NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10: Silence and Survival
Liu Aiyuan stifled a scream, her hand clamped tightly over her mouth. She had been dragged into a cramped, dimly lit safe house by the four men who had once followed her lead. Now, Yao Zheng’s grip on her arm was a harsh reminder that her control had crumbled. The indignity of it all burned in her chest, but attracting the undead with a scream would mean certain death for all of them.
In the apocalypse, the fear of death outweighed any remnants of pride or shame.
Yao Zheng, the group’s self-appointed leader, finally released her after a tense silence, his eyes dark with lust. Liu Aiyuan gasped for air, her body trembling as she fought the urge to retaliate. “No. Not yet. Play along, wait for the right moment.”
Her mind whirred, calculating. For now, she'd have to appease these men, buy time, and figure out how to turn the situation to her advantage. Revenge later, survival now. Her demeanor shifted instantly, the anger melting away into a coy smile. Slowly, she let her clothes slip off piece by piece, her movements fluid, almost mechanical.
The effect was immediate. Yao Zheng and the others were mesmerized, their focus narrowing as she swayed before them.
“Are the doors and windows secure?” Yao Zheng’s voice was thick with desire, but there was a fleeting note of caution.
“Everything’s locked tight,” Liu Aiyuan reassured him, her smile widening as she played her part to perfection.
"Then what are we waiting for?" he growled, lunging toward her with an animalistic hunger. Her laughter rang out, light and teasing, drawing them deeper into her trap.
They were teetering on the edge of sanity, frayed by the relentless horror of the apocalypse. Her usual manipulation tactics wouldn’t work on men this far gone. But it didn’t matter. “Soon,” she thought as she continued her act, soon, “they’ll regret underestimating me.”
Meanwhile, on the empty street outside, Lu Ming moved with purpose. His footsteps echoed in the eerie stillness, his heart steady. The military’s intervention had worked in his favor, though he hadn’t seen them himself. The gunfire and explosions had drawn the zombies away, leaving him with a rare window of opportunity to take care of unfinished business.
He reached his destination—Wanda Mart, a small convenience store tucked within the urban village. Its modest 50 square meters had once been a regular stop for Lu Ming’s daily necessities. Now, it was just another building in the dead city.
The glass door was closed, but the shutters were rolled up just enough for Lu Ming to slip through. As he approached, strange sounds drifted from the second floor. He paused, frowning. “What are they doing up there?”
The noise was loud enough for him to hear from outside, and if he could hear it, so could the zombies. He shook his head, a sliver of disbelief crossing his mind.
“Idiots. If it weren’t for the military luring the zombies away, they’d already be dead.”
But Lu Ming didn’t waste time on their foolishness. He had a job to do. With a gentle push, the door creaked open. He slipped inside, retrieving his pre-cocked crossbow as he ascended the narrow staircase, the unsettling sounds growing louder with each step.
When he reached the second floor, the scene that unfolded before him was grotesque. Five figures writhed together in a tangled mess, completely absorbed in their depravity.
Lu Ming’s brow furrowed in disgust. “Reckless.”
But disgust didn’t slow his actions. He raised his crossbow, steady and deliberate. The silence hung heavy in the air for a moment before the resounding thud of the crossbow bolt launching broke it.
The bolt flew with deadly precision, slicing through the air and lodging itself in Yao Zheng’s neck with brutal force. The momentum carried his body forward, smashing into Wei Kaifa’s face—an accidental but gruesome double kill. Blood splattered across the room, abruptly shattering the sickening spectacle playing out on the floor.
The remaining three froze, their minds reeling from the sudden, horrific shift. They hadn’t even registered what had happened before Lu Ming discarded his crossbow and pulled out his slingshot.
Without a word, he drew back the elastic band and released it.
A razor-sharp metal shard whistled through the air, embedding itself in Feng Qin’s eye socket with a sickening squelch. Blood sprayed once more, painting the walls in crimson as Feng Qin’s body collapsed. The last two, Wang Gang and Liu Aiyuan, teetered on the edge of a scream, their instincts torn between panic and the need to survive.
But a low, steely voice from Lu Ming cut through the chaos.
“Silence. Robbery.”
The word was a flimsy pretense, a smokescreen to keep the scene from descending further into chaos. But the survivors knew better. Lu Ming’s intent was far more lethal than simple theft.
Liu Aiyuan’s eyes widened in realization, her mouth opening wide for a scream. Lu Ming’s muscles tensed, and in that split second, he knew the worst had happened.
“Damn it,” he muttered, his heart sinking.
The scream burst from Liu Aiyuan’s throat, piercing the stillness of the room and spilling out onto the empty street. The sound was a beacon to the undead, and even now, Lu Ming could hear the distant moans growing louder. No time.
In a fluid motion, he reloaded the slingshot and fired.
The shard flew through the air and embedded itself in Liu Aiyuan’s open mouth, cutting the scream short. Blood sprayed from her shattered teeth as she collapsed, choking on the metallic taste of death. The shard tore through her cervical vertebrae, continuing its lethal path before shattering the window behind her in an explosion of glass.
Without a second glance, Lu Ming retrieved his crossbow and fled down the stairs, abandoning the last two survivors to their fate. The moans of the approaching horde grew louder, and the time for finishing off the job had run out.
The street outside was eerily quiet as Lu Ming sprinted toward his safe house. The distance wasn’t far—just a hundred meters—but each step felt like a lifetime. He could already hear the undead behind him, their guttural moans closing in as he reached his front door.
In a blur of movement, he flung the door open, slammed it shut behind him, and locked it tight. The sound of dozens of feet rushing past outside sent shivers down his spine, but for the moment, he was safe.
“Just in time,” he breathed, leaning against the door. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He scrambled upstairs to the observation hole, peering out onto the street.
Dozens of zombies swarmed toward Wanda Mart, drawn by the scream that had echoed through the dead city. They tore through the shattered glass door, swarming inside, leaving little chance for any survivors.
But a few lingered near his house, their vacant eyes scanning for movement, their senses attuned to the sound of his slamming door.
“Four,” he muttered. Manageable, but still a threat.
Despite the immediate danger, Lu Ming’s heart had steadied. The guilt that had gnawed at him earlier dissipated into nothing.
“Self-defense,” he reminded himself. “Eliminate threats before they can become real.”
Satisfied, he closed the observation hole and sat down. Outside, the zombies continued their gruesome feast, tearing apart what remained of the life inside Wanda Mart. Lu Ming took a deep breath, calming his mind. His survival had been secured for now, but he knew better than to let his guard down.
After eating a fruit to recharge, he resumed his afternoon exercise. The world outside was brutal and unforgiving, but Lu Ming had played his part with ruthless efficiency. There were no regrets. Only the drive to survive another day.
End of Chapter 10