Chapter 12 – Finally Meeting
“Ssst, ssst—”
Two soft sounds rang out, and a zombie collapsed to the ground.
Luo Xun sighed, stepped forward, and kicked the zombie’s head aside. He yanked his crossbow bolt out of the rotting skull.
If he had enough ammunition, he would never bother with such a disgusting chore. But his bolts were limited—each one used was one less to rely on. Until he found a way to mass-produce arrows, he couldn’t afford to waste them.
Today was the 30th—the third day of the apocalypse. Early this morning, from his balcony, he had seen movement at the military base. Several military trucks had driven out and headed toward the city along the national highway. He didn’t know where they were going to provide support, but it seemed that the zombies inside the base itself had been cleared out. Luo Xun guessed that if, within half a month, the military decided to establish a safe zone in the southwestern district, everyone’s lives would become much easier.
For the past two days, he had been quietly cleaning up the wandering zombies in his residential compound. The fewer of those things, the better. Aside from the ones locked inside apartments, most of the stragglers roaming the stairwells had already been taken out by him in secret.
Of course, he only focused on Building 7—where he lived—and the two adjacent buildings. He couldn’t manage anything farther, nor did he want to draw attention. He was just an ordinary man; doing what was within his power was fine, but being treated as the main zombie exterminator, or worse, being used like a tool, a fool to be taken advantage of—he wasn’t that naïve.
His past life had taught him to be wary not only of zombies and mutated animals, but also of the unpredictable hearts of people.
Kicking the corpse away, Luo Xun turned and walked toward Building 7. Last night, he had heard vehicles entering the compound—probably refugees. It had been too dark to see how many people there were, but this morning there were noticeably more zombies wandering the neighborhood. No doubt those people had attracted them.
There were also a few more cars parked around—likely theirs. Fortunately, none had been parked near Building 7, the innermost block of the complex. For now, that meant he wouldn’t have to deal with them directly.
As he entered the stairwell, Luo Xun noticed before even reaching the elevator that its indicator light was off.
A blackout? Finally a blackout?
He froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile and shook his head. Was this luck or misfortune? If the power had cut while he was inside, he’d have been trapped between floors. He knew how to escape, but it would have been dangerous.
Now, at least, that danger was gone. But it also meant climbing sixteen floors… Sixteen floors! Against zombies, the sixteenth floor was relatively safe, and the natural lighting was excellent. But without electricity, this was going to test his stamina.
Even though he had swept the stairwell several times already, Luo Xun still climbed carefully, crossbow in hand, footsteps light.
On the third floor, he could faintly hear zombies inside unit 302 banging against the door. Say what you will—the developers of this compound may have cut corners on things like light fixtures and piping, but the original security doors were solid. His own had been replaced by his landlord, but that didn’t erase the fact that the originals were sturdy.
Before the apocalypse, Luo Xun had secretly kept track of who lived in his building. Excluding the newly renovated but still-vacant apartments, only five households had actually moved into Unit 5 of Building 7, aside from himself. Two other apartments were still under renovation, occupied only by construction workers.
Those two groups of workers had long since become zombies. Of the three families, one had been completely wiped out, while the other two still had survivors, holed up inside waiting for rescue.
Step by step, he climbed upward. Only on the tenth floor, and already his breath was growing heavy. He had thought his physical condition had improved a lot recently, but clearly he still needed more training…
Carefully, he crept higher. When he reached the fifteenth floor and turned the corner, he suddenly froze, crossbow raised.
Someone was there!
A person lay collapsed on the stairs, back turned to him, as if they had fainted while climbing.
From that angle, they didn’t seem to be breathing.
Luo Xun moved with utmost caution, halting on the landing between the fourteenth and fifteenth floors. He aimed directly at the back of the person’s head.
His memory wasn’t perfect, but he never confused recent events. In Unit 5 of Building 7, he had killed three zombies in the stairwell. The rest had already rolled down the stairs or wandered outside.
One had been dealt with on the fifth floor, another on the third, and the last one at the mailbox by the entrance.
