My second uncle is still alive.

The zombie's head thrashed about, its teeth chattering, emitting a low growl like a wild beast—still a "hungry" sound, but far more ferocious and shrill. Its claws lashed out, grabbing the front of my jeans and dragging me towards its mouth with immense force; I couldn't break free.

Attacking from outside the vehicle was already difficult, and having my clothes grabbed made it impossible to move. The stench was making me dizzy. The screwdriver slipped from my hand after being driven into my skull, and I could only desperately push away the zombie's grasp. Seeing its large, black mouth, revealing its gums, smacking at me, I panicked. I strained my neck backward, yelling, "Poke! Poke its eyes!"

Han Bo, of course, didn't sit idly by. Without uttering a sound, he directly pressed down on the zombie's mangled skull and stabbed it repeatedly with a knife...

This was Han Bo's first real encounter with a zombie. He was surprisingly calm, even though his knuckles were white and his complexion wasn't much better. In the end, he single-handedly accomplished the feat of killing a zombie—I only managed one brave stab before the screwdriver got stuck and was held in the zombie's hand ever since…

"Drag it out!" Han Bo ordered me.

I looked at the mess and filth of the back seat, which resembled a dismemberment scene, and I was really unwilling. But then I saw Han Bo trying to light a cigarette to calm himself down, fumbling for a lighter more than ten times without success. I sighed, closed my eyes, and still reached for the back seat.

"Can't you use your brain next time?" Han Bo scolded me with extreme dissatisfaction while smoking. "I saw it in the car and didn't want to disturb it. I thought we could go back to the supermarket first, exit through another door, and take another car. But you, you idiot, just went for it. Can't you read my mind?"

I was starting to regret it. It was easy for a zombie to climb into the car, but it would be difficult for it to climb out after it spotted us. It didn't have the intelligence to open a back door; we could easily escape. I don't know what I was thinking at the time... but I still argued, "It saw us. Are we going to lead it into the supermarket?"

"Isn't it better to lure it out and clean it up than to get my car dirty? Look at this car, can anyone even sit in it!"

I endured the stench and dragged half of the zombie out. I pulled out my screwdriver from the side of its blood-smeared skull, and was about to have another verbal exchange with Han Bo when I looked up and was horrified.

"Xiao Bo..." I hummed in a trembling voice, my eyes fixed on what was behind Han Bo.

He was definitely better at reading people than I was. When he saw my strange behavior, he flinched, and the half-smoked cigarette fell from his mouth. Without turning his head, he stared at me and asked in a low voice, "How many?"

I shook my head and didn't answer. A bunch of humanoid zombies, looking like they'd been blown apart by a gas explosion, staggered into the entrance of the square. There was a dark mass in the middle, with a few scattered on either side. They stretched out their arms and walked unsteadily but with a clear goal in mind, heading towards the supermarket, almost completely blocking the way out.

I can't answer the exact number; I can't count them all.

One of them quickly spotted us and let out a cry of "Hungry..." and soon the agonizing cries of "Hungry" echoed from one after another.

"Holy shit!" Han Bo glanced back, cursed, and quickly opened the driver's side door. "Get in! Quick!"

Ignoring the fact that half of the zombie was still attached, I jumped into the passenger seat, grabbed the vegetable basket from the side of the car, and shouted, "Charge! Crash it out!"

Han Bo rolled his eyes at me, remained silent, and calmly started the car. One click, two clicks. In that instant, almost every similar scene from a horror movie flashed through my mind. According to the protagonist's bad luck law, in these kinds of crises, the car can't start. Either it will only start when zombies are on the windows, their jaws agape, ready to tear us apart; or we'll be completely wiped out, and we'll have to fight them to the death with just a screwdriver and a fruit knife, ultimately sacrificing ourselves heroically.

My blood is boiling! Before, facing a single zombie, I felt disgusted and afraid, but now, seeing a large horde approaching, my blood is surging! This is the apocalypse I've fantasized about countless times. Facing these monsters that feed on the living, the warrior genes in my blood have been activated. I can't hide, I can't retreat. For more people to survive, I will kill as many as I can. I must fight to the last moment for human dignity. Even if no one knows my name, the monument to this new era of humanity will forever bear the mark of an "unsung hero"...

