Chapter 63 Since we can't escape the commercial district, let's kill them all. ...
Everyone in the group received a suitable weapon.
Brother Ca hung the bullets on his shoulder, patted them loudly, and declared with great ambition: "With these things, I can kill as many zombies as come."
The gluttonous girl already knew his character, and rolled her eyes at him: "Come on, just don't get chased by zombies and end up crying your eyes out."
Brother Ca: "Damn, whoever cries is a coward."
The gluttonous girl ignored him and rummaged through the box for weapons. Since guns weren't suitable for her, she picked and chose, finally putting on a pair of heavy knuckle dusters. The knuckle dusters were sharp and hard, and a single punch produced a sharp, piercing sound as they flew through the air.
With the AWM in hand, Fang Zhiyi had no more powerful weapon; he just needed to reload. The supply crate contained sniper ammo, bringing his total to 16 rounds.
Besides the AWM, crossbows also need to be reloaded with ammunition.
Sniper rifles are bolt-action single-shot rifles with strong recoil, and sometimes they are not as flexible and convenient as bows and crossbows.
However, there weren't many arrows in the supply box, only 8.
We need to use them sparingly.
Fang Zhiyi straightened up and saw that Chu Zhao had already chosen a weapon, so she couldn't help but ask curiously, "What did you take?"
"A crowbar, and this too."
Chu Zhao didn't take a gun either. Instead, he chose a thin, long crowbar, bending one end and carefully wrapping the other end with scraps of cloth to increase resistance and prevent it from slipping out of his hand.
He explained, "Without special enhancements, it's difficult to hit people with a gun, and we're going to indoor places, so melee weapons are more convenient to use."
Fang Zhiyi is experienced, and he also has the title bonus of "Snow Hunter," so this is not a problem for him.
But Brother Cai... after glancing at how enthusiastically he was gesturing, didn't discourage him.
Everyone took their weapons, and the old lady saw them off at the villa entrance: "I almost forgot..." She took out a packaged lunchbox, "These are pies I made, please take them to my son."
"No matter what he becomes, as long as he tastes this pie, he will remember his mother."
Heart-shaped pies
The taste of mom's cooking is something no one can forget.
[Consumes -100 Stamina, +100 Hunger]
Fang Zhiyi almost doubted that she was seeing things. How could she have lost so much stamina?
I looked at it again and was sure I hadn't misread it.
-100 stamina... uh, is it poisonous?
Regardless of whether it was poisonous or not, it wasn't meant for him to eat anyway. Fang Zhiyi accepted the love pie and replied, "Madam, please rest assured, I guarantee I will find your son."
The old lady exclaimed, "That's wonderful..."
[Old lady's favorability +10]
After saying goodbye to the old lady and leaving the villa area, we drove for 10 minutes according to the map, and after passing the last street, we entered the commercial area.
The situation here is worse than I imagined.
The commercial street was once the busiest and most crowded area during the bear market, so after the virus leak, it became the epicenter of the turmoil.
A broken lamppost lay across the middle of the road, cars were rear-ending each other, some even veerging out of control and crashing into shops. Fire hydrants along the roadside were spraying large jets of water, car hoods were open, and sparks were flying everywhere…
Fang Zhiyi got out of the car.
The commercial street was too chaotic, with roadblocks and water-filled barriers on the road, making it impossible to drive in. The only option was to park and walk.
Brother Cai unloaded the goods from the trunk and hoisted them onto his shoulder, glancing at the task details: "Delivered to the grocery store on the second floor of the Pyramid Building..." He muttered to himself, "Where is the Pyramid Building?"
Chu Zhao spoke up: "There."
The others looked up and followed the direction he pointed. At the end of the commercial street, an inverted triangular building came into view. The building had five floors, and its ground area was about the size of a playground. The entrance faced the commercial street directly.
Fang Zhiyi arrived at the entrance first.
The entrance to the pyramid building consists of two glass doors, each over 2 meters high. The doors were tightly closed, and due to the power outage, the interior was dark. The shops inside looked like dark, gaping eyes, staring intently at those outside.
He tried pushing one of the doors.
Squeak—
Driven by external force, the door slowly rotated, and the mechanical device made a piercing sound as it turned.
I had just pushed the door open a crack and was about to open it wide when a face suddenly pressed against the top of the door.
"Aww—"
The infected person's face was pressed tightly against the glass, their features contorted into a grimace, their mouth split open to reveal bright red gums and sharp teeth.
He stared at Fang Zhiyi, his face revealing longing. "Hungry..." Driven by hunger, he frantically pounded on the glass door, making a "bang bang" sound.
The commotion was so loud that staggering footsteps could be heard in the darkness.
