"Hey! You little punk! You think you can hit and run?!"
The shout came from the trench coat lady behind him. [Family Drama Reading]
Lin Jiu slammed the gas pedal, speeding away, cursing the system under his breath.
He already knew there was no escape this time, so he might as well head back to his rented apartment and lock the door tight.
There was still some food left in the fridge—maybe enough to last ten days. After that, he'd figure things out.
Standing by the window, he watched the street below.
A little girl holding an ice cream cone was skipping along the sidewalk. Behind her, an elderly grandma warned, "Slow down, sweetheart. Don't trip."
Just then, a dark shadow zipped past the old lady and sank its teeth into the girl's pale neck.
"Pfft!"
A spray of blood dyed the vanilla ice cream red.
"Aahh!"
The grandmother fainted on the spot, and the zombie behind her leapt forward.
Lin Jiu collapsed on the sofa, face blank. "It's over. I'm not getting out."
Below, the sounds of car crashes and screams rang out.
Eventually, only shuffling footsteps and zombie roars remained.
That night, exactly midnight.
Lin Jiu crouched on the sofa, holding a fruit knife in one hand and hugging a pillow with the other.
His eyes were calm, like still water. He had already been bitten to death by zombies over a dozen times. Honestly, he was getting kind of sick of it.
Ding!
The elevator bell rang. Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Bang bang bang!
"Is anyone there? Please, open the door!"
"Lin Jiu! Please open up, there are zombies! I'm begging you!"
It was the landlord's daughter—he recognized her voice. But he didn't move to open the door.
The landlord had always treated him coldly. A scratch on the wall and he was forced to pay up.
His daughter wasn't any better. She often knocked on his door under the excuse of checking the plumbing, but really just looking for damage to fine him.
"Ugh…"
She seemed to be grabbed by a zombie. Her voice turned hoarse, barely squeezing out a sob.
"The world's quiet again," Lin Jiu muttered.
He set down the pillow and walked to the fridge, grabbing a drink.
Just as he twisted the cap—
BANG!
The door cracked from a heavy blow.
A pale hand slumped through the warped doorframe, blood trailing down the wrist.
Lin Jiu twisted the bottle cap shut and ran back to his bedroom, grabbing his backpack. He'd already packed it. He was ready to flee.
But this was the third floor. He peeked out the window and felt dizzy.
Crash!
The door burst open. Two zombies staggered inside.
On the floor was the landlord's daughter, still in a pink dress, her face gnawed beyond recognition.
Lin Jiu slapped his face, muttering, "Phew… If they can do it, so can I."
Then he opened the window, and in a scene straight out of a kung fu movie, leapt toward the second-floor AC unit.
Thud!
He missed and plummeted down, breaking his hip.
Tap tap tap…
A small figure approached—slow, light steps.
It was the little girl from earlier—the one who got bitten.
Her neck had a gaping wound the size of a bowl, with chunks of meat peeling out, her bloodshot eyes glowing.
She tilted her head and walked toward Lin Jiu.
He tried to get up, but the pain from his hip stopped him. "Wait! Big brother will buy you more ice cream, okay?"
Crunch! Crunch!
In a blur, Lin Jiu found himself back in the car, driving down the road. In the rearview mirror, the trench coat lady was still yelling at him.
Within two kilometers, it was all shops and apartments—none of which could stop zombies. Staying inside wasn't safe.
Thinking it over, the car seemed safest. At least he could flee at any time.
"Let's get some weapons first. I don't want to be eaten by a kid—that'd be too embarrassing."
He drove to a hardware store.
He grabbed wrenches, hammers, even a chainsaw. From the supermarket, he took two kitchen knives.
As night fell, more zombies appeared on the streets. Lin Jiu parked his car in a nearby park.
The view was wide. It was far from the residential blocks. No zombies in sight—yet.
Ding dong!
His phone lit up with messages from the class group chat.
Zhao Chen: "Tons of zombies out here. What's it like where you guys are?"
Xue Han: "I'm with Chen bro, waiting for rescue."
Xiao Lan: "I'm so scared… I'm trapped on a rooftop. It's so dark here…"
Zhao Chen: "You're doing the right thing. I'm on our rooftop too."
Xue Han: "What about the rest? Dead already?"
Lin Jiu saw the chat go quiet. He replied:
"I'm still alive. Sister Lan, I'll come rescue you when I get out."
She lived in the city center. The other two were on the east side of town.
Zhao Chen: "You? Rescue the school flower? Please. Xiao Lan, once our company sends people, I'll come get you."
Xue Han: "Hmph. Still gotta rely on Chen bro. Lin Jiu, you stubborn loser, just die alone."
Lin Jiu calmly typed: "We'll see who survives the longest."
He could respawn endlessly. No need to argue with the soon-to-be-dead.
Right now, the goal was to survive ten days. Xiao Lan was gorgeous—pure and delicate—but he had to get to her first.
Once there, he could respawn endlessly by her side. This apocalypse might just become paradise.
"Heh heh…"
Lighting a cigarette, Lin Jiu chuckled to himself.
He'd been an orphan since young, always looked down on. The money his parents left was just enough to get him through school.
He had no home in Stone City—just a rented apartment. Did odd jobs to scrape by. He finally landed a job after graduation, and then this happened.
Xiao Lan was the only light in his life.
Back in school, she was his one source of comfort—the only pure thing in his world.
That night, Lin Jiu didn't dare sleep. Left hand gripping a knife, right hand holding a hammer, eyes scanning the surroundings.
He stayed alert until 9 AM.
Beep beep!
Countdown: 9 days.
"Haha! Finally made it through a night!"
Seeing no zombies around, Lin Jiu let himself nod off.
Zombies still moved in daylight, but at least he could see and react.
Half-asleep, he drifted into a dream.
He became Superman, soaring to Xiao Lan's rooftop, unafraid of the zombie hordes below.
Laser beams shot from his eyes, turning the streets into a sea of flames.
In the fire, the two of them kissed passionately.
Then, two hideous monsters blared trumpets in his ear, jarring him awake.
"Get lost!"
Lin Jiu shouted and bolted upright.
Honk honk!
The honking made him turn his head.
Next to him was a green off-road vehicle, horn blaring.
Inside were two familiar faces.
"Grandpa Chen? Grandpa Lü? You guys made it out?"
Lin Jiu was surprised. The two old men both had a few screws loose. Lonely retirees who liked to play chess near the office building's flowerbeds.
Lin Jiu often played with them—though he always lost.
The grandpas had always treated him kindly. If others disturbed their games, they'd yell and chase them away.
He had no idea where they found a car or how they found him.
"Jiu, everyone's gone nuts out here. Let's get outta here. Can't play chess in this chaos," Grandpa Chen said, wearing a tank top and shorts, waving cheerfully.
Grandpa Lü wore sunglasses and nodded silently—cool as ever.
"Sure…"
Lin Jiu smiled awkwardly.
Then he saw it—the zombie in the backseat.