“You’re really straightforward.”
“No choice, I’m just trying to protect myself.” I caught my breath and tried to make my voice sound sincere.
“Besides, I didn’t even know you were here at the time.”
“Alright, we believe you. I’m Zhuo Lei. You look like a young girl, so just call me Brother Lei. This is Sister Jing, and as for him, just call him Xiao Fang.”
“My name is Lin Mo, I live in Ruerke City, South District, Yangguang Community Phase Three, Building 3, Unit 405. There are five people in my family. My parents are dead, and I have a younger sister named—”
“Stop, stop, stop! Miss Lin, oh my…” Zhuo Lei quickly cut me off, rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache.
“You seem like an honest one. It’s not easy to survive in this apocalypse. Let’s cooperate for now. The more people, the stronger we are.”
“Alright, no problem.” I agreed without hesitation, using the identity of Lin Mo, that sly old fox.
Perfect, my preliminary goal was achieved.
If any ‘karma’ ever comes back around, if anyone seeks revenge, just look for ‘Lin Mo’.
It’s got nothing to do with me, Lu Dongnuan.
I leaned against the cold counter, quietly steadying my breath, trying to suppress the discomfort churning inside my chest.
Zhuo Lei’s gaze remained sharp, Sister Jing’s scrutiny never wavered, and only Xiao Fang seemed to relax a little, though his fingers still clenched tightly around the backpack strap.
“Cooperation is fine,” Zhuo Lei spoke, breaking the brief silence, “but we have rules. First, all actions are under command, no acting on your own. Second, resources are distributed according to need, but everyone must contribute. Third, and most importantly,” he fixed his eyes on me, his tone growing stern, “absolute honesty. No hiding any information that could endanger the team. Can you do that?”
I nodded readily, even forcing a slightly weak smile onto my face as I said, “No problem, Brother Lei. I just need to rest for a bit. I ran too hard, a little out of energy.”
That wasn’t entirely a lie.
Waves of dizziness kept washing over me; I had to lean on the counter to stay upright.
Sister Jing looked at me over and her tone softened a little as she said, “Come sit down first. No need to stand.”
She pointed inside the outdoor gear shop, “There’s a rest area we set up over there.”
I thanked her and slowly shuffled over, my steps a bit unsteady.
Xiao Fang instinctively moved to help me, but a glance from Zhuo Lei stopped him.
I understood—they were still testing and observing me.
The outdoor gear shop was relatively tidy, clearly having been cleaned up a bit.
A few mats, found who knows where, were spread out in the corner.
Nearby, several backpacks and some scavenged supplies were stacked—mostly bottled water and packaged food.
I picked a spot by the wall and sat down, taking off my backpack and placing it at my feet, which triggered another fit of soft coughing.
I was secretly glad—looking so sickly actually helped lower their guard.
“You don’t look so good,” Sister Jing handed over half a bottle of water.
“It’s just water.”
“Thank you.” I took it but didn’t drink right away, just holding the cool bottle, letting it soothe the heat in my palm.
“Old problem, just need to rest a bit.”
Zhuo Lei sat down across from us, his climbing pickaxe was close at his hand while he asked, “Judging from your clothes, you used to have a regular job, right?”
“Doctor.” I replied to them with a smile.
They exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of delight.
“Oh, well then… tell us your plan, Dr. Lin.” He cut right to the point.
“We can’t stay trapped here forever. The situation below is unknown. That Li Qing guy, and the Zombie Horde, they’re both threats.”
I pressed my dry lips together, my mind racing.
They needed information, and I needed temporary shelter and a chance to observe them.
“I came in here looking for medicine,” I said, half-truthfully, pointing to my chest.
“And more durable gear. The supermarket downstairs was taken over by that thing and the Zombie Horde, so I got nothing. On the mall’s second floor and above, is there anything else besides us?”
Zhuo Lei and Sister Jing exchanged a look.
“We’ve cleared most of the second and third floors,” Sister Jing replied.
“Not many zombies, and they’re slow—easy to deal with. Haven’t found any monsters like the one downstairs. We haven’t been to the fourth floor yet; the stairs are blocked.”
That matched my observations.
“That monster’s afraid of light—or rather, it doesn’t like bright light.” I offered a potentially useful piece of information.
“It mainly moves around in the dark, so we can use that to our advantage.”
The shop fell into a brief silence.
In the apocalypse, the most terrifying thing is often not the monsters themselves, but the unknown dangers.
“We need to come up with a plan,” Zhuo Lei finally said.
“Holding out isn’t a solution. Supplies will run out eventually. We need to find a way out, or at least a stable source of provisions.”
He looked at me and said, “Dr. Lin, for you to make it here alone means you’re capable. Once you’ve rested, join us. We need to figure out all the exits in this building and check the surroundings.”
“Alright.” I agreed readily, thinking this was the perfect chance to assess my “temporary teammates”.
After resting for about ten minutes, my strength had recovered a bit.
Zhuo Lei decided that the four of us would explore the remaining unchecked areas on the second floor and try to find a way into the neighboring building.
I stood up and took hold of my metal pipe again.
Zhuo Lei glanced at me but said nothing, only handed Xiao Fang a handier outdoor machete, gripped his own climbing pick tighter, and Sister Jing picked up her baseball bat.
We carefully left the outdoor shop and re-entered the dark, messy clothing section.
The air was thick with dust and a faint musty smell.
Occasionally, distant, muffled thuds sounded—it was hard to tell if it was the wind or something else.
Zhuo Lei led the way, Sister Jing took the rear, and Xiao Fang and I were in the middle.
They worked together with practiced ease, clearly a team for some time.
They communicated with hand signals, alertly checking every corner: fitting rooms, storerooms, power rooms…
I followed behind, playing the role of “teammate” while observing them closely.
Zhuo Lei was around forty, experienced and calm.
Sister Jing, in her thirties, was thoughtful and observant.
Xiao Fang seemed to be a college student—nervous but quick, with strong execution.
This was a rare team in the apocalypse, still maintaining order and a certain combat strength.
When we reached the storeroom of a sportswear shop, Zhuo Lei suddenly raised his fist sharply, signaling us to stop.
He listened intently, his face grave.
“I hear something,” he said in a low voice, almost a growl.
We all held our breath.
Next came a dense, shuffling sound of footsteps, mixed with nerve-wracking growls, flooding from the direction of the stairwell—closer and closer, clearer and clearer!
The Zombie Horde… was coming upstairs.