Chapter 2: Infection

The internet cafe was in utter chaos, the air thick with the nauseating stench of rot. At some point, the rain had ceased; through the grimy, gray windows, the sky glowed with an eerie red. Apart from Yichen, everyone else nervously scrolled through news, microblogs, and social feeds, but the cruel reality only deepened their despair.

Black rain had fallen across the nation—and the world. The rain carried an unknown virus; those exposed became zombies. Those bitten or scratched by zombies... Xiao Li had just been a living example.

With a crash, Yichen smashed open the fire safety box in the corner and pulled out a bright red fire axe. He had no time to ponder. His family was in danger; he could not place all his hope in the police. No matter how his mother had pleaded, no matter what the world outside had become, even if his strength was meager, he would break through and return home.

He swung the axe through the air—heavy, but far more manageable than a folding chair. Yichen felt a surge of confidence and courage. When he came back to himself, he saw everyone's gaze fixed upon him and instinctively gripped his weapon tighter.

"First come, first served. The axe is mine. There are two fire extinguishers in there; if you want them, take them yourselves."

"...Why so tense? We’re not going to fight you for it. We couldn’t swing that thing even if we tried." The blond, sensing Yichen’s thoughts, quickly declared his stance. In a way, this tall student who had slain two zombies himself was equally intimidating.

Yichen dropped his guard, gave the blond a stiff smile, and returned to the front desk. "Is the pink bicycle at the entrance yours?"

"Yes," Wang Lu nodded.

"Let me borrow it."

"You’re going out, student?"

"Brother, are you crazy? It’s not safe out there!"

Everyone reacted as if he’d uttered nonsense, urging him to reconsider, but Yichen’s resolve was firm; no one could stop him.

"I suggest you seal the main door. Rescue probably won’t come soon," Yichen said as he pushed open the internet cafe’s entrance.

The blond stared blankly at his retreating figure, realizing that adaptability had nothing to do with age or experience. He swallowed, then picked up a fire extinguisher first. He didn’t know if it would help against zombies, but having something was better than nothing.

The road outside was black and slick with traces of rain. Yichen pedaled the half-new women’s bicycle with all his strength, wishing for more speed. Normally, it took him twenty minutes to ride to school; from the internet cafe, it would be even closer. If he hurried, perhaps he could reach home in fifteen minutes—assuming the roads were clear.

This narrow street was remote, rarely crowded; so far, he had not encountered anything unusual. At a small intersection ahead, the traffic lights blinked as usual, mechanical and oblivious to the cataclysm unfolding.

Yichen ignored the red light and turned onto a wider avenue. Several battered sedans lined the sides, their windshields shattered, hoods smeared with fresh blood and severed limbs. It looked as if this place had just been a temporary feast for zombies.

Even Yichen, who had slain two zombies with his own hands, felt his heart race and his stomach churn at the sight.

The zombies must still be nearby. He gripped the axe tighter and slowed his pace.

About ten meters ahead, a female zombie swayed with her back toward him.

From her domestic attire and plump figure, it was clear she had been a middle-aged housewife. After turning, her exposed skin was gray-black, mottled with irregular corpse spots.

Getting closer now.

His palms were slick with sweat, nearly losing grip on the axe. The zombie moved sluggishly, seemingly unaware of his approach. Only when he was two or three meters behind her did she suddenly whirl around, jaws agape, and lunge clumsily.

Yichen steered away, and the zombie missed, nearly falling. In that opening, he raised the axe and brought it down hard on the back of her head!

Blood spattered. The zombie crumpled to the ground like mud.

Yichen’s chest heaved, gasping for breath. He thought of his mother and sister, shivering at the possibility—if they were infected, what would he do? Would he have to end them with his own hands?

No. He could not let such a thing happen.

He calmed himself. The terror and denial in his heart did not break his resolve; it only made him act with greater purpose.

His home, at Spring Melody Estates, was just at the next intersection.

Outside the estate was eerily quiet. At the main gate, dark red stains and drag marks were evident; scattered women’s slippers and torn clothing littered the scene.

Inside the security booth, a zombie in a tattered uniform banged its head frantically against the door, desperate to escape. It seemed he had locked himself in after being bitten, only to transform.

