The terrace, under the scorching sun.
The sound of splashing water disappeared. Lin Yuan turned off the faucet and wiped his hands with his handkerchief. He looked at the meat hanging on the pole, which had become a bit dry. If the sun continued to shine like this, it would be dry before dark, but it was still a little short of preservation. Next, it needed to be moved to the shed to continue air-drying.
He picked up the bag and prepared to go home, but then he heard the roar of a car and a collision. In a world where only the roars of zombies remained, this was like heavenly music.
He rushed to the edge of the terrace to find the source of the sound. Sure enough, on the main road behind the residential area, a police armored vehicle was crashing wildly. Although its siren was not blaring, the impact with the wreckage of cars lying haphazardly on the road had already created a huge noise.
Seeing that it was a police car, Lin Yuan instinctively wanted to shout for help. But before he could say a word, the noisy roars choked his plea back. Thousands of zombies rushed out from the street corners, sprinting towards the armored vehicle.
A chill shot straight up his spine. He quickly crouched down, hiding himself tightly behind the terrace wall, praying not to be noticed by the zombies.
After about 10 minutes, the roars of the zombies gradually disappeared. Lin Yuan slowly poked his head out to observe.
The zombies on the street were sparse. The armored vehicle was nowhere to be seen. It seemed to have escaped.
It was a good thing he hadn't shouted earlier. If he had really attracted the zombie horde, no amount of lives would have been enough. They would have pulled him down in a pile.
"Phew, damn it, that was exciting."
Wiping the sweat that was almost blinding him, he picked up his things and hurried home. It had nothing to do with him anymore. He could only wish them a safe arrival at the safe zone.
As he opened the door, the cat rushed over. Lin Yuan quickly shooed it away. His apron had some zombie blood on it, and it hadn't been washed yet. He didn't dare let it get close.
He took off the apron and placed it on the shoe cabinet. The cat seemed to have real intuition, stopping when it saw Lin Yuan's apron, showing no intention of getting close.
Lin Yuan was stunned. Did this guy know that this thing was not to be touched?
With a tentative mindset, he picked up the apron and slowly approached the cat. To his surprise, the cat ran away, its eyes wide with terror, as if saying:
"Master, how dare you poison me!"
The instinct of animals to avoid harm is natural. Lin Yuan took it as the cat being able to sense that this thing would kill it.
After putting the things away, he went to the corner where food was stored, pried open a can of fish, and placed it in the cat's bowl. He didn't have time to cook today, which benefited the cat.
After calming the cat, he picked up the thawed fish and a few tomatoes, took his phone, and went out. He didn't bring the cat, as there was an asthmatic patient there.
Fish and tomatoes were perishable foods that needed to be eaten quickly. There was no space on the terrace, so he wouldn't make dried fish.
After another thorough sunbath, Lin Yuan knocked on Wu Tian's door.
A few seconds later, the door opened, but it was Wu Mengyao who opened it.
"Brother Lin Yuan! Why are you carrying so much fish and tomatoes! I love fish and scrambled eggs with tomatoes the most!"
The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw what Lin Yuan was carrying. She jumped with joy and quickly pulled him inside.
In the kitchen, Wu Tian was still cooking. Under the frying pan was a portable gas stove connected to a gas tank that was probably only slightly larger than a basketball.
Upon seeing what Lin Yuan had brought, Wu Tian exclaimed, "Didn't I tell you not to bring so much stuff? Why did you bring three fish!"
"It's okay, these things spoil easily anyway, so it's better to eat them first. You make the tomatoes first, and I'll cut the fish and cook it. By the way, did you see what happened on the street just now?"
Wu Tian nodded, "Yes, I saw it. So many zombies chasing that armored vehicle, and it escaped. I'm so envious of them."
"It's okay, it's okay. I believe we can survive!"
Linking arms, he struck a strong pose and Lin Yuan turned on the faucet to wash his hands, preparing to cut the fish. But he noticed that the water seemed to be getting smaller, and the water coming out later was already a bit murky.
"Old Wu, the waterworks are about to stop, look at this water!"
Wu Tian, who was beating eggs, turned around. Thinking Lin Yuan was worried about not having enough water to drink, he sighed, "This will happen sooner or later. Think about it positively. The water supply for our two households should be enough for us to last 15 days. Plus, I found 4 barrels of bottled water in these two apartments today, unopened. Don't worry."
Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan shook his head. After wiping his hands dry, he started cutting the fish with a cleaver, "Water will be harder and harder to get in the future. And looking at the number of zombies on the lower floors of our two buildings, it's not optimistic for us."
