Chapter 19 - 016: Instead of complaining about being in the dark, better to light a lantern and move forward

Words : 1832 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 19: Chapter 016: Instead of complaining about being in the dark, better to light a lantern and move forward Fifth floor. The man struggled, the rope binding him was too tight; no matter how hard he struggled, it was futile. "Damn it, where did this lunatic come from? Can't he just mind his own business, damn thing." He bit the rope with his mouth, his forehead sweating from panic, not knowing what he would face next, but hoping to break free before the other person returned. Footsteps approached. He looked up, and the lunatic walked in from outside. "I have no quarrel with you, what the hell do you want?" The man was so angry, he wanted to kill the guy with a knife. Definitely sick, seriously sick. "What do I want? I'm not doing anything, it's what you did yourself, and you know better than anyone the price you need to pay." Lin Fan spoke as he returned the woman to her own room, which he believed was the best outcome for her. "What's the problem? Saw a beautiful woman, I played with her, is that a crime? Yes, yes, even if I committed a crime, what can you do about it now? You think by locking me up here with your so-called justice, you can torture me?" "You're just jealous of me." The man roared, knowing the guy in front of him was a lunatic. "I'm taking you to the police station." Lin Fan grabbed the rope and dragged him downstairs. The man was stunned and cursed, "Are you sick? Did I fuck your mother or kill your whole family? What the fuck did I do that concerns you at all?" "Let me go, you bastard, I'm telling you, don't give me a chance, or I'll definitely kill you, you son of a bitch." Despite the verbal abuse, he had no intentions of hurting the man; he was simply doing what he could within the rules. Dragging and pulling, he soon got the man downstairs. The empty environment was somewhat intimidating. The man's heart lurched, the downstairs was too dangerous, no one knew if a zombie might suddenly appear. "Last warning, let me go," the man said gravely. Lin Fan ignored him and continued to drag the man toward the police station. The way was very quiet, and the man felt anxious, not daring to raise his voice but kept warning Lin Fan in a low voice. But soon, the man realized one thing, he noticed this lunatic didn't seem worried at all, but rather calm. "Fuck your mother, which mental hospital didn't lock their doors and let this crazy guy out?" the man cursed inwardly, truly furious, thinking that all lunatics should be killed to prevent them from harming society. He saw many dismembered bodies with flies circling them, which chilled him more and more. Zombies... Just thinking about those dreadful things scared him. There's definitely no one at the police station. If this lunatic took him to the police station, what would the consequences be? Alone in there, if there were zombies, it would be a dead end. Thinking this, the man hardened his heart, his tone ominous, as he felt the impulse to burn bridges, "I warn you, release me now or we might as well die together." "Once I catch you, I won't let you go," Lin Fan said fearlessly. "You're not afraid to die?" the man asked. Lin Fan replied, "Afraid to die, yes, everyone is afraid to die, but sometimes, because of the fear of dying, letting someone go might cause more people to suffer, which makes me think, perhaps dying isn't so terrifying after all." The man froze, "Why do you have to hold onto me? Can't you just mind your own business and live for yourself?" "Do you know how to be yourself?" Lin Fan asked. "???" "You don't know how to be yourself. Everyone's heart has two sides, a dark side and a bright side. Which side do you choose? Are you living with the dark side, or the bright side? It's not about being oneself, it's about advancing towards the good in human nature, trying to suppress the darkness within; that's called being yourself," Lin Fan explained slowly, "So, encountering something like what you did, I had to catch you." "Ah... the apocalypse, it's the apocalypse now, don't you understand? I was law-abiding before the outbreak, but it's the apocalypse now, if I don't do it, someone else will," the man said blankly, truly feeling helpless. Lin Fan stopped walking, looking at him, "Complaining about the darkness is worse than walking forward with a lamp. Does it matter whether it's the apocalypse or not? It doesn't." The man stared dumbly at Lin Fan. He was really enraged, a mentally disturbed kid caught him and was taking him to the police station, which had become who knows what, but it was sure to be dangerous. "Are you going to release me or not? This is your last chance." "No." "Fine, I'll shout now, I'll attract the zombies, and then we'll both die. I don't care anymore, I've tried everything, I have nothing to fear." "Oh." Hearing just a simple 'oh', the man's face turned red with anger, not understanding what the hell was wrong with this guy. Is he stupid? Or