A pro caught a lowly soldier.
The courtyard surrounded by zombies was pitch black, and there wasn't a sound. The zombies mechanically rammed the door for a long time without getting any response. Although they didn't leave, the frequency of their attacks was significantly lower.
The sound of the asbestos tiles shattering was especially clear at this moment, immediately diverting the zombies' attention, who all stiffly turned their heads away.
I didn't see the dark figure for a long time, and I was getting increasingly anxious. I really wanted to ask if anyone had seen anything, but I held back because Yu Zhongjian had repeatedly warned us not to speak after he left, and preferably not even to breathe.
Those ten seconds felt like an eternity. When I heard a gunshot, I immediately looked up and saw the dark figure standing on the top of the makeshift market. It was none other than Yu Zhongjian! He hadn't fallen into the zombie horde. He had actually leaped nearly three meters, and it was a difficult jump from low to high, managing to climb to the top of the market.
I looked at Han Bo, whose eyes were also filled with disbelief and shock. I had been thinking about a question ever since Yu Zhongjian ran over the wall: Did this person practice martial arts from childhood?
Gunshots rang out incessantly, interspersed with practiced and loud whistles. The whistles were long and undulating, like a signal flare flying into the air and continuing to fly, causing the zombies in front of my house and outside the wall to pause for a few seconds, and then involuntarily twist towards that direction.
The market is about eighty meters long. To the west and to the east are ruins, and there is no other wall for him to stand on. If Yu Zhongjian stays on the roof for too long, the zombies will soon fill and surround the market, and he will not be able to get down.
I slowly leaned close to Han Bo's ear and whispered, "Once the zombies at the door leave, we'll go over and continue to cover for Xiao Yu."
Han Bo shook his head and didn't say anything. I understood what he meant; Yu Zhongjian wouldn't allow it, and he just told us to wait.
The shadowy figures did indeed move eastward, the whistling continued incessantly, and the zombies, like a swarm of dark insects, surged toward the makeshift market in large numbers, but there were still some stubborn ones in front of my house.
After another gunshot, the dark figure disappeared from our sight. Then another gunshot rang out, this time some distance away.
Amidst the intermittent, unpredictable gunfire, the zombie army gradually emerged from the rubble, following the sound. They moved slowly, and in vast numbers, wave after wave reaching the horizon before dawn. By this time, the gunfire had faded from the volume of firecrackers to a sound almost like the tapping of a bowl.
Some remains were scattered in small groups on the ruins, and a dozen or so were left sporadically in the alley. At 7:13, the sky brightened, and the crisis of the zombie siege was temporarily averted. But we dared not move, dared not speak, and dared not breathe deeply. We lay stiffly, trying to hear the gunshots that had long since disappeared. We all wore expressions of worry, but there was nothing we could do.
About ten minutes later, Han Bo couldn't hold back any longer. He patted Zhou Yi and me, pointed at the gun, and then at the zombies in the alley. We understood, slung our guns over our shoulders, stretched our limbs slightly, left the rooftop to Zhao Zhuobao, and dragged the almost asleep Li Tonggu downstairs in a swift, stealthy manner.
The people inside the building were very obedient; the door was tightly closed, and not a sound was made. We went into the yard and each grabbed a machete, a pointed iron bar, and a screwdriver, and stood in front of the door. Han Bo made a zipper-like gesture towards us and gently removed the steel bar blocking the door.
It's absolutely true that the force you experience increases with pressure. After encountering dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of zombies, we didn't take these dozen or so in the alley too seriously.
Ignoring the stench, I quietly dealt with the people blocking the road. I pushed Li Tonggu back and told him to lock the door and watch the house while we waited for our return. Then, Han Bo, Zhou Yi, and I crouched down and jogged to the van parked at the alley entrance.
There were still some zombies left in the market, wandering around like headless flies. As soon as Zhou Yi opened the door, Han Bo and I took down a few nearby, then jumped into the car, turned around, and sped eastward.
Yu Zhongjian had achieved remarkable feats, managing to shoo away most of the thousands of zombies single-handedly. As we drove through the demolition zone and onto Renmin Road, we saw zombies who had lost their way standing by the roadside, looking around blankly. Some were single, while others were in pairs. When they saw our car, they still tried to pounce on us, their rotten faces and dismembered limbs still disgusting, but they were no longer a threat.
