With the front door barricaded once more, Li Fang ceased her weeping inside Room 302 and slumped back onto the bed to rest.
Cao Chengping felt thoroughly unsettled, his eyes darting frantically.
He had never expected that the homicidal lunatic who had barged in earlier was not crazy at all, but had actually come to rescue them.
He was going to live after all.
Yet he had also managed to offend the leading figure.
What was he supposed to do now? He held no bargaining chips whatsoever. What if the man sought petty revenge?
In a world like this, even if he were beaten to death, no one would care.
The more he dwelled on it, the more panicked he became. Cao Chengping’s face gradually drained of color, his gaze growing blank and unfocused.
To the side, Li Kai had already pulled his pants back on and approached Li Fang, laden with guilt.
Seeing him step closer, Li Fang shrank back in terror. "What do you want? Let me tell you, that big brother said you can’t lay a finger on me! If you dare touch me, I’ll tell him!"
Li Kai’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Hesitating, he reached into his pants pocket.
He pulled out a damp, yellowish, crust-stiffened sock and offered it to Li Fang.
"Li Fang... I was just acting on impulse earlier. Hurry and put the sock on so you don’t catch a cold."
Li Fang’s face instantly twisted in sheer agony and disgust. "Get away from me!!"
Li Kai froze where he stood, his hand holding the sock stranded midair, unsure whether to extend it or pull it back.
In the end, he stuffed it back into his pocket and silently retreated to his spot on the floor.
Glancing to the side, he saw Cao Chengping curled into a tight ball in another corner, trembling uncontrollably from head to toe.
Li Kai gave a feeble wave toward him. "Hey, what’s wrong with you?"
Li Fang shot him a venomous glare, snapping with hatred, "Now he knows what fear feels like. It’d be better if he just dropped dead!"
***
Up on the sixth floor, inside Sun Ya’s home.
Zhang Wan had set aside her work stitching together makeshift armor and was busy cooking in the kitchen.
Fu Hu held heavy stones in both hands, performing set after set of squats.
Fu Qingdai held a pair of bricks, but after merely a few squats, her slender legs were already shaking violently.
Pushing through several more cycles, she finally brought her workout to an end.
Walking over to the bag of pig feed, she took the scoop resting on top, plunged it inside, and brought out a heap of protein powder.
Yet as the scoop reached her mouth, she paused.
Turning toward Su Jin, she pulled a bitter face. "Brother, can I really not skip this? It smells just like pig shit..."
With tears welling in her eyes, Fu Qingdai shoved the feed into her mouth, little puffs of powder spraying from her lips as she chewed.
At the tea table, Su Jin was looking over notes from the rat experiments while the two elderly men sat across from him, sipping hot tea.
Taking a sip, Sun Ya said, "You’ve seen the findings yourself. Infection has a latent and delayed phase, but the sample size is far too small. It could very well be a phenomenon caused by individual differences. Some individuals absorb only a tiny amount of the gray matter, which isn’t enough to trigger an infection.
"With that in mind, I still arranged for Cheng Du and Liu Min to stay in the apartment across the hall. It’s not locked tight, merely sealed with paper strips. Though there doesn’t appear to be any risk at the moment, their situation differs from ours after all—they weren’t nearly as vigilant against the rainwater. You and Fu Hu’s family can be trusted completely, and Old Wei and I go without saying. To be safe, it’s best to keep the others isolated for a period of observation.
"As for the three you mentioned just now... their willpower is far too weak! On top of that, their room lacks supplies. I suggest cautious observation—let them cool their heels in their own apartment for a while longer."
"Understood." Su Jin closed the notebook and said, "In another two or three days, the gray matter outside will likely have dissipated entirely. By then, the source of contamination will have shifted wholly to living organisms. We must prepare in advance. I want to gather some vehicles to barricade the complex, and then gradually organize the survivors inside."
"Will that really work?" Wei De asked. "As the weather warms, zombie activity will intensify. Vehicles alone will hardly hold them back, and making too much noise will only draw more of them in. Besides, we can’t hold out inside the residential complex forever. That’s just waiting around to die."
