C5 Beginner Battle Zombie

The living room was dim, a consequence of the old-style house being subdivided to create more rental spaces. What was once a spacious area had been reduced to a narrow, elongated room of modest size.

Near the entrance, a dark figure crouched and shifted. It appeared to be the girl from the young couple next door. Fresh university graduates, they were the latest additions to the ranks of the Northern Drifters. The guy had a bit of a rugged charm and was known for his straightforwardness, while the girl, with her delicate beauty, was always friendly with the neighbors and well-liked. But now, uncertainty loomed—had she turned into one of the undead? In a hushed tone, Yiling asked, "Is that a zombie?" Without a word, Yiling simply nodded.

It was confirmed—the endearing girl had succumbed to zombification. Regrettable as it was, survival dictated that Lee Yuanhong eliminate the threat. Creeping up behind the zombie, he gripped his makeshift hammer, squeezed his eyes shut, and brought it down with force. A sharp "crack" caused Yuanhong's heart to seize. He clenched his eyes tighter before gradually opening them to find the once squatting figure now sprawled on the floor. Despite his eyes being closed and missing the direct hit, the zombie's head was shattered on one side, ensuring its definitive demise.

As the zombie lay defeated, another body came into view—it was the male half of the couple, lifeless. His abdomen had been hollowed out, his throat savagely torn, his pallid face frozen in terror. Taken by surprise by his partner's transformation, his panicked attempt to flee had ended fatally at the doorstep.

The transformed girl was unrecognizable, her head's contents splattered across the threshold, turning Yuanhong's stomach. Fortunately, his penchant for horror games had steeled him against the gore, sparing him from further embarrassment in front of Yiling.

Silence enveloped the world once more. Without the glaring blood and the nauseating stench, one might struggle to accept this as the dawn of the apocalypse. Yuanhong scanned his surroundings with caution. The neighboring room's door stood ajar, revealing a scene of disarray—overturned cups and chairs suggested a struggle had taken place there at the onset of the end times. He then turned his gaze to the largest room, its door firmly shut and ominously silent. That was where the elderly landlord couple resided, known for their kindness and the amicable relationship they shared with Yuanhong. He would often leave them small tokens from his company, and they were lenient with rent payments when times were tight. The landlords, avid travelers, had been absent for a couple of days, likely not yet returned from their latest excursion.

To ensure safety, Lee Yuanhong tiptoed to the landlord's bedroom door and pressed his ear against it. Hearing no sound, he knocked gently, but the silence persisted. It appeared the house was secure.

The couple's bodies needed to be dealt with for a chance at a longer stay. They found a moving burlap sack and placed both bodies inside, a morbid twist on marital unity. With considerable effort, they hauled the sack to the balcony window, muttered an apology, and shoved it out. A heavy thud followed its descent. Soon after, guttural roars broke the silence.

Peering out the window, Yuanhong spotted several staggering figures converging on the sack's landing site. Zombies, no doubt. With no time to dwell on this, he resumed his cleaning.

By the time he finished tidying up, Yuanhong's arms felt like limp noodles, a sign of his less-than-stellar fitness. His stomach growled, timely asserting its presence.

He hurried to the fridge, finding some fruit and leftovers. With cooking not a common practice, vegetables were scarce, but he did find two bags of frozen dumplings in the freezer—a breakfast solution.

As he turned on the faucet to boil water for the dumplings, a question struck him. He turned to Yiling and asked, "Can we still drink the natural water now?"

Yiling responded with a scholarly air, "Once the virus reaches Earth, it contaminates organisms and water sources. But after 24 hours, airborne viral contamination will diminish, and within a month, the water's viral presence will fade."

Realizing tap water was off-limits for now, Yuanhong was relieved to remember the unopened water jug that had just been delivered—a stroke of luck that spared him from eating frozen dumplings raw.

Post-meal, facing the nearly bare fridge, it was clear that scavenging for supplies was imperative. And with that, preparing for an upgrade in weaponry and equipment was also essential.