“We, as a family, are fortunate enough that none of us have turned into zombies in a situation where so many people have. Perhaps we are the lucky ones who have been slightly favoured.”
“Daughter, take care of yourself.”
“We will definitely meet again.”
As Cao Bingqing spoke, she choked up again.
She knew that it was almost impossible now.
Fu Erdie also knew that it was unlikely.
Her voice was strained as she said, “Mom, Dad, you both have to take care.”
The three of them talked for a long time.
The cell phone was on speaker mode, chatting while continuously organizing online information, downloading and printing various documents.
Finally, the network disconnected.
The call lasted for 53 minutes, which seemed long, but it passed in the blink of an eye.
Fu Erdie felt sad and reluctantly closed her phone.
She recharged her flip phone and put it back in. The tablet still stored the routes to H City and the two nearest shelters.
Fu Erdie reluctantly studied the routes to the shelters but gave up.
The establishment of a shelter requires at least three conditions: arable land, a river, and power generation.
The area around C City is mountainous and abundant in water sources, but there are no large, flat areas for farming. Moreover, it is often cloudy and foggy, with very little sunshine. Solar panels are not viable, and the commonly used power sources are thermal power and hydropower, which are prone to widespread power outages due to accidents. It doesn’t seem to be the best location for establishing a shelter no matter how you look at it.
The two nearest shelters are three hundred kilometres and five hundred kilometres away, respectively. It seems like a half-day drive during normal times, but even Fu Erdie’s grandmother took twenty days to reach the countryside. Fu Erdie didn’t believe she could run that far relying only on her two legs.
Unless she awakened an ability.
However, in today’s brief communication, there was no mention of abilities. She didn’t know if abilities didn’t exist or if the abilities of the awakened individuals were still very weak, and they hadn’t discovered their own special powers yet.
Fu Erdie’s gaze turned to the balcony.
The green plants were still thriving, stretching their branches and leaves in the cool breeze from the air conditioner, looking serene.
“If only I could be like you.”
Fu Erdie walked over, touched the leaves of the green plants, and then touched the thick and lovely succulents, sitting next to them with her knees hugged.
“Hey!” Suddenly, a voice came from below the balcony. “Apartment 16-1! Turn off the air conditioner! Zombies can hear the noise of the outdoor unit and will come!”
Fu Erdie opened the window slightly, and a foul stench hit her face, almost forcing her back.
She covered her mouth and nose, leaned forward to look down.
It seemed to be the resident of Apartment 14-1 shouting.
He was a middle-aged man with some greying hair, physically strong, and a fierce expression on his face.
A young girl appeared, even more furious. “Don’t you understand? Turn off the air conditioner! If you don’t, I’ll come up and knock on your door right now!”
Fu Erdie retreated her head, closed the window, and quickly lowered the air conditioner temperature by ten degrees. She let the strong breeze at 16 degrees blow for half a minute before turning off the air conditioner.
In fact, there were various noises outside. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner was on the roadside, and there were constant sounds of vehicles speeding by, the voices of survivors, and the screams of the wounded. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner was insignificant in comparison.
However, after so many days, the zombie horde had likely reached the first floor and was nearing the 16th floor. Apartment 14 might be in the midst of the zombie swarm, and any movement could make people on edge.
Fu Erdie understood this.
She cherished the little bit of cold air that came out, hoping it would last a little longer in the 42-degree outdoor temperature.
As she continued to stare blankly at the air conditioner, she suddenly heard scratching sounds coming from outside the balcony.
As soon as she ran over, she came face to face with a grey-haired old face through the window.
It wasn’t the resident of Apartment 14-1, so who was it?
She widened her eyes and asked through the window, “How did you come up here?!”
Soon, as the man’s hand moved up the outer wall, Fu Erdie understood.
This was actually a person with superpowers!
His nails were particularly sharp and tough, able to penetrate the gaps in the wall.
He climbed up using his ten fingers like that.
Seeing that Fu Erdie was the only one in the room, and it was peaceful and tranquil, he showed a sinister smile and knocked on the window. “Little sister, are you scared being alone at home? Let me come in, I can protect you.”
Fu Erdie instinctively stepped back.
This person looked dishevelled, covered in bloodstains, and there were scratches and bite marks on his exposed forearms, clearly caused by zombies.
Fu Erdie wasn’t sure if he was the resident of Apartment 14-1. It was very likely that an outsider had barged in, or it could be like the current situation, where he was forcing his way in.
This person was still outside on the 16th-floor window, beckoning through the window. But his nails unintentionally touched the window glass, causing five sharp scratches, which looked horrifying.
Fu Erdie clenched her fist.
It was evident that he was deliberately provoking her to expose herself. He wanted to make sure that she was just a weak girl at home and then climb in and use violence to threaten her.
Fu Erdie knew that if she didn’t agree, he would punch through the glass and break in.
However, even before this man entered, there were already so many calculations and violent threats. If he did get in, besides plundering food and speeding up her death, what else could he do?
Hmm, he could also insult and harm her, and even stew and eat her dog.
This man couldn’t be let in!
Fu Erdie, who may seem soft, made a decision in an instant.
“Woof, woof, woof!” Mozi took a defensive stance and barked fiercely towards the old man outside the balcony.
Fu Erdie quickly crouched down, comforting the dog in her arms.
When the old man was about to reach out for a second time and grab the window glass, Fu Erdie hurriedly said, “I’ll let you in!”
She rushed into the bedroom next to the balcony, carrying the dog and shut the door behind her before returning to the balcony.
The old man watched her actions with a smiling face, as if he didn’t pay attention to anything else and was just a kind neighbour seeking help.
Fu Erdie walked towards the window.
Her heart tightened, her face pale, and she was so scared that she could collapse at any moment.
But she slowly unlocked the latch and opened the sliding window.
The old man was satisfied and placed one foot on the window ledge.
Just at that moment, Fu Erdie, who had been crouched like a rabbit on the side, suddenly rushed forward and pushed the man forcefully!
That moment seemed to elongate as the robust man lost his balance and fell heavily downward from the 16th floor.
The old man was somewhat incredulous but met Fu Erdie’s gaze of fear and determination.
The next moment, the awakened individual’s faster reflexes and speed than an ordinary person allowed him to grab Fu Erdie’s hand.
His mutated nails did not retract, piercing through Fu Erdie’s bones and blood.
The sharp nails had already dug into Fu Erdie’s bones, and in a daze, she could even hear the sound of steel rubbing against stone.
Fu Erdie’s body slammed into the railing in a fierce collision, her shoulder blade tearing and dislocating. Her entire right arm fell outside the window, flesh and blood a blur, blood flowing from her arm onto the man, and then falling from the high floor to the ground.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
A car sped by, leaving a trail of blood, merging with the bloodstains that had appeared since the apocalypse.
The man had blood on his face, but instead of feeling disgusted, he licked it, grinned, revealing yellow teeth.
The next second, the man’s feet pushed against the wall. Without Fu Erdie pulling him, he climbed back up using her flesh and blood.
In intense pain, Fu Erdie realized that the man wasn’t wearing shoes.
His feet were just like his hands, with sharp and long nails, easily clinging to the wall.
Fu Erdie endured the excruciating pain and reached for a wooden board, smashing it forcefully onto the man’s head.
With a crack, the board broke in half, scratching the man’s face, but it didn’t hinder his actions of entering through the window.
Fu Erdie wanted to grab a hammer, but the hammer was in a corner near the flower bed, out of her reach.
The old man, covered in blood, stood on the window ledge again, stepping into the room.
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