C4 Monsters

The drone buzzed quietly as it soared hundreds of meters above, its noise barely perceptible at such a height.

Its mission was to scout the central area, to uncover whatever lay hidden there.

In a residential building within a certain district:

"Sister, do you see that drone? Could it be from the rescue team?" Zhang Ying's voice was tinged with excitement.

Zhang Tine quickly joined her sister at the window, peering out to see the drone gliding towards the horizon. "I doubt it's the rescue team. More likely, it's another survivor," she reasoned.

With over a year of work experience under her belt, Zhang Tine had a better grasp of the world than her middle school-aged sister. She understood that the government was overwhelmed and would prioritize high-ranking officials or individuals with valuable skills. Their parents were merely small business owners, and they themselves were just ordinary citizens. Besides, Zixian was a fifth-tier city; national rescue efforts were unlikely to reach them. It had to be other survivors—of that, she was certain.

The past week had stretched on like an eternity for the sisters. When the apocalypse struck, Zhang Tine lost contact with their parents, who were away on business. She feared the worst. Zhang Ying, unable to reach their parents, had been in tears ever since. Zhang Tine longed to join her in crying, but she had to stay strong for her sister's sake. In this new world, survival was uncertain, especially for two young women as attractive as they were.

Zhang Tine and Zhang Ying had always been the envy of others—excellent students and strikingly beautiful, they were the darlings of their school. Before the apocalypse, their looks had been an advantage, but now, they were a liability.

Having read extensively about apocalyptic scenarios, Zhang Tine knew that the greatest threats often came from other humans.

Since doomsday began, the sisters hadn't ventured outside. Luckily, they had always been snack enthusiasts, and their recent stockpile of food meant they weren't in immediate need. They had enough supplies to last two months if they were careful, and they had filled every available container with water. Thus, there had been no need for them to risk scavenging for food.

Thankfully, they had never ventured outside. Zhang Tine was continually grateful for her decision to stay put, as those who had gone out in search of food ended up either killing each other or being devoured by a horrifying monster. Since the day before yesterday, the streets had become deserted. At night, zombies roamed freely, and even then, the monster would hunt them, perhaps out of hunger—it seemed to have no qualms about eating zombies too.

Zhang Tine feared that if things kept up, the monster would consume every last human and zombie in the county. But the thought of fleeing with her sister was too daunting; instead, she joined the others in futile prayers for rescue, despite knowing it was a fool's hope.

When she spotted a drone heading toward the county center, Zhang Tine realized that the fearsome creature must be nesting at the shopping plaza there. It hadn't been seen since yesterday. Was it possible it was full and digesting its meal? She could only speculate wildly.

...

"Look up there."

"Is that a drone?"

"Has the government sent help?"

"Honey, we might just make it."

"Maybe someone's going to take down that monster."

"Let's hope they can."

"We're running out of food. If that thing isn't killed soon, we'll starve."

"God, please help us."

...

Unbeknownst to Gu Ming, his drone had stirred a whirlwind of speculation among the county's survivors. From what he could see on his war chariot's display, there were still survivors in the county, though he couldn't fathom why they didn't venture out for food during daylight. There must be a reason.

The survivors seemed to have honed their evasion skills. Gu Ming observed many of them had covered their windows with black cloth and even plastered over security grilles with newspaper to conceal their presence, muffling sounds and masking human scents.

Once humans turned into zombies, their new traits were quickly cataloged by the living—humans, after all, are creatures of intellect.

Zombies have an aversion to light, but it's not that sunlight harms them; they simply dislike it. However, should some fool toss a bag of blood into the street, every zombie within a hundred-meter radius would swarm.

Zombies have a notorious attraction to fresh blood, a trait that has proven particularly dangerous for women since the apocalypse began. Their monthly periods made them vulnerable targets if they were outside with zombies in the vicinity—a surefire way to invite death. As a result, women now take extra precautions during their menstrual cycles, staying well-hidden within their homes or wrapping themselves in multiple layers of cloth to minimize the scent of blood.

After half an hour in flight, the drone reached the airspace above the shopping plaza at the county's heart.

"Damn, what's that?"

Gu Ming spotted an enormous creature sprawled across the plaza—a serpent stretching dozens of meters long, several meters in diameter, with a head as large as a small car, all encased in black scales.

The beast defied all scientific explanation, but then again, so did the zombies. Gu Ming doubted that even a machine gun could pierce its tough hide; perhaps only a cannonball stood a chance.

It explained why no survivors were visible in daylight; they'd likely all been devoured. Now, the streets were deserted, with no one daring to venture out.

Gu Ming was reluctant to confront the behemoth, yet he feared his armored vehicle might draw its attention while passing through the city, leading to a deadly pursuit. Circumventing the county meant backtracking dozens of kilometers to the nearest detour.

But he couldn't shake the belief that a shell could take it down. Resolved, he decided to eliminate the serpent. Not only would it yield energy points, but as a Dweanian, he felt obligated to protect the survivors of Purple County. Defeating the serpent would be a significant act of service, sparing the townspeople from extinction without risking his own life. He planned to launch an attack from a safe distance the following day. With evening approaching, he dared not risk an immediate assault that could incite a zombie uprising.

Retreating to his workshop, Gu Ming spent twenty energy points and some materials at the battlefield shop to acquire a white phosphorus bomb.

Staring at the screen, now showing a mere sixty energy points remaining, Gu Ming lamented how quickly they were spent. He wondered how long it would take to amass the two thousand points needed to purchase gene drugs for his wife and daughter.

"No rush, take your time."

Gu Ming gave himself a pep talk as he headed to the living room. The sight of his daughter's smile always bolstered his confidence that they could thrive in this post-apocalyptic world.

"Honey, could you come and help me with the vegetables?"

The voice of his wife, Ye Xiaomei, floated in from the kitchen.

"Sure thing, on my way!"

Gu Ming called back with a hearty response.