He was certain—he had never killed any zombie in the fifteenth-floor stairwell!
Last night, some vehicles had driven into the compound—this man was probably one of those people. But why had he ended up here all alone?
Since there were no cars parked below, he must have gotten separated from his group after entering.
Now, lying here, it could only mean one of three things: he was injured, sick, or… already beginning to turn into a zombie!
Reaching back, Luo Xun pulled down the “wolf-fang club” strapped to his back. He weighed it lightly in one hand, then bent forward slowly and poked the man’s leg with it.
Despite its vicious name, the club wasn’t that dangerous unless swung hard. Its head was studded with nails, but all the flat ends faced outward. As long as he didn’t smash it into someone’s skull, a light poke wouldn’t hurt much.
He prodded the man twice, but there was no reaction. Luo Xun raised a brow. Maybe this guy was already dead—but not from a zombie bite or scratch.
He thought for a moment, stepped closer, and pushed harder with the club. Suddenly, the man groaned and stirred.
Alive!
Luo Xun’s heart loosened halfway—then tightened again. Alive meant not a zombie, which was good. But alive also meant potential trouble. And he still hadn’t seen the man’s injuries. Were they from zombies?
Climbing a few more steps, Luo Xun hooked the man’s sleeve with the club, trying to roll him over.
The man had only turned halfway when his muddled eyes blinked open. In the next instant, his memory snapped back—what had happened last night, right before he blacked out, when he entered the compound. His eyes hardened with deep wariness. He jerked backward, and with a clatter of metal, the stairwell’s guardrails and the nails from Luo Xun’s club all tore free, whirling through the air and forming a shimmering, razor-sharp wall in front of him, points all aimed straight at Luo Xun!
A metal ability user?!
The thought flashed through Luo Xun’s mind, and he quickly took a step back. “I’m human! Not a zombie!”
The man was already half-sitting, his long eyes narrowed, clearly still on guard. He wore a mask stained with blood, and there was a fresh scabbed wound on his head—likely from a collision. Judging by the way his hand pressed against his chest, he must have suffered some kind of blunt trauma that made him cough blood. That bright red stain on the mask definitely wasn’t zombie blood.
Seeing his wariness, Luo Xun cursed inwardly. Injuries like that probably hadn’t come from zombies—but from his so-called companions. Damn it! Better to deal with zombies than with these distrustful ability users. Don’t forget—Luo Xun had died at an ability user’s hands in his previous life!
“I live here. The power’s out, and you’re blocking my way upstairs.” Luo Xun’s voice was dry. He was unlucky, just an ordinary person. He didn’t want to oppose these people destined to become strong, but given his old grudges against ability users, he couldn’t bring himself to be polite.
The words sank in. The man squinted at him for a long moment, then rasped, “Put down your weapon. Take off your helmet.”
Oh. Right. He’d forgotten.
To avoid getting any zombie fluids or brain matter on his skin, Luo Xun had been going out dressed in full gear: raincoat, rain boots, helmet, rubber gloves, and long sleeves under everything. Waterproof, moisture-proof, everything-proof.
—From this guy’s perspective, all he saw was a suspicious figure, fully sealed in rain gear with a helmet, under a sunny sky. Of course he’d be wary!
Silently, Luo Xun dropped his club and crossbow. Against an ability user, sneak attacks might work. But face-to-face? Forget it.
He obediently removed his helmet, revealing a youthful, gentle, and very unfamiliar face beneath the odd rain gear.
Yan Fei’s lips twitched. This guy’s outfit was way too out of sync with his baby-faced looks. He himself had just been betrayed the night before—no wonder he couldn’t trust anyone. But the man in front of him looked barely past twenty. At that age, any scheming usually showed on the face.
Of course, not always—kids from complicated families learned to hide their emotions well. That was a survival skill.
Still, there was no darkness in this fresh young face.
Truth be told, Luo Xun had just turned twenty-two. His tender, student-like appearance was misleadingly harmless. Especially in front of an ability user he secretly despised, his little flickers of annoyance were written all over his face.