One, two... the exact number of infected people was countless. Young, strong men, staggering old people, women in high heels... the only thing they had in common was their gaunt, sunken faces, gaping mouths, and drool dripping from them.
Fang Zhiyi took a step back.
After letting go, the two doors slammed shut, and the infected surged forward one after another, only to crash into the glass, their hands flailing wildly, leaving streaks of blood on the glass.
"Damn..." Brother Cai swallowed hard. "How do we get in?"
Even with weapons, they couldn't handle so many infected people.
Fang Zhiyi scratched his head and looked towards the gate.
The infected person stared wide-eyed, just as intently at the people outside, hissing and screaming, causing the glass on the door to tremble uncontrollably.
"Let's try another entrance. A shopping mall can't possibly have only one entrance and exit," Fang Zhiyi said.
Brother Cha was getting anxious: "Where can we find other entrances?"
Chu Zhao said, "There is a fire escape on the right side of the building." He held up a promotional leaflet for the Pyramid Building, "which has a floor plan of the building on it."
Fang Zhiyi leaned over and took a look.
The floor plan is drawn in great detail.
The building has a clothing sales area on the first floor, a general merchandise area on the second floor, a dining area on the third floor, a cinema on the fourth floor, and offices on the fifth floor. The general merchandise store is just a short walk or so via the fire escape.
I circled around to the right of the main entrance and found the fire escape in the messy alley.
The door to the passageway was closed; when I pushed it hard, I found it was locked.
Fang Zhiyi turned around and said, "It can't be opened."
The gluttonous girl clenched her fist and waved it: "How about I smash it open?"
Fang Zhiyi said, "The commotion is too great."
Infected individuals are attracted by sound; banging on the door makes too much noise and can easily attract infected individuals at the front door.
Brother Ca's eyes widened: "Then what do we do?"
Chu Zhao said, "I'll give it a try."
Fang Zhiyi made room for Chu Zhao, who reached out and slipped the tri-fold flyer through the crack in the door. He braced his shoulder against the door and slowly slid it up and down. After two attempts, he reached out, grabbed the handle, and pressed down. With a click, the door opened.
"Damn, this actually works?" Brother Cai blurted out.
Fang Zhiyi was also curious: "How did you open it?"
Chu Zhao loosened his fingers: "The door isn't locked. Just find the latch." He held out his hand. "Please."
Fang Zhiyi glanced at him: "How do you know so many?"
Chu Zhao smiled and said, "I have a lot of time and a wide range of interests, so I just learn a lot but not master anything."
As the two were talking, Brother Cai couldn't wait any longer and rushed ahead.
Fang Zhiyi and Chu Zhao followed behind.
The fire escape is deserted year-round, dark and damp; once inside, it's completely pitch black.
After groping my way for a while, my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and the outline of the staircase steps appeared before me.
Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. After turning a corner, a sign for the "Emergency Exit" appeared on the wall, emitting a faint green light that was particularly glaring in the darkness.
The sign next to the light indicates that this is the second floor.
The heavy iron fire door creaked open, revealing a corridor behind it.
The elevator lobby is on the left side of the corridor, and the door to the mall is on the right.
Brother Cai carried a 20kg load and strode ahead. He had only taken two steps when he darted back, yelling all the while.
The greedy girl, quick-witted and agile, caught the goods that were about to fall to the ground, and asked with a frown, "You good-for-nothing! What's wrong?"
Brother Cai pointed to the door, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at it suspiciously, then cautiously walked to the door and looked outside.
When I looked up, I met a pair of staring eyes.
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
His heart suddenly raced, and he almost rushed back like Brother Cha. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was just a mannequin in the mall, facing the elevator entrance, which looked eerie in the dark.
Fang Zhiyi whispered to the person behind him, "It's okay, it's just a dummy."
Brother Cai was still shaken and didn't dare to look at the mannequin even once, walking past it with his head down.
Fang said, "Wait a minute, let me take a look at the floor plan."
I took out the floor plan, but the mall was out of power and there were no lights, so I couldn't see the words on it at all.
Chu Zhao: "It's alright, I've got it written down." He said confidently, "Just go through this shop and turn the corner ahead."
The shop he was referring to sold mannequins. Dozens of mannequins were displayed in various poses, their eyes staring straight at them, which was particularly eerie in the dark.
Fang Zhiyi walked through the pile of mannequins.
The mannequins were placed too close together. Someone accidentally bumped into one of them, and the mannequin swayed and fell to the ground, its head separating from its body and rolling away.
When Brother Cha looked down, he met a pair of dark, lifeless eyes, and he almost jumped up in anger.
The greedy girl slapped him across the face: "What are you afraid of if it's fake?"
Brother Cha stubbornly retorted, "Who said I'm scared?"