The car groaned, shattering my excited reverie. I hadn't expected this old wreck to fail me at such a crucial moment. Han Bo breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's done. Sit tight." He glanced back and frowned, "Why isn't the back door closed?"

His nonchalant tone annoyed me. The zombies were only five or six meters away, yet he showed no sign of concern. I snapped, "There's no time limit! Let's go!"

Han Bo stopped wasting words, shifted gears and accelerated. The beat-up car, with its back door wide open, dragged the zombie with half of it sticking out, and charged towards the zombie horde like a wild dog running wild.

Then I realized Xiaobo's correct thinking and my own stupidity: the back door wasn't closed. If we couldn't break through and slowed down, the zombie could easily climb in from behind and tear us apart. Realizing this, I immediately panicked and stumbled, desperately trying to push the zombie in the back seat away.

Han Bo asked, "What are you doing?"

I said, "Close the back door."

Han Bo scoffed, "Alright, you'd better sit tight and turn it off when you get home."

After saying that, he stepped on the gas, turned the steering wheel sharply, and sped towards the steps with railings at the entrance of the square.

With a loud bang, the wrecked car crashed through the railing, which caught on the back door. Han Bo grimaced as he shifted gears and slammed his foot down. The sharp, piercing sound of metal breaking echoed as the wrecked car lurched down three steps, then began to make a sputtering sound like a tractor, before veering straight across the sidewalk's green belt and onto the main street.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that I didn't have time to think it through or express any opinion.

As I brushed past those zombies, I saw their empty eyes and mechanical movements, like puppets being manipulated. They turned around towards us in the direction of the sound, swinging their severed limbs as if trying to get closer, but their movements were too slow.

I have never liked QQ as much as I do now, and for the first time, I have developed respect for those "new riders" with their strong sense of self-respect.

Han Bo glanced at the rearview mirror and said gravely, "Zombies have entered the supermarket."

I remained silent. Han Bo took a long breath and said, "He wouldn't listen to our advice, so we can't blame him."

I whispered, "Did we lure these zombies there? The sound of the car and stuff..."

Han Bo shook his head, but gave me an answer that made me uneasy: "I don't know."

"Then Zhou Yi, he..."

Han Bo said irritably, "Then what should we do? Go back to save him? Can we blame him for not being flexible? Even if we don't go, someone else will. Even if the living don't go, the zombies will eventually go! How can he live a peaceful life guarding such a big supermarket!"

Going back is impossible. I admit Han Bo is right; there are more zombies than living people in the city now. To survive, everyone needs to find resources, and it's inevitable that one side will alert the other. Zhou Yi chose the supermarket, and in doing so, he also chose to bear the consequences of others going out to find food. We can't save him; we're too busy taking care of ourselves.

Even so, I couldn't shake off that lingering worry in my heart.

The appearance of the supermarket zombie served as a wake-up call. Regardless of whether the noise from the car would cause any problems, we didn't dare drive to the alley entrance again and stopped outside the market. The front of the car was badly dented, and the right rear door was only half intact. The zombie, on the other hand, was quite shabby; its head was smashed off, but it was still lying half-on, half-off, near the footrest.

After all that commotion, it was nearly dusk. The setting sun's rays weren't restrained; instead, they were a bright, dazzling yellow. I followed Han Bo, carrying my basket, and jogged home, skimming along the edge of the street.

The surroundings were as peaceful as when we left. My mother was even leaning against the gate, peering towards the alley entrance. As soon as she saw us return, she patted her chest and came to greet us, pulling me around to look at me from left to right: "Why were you gone for so long? And you're covered in black oil, where did you get it from?"

I didn't dare tell her about the brains splattered from killing zombies. I handed her the shopping basket and asked, "Where's my dad? Is everything alright at home?"

"Something's wrong." My mother's eyes drooped and her brows furrowed.

"What's up?"

"Your second uncle called."

"Really?" I was both surprised and delighted. "My second uncle is alright! Where is he? We, the Qi family, are all safe and sound. We are truly blessed with good fortune!"