"Where did he go?" After driving about a kilometer, Han Bo looked around anxiously. The zombie army had disappeared, and Yu Zhongjian was nowhere to be seen either.
I didn't answer, but my eyes quickly scanned the surrounding terrain. This was the old city area. To the left of Renmin Road were several government offices, some shops, and a middle school; to the right was an open park, and behind it was a large residential area. It looked quiet, not like a place teeming with zombies. Two kilometers further east, there was a small overpass with lanes in all directions. Once I got on the overpass, the roads would connect in all directions, allowing me to go anywhere.
“I don’t believe he could have run that far.” I rolled down the car window and looked into the tree-lined park. The straggling zombies that appeared every few meters along the roadside proved that we were looking in the right direction. “This group of zombies is not small. They can’t be hidden in an ordinary place. Let’s drive to the overpass and see. If they’re still there, then… he really has the ability to fly and disappear.”
“Maybe he found a car,” Zhou Yi continued. “Xiao Yu isn’t stupid; he can’t possibly run several kilometers on foot. The best way is to find a car and drive slowly, firing from inside to continue luring the zombies while ensuring his own safety. Once the zombies are lured to a suitable place, he can drive away.”
I thought it made sense. Give me two hours and I might be able to walk ten kilometers or so, but zombies aren't fast. Moving forward step by step, I'd be lucky to cover three kilometers. And where those three kilometers are...
"I know!" I slapped my thigh. "I know where the horde of zombies is now!"
Where?
"Underground driveway".
Renmin Road is a major thoroughfare. Ten years ago, before the old city was demolished, traffic was extremely heavy, so an overpass was built. Two lanes lead onto the overpass, branching off in the middle, while an underground lane extends for a kilometer, with the exit still on Renmin Road. To lure away a large number of zombies with near-zero intelligence, a roundabout route is clearly not a good choice; a direct route will achieve the best results.
This guess was quickly confirmed: the closer they got to the overpass, the more zombies scrambled to join them. Fifty meters from the underground lane, they could see over a hundred zombies densely packed on the four-lane road and beside the bridge piers, and there were bound to be many more inside the dimly lit entrance.
I stopped Zhou Yi from driving any further: "No, we have to turn around right away, we can't go any further."
Han Bo said, "We can't just ignore Xiao Yu, why don't we go and check on her?"
“We have to turn around,” I said, raising my voice before he could say more. “Can’t you see the road to the bridge is blocked? We can’t get through. If the zombies in the tunnel are attracted by the sound of the car and chase after us, all of Xiao Yu’s hard work will be for nothing.”
Zhou Yi obediently turned around, but some zombies still slowly followed behind our car.
Han Bo looked back: "We haven't seen many usable vehicles along the way. How did Xiao Yu escape? Could he be in the tunnel too?"
“He’s not that stupid,” I publicly expressed my confidence in Yu Zhongjian for the first time. “Remember what he told Zhou Yi? He was 100% sure. Would he dare to brag like that if he didn’t have some ability? I certainly don’t have the ability to fly over rooftops and scale walls. Think about it, even someone like me can run around with over a hundred zombies. For him, leading a thousand would probably be a piece of cake. Don’t worry, we’ll take a detour and search the surrounding area. If we can’t find him, it means he’s already gone home!”
Zhou Yi immediately chimed in: "Exactly! I'm truly impressed by Xiao Yu now; his qualities are beyond the reach of most people."
Han Bo thought for a moment after hearing this and nodded in agreement, then suddenly smiled and said, "Da Feng, that Shaliwa you made last time made my stomach hurt from laughing so much, I almost couldn't hold it in and gave myself away. After knowing you for over twenty years, I finally understand why you never sing at karaoke, it's just too awful!"
"If you want to hear something good, go to the opera house. I'm only at that level!" I said sternly. "Stop rambling and get down to business. Who do you think fired the gun to lure the zombies?"
