8. The evil man comes
After eating and drinking their fill, Fu Yunong and Shi Dong went downstairs together.
Fu Yunong tried each floor one by one, all the way to the second floor, but the system remained unresponsive. However, when she stood at the entrance to the stairwell on the first floor, she clicked "Confirm Exchange," and a "Exchange Successful" message suddenly popped up in front of her.
Immediately afterwards, the zombie closest to them abruptly stopped roaring and fell straight to the ground.
“Two meters,” Shi Dong said.
To ensure the accuracy of the experiment, the two tested it repeatedly with three other zombies. The final result was that Fu Yunong could harvest zombies within two meters without ignoring obstacles, and not even a centimeter more.
“I’ve used up all your crystal cores.” Fu Yunong’s tone was somewhat apologetic.
Shi Dong smiled nonchalantly, but the next second, her smile vanished, and a chilling aura emanated from her.
Fu Yunong was taken aback, then caught a glimpse of the furtive figures outside the door. She observed them discreetly for a moment, then suggested in a low voice, "Why don't you try to lure them in first?"
Even so, her voice still trembled. After all, this was the first time she had encountered living people here besides Shi Dong. Moreover, they were several tall men.
...
Zeng Jiabao's name was given to him by his father, who had toiled in the fields all his life. His father always had a hunched back and a forced smile, and the villagers all said that the old man was honest and kind.
His father had never left the county town in his entire life. On the day he named his son, he squatted on the doorstep, smoking his pipe. He tapped the pipe against the sole of his shoe for half the night before finally managing to utter the two words, "Jiabao, my family's treasure."
From a young age, Zeng Jiabao was pampered by his family. Even his father, who would beat him when drunk, wouldn't lay a finger on him when he was intoxicated. Sometimes he wondered if his father was really drunk, otherwise how could he always find the right spot to slap his mother, the slaps landing on her face like thunder.
But it didn't matter; as long as the fists didn't land on him, he couldn't be bothered to care. Sometimes, his mother's wailing and screaming would actually excite him, and he could listen while doing his homework, making him more efficient than usual.
Everyone praised Zeng Jiabao's intelligence. Throughout his school years, his name was consistently among the top students. He wore glasses and spoke in a gentle, mild manner, earning him high regard from all who met him.
He looked down on those thugs in society, yet he always hung out with them in private—it was his unique way of relieving stress. Every time they committed a crime, there were traces of his involvement, yet he always managed to extricate himself completely.
Until one day, the gang leader said he was going to do something big—kidnap someone, scare them a bit, and then give them a large sum of money.
This was an experience unlike anything Zeng Jiabao had ever had before. His fingertips were slightly hot, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
When they sneaked into the house late at night, he was at the very back. The house was so quiet you could hear the clock ticking. As the group was groping around, a door suddenly opened, and the daughter of the house got up to pee, rubbing her eyes. Unlike his accomplices, he didn't show any menacingness. Instead, he covered her mouth first, his calm gaze sweeping over her terrified face, the fire in his eyes growing ever stronger.
The first time, he felt something was about to get out of control.
The girl's sobs startled the male homeowner, who rushed out barefoot and quickly pinned her to the ground, tied her tightly with a rope, and dragged her to a corner.
Zeng Jiabao squatted down, grabbed his scalp, and forced him to open his eyes and watch what was about to happen.
The matter escalated, and public opinion erupted. Due to its extremely egregious nature, the case was swiftly transferred to the highest court. On the day the final verdict was handed down, several accomplices were sentenced to death, while Zeng Jiabao only received a prison sentence.
During the trial, he tearfully recounted how he was forced and coerced. His gaze was sincere yet timid, and even some people in the audience whispered, "Such a good kid, what a pity."
He spent less than six months in prison before disaster struck.
Prisoners like him weren't eligible for transfer; on the contrary, they were used as cannon fodder to clear rubble and move corpses. On the day order completely collapsed, Zeng Jiabao and several fellow inmates escaped.
