Chen Shiyu gave a soft snort and said, "You must have been scammed by some unscrupulous merchants, my dear little brother. When the world doesn't end after a few hours, you'll have to remember this lesson, got it?"
"I got it." Chen Chao gave up on the futile explanation and returned to his room. Waiting for the apocalypse. With the virus spreading speed, it would cover every corner of the city in the blink of an eye, not giving people any time to react. The city would descend into chaos, and all the neon lights would gradually lose their color, turning into a forever dark, cold, and shattered ruin! "I hope this body is strong enough and won't get infected…" Chen Chao silently prayed.
The first to be infected were mostly the elderly and children, as well as the sick or those with weak immune systems. About ninety percent of healthy young people would be immune to the airborne virus, since its spread was global, and its concentration had been diluted countless times. The human body's natural immunity was enough to resist this diluted virus until it adapted. The clock slowly ticked on.
"Ah—" Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed from the neighborhood. Chen Chao opened his eyes, relieved to find nothing wrong with his body. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the window to look outside. He saw a middle-aged woman walking her dog in the neighborhood. The docile poodle in her hand suddenly turned aggressive, its fur standing on end like steel needles, barking and charging toward her. At first, she thought it was just being playful, so she opened her arms to embrace it, but soon, in horror, she realized the pet had bitten into her throat! The sharp, burning teeth pierced deeply into her throat, and she felt hot liquid sliding down her neck. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the pet in her arms.
Bang! Her throat was directly torn open, and her head fell off like a soccer ball. Blood gushed from her neck, splattering everywhere, adding a vivid red to the dark night! Similar scenes were happening in other parts of the neighborhood. A young woman pushing a baby stroller was now attacking a male security guard at the entrance, madly tearing into him. Her strength was surprising as she pinned him to the ground, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free, eventually being bitten to death. Inside her stroller, a baby with bulging veins and a distorted face, its mouth growing sharp teeth, was crawling out of the stroller…
It was chaos. The world had completely fallen apart!
Chen Chao had expected this. After glancing at the scene of confusion in the neighborhood, he quickly shut the window, pulled down the curtains, and covered the lights to avoid drawing attention from the infected corpses.
Chen Shiyu heard the sounds of chaos outside and hurried over, asking in panic, "What's going on outside?"
Chen Chao saw that she was unharmed and not infected, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He then lifted a corner of the curtain. "Look."
Chen Shiyu glanced outside and immediately froze! The neighborhood was in complete chaos, with many people desperately hiding while the ones chasing them were mostly elderly people out for their evening walks or children playing in the grass. They were now like wild beasts, attacking anyone they saw, their expressions twisted with rage, eyes turned white with no pupils, and their skin like that of a toad, covered in small bumps—a clear sign of toxins accumulating beyond their body's ability to expel them.
On the street outside, cars were overturned, their tires igniting in explosive sparks. People were running around in panic, screaming, crying, and shouting.
"What... What's going on?" Chen Shiyu was stunned.
Chen Chao sighed. "I told you the end of the world has come. These people have been infected by the virus and turned into flesh-eating zombies. From now on, we'll have to fight them and survive!"
"Is it like this all over the world?" Chen Shiyu's face turned pale.
Chen Chao nodded. "If you don't believe me, call someone from another city and you'll know."
Chen Shiyu didn't try to make the call. She already believed Chen Chao's words. Looking uncertain, she asked, "Xiao Chao, how do you know all this?"
Chen Chao cleared his throat. "Well, it's a long story…"
Knock! Knock! Knock! At that moment, someone began pounding on the door, as if trying to break it down. Chen Shiyu instinctively took two steps back and nervously said, "That sound is too loud—it can't be the neighbor, could it be…"
Chen Chao furrowed his brows. He hadn't sealed the door gap with cloth, and the zombies outside with sensitive senses had detected the human scent in here. Gripping the iron rod, he moved to the door, and the heavy pounding and low growls from outside grew louder, as though the creatures had smelled his blood.
Chen Shiyu's face turned white. "What… What are you going to do?"