Zhou Yi slammed his fist on the steering wheel and roared, "Who else could it be? It's none other than those bastards! We didn't provoke them, but they struck first. Are they asking for it?"
"What's the reason?" I asked. "They took the lion's share of the weapons, but we didn't get involved in the grain depots. We painstakingly collected all the supplies from various parts of the city. Did we offend them in any way? Why would they do this?"
Han Bo seemed to agree with Zhou Yi's idea: "Perhaps we were spotted by their people running around the city a couple of days ago. They secretly investigated our situation and were afraid that we would grow stronger and harm their interests, so they took the initiative to strike first."
I just couldn't understand it: "This doesn't make sense. We're all just ordinary people who've been led around our whole lives. We all come from civilized society. Shouldn't most people think like my dad—try to survive and wait for rescue? If they killed a few survivors before, we could understand it as a face-to-face conflict while fighting for supplies. But to want to eliminate living people who haven't even had a conflict or met them before? Is this the thinking of a normal person? It's like they're convinced the apocalypse will continue, that Huai City has been abandoned, and they're planning ahead to establish themselves as kings!"
Han Bo gave him a "you just realized that?" look: "Isn't that how it is? There are countless examples of people becoming kings in chaotic times throughout history."
"That's not right either. Those who want to become kings all try to win people's hearts. If they can't win them over, they can kill them later. Otherwise, what's the point of him being a commander without any troops? How many rebel kings in history killed people without ever having any dealings with them or anything? This logic doesn't make sense, unless..."
Han Bo asked, "Unless what?"
"Unless he's mentally ill."
We drove around Zhongrong Road, which runs north-south, until we reached Renmin East Road, but couldn't find Yu Zhongjian. So we turned around and drove aimlessly west. We spent the whole morning driving through almost the entire old city, but still came up empty-handed, so we had no choice but to go home.
Surprisingly, the dozen or so zombies that remained in the market when we left were all dead now, splattered with black blood and covered in putrid stench. The alley entrance had been firmly blocked with stones, piled up to a height of more than a person, forming a rough, sloping step; the gaps in the remaining wall connecting to the ruins on the left had also been filled with bricks, although not as neatly as my dad and the others had done before, but at least the alley was now a complete alley.
I climbed onto the pile of stones and immediately saw Blackie, Fatty Luo, and Li Qiang squatting on the alley wall, each holding a steel bar and forcefully stabbing it into the heads of the zombies that were relentlessly clawing at the wall. Many zombie corpses were already lying on the rubble below the wall.
Wu Bainian and my dad were supporting the three of them from below to keep them balanced, while Liu Meili was actually working with Qin Yun and Chen Ruonan to build a wall. They were all standing on tiptoe and putting bricks on top of the pile of stones, their little faces flushed from the busy work.
I was wondering why there weren't any zombies around in this demolition area; there were so many wandering around the empty ruins when we left this morning. We were thinking of having them lock the gates and cleaning up after we got back, but it turns out my family has already started.
I called out to Han Bo and Zhou Yi, "Many hands make light work, come and take a look."
Han Bo climbed up and laughed: "These guys are pretty strong, I don't see anything cowardly about them?"
I shook my head and chuckled, "This is the result of having a solid foundation. Don't underestimate our house just because it's not luxurious; it gives us a great sense of belonging."
Zhou Yi locked the car and climbed up, complaining, "Why did you block the road? It'll be so troublesome to have to climb up and down every time we need to get in and out!"
Han Bo said, "They're scared. Let's install a gate at the entrance of the alley after the wall is repaired."
I stepped down from the pile of stones and called out to Liu Meili, "Meili, has President Yu returned yet?"
When Liu Meili saw the three of us, her eyes lit up, and the tense expression on her face immediately relaxed a lot: "You're finally back. Your uncle and aunt were getting impatient and almost went out to look for you. President Yu came back a long time ago, and he brought someone with him."
"Hmm? You brought someone with you?"
I glanced at Han Bo, who immediately perked up and took off running, saying as he ran, "Calling me 'General Manager Yu' is really too much of an honor, you're incredibly capable!"
I was naturally very happy to hear that Yu Zhongjian had returned. But mixed in with my joy was a surprise that I hadn't had a chance to show.
