We found that zombie first!"
"Found it?" Anthony sneered, not breaking his assault on the zombie. "Miles said whoever captures it owns it. Finding means nothing! If you claim every zombie you see, why not say the whole city belongs to you?"
Coming from a background of thuggery, Anthony had little fear of confronting a woman like Sini.
"Damn it!" one of Sini's teammates growled, charging toward Anthony's group.
The two factions clashed violently, pulling away only when the zombie made a sudden lunge toward the stairwell.
"Stop it! It's trying to escape!" Anthony barked, rushing to intercept the creature and driving it back toward the stairwell.
But the chaotic brawl had drained both sides of their strength. Despite their numbers, the zombie's relentless aggression kept them locked in a precarious stalemate.
Sini narrowed her eyes, her voice turning cold. "If we keep this up, none of us will win. Someone's bound to get bitten. Anthony, let's talk."
"Talk my ass!" Anthony laughed derisively, swinging his rod at the zombie whenever he saw an opening.
Despite the coordinated attacks, the zombie seemed oblivious to pain, lunging and snapping with feral intensity.
Exhaustion began to take its toll on Anthony's team. With Sini's group still looming nearby, the tension was palpable. If they caught the zombie, could they even fend off Sini and her people?
Sini smirked. "Even if you capture it, do you think you can stop me from taking it afterward?"
Anthony gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face. "Fine, then what do you propose?"
"We split it," Sini said calmly.
Anthony hesitated, his brow furrowed. Splitting meant sharing one roast chicken between twenty people—barely worth the effort.
"You think I care about a damn chicken?" Sini scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Then what? Are you planning to keep the zombie as a pet?" Anthony retorted with a bark of laughter.
"Idiot," Sini snapped. "Killing it gets you one roast chicken. But controlling it? That's a whole different story."
Anthony froze, a daring idea forming in his mind.
Sini's lips curled into a sly smile. "If we work together and tame it, you'll never have to worry about food again."
Of course!
Killing a chicken yields a meal; raising a chicken ensures a steady supply of eggs. The same logic applied here—this was zombie farming!
Anthony eyed Sini warily. "You rich folks are clever, I'll give you that. Why didn't I think of this?"
Sini's smile grew colder. "Do you really think taking down Andrew makes you king? Compared to him, you're still a long way off."
Andrew had risen to power in Chicago not through brute strength alone but with unparalleled cunning.
Anthony might be ruthless, but when it came to strategy, he couldn't hold a candle to the elite.
Sini's patience was wearing thin. "This building still has a few survivors. If you're in, we'll secure this zombie first. Deal?"
Anthony chuckled darkly. "Sini, you wouldn't happen to be planning to turn me into one of these zombies, would you?"
Using zombies to create more zombies by sacrificing humans—such a sinister scheme revealed the depths of Sini's ruthlessness.
Sini's smirk didn't falter. "That depends on whether you give me the opportunity. But if you're worried, I can always trade you for a roast chicken instead."
Anthony laughed nervously. "You won't get the chance, I'll make sure of it."
The partnership was quickly struck.
With Sini's team joining in, the zombie was subdued in no time.
Breathing heavily, Anthony wiped his brow. "So, what's next?"
Sini ignored him, addressing one of her men. "Joseph, there's a mother and child still alive on the thirteenth floor. Bring them up here."