"I’ve considered that," Su Jin replied. "The vast majority of people were locked indoors, so the number of zombies out on the streets shouldn't be very large. Even if the cars can’t stop them entirely, they can provide a buffer."
Su Jin continued, "Right now, what matters most is securing time and space. Those flesh bulbs have the power to grant special abilities. My plan is to divide the complex into sections, distribute supplies to the living residents one by one, and instruct them to remain indoors and wait. Meanwhile, I will hunt the zombies trapped inside individual apartments, search for flesh bulbs, and scavenge supplies.
"I believe I should be able to harvest a few. When the time comes, we can release the healthy survivors indoors, train them, and reorganize them into a coherent force. With an organized, properly structured team and several individuals possessing special abilities, our safety will increase tremendously. After that, we can gather heavy firepower, find an easily defensible stronghold, and carry out a citywide search and rescue.
"What do you two think?"
Wei De nodded in agreement.
Sun Ya, however, waved his hand dismissively. "I agree with reorganizing the survivors, but establishing a stronghold within the city... that I cannot support. The sheer volume of zombies will be immense, and our firepower will fall drastically short."
Su Jin listened attentively.
"My recommendation," Sun Ya continued, "is that once the survivors in this complex are reorganized, we head straight out of the city toward the military district. Food, medicine, and fuel are all abundant there. Combined with guidance from Old Wei and myself, we can rapidly expand our perimeter using heavy ordnance. Your plan is far too slow; the survivors in the city can’t wait that long, and from a long-term perspective, the hidden dangers are even greater."
Su Jin furrowed his brow. "The military district is perilous. You theorized yourself that the military likely bore the brunt of the initial wave, meaning zombies should be heavily concentrated there. Furthermore, once we reach the outskirts, the population of wild animals will surge dramatically, nearly all of them infected. And what about insects? We still don’t know whether insects can carry the infection."
Sun Ya pressed his hand down in a calming gesture. "Infected organisms are unaffected by cold, yet we haven't seen a single trace of insects so far. The chances of insects being infected are exceedingly low. Furthermore, based on our observation of infected specimens, these creatures possess no pack behavior; until they detect a target to attack, they wander aimlessly.
"In other words, soldiers who turned into zombies have likely dispersed across a wide area after all this time. The innate animal instincts of infected beasts in the wild will also be warped, so they won't linger in their habitual dens. The area zombies roam is vast, their overall density is sparse, and sound does not travel easily out there.
"Now consider the city. Once we make a major move, the noise will attract zombies, and their shrieks will agitate even more of them... The probability of triggering a horde is very high. Without the support of heavy firepower, everything we build could be wiped out in a single rush."
"Doesn't that seem... a bit too aggressive?" Su Jin asked hesitantly.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Sun Ya’s gaze was laced with underlying worry. "Old Wei and I are at an advanced age... A misstep going down the stairs could kill us. If we die, what will you do? Can you find another weapons expert? Heavy ordnance isn't like a handgun; you can’t just pick it up and use it."
Su Jin looked down with a faint smile. "Don't worry so much, Elders. I will protect the two of you."
Sun Ya shook his head, his expression turning solemn. "Xiao Li, we deeply admire your character, and I am genuinely moved. But you cannot protect us forever, nor can you guarantee you will always be able to.
"To say nothing of the distant future—Old Wei has a heart condition, and the medicine he has left won’t even last a month. It’s all imported medication obtained through connections at pharmacies. Now, it’s impossible to get any more for him."
"Elder Wei." Su Jin hurriedly turned toward Wei De. "What medicine do you need? Why didn't you mention this earlier? We need to figure out a solution in advance."
Wei De waved a hand and chuckled. "Taking the medicine just makes me feel a bit more comfortable; going without it won't necessarily kill me. There’s no need to take risks on my account."
With that, he slapped his knees and rose to his feet.
"Alright, it’s about time. Let’s go see how those rats are doing."
Chapter 38