The gluttonous girl: "Aren't you afraid? Why are you shaking like that?"
Brother Cha: "I...I'm cold!"
The gluttonous girl: "Hehe."
A cold laugh says it all.
Brother Cha got anxious and wanted to prove that he wasn't afraid at all. He turned his head and stared directly at a group of mannequins, only to find that one of the mannequins was staring straight at him with its bright red lips splitting into a big laugh.
"Damn it—you dare laugh at me?"
Anger welled up in his heart, and malice took hold of his courage. Brother Ca reached out and slapped him across the face.
Snap!
The mannequin swayed, its smile growing even brighter.
"You can laugh, that's all—"
Brother Cha raised his hand again, but before he could bring it down, he belatedly realized that something looked off about the model.
...It doesn't feel right, and it doesn't look right either.
In the dim light, the mannequin's cheeks were sunken and its lips were stretched wider and wider.
"Get out of the way!" Fang Zhiyi shouted.
Brother Cai stood still and kicked him directly.
With a yell, Brother Cai rolled to the ground. Before he could even cry out in pain, he turned around and saw that the "mannequin" had come to life, pounced on the ground, and was frantically biting into it. If he hadn't been kicked away, he would be the one being hugged and intimately touched right now.
After chewing on the mannequin for a while, its mouth full of plastic taste, it spat twice, threw the mannequin aside, and slowly raised its head.
[Disguised as an infected person]
Among a group of mannequins, a real one was mixed in.
...and perhaps more than one.
[Snow Hunter] Insight passive skill activated.
With keen observation, details in the darkness became clear. The third mannequin in the second row at the store entrance moved, and the mannequin on the right was grinding its teeth... There were a total of 6 infected individuals disguised as mannequins.
The infected person on the ground, having broken free of disguise, twisted their neck with a crackling sound, and grinned at the guy.
Brother Ca jumped in surprise: "Crack!"
The next second, the infected person crawled over quickly on all fours.
Brother Cai grabbed the mannequin next to him and forcefully shoved it into the infected person's mouth. He then rolled over and quickly stood up.
The infected person tasted a mouthful of plastic again, felt like they had been tricked, and went completely insane with rage, throwing their head back and howling.
The eyes of the other five "mannequins" lit up, and they stiffly turned their heads to stare at the group of people in front of them.
There's no way out.
Since we can't leave, then we won't leave.
Fang Zhiyi acted decisively, and before the infected person could react, he took the initiative and pushed over the plastic dummy next to him.
The mannequins were placed so densely that when they were pushed, it was like triggering a domino effect, causing a chain reaction where a whole bunch of mannequins collapsed to the ground.
The shop was cramped and difficult to navigate, and the mannequin lying on the ground became an obstacle, restricting the infected person's movement.
Fang Zhiyi did not use a gun.
It was too dark here; he could easily injure his own people if he wasn't careful. He grabbed his baton and smashed it directly at the nearest infected person. The instant he hit them, he flipped a switch, and a high-voltage current shot out. The infected person was electrocuted, convulsing and collapsing to the ground, their body charred black.
Big Glutton Girl also reacted, dropped the goods on her shoulder, and swung her brass knuckles with great force, punching the infected man in the face with left and right punches, making his features fly and his head spin.
Chu Zhao gripped a one-meter-long crowbar, each strike precisely targeting vital points.
With a straightened shoulder and a powerful swing, the crowbar left an afterimage in mid-air before a loud "bang" as brain matter splattered out.
You killed the disguised infected.
You killed the disguised infected.
You killed...
The battle ended in less than five minutes.
The infected person lay on the ground convulsing, then turned into a beam of white light.
[Obtained 157 parts, 12 screws, 1 wrench, and 1 safe key]
[Safe Key]
[The safe in Room 0121 on the first floor of Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company can be opened.]
"Damn... these infected people are really insidious."
The greedy girl wiped the blood off her hands and glared at him, saying, "How dare you speak?"
Brother Cha chuckled and quickly took the cargo box, offering eagerly, "Let me do it, let me do it."
After dealing with the infected person in the mannequin shop, I walked out down the corridor and saw an orange light shining ahead.
Inside the nearly abandoned pyramid-shaped building, there are still shops open.
The signboard was crooked and almost fell off the wall.
[General Store]
Saying it's "opening the door" isn't quite accurate.
The roller shutter door at the entrance of the shop was half-drawn, covered with scratches and bloodstains, and a blood-stained baseball bat stood upright next to the door, clearly indicating its lethality.
Fang Zhiyi stopped and stepped aside to let Brother Cai pass.
Brother Cha cleared his throat: "Is anyone there?"
Behind the roller shutter door, someone said, "I'm so sorry, we're short on stock and can't take customers at the moment."