"Don't overthink it. Things will work themselves out. After we tidy up these opened rooms this afternoon, I'll start making arrows and see if we can deplete them from a distance."
"That's true. Let's live in the moment first." Lin Yuan finished cutting the fish and lay down on the sofa, picking up his phone to reply to messages. The morning's battle had really exhausted him, and he needed to rest for a while.
He opened his phone. It was still the same. A small number of apps were still usable, and network communication had not been cut off, but it was likely to happen soon.
QQ Chat
Only two people messaged him: Wang Xiaoxiao and Lin Shouyi.
8:32
Lin's Dad: "Good luck, son. Dad is waiting for your news."
10:31
Wang Xiaoxiao: "Old Lin! I dealt with the zombie, hahahaha, how was your battle?! Hahahaha, thankfully my door opens inwards, so I blocked it with a table. I just opened a small gap, and it stupidly stuck its head in. I hit it with my hammer and finished it! It was so disgusting, I wish I hadn't eaten breakfast, vomits.jpg"
10:55
Wang Xiaoxiao: "I used a rope to throw the zombie downstairs. Damn, it's so annoying. Our corridor is sealed, so I couldn't throw it out. Fortunately, there was no one in his house, and there were quite a lot of things. Food and drink should be fine for a month. I have to go to the terrace to dry meat. I have the key, hahaha."
Wang Xiaoxiao: "And I found a motorcycle helmet in this zombie's house. It's a bit big, but it has a tightening strap, so it won't come loose. I also found a fire axe in the fire box in the corridor!! Heaven bless me, I finally have a decent weapon again. You don't know, I had to hit the zombie's head seven or eight times with a hammer to crush its skull!!"
11:21
Wang Xiaoxiao: "No one was on the terrace, but it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Let's get to work. Let me show you Old Wang today!"
Wang Xiaoxiao: Image.jpg
In the picture, Wang Xiaoxiao was covered in dust, with two buns on her head, wearing a mask and thick clothes. Her hands and legs were wrapped with tape, and books were tied to them. With the hot sun, she looked very strange.
He clicked on the chat window and started replying to messages.
To Lin's Dad:
12:36
Lin Yuan: "Dad, I survived! Have you eaten?"
Lin Shouyi replied almost instantly, as usual, he had been waiting by the phone for a long time.
Lin's Dad: "Yes, it's good that you're alive. Collect more supplies in the afternoon, and I'll call your mom tonight."
Phew, tears were almost falling!
He hadn't felt anything just now, but seeing his father's message now, Lin Yuan only felt that it was great to be alive!
12:37
Lin Yuan: "Mhm, I'll call you after I collect supplies."
He calmed his emotions and opened Wang Xiaoxiao's chat window again.
12:38
Lin Yuan: "Hahahaha, you look exactly like a civil engineer who just finished a dusty job. But you didn't kill as many as I did. Let me tell you, I killed 6 zombies today! Hahahaha."
He wouldn't admit that two zombies had fallen down and three had died of stupidity.
Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaoxiao replied quickly.
12:39
Wang Xiaoxiao: "Holy crap, 666! How are you so strong! I'm such a little waste. I feel sick looking at scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but if I don't eat, I'll starve. I'm still struggling with it."
The more Wang Xiaoxiao said, the more Lin Yuan's mind was filled with yellow, white, and red, like a paused player, constantly looping.
"The scrambled eggs with tomatoes are ready! Lin Yuan, quickly taste it and see if it's good." Wu Tian happily brought out the dish, only to see Lin Yuan's expression as if he had seen a ghost.
"Holy crap, Old Wu, you brought this dish at the worst possible time." He swallowed the sourness in his throat with great effort. "Don't you think these scrambled eggs with tomatoes look like something?"
Wu Tian, who was about to get angry, was stunned. He put down the dish and went to the toilet, covering his mouth.
"Lin Yuan, you bastard, why are you bringing up something that makes me sick!"
Lin Yuan, lying on the sofa, burst into laughter.
I have to share your pain, hahaha.
12:42
Lin Yuan: "Old Wang, you're really a little genius. I can't eat now either!!!"
12:43
Wang Xiaoxiao: "Hahahaha, no need to thank me, I saved you a meal!"
12:44
Lin Yuan: "It's fine, I'm not that squeamish. Let's talk business. What are your plans next? This communication should be cut off soon, and from now on, you'll be on your own."