The temperature had warmed to ten degrees above freezing, and the grey mist concealed in the water—the apocalypse's chief culprit—had dissolved into nothing.
In its place lingered a faint, foul stench.
With no water to flush the toilets, the sewers were largely useless.
Surviving residents had no choice but to fling their waste from high windows.
Plastic bags crashed to the ground, splattering in wide rings.
Yet that was not the only method.
A few refined gentlemen, keen on cutting down plastic pollution, simply stuck their rear ends out to spray directly.
Whenever surviving neighbors lived below, they formed a silent pact to heave the parcels back up.
Add in the gutted zombies and the corpses of residents who had taken their own lives, and the world had turned into a gigantic latrine and mortuary.
Even this glimpse was enough to lay bare the grim brutality of the apocalypse!
Over the past two days, Su Jin moved continuously between the buildings, dodging Strawberry Tower and hunting zombies.
The Fu family of three, along with Cheng Du and Auntie Liu, trailed behind to watch him work.
First, it was to prepare them early, helping these ordinary people who had never experienced slaughter to desensitize and adapt as quickly as possible.
Second, bringing them along meant they could haul more supplies.
After all, many apartments no longer had living owners, and resources needed to be collected and reallocated centrally.
Third, they needed to assign numbers and register residents who had survived and appeared healthy for now.
Cheng Du and Auntie Liu had originally still been under observation, but upon closer scrutiny, there was really nothing left to monitor.
One had an abundance of supplies at home, while the other was cautious enough to drink lubricant and urine, leaving half a cup behind—which proved plenty on its own.
Besides, with help urgently needed, releasing them early was the only practical choice.
On the morning of the third day.
A gunshot shattered the silence of the residential complex.
Su Jin kicked a door open. An elderly zombie lunged straight at him, with a hulking figure close behind.
Fu Qingdai and the others watched from the doorway.
Su Jin drew the extra-long screwdriver tucked at his waist, drove it straight into the elder's heart, and swept his leg out to kick the corpse away.
Immediately following through with a nimble flip, he landed squarely astride the hulking zombie's shoulders.
Before he even touched down, Fu Qingdai tossed an aquarium fishbowl through the air. He caught it smoothly and slammed it over the zombie's head.
Hooking his legs around its arms, he pinned them tight.
Reaching behind his back, Su Jin pulled out a long strip of cloth and whipped it toward one of the zombie's arms.
With several swift wraps, he neatly bound the zombie's right fist, then repeated the motion on the other side.
Dropping from its shoulders, he circled the creature with a few agile maneuvers, securely tying off the cloth bundles encasing its fists.
Finally, he produced an exceptionally thick dog leash, looped it around the zombie's neck, and waved toward the door.
Taking the cue, Fu Qingdai and the others hurried downstairs. The zombie gave chase, while Su Jin held the leash from behind.
They made it all the way to the ground floor, where the zombie was tied securely to a window security grille.
Taking two steps forward, Su Jin planted his hands on his hips. "Qingdai, you and your dad have just one job today: practice your archery right here! You used quilts before, but today we're doing the real deal. No room for carelessness."
Fu Qingdai licked her lips, her heart tight with anxiety.
She had spent the last two days watching zombies get killed and could barely stomach the gore, but having to do it herself still made her skin crawl.
"Bro... what if the security grille comes loose? What if the fishbowl breaks?"
"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out. Pass me the bag." Su Jin waved to her.
At his words, Fu Qingdai hurriedly shrugged off her backpack and tossed it over.
Catching the bag, he pulled out a can of expanding foam sealant scavenged from the home of a zombie who had likely worked in hardware.
Su Jin pressed one hand against the zombie's head, ignoring the creature's wrapped fists hammering against him, and injected the foam into the gaps around the fishbowl.
Next, he took out a large bottle of glue and poured it over the fishbowl from the top of the zombie's head.
Finally, he unfastened a crude chest protector and strapped it onto the zombie.
