Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I ran like a wild dog chased by death, sprinting down the decaying streets. My head buzzed with the echoes of the roars from the Mutated Zombies behind me. My lungs felt as if they were about to explode; each breath was filled with dust from the ruins and the stench of decay. The rush of adrenaline was exhilarating, but my endurance clearly hadn’t evolved enough. I felt as if my legs were no longer my own, moving forward mechanically driven by sheer survival instinct.
Suddenly, I tripped and fell forward. The anticipated pain never came. It felt as though I had crashed into a wall of flesh, rebounding off with tremendous force and landing hard on the ground.
“Wow!” A hearty voice rang out above me, surprisingly cheerful amidst the surrounding atmosphere of despair. I looked up to see a face wider than a door, with thick brows and big eyes, grinning down at me. The man was built like a small mountain, wearing a tattered T-shirt that was clearly two sizes too small, his muscles straining against the fabric.
Wasn’t that Zhong Dali? I hadn’t seen him downstairs in the previous chapter; I didn’t expect to run into him here. He looked completely unharmed, clearly luckier than me, who had been rolling around in a pile of Zombies.
“Old Wei! Are you alright?” Zhong Dali squatted down, one massive hand waving like a fan in front of my face. I collected myself and got up, brushing off the dust from my backside.
“I’m fine.” I forced a smile, but my mind was already calculating. This guy was incredibly strong and used to be a Wrestler. Though he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, in this apocalypse, having a reliable meat shield was worth more than anything else.
“Old Wei, why were you running so fast? Did something good chase you?” Zhong Dali scratched his head in confusion, revealing a shallow scratch on his neck—evidence that he had encountered a Zombie too but had likely weathered it thanks to his physique.
I shrugged and didn’t mention the recent “Zombie buffet” incident; instead, I pointed back in the direction I had come from. “Nothing much, just ran into some ‘overly friendly’ neighbors who wanted to invite me for dinner.”
I glanced around; we were at the outskirts of the city ruins, where I could occasionally see some looted shops and wrecked vehicles.
To find supplies that could last a long time, we needed to venture deeper into the city.
“Dali, we need to find something to eat and drink,” I stated plainly, in line with my pragmatic style.
Zhong Dali's eyes lit up as if he had just heard an invitation to a feast.
“Great! I’m starving! Where should we go?” He patted his round belly, producing a muffled sound.
“There seems to be a large mall up ahead; let’s check it out.” I pointed towards a tall building in the distance that still vaguely resembled its former shape.
“A mall! There must be plenty of food there!” Zhong Dali exclaimed, rubbing his hands together eagerly, practically ready to dash forward.
I couldn’t help but smile wryly; there was no guarantee of “plenty of food.” Finding a few cans that weren’t completely spoiled would be a stroke of luck.
“Hold on, places like malls are bound to be dangerous. Let’s first search along the streets and see if we can find any scattered supplies.” I decided to stick to the plan while also observing our surroundings for potential threats.
We began to navigate through the ruined streets, carefully rummaging through the shops and vehicles lining the road. Most places had been completely looted, leaving behind only useless trash and broken items.
We managed to find some hard biscuits that tasted like chewing wax and a few bottles of long-expired mineral water that had an odd flavor. These items were better than nothing, but clearly insufficient for our journey ahead.
The harsh reality of scarcity doused Zhong Dali's initial excitement like a bucket of cold water. He began to look somewhat dejected, his large frame exuding a childlike sense of grievance.
Just then, a cacophony of noise came from around the street corner. It wasn’t the moaning of zombies but rather human voices, tinged with a sickly excitement.
Zhong Dali and I exchanged glances and immediately grew alert. In this post-apocalyptic world, sometimes living humans could be more terrifying than the dead.
We quietly approached the corner and peeked around it. The sight before me sent chills down my spine.
A group of ragged survivors huddled together, their eyes vacant and faces twisted, covered in grime. They wielded various makeshift weapons: rusty knives, sharp sticks, and even broken glass bottles.
In the center of the crowd, a frail man knelt on the ground, his face filled with despair and fear. Beside him stood a gaunt figure wielding something resembling a whip, shouting hoarsely about something. This was one of those deranged survivors who called themselves the "Doomsday Survivors Alliance."
"He stole our food! He violated the rules of survival in the apocalypse! He must be punished!" The weak man brandished the whip, his voice sharp like a duck being strangled. He called himself the "Leader," his expression frenzied as if he were conducting some sacred ritual. I noticed that the "food" he was accusing the man of stealing was nothing more than a few cans on the ground, rotten and oozing.
"This kind of person is a parasite on society! A collaborator with the virus! Today, I will cleanse our ranks on behalf of the 'Alliance!'" The Leader grew more agitated as he spoke, his face flushed with a sickly hue. He raised the whip high, preparing to strike down at the man kneeling before him.
I furrowed my brow; this group had gone mad. They had completely abandoned their humanity, willing to execute one of their own over a few rotten cans. Their insanity was more revolting than that of the zombies who only knew how to feed.
"Stop!" I could no longer bear to watch and stepped forward. My voice shattered their fervor, and all eyes turned toward me. Their gazes felt less like those directed at a fellow human and more like those aimed at prey intruding into their hunting grounds—filled with hostility and greed.
