Chapter 4 - 003: The Crucial Factor of Team Annihilation

Chapter 4: Chapter 003: The Crucial Factor of Team Annihilation Lin Fan slept until it got dark. He went to the balcony, where it was very silent outside, shrouded in pitch darkness with occasional glimmers of light and the sound of explosions. The surrounding area of the complex was entirely dark, each building looming in obscurity. The room he lived in was the only one with the lights on. He did not like this situation; the city of Yellow used to be so lively, especially at night with its dazzling lights and many people out reveling, but now the streets were eerily quiet, save for the occasional low growl of zombies, with no other sounds. Suddenly, a light flickered in the distance from a building, like a flashlight, turning on and off, shining. There were survivors living in that building, both men and women. They looked exhausted, with a panicked state of mind. The arrival of zombies stimulated their brains, and with darkness surrounding them, they fell into despair. But seeing the distant light gave them the semblance of hope. Like seeing hope itself. They were survivors who had gathered during their escape, deeply marked by the terror of the zombies, only thinking of huddling together for warmth, fending off the crisis of the zombies, and waiting for rescue. "Quick, look at that building, someone has a light on." "Tell them we're here." The light blinked on and off, truly a beautiful sight, bringing a different scene to the dark city. Lin Fan looked at the flickering light in the distance, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly. "Hey... what are you guys doing?" His voice boomed, echoing through the darkness. Groan! The zombies in the streets, hearing the noise, began to roar and set into motion. The growling grew louder, and countless zombies swarmed from all directions, congregating in the streets, searching for the source of the sound. There were other survivors in the vicinity; they were stunned when they heard the noise. Damn it! Yelling so loudly in the dead of night. Do you have a death wish? Daring to shout like that. "Can you guys hear me or not?" Lin Fan noticed that the light in the distance was still blinking and thought to himself, "That's right, it's so far away, and my voice is so soft, they can't hear it." "I might as well play some games." He continued to sit in front of the computer, turned on the game, and started playing. In the next building. "Aming, I'm scared," Li Hong said as she huddled in the corner with her arms around her shoulders, head bowed and voice hoarse. She hadn't eaten anything from the morning till now, her nerves taut, her state very poor. "What's the use of being scared, I'm scared too," Aming said irritably, feeling hopeless. There was nothing to eat at home, and as a couple who worked and rented their place, they never cooked for themselves, always ordering takeout. Suddenly, the relentless growling of zombies outside continued to assault their will. "Ah... ah... don't shout, don't shout," Li Hong screamed, clutching her head, covering her ears. "Stop yelling, you'll draw the zombies here," Aming snapped angrily. Bang! Bang! Bang! Someone was hitting the security door hard; Li Hong and Aming covered their ears and trembled, no longer daring to cry out. They were afraid the zombies would break in and tear them apart. During the night, in his dreams. Lin Fan dreamt of the city of Yellow being as bustling as it once was. He really liked it. The alarm clock rang. 6:30 AM. He got up early, not indulging in a lie-in the way he used to. His previous daily routine was to get up at 6:30 AM, get dressed, wash up, have breakfast, go to work. His life was very regular. Even now on a Sunday, when he didn't have to go to work, he still got up early. He went to the water dispenser, poured a cup of water, and gulped it down. Drinking a cup of water every morning is good, as it can flush toxins out of the body. After freshening up, he sat on the toilet, propping up his chin, daydreaming, until he was done. Bang! Bang! There was some noise outside the door. Peering through the peephole, he saw a zombie wandering around, hitting the security door. He recognized the individual. Dressed in uniform, it was the property manager from the residential community, who was never that active unless it was time to collect the property fees. "I'll deal with you in a bit." He was busy at the moment, needed to cook and had no time to bother with them; later he had to exercise as well because sedentary office work wasn't good for health, and it was important to exercise regularly. Exercise for half an hour, stay healthy for a lifetime. A bowl of plain porridge. Two eggs. He ate the porridge and eggs; the situation outside didn't affect him much. End of the world or not, zombies or not, life goes on. Boom. There was a loud rumbling on the street. Lin Fan, holding his porridge and eggs, ran quickly toward the balcony. He had no other bad habits; he just loved to watch the commotion. Looking down from the balcony, a truck was driving on the street. Its carriage was encased in blue iron bars, standing vertically, creating an iron-barred cage, with each bar spaced about two fists' width