Because I've always believed that Yu Yu possesses extraordinary intelligence, Yu Zhongjian's several effective tactics didn't particularly surprise me. Multiple personality disorder is essentially a splitting of one's personality, with each secondary personality reflecting a certain aspect of the primary personality. The calmness, courage, clarity, and thoroughness that Yu Zhongjian exhibits, in my view, are unique characteristics of this secondary personality, rejecting Yu Yu's emotional, weak, and feminine side. As for arrogance, treachery, and ruthlessness, I can't see them yet, and I hope I never will.
He is not complete, but he is the alternate personality that I most want to keep so far.
But after the battle in the early morning, the few doubts I had before had become huge. His skill with a gun was one thing, but what was with jumping down a floor, running across narrow walls, and leaping nearly three meters onto the ceiling? Yu Yu is about 1.78 meters tall and has been imprisoned for years. The few times I've seen him, he's always pale and unsteady on his feet. Did he develop such agility in his dreams? Besides, if Yu Yu had such skills, why was it so difficult for me to even turn over when I stepped on his chest?
Of course, there's also the possibility that Yu Yu practiced martial arts, but after falling ill, he became obsessed with conquering others using brainwaves, looked down on those who were physically strong, and refused to acknowledge that he had once practiced martial arts, deliberately sealing his skills. Yu Zhongjian, as a split product of his male physical characteristics, automatically released the seal upon waking.
The mental world of the mentally ill is truly fantastical; it feels like it could be made into a movie.
Considering that Yu Dandan only gloated for two days before kicking the bucket, while Yu Zhongjian persisted for so long, I suspect he's not only expressionless but also emotionally unstable. Surely nothing can scare him into hiding? A calm and capable alternate personality—why have I never seen him before? What unknown past does Yu Yu have? Playing dumb or digging deeper—it's another difficult choice.
Today was full of shocks, one after another. I was startled as soon as I entered the house; there was a person kneeling in the corner of the yard, bound hand and foot. To be precise, it was a soldier.
He was a very young man, probably about the same age as Chen Ruonan. His still-childish face was covered in bruises, and his left eye was swollen shut, clearly from being beaten. He was wearing a brown camouflage uniform, a camouflage hat, and combat boots, with collar and arm patches, and a standard-issue armed belt around his waist. A gun lay on the ground beside him, its sharpness far contrasting with its unassuming appearance. Even though I don't know much about military equipment, I could tell at a glance that he was different from a militiaman.
He was gagged, his hands and feet were bound behind his back, and he was tied to a large oil drum. The ropes were taut, forcing him to kneel. But he was clearly unwilling, struggling and growling, glaring angrily at everyone in the yard with his one eye that could still be opened.
"How come there's a soldier here?" I was stunned for a moment, then looked up and sure enough, Yu Zhongjian and Li Tonggu were standing on the roof smoking.
My mom rushed over, anxiously saying, "Hey, your dad just said that Dandan won't listen and says it's a fake. Look, this kid is a soldier, right? We can't just tie him up like this."
"A fake?" I was completely baffled. "Yu Zhongjian, what's going on?"
Yu Zhongjian flicked his cigarette butt and said calmly, "He's the one who lured the zombies here."
Upon hearing this, my first reaction wasn't "Holy crap, beat him to death," but rather "Really? There must be some mistake."
I didn't move, and Han Bo was also a bit dumbfounded. Yu Zhongjian's words seemed to overturn his and Zhou Yi's previous guesses about "those people". But looking at the thin and immature appearance of this soldier, it seemed impossible that he could single-handedly attract more than a thousand zombies.
I looked up at Yu Zhongjian again, and feeling that I shouldn't hurt his feelings, I said, "I believe you, but can I ask him a few questions?"
Yu Zhongjian, with his eyes lowered and hands in his pockets, lazily said, "It's up to you." Then he disappeared from the rooftop.
"You've worked hard, thank you so much, Xiao Yu! Here's an extra dish for you!" I could no longer see him, but I still said a few nice things to him like a sycophant.
Intuitively, I knew Yu Zhongjian wouldn't be angry. He's a master, and he must have the composure befitting a master.
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