"Who?! Dares to interfere with our affairs?!" The Leader's gaze sliced through me like a knife, scrutinizing both me and Zhong Dali. When he saw Zhong Dali's imposing figure, a flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes but was quickly replaced by fervor.
"Are you here to steal food too? Or do you want to share in our spoils?" He revealed a set of yellowed teeth, sneering as he spoke. "We 'Doomsday Survivors Alliance' have our own rules: the weak are preyed upon, and only the strong survive!"
"Hand over everything you have on you, and maybe I'll consider letting you join us; otherwise..." He left his threat hanging in the air, its meaning unmistakable. I felt as if I had just heard an outrageous joke.
These guys, who can't even tell whether food is rotten or not, are actually preaching about "survival rules for the apocalypse"? Their "rules" are nothing more than excuses for their violence and plunder.
I stepped forward, trying to soften my tone. "We’re just passing through, we mean no harm. Let him go; there’s no need to make a fuss over a little food."
My attempt at persuasion was met only with more laughter and hostility.
"No harm?" The "leader" seemed to find something amusing, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. "Here, no harm is the greatest harm! You fools!" He pointed at the man kneeling on the ground, his tone venomous. "Do you think he’s innocent? He’s a thief! In the apocalypse, thieves deserve to die!"
Beside him stood a burly man with a fat face and a menacing glare, wielding a rusty machete, his eyes filled with malice as he stared at me and Zhong Dali.
"Stop wasting time! Leave the food behind! Otherwise, I’ll chop you up!" He swung the machete, producing a harsh scraping sound.
Looking at them, I realized that communication was futile. They weren’t infected by a virus; they were completely twisted by despair and hunger. They were like walking corpses, only able to walk on two legs and make human sounds.
My patience had run out.
"I gave you a chance." I coldly stated, my voice calm but laced with an icy threat. "Don’t force me to take action."
"Take action? Hahaha!" The leader laughed even harder. "Just you two? A skinny monkey and a dumb giant?!"
Hearing the leader's words seemed to invigorate the Obese Brute even more. With a roar, he swung his rusty machete and charged at me like a crazed wild boar! His speed was nowhere near that of a Zombie, but the impact from his weight and momentum was not to be underestimated.
I did not dodge.
The power within me surged once again, a gift left behind by the Devour Zombie.
"Super Resilience" made me fearless against such attacks. I even felt that his blade might not be able to break my skin.
I sidestepped his heavy strike, my left hand shooting out like lightning to grasp his wrist, the one wielding the knife!
"Crack!"
The sharp sound of bones breaking echoed through the silent ruins. The arrogant expression on the Obese Brute's face instantly froze, replaced by extreme pain and disbelief. His knife clattered to the ground with a loud clang.
I didn’t hesitate; my right fist, fueled by terrifying strength, slammed directly into his stomach!
"Bang!"
A massive sound erupted! The fat man flew backward like a struck bowling ball, crashing into the wall behind him and collapsing to the ground without even a groan, unconscious.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The surrounding frantic survivors fell silent, their fervent expressions frozen in place, leaving only bone-deep fear.
"This... how is this possible?!"
The Leader screamed, never having imagined that one person could unleash such terrifying power.
I looked at him coldly, saying nothing. My strength was the most direct mockery of their so-called "survival rules."
Zhong Dali behind him gaped, his face reflecting sheer astonishment at the extent of my power.
"Get lost."
I uttered a single word. My voice was not loud but carried a chilling pressure.
The Leader scrambled to his feet, disregarding the Obese Brute, and with a few remaining lackeys, they fled in disarray, disappearing around the corner. Their retreating figures were as pitiful as a group of rats fleeing in panic.
I approached the man kneeling on the ground and untied the ropes binding him. He slumped down, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at me.
"Thank... thank you! Thank you for saving me!"
He tugged at my pant leg, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"My name is Li Ming. They, they are demons!"
He babbled incoherently about the atrocities committed by the Doomsday Survivors Alliance, then pulled out a dirty little cloth bag from his pocket.
"This is all I have—some medicine, for you! Consider it a repayment!"
I took the bag from him; inside were a few small bottles of anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication, truly precious items in this apocalypse.
"Be careful from now on."
I patted his shoulder and said no more.
Li Ming stood up, bowed to us again in gratitude, then hurriedly left in the opposite direction.
Just before he disappeared, he seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped, turning back to me.
"Oh! If you go deeper into the city, you must be careful!"
"Those... those things that look human are scarier than zombies!"
He lowered his voice, fear deeply etched in his eyes.
"Especially the people from the Dark Council... they, they are the real demons in this apocalypse!"
"Dark Council?"
A new name for a faction suddenly emerged, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples upon ripples.
I frowned slightly; that name didn't sound promising at all.
"What kind of people are they?"
I asked, already knowing that this new lead would draw us into deeper trouble.
A look of terror crossed Li Ming's face as he glanced around, as if the members of the Dark Council were nearby.
"I... I don't know... They are very mysterious and powerful... Just be extremely careful!"
He hurriedly dropped this warning and ran off without looking back.
Only Zhong Dali and I remained standing there, Li Ming's words echoing in the air.
"Dark Council..."
I whispered the name to myself, feeling an inexplicable chill creeping over me.
Comment 0 Comment Count