Turning around, Su Jin pointed behind him. "Step up and observe it up close to get used to it first. Once the glue dries, start practicing with the bow. If the grille does come off and you still can't outrun it while it's dragging the metal bars... even I won't be able to save you."
"Lao Fu, hold on to the shotgun and keep an eye on your daughter."
"Understood, Director."
With that confirmation, Su Jin waved his hand and led the others back into the building.
They resumed knocking on doors and searching. Whenever an apartment responded, Zhang Wan and Auntie Liu stood behind the door to question and register the occupant.
After a few brief inquiries and comforting words, they set down supplies outside the door while Su Jin stood guard with his gun to prevent any surprises.
Like the others, the resident opened the door in tears, wanting to step out and speak. But staring down the barrel of a gun left them no choice; they grabbed the supplies through the crack and retreated inside.
At the door, Zhang Wan called out as usual, "Keep the water bottles! Don't throw them away—we'll collect and reuse them next time!"
The water containers were plastic bottles fished out of the complex's trash bins. Distributing water required sealed containers, and those were truly in short supply at the moment.
With one household settled, they moved to the next.
This time, no voice answered from behind the door—only the thumping of a zombie slamming against it.
Su Jin breached the lock and eliminated the threat.
Two zombies collapsed inside the apartment.
Expressionless, Su Jin picked up his knife to cut into their chests.
Having repeated the process so many times, he felt somewhat numb to it.
By now, he was thoroughly desensitized to bloodshed.
Skillfully slicing open a zombie's ribcage, he searched around the heart.
Suddenly, Su Jin's hand froze, and the numbness on his face gave way to sudden animation.
Prying out a fleshy sphere from behind the heart, he felt a surge of wild joy!
Behind him, seeing Su Jin pause, Cheng Du rushed over to look.
Spotting the round meatball in his hand, Cheng Du's eyes widened with excitement. "Director, is this that flesh bulb you were talking about?!"
To be honest, after watching Su Jin's formidable strength against the zombies over the past two days, he had been burning with envy.
Having been told that the flesh bulb was the source of that extraordinary power, and with Su Jin's promise to let him use one, he had long been salivating for it!
Now, seeing it with his own eyes, an intense urge to devour it welled up within him.
"That's it, this is the one!" Su Jin closed his eyes and let out a long breath.
After failing to find one for so long, he had genuinely feared his earlier discovery was a fluke.
Now, a heavy stone lifted from his chest.
With so many apartments still left to search, the drop rate suggested they stood an excellent chance of digging up another within three days.
Once Fu Hu and Cheng Du had abilities of their own, the odds of securing supplies at Longshan Medical University would increase dramatically.
"All right, stop staring. Back to work."
Cutting away the flesh bulb, Su Jin stood up and threw himself back into the sweep.
Night fell, and the city plunged into pitch darkness without a single glimmer of light.
Downstairs, a lone zombie—its facial features sealed off, its fists wrapped into bundles, resembling a humanoid Doraemon—remained tethered in isolation.
In the sixth-floor living room, however, the atmosphere was lively.
Eight people gathered around a large table.
Though chairs were available, no one sat. Every person leaned forward, eyes glued to the center of the table, where a bloody red orb rested on a paper napkin.
Five candles on the tabletop flickered with their breaths, casting an eerie crimson glow across their faces.
Everyone's eyes were wide, their mouths slightly parted, saliva faintly pooling inside.
It looked like an occult ritual.
"Hah... Director." Cheng Du's breath came heavy. "This thing looks like a pair of balls. Does it really have the effect you said?"
"These aren't ordinary balls. Have you ever seen balls growing on a heart? Eating it gives you miraculous power."
"Where are your manners?! My daughter is right here!" Zhang Wan snapped in embarrassed fury, clamping her hands over Fu Qingdai's ears and eyes.
Fu Qingdai ground her teeth, her rosy cheeks puffed tight like rubber balls.