My mother's face was grim: "Yes, all of you Qi family members are doing well, but your second aunt is dead!"

When I got back to the house, I saw my dad pacing back and forth like a caged beast with his hands behind his back. As soon as he saw me, he said, "Dafeng, you're back just in time. I'm going to rescue your second uncle and your brother tonight."

Han Bo said hello and went to take a shower. I had a detailed talk with my anxious and worried father and my terrified mother, offering comfort and asking questions, and finally found out about my second uncle's family situation.

It turned out that while my second uncle was at work and my younger brother Binbin was at school, my second aunt had somehow contracted a virus. Before she even returned home that evening, she started biting people indiscriminately. The first victims were the women she danced with in the square in her neighborhood. Everyone thought she had rabies, so they grabbed her and took her to the hospital while simultaneously notifying my second uncle. Because of her terrifying aggression towards anyone who approached her, the hospital detained her. My second uncle and Binbin didn't even get to see her; they spent half the night in fear and anxiety in the hospital corridor.

Before dawn, the hospital had become a living hell. My second uncle and Binbin experienced the same shock, fear, and disbelief as us, but they finally rallied, racked their brains, and escaped from the hospital. They are currently hiding in an air-raid shelter on Xiaojiang Mountain with several other strangers.

"Hey!" I slapped my thigh and gave a thumbs up. "It's not just a few miles from the People's Hospital near his house to Xiaojiangshan. Look at my second uncle's resourcefulness. He was able to run so far with Binbin and hide. Most people couldn't do that."

After praising me, he asked again, "Why didn't he contact us a few days ago? Didn't he hide for a long time?"

My dad said, "I didn't have a phone, so I got a cell phone and quickly called to let you know I was safe."

"Oh, is Second Uncle coming to our house?"

My dad glared at me: "Where else would he go if he didn't come here? There's no food left in the air-raid shelter. Do you want him and Binbin to starve to death?"

I quickly reassured him, "What are you talking about? He's my second uncle, isn't it only right that he comes home? I meant, how does he plan to come?"

My dad said decisively, "I'll go pick them up."

My mother glared at him but didn't dare say anything. I laughed: "How are you going to answer that? Xiao Jiangshan has to cross the entire city to get here. Dad, you really don't know what's going on outside right now."

Now that a close relative has suddenly fallen ill, in order to prevent my dad from acting impulsively, I felt it was necessary to explain the current perilous situation to them, so I told them everything that happened at the supermarket today.

After hearing this, my mother burst into tears and hugged me tightly, saying, "My child, if anything happens to you, I don't want to live anymore."

My dad remained silent for a long time. After a while, he finally said, "Such a big thing happened, where are all the people up here... How can I not pick up your second uncle? He said he and Binbin haven't eaten for days, and even if they wanted to come back, they don't have the strength."

I said seriously, "This is a deadly infectious disease. If even one person gets infected, it can destroy a large area immediately. On the surface, there are no living people to be seen outside, but I believe there are still police officers and soldiers alive, and even many people with special skills. It's just that they are temporarily helpless against these fearless zombies and have hidden themselves. They don't dare to come out and confront the zombies head-on, which shows that zombies are not as easy to deal with as we imagine. Uncle, you must take the job, but you need to think it over carefully. Going out rashly will only harm yourself. If something happens to you, how will Mom and I live?"

Han Bo came downstairs at some point, brushing his wet hair aside, and stood to the side listening to our conversation. At this moment, he interjected, "Uncle, don't worry, I'll go out and check again tonight. If we're going to pick someone up, we have to do it during the day; there are too many zombies outside at night."

I turned to look at him: "Why are you going out when it's dark?"

Han Bo said, "Get a car."

My dad smoked several cigarettes in a row before finally calming down. His face returned to normal, and he waved his hand, saying, "Let's eat first."

When my mom was serving the dishes, she pulled me into the kitchen and whispered, "Don't think your dad will listen to you. He's stubborn. You have to keep an eye on him tonight and don't let him go out. If he wants to pick someone up, you have to discuss it thoroughly before you do it."

