Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 16 - 14: Xufeng’s Double Kill

Chapter 16: Chapter 14: Xufeng’s Double Kill

"At 7:00 PM sharp, many people started showing abnormal symptoms. Bleeding from all seven orifices was a classic sign, with nosebleeds being the most profuse and easiest to notice."

"Some people were able to resist for a little while, while others turned directly into zombies. Before turning, sluggish movements and irregular contortions of the limbs were key characteristics."

"After turning into zombies, they exhibit intense aggression, attacking any living person nearby."

"Completely devoid of humanity..."

Yu Dong held a pair of binoculars, taking in everything happening in the community and on the streets, speaking into a voice recorder as he watched.

He saw a little girl zombie tackle her pregnant mother, pouncing on her belly to feast, while the mother was still trying to pull her daughter into an embrace...

He saw an old security guard zombie lunge toward a lucky, uninfected couple. The girl fell, and the boy, his eyes bloodshot, fought the old zombie. Chunks of flesh were being torn from his arm, yet he kept shouting for the girl to run...

He saw the home of a three-generation family on the 8th floor across the way turn into a living hell. The sole survivor, a high school student, opened the window and leaped to his death. He landed on a rock, his brains splattering everywhere. The zombies from his apartment jumped out of the window after him. Even with their legs twisted and broken, they still crawled over to lick up a mouthful of brain matter...

This was a true apocalypse.

Forcibly suppressing the churning in his stomach, Yu Dong gritted his teeth and watched every last one of these apocalyptic tragedies unfold.

He had to observe the entire process of a person turning into a zombie.

He noticed that not everyone who showed symptoms turned into a zombie at 7:00 PM. Some people, despite their nosebleeds, could still function normally, panicking and fleeing.

Some people were completely unaffected, as if nothing had happened at all.

Like himself, for example.

And another... Through his binoculars, Yu Dong saw a curvy woman in pajamas on the 5th floor of Building Three. She stood by her floor-to-ceiling window, watching everything below in terror, fumbling to pull out her phone and make a call.

’She’s probably calling the police,’ Yu Dong guessed.

She was a young woman who lived alone. Yu Dong had seen her many times while observing the community over the past few days and knew she kept a regular work schedule. In his notebook, her codename was: Female Workhorse.

Yu Dong shifted his gaze to the row of property management offices, trying to see what was happening inside.

But unfortunately, the office windows were all covered with privacy film, so he couldn’t see a thing.

Still... Yu Dong suspected the situation inside was grim. There were quite a few people in there.

’If Liang Mian turns into an athlete zombie... no one in that room stands a chance of escaping.’

Liang Mian’s feat of effortlessly vaulting the three-meter wall moments ago had surprised Yu Dong yet again. ’As expected of an athlete, he’s the real deal.’

Yu Dong could clearly see the signs of rigorous training on Liang Mian. Beyond the foundation from his days as a student-athlete, he must have consistently kept up with high-intensity strength training.

’Even if Liang Mian doesn’t turn, it would be terrifying if Sister Zhang did.’

A zombie aunty weighing over 220 pounds would pack a serious punch.

Yu Dong was five-foot-ten and only 165 pounds. He was considered sturdily built, but if he were tackled by a zombified Sister Zhang... he figured his fate would be even worse than when he faced Xufeng in his past life.

In comparison, that prick Jiang Xupeng was actually the lesser threat. He had a lean, wiry build and relied on sheer viciousness. He might be decent in a fight with weapons, but in terms of pure physique and destructive power, he was no match for an athlete zombie or an aunty zombie.

Yu Dong felt a pang of regret for the people in the property management office.

At the same time, he marked the [Property Management Office] in his notebook as an ’Extremely Dangerous Area’.

If he ever had to go downstairs, that would be the most dangerous place to be.

Of course, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yu Dong had no intention of going downstairs.

Just as he picked up his binoculars to continue observing and recording... his phone vibrated!

He glanced at it. A red exclamation mark had appeared in the very center of the screen.

[National Emergency Alert!!!]

[A highly contagious S-Virus is now breaking out on a large scale nationwide. The number of infected is growing rapidly. The infected exhibit extreme aggression and are incredibly dangerous! All citizens are to take the following actions immediately: 1. Avoid contact with individuals exhibiting abnormal behavior. 2. Find shelter in the nearest building, lock all doors and windows, and self-isolate. 3. Conserve your phone’s battery to receive the latest updates.]

[All citizens must protect yourselves! Do not travel! Await government rescue!]

[This notice is jointly issued by the Dragon Country Emergency Command Center, the Center for Disease Control, and the Armed Forces.]

At 7:10 PM, Yu Dong received this emergency notice for the second time.

He looked at the black text on the bright red background and the reassuring list of joint issuers, muttering to himself,

"Reporting, sir. I have completed my self-isolation."

DING DING DING~

A few seconds later, his phone rang again. It was Huang Zhiqiang calling.