The two old men shot Su Jin and Cheng Du looks of utter disdain.
"Let's begin... Cheng Du, you go first. Pick it up using the napkin." Su Jin gestured to him with a glance.
He was the only person who had ever used a flesh bulb; its safety could not be guaranteed with complete certainty.
In terms of trust, Fu Hu ranked higher than Cheng Du, and Su Jin was not willing to let Fu Hu take the risk first.
Hesitating for a moment, Cheng Du finally reached out and scooped up the napkin with the flesh bulb.
After a brief internal struggle, he brought it toward his mouth.
Watching this, the two old men's weathered faces puckered like withered chrysanthemums in disgust.
"Ugh... Director, it smells awful. Blegh! It stinks worse than unwashed balls after ten days! It stinks, but it makes my mouth water... Can you really eat this? Did you swallow it down just like this back then?" Cheng Du's face twisted into a grimace that mingled repulsion with anticipation.
"Look at you, all eager! Who told you to eat it? Just hold it!" Su Jin snapped in annoyance. "Put it down, put it down! As if you've ever eaten balls before!"
With a thud, Zhang Wan dragged Fu Qingdai out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
Su Jin drew a deep breath and pricked the tip of his knife into the flesh bulb.
As the blade pierced the surface, his pupils dilated.
Once again, he saw that mesmerizing iridescent halo, and his appetite flared sharply in response.
The flesh bulb sliced completely open. With a flick of the knife tip, Su Jin guided the iridescent sphere of fluid out, letting it drop onto Cheng Du's wrist.
The droplet dissolved, its colorful light sinking into the flesh.
The others immediately shifted their gazes to Cheng Du's face.
"How does it feel?" Su Jin asked quickly.
"I... feel... a bit hot..."
Before he could finish, Cheng Du's legs went limp, and he collapsed face-first onto the table.
"A bit hot?" Sun Ya asked Su Jin hurriedly. "Xiao Li, was it like that for you back then?"
Su Jin shrugged. "I didn't feel hot at all. Let's just watch him for now."
The night passed, and the sun rose.
In the dim light, Cheng Du slowly opened his eyes—only to jump in fright!
Seven large faces were looming right in front of him.
"Whoa! What are you all doing?!"
"How do you feel? Do you notice any unusual changes?" Su Jin asked solemnly.
Cheng Du sat upright and rubbed his face.
"Last night... I felt like I was burning up! Right now, it feels like a wave of heat is coursing through my body."
"Can you control it?"
"I'll try. Back up a bit." Trembling with excitement, Cheng Du got to his feet.
A real change had occurred—he might actually have a superpower! The force inside him felt remarkably distinct, almost instinctive.
The group stepped back. Cheng Du raised his hands, his face straining as if holding his breath.
With a whoosh, blazing flames wrapped around both his arms!
"Holy crap!" Cheng Du shouted in shock.
The entire room fell stunned at the exact same moment.
"Good heavens... that's magic." Sun Ya clutched his chest, a swirl of conflicting emotions rushing through him.
Beside him, Wei De wore much the same expression.
Xiao Li's increased strength and speed had been difficult enough to accept.
Now a human body was literally shooting fire. What on earth had he spent his whole life studying? Would any of it still be useful from now on?!
Cheng Du was still testing his ability. The flames on his arms vanished, and he opened his mouth wide. A massive fireball erupted forth with a deafening roar.
Yet the recoil seemed immense; as the burst of fire shot out, Cheng Du tumbled violently backward.
"The Great Fireball Technique, huh?" Su Jin's eye twitched as he hurried over to steady him.
"That's incredible, Cheng Du! Can you shoot it from anywhere other than your mouth? Can you shoot it from your ass? Can you fly? Even hovering would work! Develop it some more and let me see!"
Looking drained, Cheng Du glanced left and right, then leaned in close to Su Jin's ear to whisper.
"I think I can... Director, I'll show you in private, okay?"
Chapter 44