does he really not care about his life? If he really attracts the zombies, it would certainly be a dead end. Eventually. Upon reaching the Huangshi police station, he did not shout. After all, he was afraid. The door was open, there were bloodstains around, and bloody footprints. The man struggled, it was obvious that the situation here was not good. Inside was empty, very quiet, so quiet it was terrifying. "What the hell do you want, it's really the apocalypse, they've all run away, there's no one here, even if you bring me here, it's pointless," the man yelled in a low voice. "No, you're wrong, there are people." Lin Fan stood here, looking ahead. The man looked at Lin Fan and followed his gaze, where there were two bodies, one of which was a zombie and the other a police officer in uniform, leaning against the wall with a gun by his side. "Did you see? They didn't run away but subdued a zombie. Look at his arm, a chunk of flesh was bitten off. He must have known he was going to turn into a zombie and was afraid of causing irreversible harm to society and the public, so he killed himself." Lin Fan sighed, full of admiration. The man's breathing became rapid and he wanted to roar, 'Can you not make up your own assumptions?' "What are you doing?" Suddenly, the man saw this lunatic push him onto a chair, then pick up handcuffs and cuff him, shocking him into a pale complexion. "Nothing, I'm just taking you here and cuffing you here to prevent you from escaping," Lin Fan said as he busied himself. He went up to the police officer and, as a good citizen, he knew he had to do the right thing. "Officer, I am the good citizen Lin Fan. I encountered a criminal outside and have brought him here. As for what happens after, it has nothing to do with me." Seeing the paper and pen on the table, he wrote down everything about the person he caught—location, time, everything. Ending with, 'I am the reporter, Lin Fan, and I take responsibility for what I've said.' 'Address: Apartment 704, Unit 2, Building 2, Sunshine District.' 'ID Card Number:...' 'Contact Number:...' "Alright, goodbye." Lin Fan waved his hand and walked outside. A small public notice on the wall caught his attention, and he stopped to take a look. Firmly believe in merit! Cultivate virtue to establish oneself! Discern clearly to calm the spirit! Study diligently to increase wisdom! Lin Fan smiled, stepped out of the door, and looked up at the sky. Although the surroundings were eerily quiet and creepy, what he saw in the world was getting brighter. Look... that's a ray of light. "Damn it, really, damn it," the man struggled, trying to find a way to escape, but now, not only was he bound, but he was also handcuffed. In this situation, did he really think I could run? Suddenly, he saw the handcuff keys and a paper cutter blade on the table, and a surge of hope rose in his heart—a chance to live. Gradually. A smile appeared on his face. "You lunatic, wait till I escape. You'll be the first one I kill," the man angrily growled. Thud thud! The man couldn't move his legs, but he could touch the ground and slowly moved the chair toward the desk using inertia. The chair legs hit the floor, making a somewhat loud noise. However, he didn't care about that. He had just come in not long ago and hadn't seen any zombies; it should be safe. "Damn, it's the end of the world. What's wrong with hooking up with a woman?" The man was crazy, thinking about killing this guy first after escaping, then getting some tools and leaving Huang City to go to the city where the celebrities gathered the most. He really wanted to encounter those so-called stars. Now that the apocalypse had stripped them of their glory, they were just beautiful ordinary people, utterly defenseless. He imagined holding them close, having those stars he had desired on TV, all to himself. Once, these were just fantasies, but now... everything could become reality. "Damn it, first I need to get out of here," he said. Suddenly! There was a chilling low growl. And a creaking sound. The noise frightened the man, turning his face pale and causing him to sweat on his forehead. He fearfully looked in the direction the sound was coming from. He saw a zombie in uniform appearing at the door. "No way, how could there be a zombie here?" the man trembled, his body breaking out in a cold sweat as if the moment of punishment was imminent, filled with fear but not a hint of remorse. Roar! The zombie spotted its target, opened its dark bloody mouth, and screamed ferociously as it pounced toward him quickly. "Damn it..." The man screamed miserably. With a splat, his neck was bitten deeply, blood splattered, and the intense pain made him twist violently, trying to struggle free, but to no avail. "I don't want to die." If Lin Fan were here, he would definitely say... Look, even as a zombie, it still stands guard here, punishing those who have committed evil deeds.

Chapter 19 - 016: Instead of complaining about being in the dark, better to light a lantern and move forward

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