Yichen ignored it. What worried him was whether he could get past the notice board ahead, where several zombies were feasting.

The rattling bike chain might attract them. He abandoned the bicycle, crouched low, and crept carefully along the greenbelt.

Ten meters, five meters... Yichen made no sound. The zombies ate voraciously, only one pausing to lift its head and “look” toward his position.

Zombies clearly didn’t hunt by sight—he’d noticed this at the internet cafe. Once transformed, their bodies began to rot, their eyes bulged and rolled back, turning useless.

Yichen guessed boldly that zombies relied on smell and hearing to find prey, then pursued and bit them by instinct. Now, after killing three zombies, his oversized school uniform was drenched in foul blood and pus, masking his human scent.

After a few seconds, the zombie resumed its feast, evidently mistaking Yichen for a “companion.”

He dared not be careless, quickening his pace and slipping past.

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and sprinted toward Building Four at full speed.

Spring Melody Estates was a mid-to-high-end complex, its doors stainless steel, equipped with electronic locks—no keycard, no entry. Zombies were strong, but lacked intelligence, unable to breach the building doors in the short term. But ground-floor apartments were much harder to defend.

Yichen’s home was Unit 101, Building Four. The convenience of the first floor now spelled extreme danger!

Five or six zombies clustered around his balcony!

The security mesh was twisted, the window shattered, leaving a hole through which a zombie had already wedged half its body, making guttural noises of excitement.

From inside, a girl’s shrill cries pierced the air—it was Yilin!

Yichen’s head rang; was he too late?

Rage, grief, and fear surged in him. He charged, swinging the fire axe down with a crash—one zombie fell instantly!

The others, startled by the presence of a living human, immediately turned on him.

Outnumbered! One scratch or bite and it was over!

Yichen barely dodged, his heart pounding wildly. Though he had fought zombies before, he knew he was no match for such monsters.

He was somewhat stronger and faster than most, but still just a regular person.

He could try to lure the zombies and use obstacles to pick them off one by one—but the zombie halfway through the balcony mesh hadn’t stopped, its attention still inside!

Thinking of his family, Yichen steeled himself and raised the axe again.

He would fight them head-on!

Crack! The axe struck bone with a rough sound, severing a zombie’s arm amid splashes of black-red blood. But it wasn’t enough—only a blow to the head was fatal.

Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through his back—a zombie had struck him from his blind spot!

In that moment of hesitation, the zombies surrounded him.

"I... I'm done for!"

Injury meant infection. Yichen recalled Xiao Li’s transformation, his heart sinking into cold darkness.

As decayed claws reached for him from all sides, he drew on some unknown reserve of strength, sweeping the axe and forcing the zombies back.

Desperate situations always unleash astonishing potential. Amid his despair, Yichen felt oddly light.

He no longer needed to be careful or anxious; he only had to destroy them, smashing their heads one by one!

Because he was already infected.

Yichen let out a wild roar, cleaving a zombie’s skull, then spun the axe handle to crush another’s eye socket behind him.

He carried out these movements in one continuous motion, determined to eliminate them while he still retained his human consciousness.

Crack!

The zombie wedged halfway through the mesh was hacked in two. Yichen pushed himself up onto the balcony, squeezed through the hole, and raised his axe for a final blow to the creature.

"Ah!" The woman in the corner dropped her kitchen knife with a clang, quickly covering her daughter’s eyes—what she saw was far too bloody.

The figure moved against the light, drenched in blood, his features sharp as if carved in stone, resembling a messenger from hell.

"Mom, I’m home," Yichen said with a weary smile, his face stiff and tense.

He glanced around—there were no zombies inside, and aside from the wrecked balcony, the apartment was unchanged. If he’d arrived a few minutes later... the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"...Chen?" The woman stared for several seconds before recognizing her son. Joy turned to anger and worry.

"You weren’t hurt, were you? Didn’t I tell you not to come back?! When have you ever listened to your mother!"

"With things like that happening, how could I not come back? Don’t worry, next time I’ll listen."

As Yichen spoke, he set down the fire axe, feeling utterly drained. The wound burned like fire, agonizing and unbearably itchy. If he weren’t trying to keep his mother and sister from suspecting, he’d have clawed at it without hesitation.