Yu Dong’s eyes lit up.

’A call at this time means Huang Zhiqiang survived the change. He’s probably uninfected, just like me.’

"Dongzi... don’t come over! Something’s happened! Did you get the text? The zombies are here!"

Huang Zhiqiang’s voice was hushed on the other end.

"I saw... Huang, how are you doing?"

Huang Zhiqiang: "Xufeng turned into a zombie and ate Youcai... I managed to hide."

"What!? Xufeng???"

Yu Dong was stunned. "I didn’t tell Xufeng! How could he be with you... Aren’t you at Golden Bay Villa 9?"

The voice on the other end was still hushed.

"I am. Youcai told me. I just figured that if you told the two of us, you must’ve told Xufeng too, right? So I called him to come with us. We were planning to hide and surprise you, but... fuck! How are things over there? The emergency lines are totally dead. It’s chaos outside, zombies are everywhere!"

Yu Dong slapped his forehead.

"Damn it! Why did you bring Xufeng with you!"

He should have realized Huang Zhiqiang and Zhao Youcai would talk to each other.

Just then, it seemed to dawn on Huang Zhiqiang.

"Dongzi... did you know ahead of time that Xufeng might turn? Is that why you didn’t tell him... Where are you? Help me, Dongzi! I’ll owe you, I swear!"

Huang Zhiqiang was panicking. He had just seen Xufeng tackle Zhao Youcai right in front of him. The tendons in Youcai’s neck were torn out, and blood gushed everywhere, staining Xufeng’s biceps red.

"This isn’t the time for that! Huang, calm down! You’re in Villa 9, right? Find a chance, get away from Xufeng, and climb the wall to Villa 10. There’s..."

Just as he was giving Huang Zhiqiang instructions, a loud banging came through the phone!

"Huang? Huang!"

It sounded like Huang Zhiqiang had dropped the phone. All Yu Dong could hear from the other side was... a loud CRASH!

Something had been smashed open.

It was followed by Huang Zhiqiang’s tragic screams.

"Xufeng! Xufeng, don’t... don’t, it’s me, it’s Huang! Don’t eat me, don’t... Get away! Get away from me! Fuck!"

"I’ll fucking kill you!"

"AHHHHH—"

A blood-chilling chewing sound came from the other end of the line.

After hanging up, Yu Dong’s brow furrowed.

This time, Xufeng hadn’t eaten him. Instead, he’d eaten their other two roommates...

Huang Zhiqiang was the pretty-boy type, fair-skinned but without much strength. He was no match for Xufeng even before the transformation.

Let alone a Xufeng who had turned into a gym-bro zombie... fighting him bare-handed was a death sentence.

Yu Dong had considered the possibility of Huang Zhiqiang or Zhao Youcai turning, but he had never expected this outcome.

’Xufeng, you really... have a thing for eating your roommates.’

Yu Dong felt a sense of resignation. He couldn’t blame the now-zombified Xufeng, but the whole situation was just one giant, stupid blunder.

Huang Zhiqiang could never have imagined that Yu Dong had deliberately left Xufeng out...

But it was too late.

’I can’t believe it. Out of the four of us in our dorm, three of us didn’t turn... It’s a miracle.’

Because based on his memories from his past life at school and his observations from his window just now, the vast majority of people showed symptoms and turned into zombies.

He estimated the rate was somewhere between 80 and 90 percent.

Absolutely terrifying.

’If only I’d known that Huang Zhiqiang and Zhao Youcai wouldn’t turn...’

Yu Dong could only lament that he’d died in a state of confusion in his past life, without learning much.

Just then, a thought struck him, and he dialed the number of his upperclassman from the cannery.

For a long while, there was no answer.

Yu Dong hung up and sighed.

He hadn’t managed to save anyone.

Suppressing his sense of loss, Yu Dong raised his binoculars and continued to observe the main gate.

He was checking to see if the defensive line he had personally reinforced was holding firm.

Some zombies from the main street were wandering over, drawn, Yu Dong guessed, by the scent of blood, the smell of the living, or the sounds of screaming from inside the community.

Four zombies were clawing at the gate.

But the gate, completely sealed shut with angle iron, didn’t budge an inch. It was incredibly sturdy.

’It’s working.’

Yu Dong’s mood lifted slightly.

As for the chain on the entrance to Building One, Yu Dong wasn’t too concerned. Since the main gate of the Xiangti Bay Community was sealed, the number of zombies on the grounds was limited. He could see all of them, and there weren’t enough to pull the chain apart.

It was evening now. The fiery sunset had faded, and the sky was growing dark.

Yu Dong gradually lost the ability to see things far in the distance.

Yu Dong lowered his binoculars, closed the curtains, and switched on a small desk lamp. By its dim light, he started cooking a package of instant noodles on his induction hot plate.

He was about to eat his first meal of the apocalypse.

CLANG! CLANG!

Suddenly, a heavy impact echoed from the fire door outside his apartment.