Chapter 30 — The Fall of the Western City
Luo Xun took a long, satisfying shower—using the stored water from the two large rooftop tanks.
Normally, he would refill the tanks with distilled water he’d purified himself. He no longer dared to use tap water directly.
Drying his hair with a towel, he stepped out of the bathroom to find the living room table completely cleared. On it now lay two sheets of paper.
“What’s this?”
Yan Fei emerged from the kitchen. “Notices that were posted on our door a few days ago. They’re about water safety. The radio’s been talking about it too—reminding people to pick up water purification tablets from the designated stations.”
Luo Xun picked up one and skimmed through it. As expected, it was about water safety—boil water for at least fifteen minutes before drinking, let tap water settle for a full day before use, only take the upper layer, and add purification tablets afterward.
He quietly let out a breath of relief. He’d already been doing all that—an ingrained habit from surviving the apocalypse in his past life. It was reassuring that the base had discovered the problem early and was now warning everyone.
Yan Fei watched him finish reading. “I’ve been treating the water at home the way you said. Looks like it’s about the same as what they recommend.”
Luo Xun nodded, still drying his hair. “Better safe than sorry. I’d hate to survive the zombies just to get killed by contaminated water.”
True enough—though it all seemed troublesome, it was basic common sense if one thought carefully. Since moving in, Yan Fei had noticed that Luo Xun was unusually cautious about such things. His prudence no longer surprised him.
Thinking of that, Yan Fei suddenly smiled. “You used to do wilderness survival or camping a lot?”
Luo Xun froze, then after a pause muttered, “I’m… a homebody.”
A military geek, a survivalist geek, a shut-in—they could all technically be called “homebodies.” But in China, the word usually had only one meaning. Yan Fei, knowing just enough, filled in his own interpretation, which was completely off the mark. Human imagination really was a scary thing.
Of the two flyers, one was about water safety. The other was a call to action—encouraging base residents to volunteer for missions, particularly resource collection and rescue operations.
After the apocalypse, those who were fast or lucky made it to the military base early. But many more were trapped in the city and unable to escape.
Most people near the base had already been rescued, but those deeper in the city were still trapped. Many residents in the base still had family members out there, and quite a few influential people had sent out distress calls early on.
The military had been too busy building the base to handle rescues before. But now that things had stabilized, it was time to act—otherwise, each new death meant another zombie, another threat to the living.
Luo Xun didn’t plan to rush out again so soon after returning. In recent days, Yan Fei had crafted all sorts of crossbows and bolts from leftover metal scraps—mostly bullet-shaped, though he’d also designed some spiral-tipped ones they’d test together later.
Across the hall, the five college students were just as busy—studying the late “useless otaku’s” notes and preparing to make flowerpots and seedling boxes.
Sooner or later, they’d all need to go out again—for clothes, seeds, and more supplies. Luo Xun and Yan Fei also needed to set up the neighboring apartment.
After five rough nights sleeping on the rooftop, Luo Xun finally declared that nothing beat his own big bed at home.
It was a firm bed—not the kind that swallows you whole like a soft mattress. The hard kind was better for long-term survival. If you got too used to comfort, you might not adapt when you had to sleep on cold concrete again. Besides, his bed was already plenty comfortable.
He climbed into bed and fell asleep almost instantly, unaware that Yan Fei, who came in after him, stood quietly beside the bed for a moment before gently lying down on the outer side.
The next morning, Luo Xun woke up late. He stayed in bed for a while, sore all over. After several freezing nights on the roof, it was a miracle he hadn’t caught a cold.
Yawning as he went downstairs, he saw the little creature bouncing around the sofa, pouncing at Yan Fei’s slippers. The slipper that had once served as its “dining table” was gone—Yan Fei had replaced it. Even without being a neat freak, he couldn’t stand that grease and slobber combo, so he’d tossed it into a basin to soak last night.
Now, whenever the little thing lunged at his slipper, Yan Fei would flick its forehead. It’d retreat, then pounce again—like a slapstick routine.
The scene was so lively and oddly heartwarming that Luo Xun couldn’t help but smile.
The little creature noticed him first, instantly abandoning Yan Fei to race toward Luo Xun, tail wagging so fast it was just a blur.
“You’re up? There are still frozen buns in the fridge from before you left. I heated a few—want me to warm some for you?” Yan Fei asked, standing up.
“Four will do,” Luo Xun replied. He’d burned plenty of energy moving supplies yesterday, so his appetite was big.
The fridge and kitchen held plenty of ready-to-eat food, stored for exactly that reason. Though Luo Xun could cook, he preferred having stockpiled meals—his dream was to cook once and not have to light the stove again for a month.
Back when the apocalypse first hit, he’d cooked daily out of excitement over all the available ingredients—and because he’d had a patient to care for.
There was even porridge—Yan Fei had made a pot earlier that morning. There was still some loose rice left, and even though Luo Xun had been away, Yan Fei occasionally cooked for himself.
Luo Xun glanced at the thick porridge—so viscous it was almost rice—and wisely kept quiet, lowering his head to eat without comment.
The radio crackled on the table, playing the latest official updates—everything “stable,” “under control,” and “looking bright.”