I looked at her teasingly: "Don't you want your second uncle to come home?"

This question wasn't unfounded. I heard that when the three brothers lived together, my mother and my second uncle's family often clashed and had disagreements. Even now, when my mother talks about my uncle and aunt, she doesn't have a good word to say. She mostly criticizes them for being mean-spirited, greedy, and taking advantage of my grandfather's favoritism towards the younger siblings to bully my eldest sister-in-law. Unfortunately, my father doesn't know how to appease his wife. He always sides with my eldest brother in handling the issues between my uncle and aunt, seemingly impartial, but in the end, my second uncle is satisfied, while my mother is left seething with resentment.

It is said that since half a year ago, when my second uncle and aunt came to demand a share of the demolition compensation that had no trace, the two families have not had any contact for a long time.

My mom slapped me and said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? What time is it? Your second aunt is gone. Do you think I'm going to be so insensible?"

I drank the last two bottles of beer at dinner. My dad and I disagreed on the matter of picking up my second uncle. After arguing back and forth, Hanbo and my mom both voted in favor of me. He finally agreed to the plan to pick him up tomorrow, but he was very anxious, so he ran to the yard and smashed an empty beer bottle.

All was silent, and the sound of shattering glass was especially crisp. The three of us sat motionless in the living room, and when we looked at each other, you could tell that our hearts were in our throats.

That capricious old man!

After dinner, Han Bo went out. I wanted to go with him, but he stopped me, saying that he would just look around and not go far. My mother repeatedly told him to be careful and even shoved a kitchen knife into his lower back.

I peered from the rooftop, watching the moon hang high in the sky, the rubble and ruins bathed in a silvery glow; I watched Han Bo, head down, hands in his pockets, disappear lightly into the darkness of the alleyway, and my heart felt heavy. Not because I was worried about him, but because I was worried about what would happen tomorrow.

My plan is to wait until dawn, find a car, take a sparsely populated road to Xiaojiangshan, pick up my second uncle and younger brother, and return the way I came. But will I encounter any danger along the way? Will I be able to get back unscathed?

A plan is something that hasn't been implemented yet. A well-developed plan certainly increases the success rate, but no one knows what variables might arise during implementation. Especially now, we're facing the first zombie outbreak in human history, with no prior experience, no preventative measures, and individual combat can't change the current passive and defensive situation of the living—the zombies are increasing in number. Until we figure out how to regain the initiative, we are all explorers, pathfinders, practitioners… or you could call us "cannon fodder." How do we pick up Uncle tomorrow? And after bringing him back, how do we ensure our family's survival in this apocalypse? If I was a little excited and curious when I first heard about the zombie outbreak, now I'm genuinely worried.

Just as I was deeply feeling the insignificance and fragility of humanity, and was so distressed that I was pulling out strands of hair, I saw Han Bo's figure emerge from the darkness. He was still looking down, hands in his pockets, and walking lightly. It had only been about ten minutes; it seemed he really hadn't dared to go far. I got up to go downstairs to open the door for him, but suddenly I noticed that there was another shadow behind him.

Startled, I immediately lay back down and called out in a low voice, "Xiao Bo!"

He heard me and looked up. I quickly gestured to him that something was wrong behind him, but he acted as if he hadn't seen me and continued walking toward the gate.

There were no lights on the roof, so it was normal that he couldn't see. At this moment, the dark figure was getting closer and closer to him. In my panic, I didn't care about anything else and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Xiao Bo, look behind you!"

To my surprise, the guy gestured "shh" to me, turned around, grabbed the dark figure, and said to me, "It's okay, come down and open the door."

My heartbeat slowed down, and it took a while to calm down. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they are alive.

But when I opened the door and saw the blood-soaked, demon-like figure under Han Bo's armpit, I was speechless for a long time. Unexpected yet understandable; I had a premonition that if this guy wasn't dead, he might come seeking revenge. Who told me to be so foolish as to give out my address?

That's right, it's the Book of Changes.

When he saw me, he gave a smile that looked more like a grimace and said weakly, "Don't worry, little sister, this is all zombie blood. Can you find me a place to sleep?"

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The dawn here is quiet...