After successfully escaping, Zeng Jiabao stood on the ruins, looking at the hellish scene before him, and suddenly laughed.
His time has come; he will break free from constraints and no longer bind himself!
From then on, the blood on his hands never dried. With his intelligence and ruthlessness, Zeng Jiabao gathered a few desperate men around him, and they managed to survive in this apocalyptic world.
...
The men outside exchanged glances, and one of them pried open the door, the hinges creaking loudly. To the two women's alarmed expressions, they surrounded them.
The helpless look on one of the women reminded Zeng Jiabao of that girl, that unforgettable night. But when he looked at the other one, he paused for a few seconds in shock.
Seeing that they had no weapons, he gripped his long knife and said with a forced smile, "Be a good girl and I'll spare your lives."
Fu Yunong was truly panicked. She had never been in a fight in her entire life, let alone witnessed anything like this.
Shi Dong, however, was observing them discreetly. The seven men were dressed in a haphazard, ill-fitting outfit, a truly jarring sight. Except for the one who had spoken earlier, the others were disheveled, unshaven, and reeked of a foul odor. Yet, their movements were steady, their faces were not sunken, and they seemed to be in good spirits, not like they were suffering from hunger.
The men assumed they were just terrified and grinned as they reached out to grab them.
Suddenly, several streaks of silver-blue lightning shot into the sky, coiling like snakes around the nearest people. They convulsed violently, then crashed straight to the ground, their hair flying everywhere, and a burnt stench instantly filled the air.
In the blink of an eye, only two of them remained.
Zeng Jiabao and the bearded man next to him stood frozen in place, their legs trembling.
What, what's going on?!
Zeng Jiabao's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling that he was going to fail today.
His knees buckled and he knelt on the ground with a thud, weeping and pleading, "Please spare me, sisters! I've never done anything wrong. They forced me to do this! Please forgive me this time!"
Seeing this, the bearded man tried to imitate him, but his acting was so bad that it only made him look ridiculous.
"What do you think?" Shi Dong asked, turning his head.
Fu Yunong's fingertips trembled slightly, but she pointed firmly, "This cannot be kept!"
Zeng Jiabao was startled, then breathed a sigh of relief, and cried even harder, pleading more earnestly, his face covered in snot and tears, truly looking like someone who regretted his past mistakes and was determined to change his ways.
Shi Dong remained silent, a faint light flashing in his palm. Just as the bearded man was about to open his mouth, his body suddenly stiffened, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Zeng Jiabao shuddered, his sobs abruptly ceasing. He wiped his face, as if making a momentous decision, and raised his refined features, looking at Shi Dong with adoration. "Sister, I recognize you! I saw you during the transfer; you were with your teammates!"
That's true.
Shi Dong, dressed in her combat uniform, stood tall and composed, her face cool and aloof, conspicuously appearing in the chaotic crowd. He, on the other hand, was merely cannon fodder being led to clear the rubble. That fleeting glimpse, taken only a few dozen meters away, left an indelible mark on his heart.
He roared in his heart that he wanted her, but he could only watch helplessly as her figure disappeared into the dust, not even deigning to give her a glance.
Every time he woke up in the middle of the night, he was tormented by his own thoughts, and only by indulging in lewd fantasies could he find some relief.
Fu Yunong looked at Shi Dong in surprise.
Shi Dong raised the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile, and leaned forward slightly. "Then tell me, where did you come from? And how did you find us?"
Zeng Jiabao was overjoyed and immediately spilled the beans: they were holed up in a residential area a few kilometers away; today, they wandered around the neighborhood and were attracted by the noise, so they came over to see if they could get some benefits.
After listening, Shi Dong straightened up and asked Fu Yunong, "What should we do with him?"
Zeng Jiabao quickly crawled two steps on his knees, rubbing his hands together and smiling obsequiously, "Sisters, give me a chance! Spare my life! I can work, I can keep watch at night, you can make me do anything!"