Finding it boring, Yan Fei switched stations, partly to avoid catching Luo Xun’s eye while he ate that near-solid porridge.
The little creature, now calm, rested its chin on Yan Fei’s slipper, using it as a pillow while quietly keeping them company.
Just as Luo Xun bit into his third bun, Yan Fei found a faint station and was fine-tuning it—when both of them froze. They exchanged a look, then turned to the radio.
“…fallen… a large number of survivors turning into zombies! Western Base requesting aid! Zombies breaching the base! Many civilians infected! Western Base requesting aid…”
The message repeated again and again for about twenty minutes before the transmission finally went silent.
The two exchanged grim looks. Normally, emergency situations wouldn’t be broadcast over public civilian channels. The fact that this was meant that the western base must’ve been caught completely off guard—the broadcasters sending out a desperate call for help before they were overrun.
After a moment’s thought, Luo Xun stood, walked to the balcony, and picked up his binoculars to look toward the military camp.
The artillery regiment had relocated there early in the apocalypse, expanding alongside the construction of the base walls. Now the fortified perimeter seemed even closer to their neighborhood.
Through the binoculars, he could faintly see military vehicles moving along the main road.
“What’s going on?” Yan Fei asked when he finally put down the binoculars.
“The army’s mobilizing,” Luo Xun said quietly—then turned to look at him. “You said before—your home’s where, again?”
Yan Fei’s brows twitched. His face darkened.
“…West City.”
Luo Xun took a deep breath and looked out the window again. At that moment, Yan Fei also picked up the binoculars and peered outside. Sure enough, he saw all sorts of military vehicles driving out of the base in a steady stream — among them even amphibious assault vehicles and tanks, likely those originally belonging to the artillery regiment.
After a moment’s thought, Luo Xun tried to reassure him. “It’s sudden, but once the other bases receive the message, they’ll probably send reinforcements as soon as they can…”
Yan Fei felt slightly uneasy. He really didn’t have any affection for his parents — in fact, he couldn’t even bring himself to care whether they were alive or dead. When he learned that five shelters and bases had been quickly established around City A, he knew that as long as those two were still alive, they’d rush to settle in one of them. But now, hearing that the western base was in trouble, he couldn’t help feeling a headache coming on.
Not wanting Luo Xun to worry over two people who were irresponsible and who, even if alive, would never spare a thought for him, Yan Fei shifted the topic. “The broadcast said the survivors in the western base suddenly turned into zombies?”
Luo Xun paused before nodding slightly. His usually smooth brow creased. “Mm… I think… it might have something to do with the water.”
“Water?” Yan Fei froze, then abruptly turned toward the kitchen before looking back at Luo Xun.
Luo Xun spread his hands. “Just a guess. Who knows what’s really going on? All we can do now is wait — wait for rescue from the other bases and see if any survivors manage to escape.”
There would certainly be survivors. Though an outbreak had occurred inside the western base, the number of living people should still exceed that of the newly turned zombies. The greatest danger would depend on how many zombies outside the base were drawn in by the chaos.
Luo Xun spoke of survivors escaping because, in his previous life, several of the people he’d met here had indeed fled from other bases after their destruction.
In the early days, City A had five official large-scale bases. But apart from the eastern and southwestern bases, all the others collapsed soon after the apocalypse began. The cause was always the same — a sudden mass transformation of survivors into zombies inside the base, who then bit others and caused an uncontrollable chain reaction.
Even the later fall of the eastern base happened the same way — internal zombie outbreaks, followed by an external siege. The eastern base had walls at least twenty meters high and very strict gate control, with only one gate open for entry and exit. Ironically, when zombies broke out inside, the people trapped within had nowhere to flee. So when that base finally fell, it suffered the most catastrophic losses among all five.
How had these bases fallen? Why did zombies suddenly appear inside? Was it sabotage or an accident?
Luo Xun didn’t know the exact cause, but he remembered that afterward, the water sanitation standards in City A became obsessively strict — to the point of being maddening. There was no way that was just coincidence.
“Our base just issued a notice about using purification tablets and boiling water longer — probably for the same reason.”
Yan Fei gave Luo Xun a deep look but said nothing. He had a strong feeling Luo Xun’s theory was right, and installing that time-consuming water filtration system at home was clearly a smart move.
The two didn’t dwell on it further before the loudspeakers outside interrupted them again.
An urgent announcement echoed through the megaphones — the southwestern base was expanding and urgently needed manpower. The notice warned that things outside had become unstable, advising everyone to avoid going out unnecessarily. Those who did should join zombie-clearing missions whenever possible.
At this point, first-level zombies weren’t everywhere yet. Some people had noticed that the faster, stronger, and more agile zombies had strange objects in their skulls, but the discovery hadn’t yet spread widely. The researchers hadn’t figured out what those objects were for, so none had entered general circulation within the base.
Most people who volunteered for zombie-clearing missions went with the military, which officially tallied how many zombies were killed per skirmish. But in practice, there were always loopholes, and the pay wasn’t particularly high. So, many who were worried about running out of food decided joining the construction teams was more worthwhile.
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