Chen Chao's expression grew serious as he looked through the peephole. A rotting, grotesque face appeared in the peephole, blood dripping from its mouth. It had clearly just bitten someone. After confirming there were no other zombies nearby, Chen Chao relaxed slightly. He immediately moved the coffee table from in front of the sofa, pushed it against the door, and then pulled the lock gently.
Roar! As soon as the lock clicked, the security door crashed open with a violent impact, slamming into the coffee table. The immense force pushed the table, which was about a meter long and half a meter wide, several feet backward until it hit the wall.
Outside, the ugly zombie roared and rushed in. Its sharp teeth dripped with saliva, and it was about to leap at Chen Chao, but suddenly, it fell over! Its foot got caught on the coffee table!
Chen Chao knew one thing—the intelligence of early-stage zombies was very low, similar to that of babies, driven only by the instinctive desire to feed. That's why he was able to use this to his advantage.
Seeing the zombie trip over the coffee table, Chen Chao immediately raised the iron rod in his hand and smashed it down hard on its head!
Bang! Bang! Bang! With each blow, the zombie tried to struggle to get up, but every time it raised its head, Chen Chao would smash it down with force, slamming its head onto the coffee table, shattering the glass on its surface. The glass shards stuck to its forehead, cutting into its flesh, leaving it bloody and mangled.
Roar! The zombie didn't seem to feel any pain. It flailed its arms wildly, unintentionally sweeping across Chen Chao's thigh. The massive force caused Chen Chao's body to wobble slightly, but he quickly steadied himself, bringing the iron rod down with lightning speed!
Bang! The zombie's head exploded, the red and white mix of brain matter splattering everywhere, stark against the grayish-brown wooden floor. With its head blown apart, the zombie finally stopped moving.
Chen Chao wrapped his palm in a black trash bag, searched the zombie's chest area, and didn't find anything of value. Slightly disappointed, he withdrew his hand, tossed the body outside the door, and scooped up the brain matter from the coffee table, pouring it over the corpse. After that, he locked the door again and used some cloth to seal the gaps, preventing wandering zombies from detecting the human scent inside.
Chen Shiyu, seeing the door was locked again, finally spoke in a shaken voice, "Just now, that... that seemed to be Uncle Zhang from next door. How did he end up like this? It's just like those zombies in movies... It's so terrifying…"
Zombies? Chen Chao couldn't help but chuckle. He had to admit, the old world was full of interesting things, including strange myths and stories. Among them were bioterrorism movies, with plots remarkably similar to their current reality—a mysterious virus causing the end of the world. The only difference was that in the movies, the zombies were weak and toy-like, slow-moving and un-evolving, lacking intelligence. They were designed to frighten with exaggerated, ugly makeup, but once you ignored their grotesque appearance, it was easy to kill them.
The reality was much harsher. These real zombies had three times the strength and speed of an average person. Their bodily systems were paralyzed, but the virus acted like a stimulant, greatly enhancing their bone structure and muscles. Any ordinary person who was caught by one of them would be unable to escape and would be killed on the spot! And this was still just the early stage. After a while, the virus in their bodies would undergo a second transformation, further enhancing their strength. Some special zombies would even develop basic intelligence—not only could they run, but they could jump, avoid obstacles, and so on. Zombies with intelligence were an entirely different threat than those without!
"We... why haven't we been infected?" Chen Shiyu suddenly asked, surprised.
Chen Chao smiled and explained, "Most of the people infected are the elderly and children. Young people generally have stronger resistance, so they aren't easily infected."
"Oh, I see..." Chen Shiyu seemed to understand. "Ever since I was affected by that experiment, my body's resistance has greatly increased. I hardly ever get sick anymore. Even though my body is still that of a child, my immune system is just as strong as an adult's."
Chen Chao finally understood.
"So... what do we do now? Wait for the military rescue?" Chen Shiyu couldn't help asking.
Chen Chao shook his head. The military was still a powerful force in the post-apocalypse, but in the early stages, they couldn't prioritize civilians. This disaster was global and came without warning. The military was just as chaotic as everyone else and would need time to reorganize and stabilize. By then, the zombies would have evolved even further!
"In the short term, the military won't be able to help us," Chen Chao looked into her eyes and said, "We can only rely on ourselves to survive. With the food we've gathered, we can at least hold out for two months."