Fu Yunong felt a pang of discomfort seeing his groveling and begging manner. She sighed softly, "Let him reunite with his companions."
Although she hadn't experienced the hardships of the apocalypse firsthand, she had read some historical texts. These people were all in cahoots; she didn't believe this man could say he hadn't done anything. His current demeanor suggested he was biding his time and waiting for revenge. His current submissive attitude suggested he was plotting something malicious.
We must not leave ourselves with future troubles.
A hint of surprise flashed in Shi Dong's eyes. She didn't say anything more, and an electric arc condensed in her palm.
Before the expression on Zeng Jiabao's face had faded, his pupils suddenly contracted sharply. He died without understanding how he had fallen.
Shi Dong withdrew his hand and patted Fu Yunong's shoulder.
In fact, she had seen many people like this, who were self-righteous and thought they could manipulate the whole world, but they didn't know that their tricks were nothing more than the antics of clowns.
She just wanted to see what Fu Yunong would choose. Fortunately, she wasn't disappointed.
Their weapons were confiscated, and the two returned to the 9th floor.
Fu Yunong was somewhat dejected, after all, it was the first time she had directly witnessed the death of a living person. Although she hadn't been the one to do it, she was still implicated. She needed some time to recover.
Shi Dong didn't disturb her; she picked up a book and quietly started flipping through it.
As darkness fell, Fu Yunong came over and softly asked her what she wanted to eat.
Shi Dong looked up and saw that there was no abnormality on her face, so she closed her book and asked, "What's there to eat?"
Fu Yunong listed them off, "Compressed biscuits, compressed dry food, canned food, energy bars, self-heating rice, dehydrated dried vegetables, vacuum-packed braised eggs, that's all for now."
Shi Dong ordered two boxes of self-heating rice, one beef flavor and one braised chicken flavor, plus a can of yellow peaches, two braised eggs and two bottles of water.
Fu Yunong nodded in agreement. She currently had 349 points, all earned by Shi Dong, so it was only right that she eat whatever she wanted.
She also took a box of beef rice and a bottle of water, which cost her a total of 51 points.
"Let's go check out that neighborhood tomorrow," Shi Dong said, standing by the window after dinner, looking at the dark sky.
She explained that this is a lone building with lots of windows, and if a blizzard comes in winter, it might not be able to withstand it.
Fu Yunong nodded in agreement.
At night, Fu Yunong lay in bed, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, her consciousness gradually becoming blurred.
In a daze, she felt herself push open a door. Outside was an impenetrable darkness. She suppressed her heart pounding and stepped forward. The floor beneath her feet was cold and hard. She began to wander aimlessly through the empty office area, circling it again and again.
Workstations, corridors, meeting rooms… no matter which direction you walk, you'll eventually return to the same place, with no end in sight. In the emptiness, only the sound of her own footsteps echoes, sending a chill down your spine.
She grew increasingly frightened and anxious, and just as she was sweating profusely with worry, dawn suddenly broke.
The blinding sunlight streamed through the windows, and the office area instantly erupted in a cacophony of voices: the clatter of keyboards, the hum of printers, and loud laughter.
Fu Yunong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked in. But the next second, she suddenly stopped.
No, no, there shouldn't be anyone here!
A person walked towards them, and when he looked up, Fu Yunong felt her blood freeze.
It's that man!
He held his coffee cup, gave her a refined yet eerie smile, and grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Miss Fu, you haven't submitted your report yet."
People around turned around, and the hall was packed with them! Every face looked just like theirs!
Fu Yunong wanted to shout, but her throat felt blocked, and she could only watch helplessly as they surrounded her, their footsteps growing closer and closer...
Suddenly, a hand gently patted her shoulder, and a cool voice rang in her ear, "Don't be afraid."
The sound instantly dispelled her fear, and Fu Yunong relaxed completely, her breathing becoming light and even.
Shi Dong withdrew her hand and slowly closed her eyes.
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