Brother Cha: "We're here to deliver goods!"
The roller shutter swayed, then suddenly rose a little higher, revealing a shrewd face: "Please come in, please come in—"
As Brother Cha carried the cargo box inside, he loosened his grip, and the box landed heavily on the table.
"Oh dear, I placed the order for the missing item a long time ago, why is it only arriving now... It's late, I'll have to deduct the shipping fee."
Brother Cai slammed his hand on the table, cursing, "This place is in such a mess, it's already a miracle that someone even delivers goods to you, and you're still being picky?"
"That's not how it works..."
"What are you babbling about? Give me the money!"
"I can only give you a maximum of 800 parts."
"Damn, is this some kind of scam?"
Brother Cai was already holding back his anger, and then he was made things difficult by the boss. He turned red-faced and almost got into a fight.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Fang Zhiyi cleared his throat and coughed.
The sudden coughing interrupted the argument, and everyone turned to look.
Fang Zhiyi received a third of the reward, and he didn't want to lose out on some parts for no reason, so he smiled and said, "Boss, with the bear market going on, there probably isn't much business here, right?"
The owner's attention was immediately diverted: "How could there be no business! Many of my regular customers have placed orders here and are just waiting for the goods to be delivered!"
Fang Zhiyi said slowly and deliberately, "Really? I imagine it would be very troublesome if we couldn't deliver on time."
Boss: "It's very troublesome. The most important thing in doing business is integrity. If the delivery date is delayed again and again, it's hard to explain even to regular customers."
Fang Zhiyi's expression changed, and his smile vanished: "You know that doing business requires integrity. If you're not honoring the agreed-upon payment, then I don't think there's any point in delivering this goods. Let's go."
The boss was caught off guard by the sudden reversal: "Hey, hey, my goods—"
Fang's intention: "Keep the reward for yourself, and we'll return the goods to the Highway 2 camp."
Brother Cai looked at this and then at that, then happily picked up the cargo box and made a face at the boss: "I won't give it to you even if I throw it away."
boss:"……"
The boss quickly reached out to stop him: "Wait, the payment is negotiable, but don't take the goods!"
The man nimbly dodged the boss's hand and stood firm: "It's not us who can't deliver the goods. The goods were delivered, but you didn't want them."
Boss: "I want them, I want them. Here's the payment: 1000 parts, okay?"
Brother Cha was somewhat tempted and looked at Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi, however, did not know when to stop. He crossed his arms and said, "The price is not the same now. 1500. If it doesn't work, we'll turn around and leave. We'll consider this a wasted trip."
The boss's brow twitched: "I'll personally add another 200 for you, okay?"
After some back and forth, the final deal was for 1300 parts.
Brother Cai was surprised that he not only got back the less-than-ideal reward, but also asked for an extra 300 yuan, and happily counted the parts.
"Boss, we agreed to give you one-third." He initiated a trade request to Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at the number: "Why is it 630?"
Brother Cha: "The extra 300 is what you earned through your own abilities, boss. It's all yours."
Fang Zhiyi refused to accept it: "Just give me 430. We agreed on one-third before, so you don't need to give me more."
Brother Ca gave a thumbs up: "The boss is the most generous one, I think you're the best."
Fang Zhiyi: "..."
That was a good compliment; please don't repeat it next time.
...
After completing their mission, the group returned the way they came.
I went down the fire escape stairs and returned to the alley. The round trip took almost an hour. The sky outside was overcast, and newspapers were being blown about by the wind.
The newspaper fell into a puddle, and the black text on the top line, "Sun Umbrella invests billions in research on biopharmaceuticals, repeatedly breaking through industry heights," was blurred by the water.
When Brother Ca stepped on it, the contents on it turned into a complete mess.
As they exited the alley and passed the main entrance of the pyramid building, they instinctively glanced back. Inside, the infected individuals were pressed against the glass door, their eyes fixed on them, turning left and right in response to their movements.
Recalling what had happened before, they all slowed their pace.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the quiet street.
Everyone looked at Brother Cai.
Brother Ca raised his hands to show his innocence: "It wasn't me!"
Looking around, there was indeed no broken glass on the ground, and while everyone was standing still, there was another series of "crack" sounds.
Fang Zhiyi turned her head away.
A crack appeared in the glass doors of the pyramid-shaped building, and the infected desperately pushed and shoved each other onto the crack. Their efforts widened the crack until it finally gave way, shattering into pieces with a loud "crack."
The glass shattered, countless fragments exploded, and the mirror reflected tiny glimmers of light.
The infected all looked up, and after a moment of silence, they went completely berserk, pushing and shoving their way out like madmen. The glass door shattered completely, and a swarm of infected poured out, staring hungrily at the few people in front of them.
"...Run!"
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