apart. There were six survivors in the carriage, holding various tools and stabbing outward. "Hey! Watch it, don't let these bastards cling onto the truck," a bald man in the driver's cab shouted. "Roger that." The six survivors, four men and two women, included two women who were already shivering with fear, their legs weak. Among the men, there was one wearing glasses, clutching an iron rod, standing nervously to the side. The other three were valiant and resolute, stabbing at the zombies clinging to the truck with the weapons in their hands. With a squelching sound, a zombie's head was pierced, spilling out black blood in gurgling flows. "What impressive coordination," Lin Fan watched, entranced. Since the outbreak, it was the first time he had seen a reliable escape team. The truck surged forward, with strong horsepower and a high chassis; both the front and cargo areas were safe. With proper coordination, they really could break through. "Ah!" A scream, characteristic of a young woman, rang out. The trendy-dressed woman threw her iron pipe away in terror, covering her head and screaming. "Don't come near me, don't come near me." Zombies reached through the gaps with outstretched hands, clawing towards the inside, a sight that sent her into a panic. A man beside her urged anxiously, "Stop screaming, pick up a weapon and stab their heads." The man was internally furious, relentlessly piercing the heads of the zombies. If there were enough of them, they could indeed overturn the truck. Women too frightened, only screaming—it was the kind of noise that could likely attract more zombies. The heavy truck crashed through, rolling over many zombies, gears grinding, the scene gruesomely messy. Bang! The truck smashed through a car that was blocking the road. The loud noise attracted even more zombies. These brain-dead, pain-oblivious creatures ran head-on into the truck. A man was destabilized by the impact, leaning towards the railing. And just as he was about to react, numerous zombie hands grabbed him, pulling him against the railing. They were trying to tear him apart. Even more arms reached in. Filled with dread, the man roared angrily, "Damned woman, stop screaming, pick up a weapon quickly, and stab these zombies in the head, damn it!" The zombies were strong, and he couldn't hold on much longer. Looking up, the woman saw the big man being grabbed by zombies, and seeing those flesh-peeling, foul-smelling arms, she screamed even louder, her pants wet, clutching her head. "No, no, somebody help me." "Fuck your mother, damned woman," the big man cursed. He hadn't expected the uselessness of those two, only capable of screams, unable to offer the slightest assistance—the real deadweight. "Glasses, hurry up!" The others were busy, relying only on the man with the glasses. He held the iron rod with both hands, his arms bent, trembling. Hearing the big man's calls for help, he hesitated, wanting to move forward but too scared, tentatively probing. "What are you hesitating for, hurry the hell up!" The big man couldn't hold out much longer, murderous thoughts in his mind. "Oh," said the glasses-wearing man, trembling as he moved closer. "Don't be scared, stab their heads," the big man took a deep breath. Comforting and slowly guiding him. "Oh, oh," Glasses-man inched closer, mustering the courage to act, but just as he moved, the vehicle shook, unbalancing him, and he slammed against the railing. "Fuck..." The big man roared in despair. Glasses-man was seized by the zombies, his back against the railing, countless arms grabbing his arms and chest. The zombies crazily pressed their heads in, willing to have their flesh ripped off against the bars just to bite the man. "Save me..." He swung his arms wildly in panic, his face pale with fear. Suddenly, a zombie crushed half its face through the bars and bit into Glasses-man's neck. With a gut-wrenching sound, a chunk of flesh was bitten off. Low growls emitted from the zombie, a strong bite force, blood spraying. "Save me." With outstretched hands, Glasses-man's eyes revealed despair, hoping someone would save him. "We're screwed," the big man watched in despair. Howling... Glasses-man's body shook violently, his eyes rolling back, his face turning grey and his veins surfacing as he opened his mouth to howl, then suddenly lunged at the big man next to him. "Fuck your mother." The big man was bitten, cursing with heart-rending pain, "I regret it, all those movies for nothing. Women and cowardly men, should never have been taken along, such regret." Crack! Lin Fan held his bowl, calmly sipping porridge. "Impressive. To have such a setup and still be wiped out. Those two terrified women and the timid Glasses-man being bitten—that was key to their demise." "Hmm, seems like one shouldn't underestimate women and cowardly men; they have the power to wipe out the whole group." With a crash, the truck tipped over with zombies pushing it. There was screaming, almost too much to watch. "Sigh, what a pity. The population in Huang City is a bit large. It's the number of zombies that determines everything." Lin Fan took his bowl and returned to his room, nothing more to see. He still had to go downstairs later to buy some things.