WMSR – QT Chapter 98

WMSR – QT Chapter 98

By

siofra

Chapter 98: The Senior of the Apocalypse

In the end, driven by this complex psychological conflict, Xiao Yi refrained from forcibly shoving Qi Yuanyuan aside. Instead, after walking a short distance, his eyes caught sight of a broken wooden table leg lying on the ground. Xiao Yi addressed Qi Yuanyuan in a cold, detached register: "Pick it up."

The zombie apocalypse had genuinely erupted.

Ever since the onset of the apocalypse, Bai Yichen had not stepped foot outside his residence once. Yet despite staying indoors, gazing through his window afforded him a crystal-clear view of the apocalyptic transformation overtaking the world.

Outside the glass pane lay a scene of total chaos. Vehicles rammed recklessly into one another, with traffic signals rendered completely obsolete. However, following the initial two days of mayhem, the sheer volume of operating vehicles on the asphalt dwindled at a rate visible to the naked eye. Presently, the majority of automobiles lining the curb were abandoned wrecks with shattered windshields. The panic-stricken crowds shrieking and fleeing through the streets similarly underwent a sharp decline after that initial wave; most civilians had either driven out of the urban zone to escape or, like Bai Yichen, barricaded themselves inside their homes. The empty main thoroughfares were now roamed almost exclusively by stiff, mechanically swaying zombies.

This once-bustling metropolis had quieted down in an astonishingly brief period through a methodology nobody could have anticipated. Bai Yichen understood with absolute clarity that this tranquility was a genuine, desolate silence—the remaining living population inside this vibrant city was likely far smaller than the sparse numbers seen during the peak Spring Festival holiday migration, and those few surviving individuals were frantically exhausting every avenue to escape.

Yet despite witnessing this grand exodus with his own eyes, Bai Yichen harbored zero intention of joining the fleeing tide. He knew all too well that the zombie tide was exploding across every coordinate of the globe; escaping this particular city to head elsewhere would not grant safety, contrary to what some naively assumed.

Throughout the chaotic flight of an apocalypse, while zombies were undeniably horrific, the darker depths of human nature proved infinitely more terrifying. Countless individuals did not perish directly under the fangs of zombies, but rather at the hands of their fellow humans.

Amidst a total collapse of societal order where every soul prioritized basic survival above all else, a working vehicle, a stash of long-term survival supplies, or even a fleeting opportunity to outrun someone else could easily prompt certain individuals to strike down their companions.

Bai Yichen was merely an ordinary human in this world; he couldn't guarantee that if he evaded the zombies, he could similarly dodge the unpredictable malice of desperate survivors. Thus, taking a conservative posture, Bai Yichen resolved not to merge into the initial wave of fleeing refugees. After all, this early migration cohort was defined by total panic, lacking strategic direction or long-term objectives, and true survivor safe zones had yet to be established. Venturing out right now offered zero guaranteed safety anywhere; it was far wiser to rely on his pre-stocked ration supplies and shelter quietly inside his apartment for a spell.

More critically, Bai Yichen remained acutely aware that he was bound by a baseline survival mission requirement in this world spanning a minimum duration of one month. Consequently, regardless of his future tactical plans, it was paramount to safely navigate this initial thirty-day threshold before taking further action.

While Bai Yichen sheltered peacefully inside his apartment, the situational landscape out in the wider world deteriorated exponentially. Cell phone coverage and internet infrastructure suffered complete paralysis shortly after the outbreak began. Information junkies who had once comfortably digested global affairs from their couches were reduced to blind, isolated survivors, while mobile phones lost their primary communication utility. Nevertheless, serving as accessible flashlights and tangible anchors of hope for re-establishing contact, very few people discarded their devices. Currently, Qi Yuanyuan held her smartphone—adorned with a pink crystal and faux-diamond case—to illuminate their path, while her other hand nervously dragged the wooden table leg, trailing closely behind the tall silhouette advancing ahead.

Several days had elapsed, leaving both Qi Yuanyuan and Xiao Yi appearing considerably disheveled. Qi Yuanyuan, who had once maintained the polished, immaculate demeanor of a campus goddess, now sported messy, tangled hair carelessly tied in a loose knot, with zero regard for her image remaining. Yet despite her physical distress, she clung tightly to the figure ahead, fearing abandonment above all else.

In the span of a few brief days, she had witnessed firsthand what this world had mutated into. She recognized with absolute clarity that were it not for the cold-faced, taciturn guy marching ahead of her, she would have perished a hundred times over. Thus, no matter what transpired, she could not be abandoned—she absolutely could not be left behind.

Navigating forward with extreme vigilance, the duo managed to avoid alerting any wandering zombies, slipping successfully into an open-door dormitory room. While Xiao Yi stood guard at the doorway, Qi Yuanyuan wielded her smartphone light to frantically scour the room. Her eyes lit up as she finally located her target, her stomach letting out an ill-timed rumble. Yet adhering strictly to their unspoken rules, she placed her scavenged loot before Xiao Yi: a few packs of dry biscuits and two bottles of drinking water.

Xiao Yi glanced at the supplies Qi Yuanyuan had retrieved, claimed half of the biscuits alongside a single bottle of water, and tore into the packaging to eat. Only then did Qi Yuanyuan cautiously consume the remaining portion.

Both ate at an accelerated pace—after enduring several days of apocalyptic survival, the luxury of chewing slowly had vanished from their habits. Naturally, while a few packs of dry biscuits tasted decent, they fell far short of truly satisfying physical hunger. Qi Yuanyuan felt unsatisfied even after finishing her portion; as for Xiao Yi, a tall male who shouldered the heaviest physical combat burden, his lingering hunger was even more pronounced.

Yet after consuming the biscuits, Xiao Yi offered no complaints. He quietly sipped his water while gazing out at the campus beyond the window. Under the cover of night, the campus streetlights had not yet failed; looking closely beneath their dim illumination, shadow silhouettes shifted periodically. Unaware observers might assume the campus was enjoying a lively evening, but those figures were exclusively wandering zombies. Over the past few days, anyone capable of escaping had fled the grounds, leaving only zombies behind.

Throughout the entire day, Xiao Yi had not spotted a single living human soul across the campus grounds. This academic domain had mutated into a literal zone of death. Having held his ground for so many days without discovering a single trace of the person he sought, continuing to linger here offered zero purpose.

In the pitch-black darkness, Xiao Yi finally broke the silence: "Tomorrow, we leave this place."

Qi Yuanyuan, who had been mentally calculating whether they could secure more food tomorrow, snapped back to reality in surprise: "Eh? Eh? Where are we going?"

Xiao Yi paused briefly, his voice dropping into a low register: "To the supermarket."

At the break of dawn the following morning, having rested through the night, Xiao Yi and Qi Yuanyuan armed themselves with their wooden weapons and initiated their breakout. 

Over the past few days spent maneuvering inside the campus, they had leveraged their familiarity with the terrain to map out the general distribution of zombies. Consequently, during their escape outward, while they were pursued by zombies at various intervals, their cautious navigation around the major infected clusters allowed them to successfully escape the campus without critical incident.