Today is December 10, 2065. Compared to previous days, the weather is somewhat clear. Although the lead-gray clouds hang low, a bit of light actually managed to filter through.
That person had not sent any more messages after being mocked by Lu Dongnuan, which made her feel that something was wrong.
Usually, there should be scattered wisps of cooking smoke at this time, but now there was only the deathly stillness of window glass reflecting the dismal light of the sky.
In the group chat, people had already begun to starve to death. Some who used to be active never spoke again. In one home, a child had died; in another, an elderly person.
Upon learning this news, Lin Mo waved his hand and decided to start distributing food in another day.
Distributing it too early would breed resentment, but distributing it too late would mean everyone would be dead.
The amount of food to be distributed was also set to a specific value. This value was just enough to keep them at a half-full state, lest these people start having wicked ideas once they were stuffed.
Lin Mo said his original plan was to wait for people to get desperate enough from hunger to risk going out to find food, at which point he would have Lu Dongnuan make contact with them. However, he hadn’t expected that they would rather starve to death than have the courage to step outside.
The villa area was actually some distance away from the other locations, with a relatively large corridor in between. In the past, it had always been guarded by security, but after the Post-Apocalypse began, the guards either died or fled. The guarding duties were now handled by her lackeys.
They were very competent, working day and night without rest; it was just that their sounds were a bit noisy.
Lin Mo spent some time packing, eventually hanging many large and small bags all over his body. Lu Dongnuan inspected the bundles.
Compression biscuits, vitamin tablets, water purification pills, and a small amount of freeze-dried vegetables.
Each portion was wrapped squarely in waterproof cloth and tied with different colored ribbons: blue for families with children, green for youths and adults, and gray for the elderly.
Lin Mo divided them very carefully, even adjusting the portions according to the household register in his memory. A family with an extra child would get two extra bags of biscuits.
Half-full. Lin Mo calculated it very accurately; they wouldn’t starve to death, but they would definitely lack the excess energy to overthink things.
According to the plan, those with children would get theirs first, followed by the strong and healthy young people, and the elderly last.
Sunlight slanted in from the high windows, making the suspended dust clearly visible. Outside was an eerie silence. This was not peace, but rather the sound of the reaper just before a predator launches an attack. When the wind blew through the wide corridor between the villa area and the outside world, it made a wailing sound that was clearer than ever before.
Because there were still many people, they planned to split up. Due to the presence of an unknown Mutated Infected, Lin Mo planned to show full respect to the situation. This was also the first time Lu Dongnuan saw him pull out a handgun.
Just as she was joyfully about to reach for it, Lin Mo tossed her a little wooden stick.
“?”
“You don’t need it.”
“I am clearly the weaker one. Shouldn’t it be natural to give the best weapon to me?”
“Then let me ask you: if you were playing a game as a support, during a team fight, would you help the big carry on the team, or the one at the bottom of the scoreboard?”
“Uh…” Lu Dongnuan was momentarily choked up. After brewing for a while, she looked up with a determined gaze, giving her a slightly trustworthy appearance. “I’d help the one at the bottom.”
“Heh.”
“Let’s begin,” Lin Mo said, his voice devoid of any ups and downs.
Lu Dongnuan set off first. When she reached the exit of the villa area, she saw a corpse holding a knife.
Several Zombies had already gnawed him into an unrecognizable state. She turned her head away and quickened her pace, almost jogging as she bypassed the mangled corpse.
A thick smell of rust mixed with another unspeakable scent of decay rushed into her nostrils. She held her breath, feeling her stomach churn.
The filth-stained knife had fallen not far from the corpse. The edge of the blade was curled, reflecting a bit of the dismal sky.
“So tragic,” she whispered, repeating herself. It was unclear who she was talking to, and her voice was quickly swallowed by the wind in the empty corridor.
The Zombies on the road moved aside for Lu Dongnuan as if approaching her would be a desecration.
Along the way, Lu Dongnuan kept thinking.
Humans can be affected by the virus and mutate, so what about insects? What about other creatures—dogs, cats, and the like?
Maybe that monster was just a mutated stray cat.
Her pace was fast, and she soon arrived in front of Building 4.
She reached out and pulled the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She raised her foot and gave it a hard kick, but it was useless.
So, she slowly backed away, and several Zombies came scurrying over from a distance with a scratching sound.
The Zombies reached out and began to pull with all their might.
Under the pure brute force of several Zombies who felt no pain, the door emitted an ear-piercing sound of twisting metal. Unfortunately, their arms snapped under their own strength, and the door still didn’t open successfully.
Lu Dongnuan then controlled the Zombies to push, but it remained motionless.
“Good grief, no wonder so many people survived.”
She realized the situation, and then she pulled a carefully stored small bottle from her chest. Inside was the diluted blood that Lin Mo had given her.
She cautiously dripped a small drop onto one of the Zombies.
After waiting for a moment, that Zombie’s body began to undergo a violent transformation. Its muscles bulged, its bones creaked and groaned, and its entire body expanded uncontrollably, emitting an even more dangerous aura.
It reached out with a sharp, giant claw and pierced directly through the iron door. Then, with a pull, accompanied by a terrifyingly loud bang—
*Clang!*
The door was forcibly wrenched open, even bringing down some fragments of the door frame.
The stairwell was pitch black. The emergency lights had long since gone out. Only the dismal light leaking from broken windows and the gaps in the stairs managed to outline the piles of junk and dried stains.
Flyers, broken toys, and unrecognizable trash were scattered on the floor. It was silent—there was a deathly stillness here, wrapped up by thick walls, different from the world outside.
Following the rough list Lin Mo had given her, she began searching for the target households floor by floor.
Most of the doors were tightly shut, while some were half-open, revealing the mess inside after being picked clean.
Occasionally, she could see shadows curled up in corners, but they had long since lost any sign of life.
She began knocking on doors one by one.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
“Hello, I’m Ultraman. I’ve come to save the world.”
No response. Move to the next house.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
“Hello, I’m an Armored Warrior. I’ve come to fight the monsters.”
*Knock, knock, knock.*
“Hello, I’m Snow King ice cream. In the heat of summer, I’m super sweet.”
Still deathly silent.
Lu Dongnuan sighed and swallowed her jokes back into her stomach.
The smell of dust in the hallway mixed with a lingering, faint scent of mold and rot, making every breath feel heavy.
Pale light slanted in from the high windows at the turn of the stairs, making the countless micro-dust particles floating in the air visible.
She checked the door numbers and knew these families no longer had living people.
After all, no one could refuse Ultraman, Armored Warriors, or Snow King ice cream.
She gripped the little wooden stick in her hand and continued upward.
On the list Lin Mo gave her, there were three households in Building 4 marked as “To be confirmed.”
Fifth floor, first household.
The door was tightly shut, and dust had settled on the handle, but the floor mat in front of the door was still relatively clean, showing signs of having been stepped on recently.
She knocked and lowered her voice, switching back to a serious tone. “Is anyone there? Food distribution.”
She waited quietly, with only the sounds of her own heartbeat and breathing magnified in the silence.