Chi Yan

As the fireball descended, the zombies began to stir. To Xiang Nanchuan’s surprise, they all gathered outside the electronics mall, making a series of “ho-ho” sounds, as if calling out to friends.

Xiang Nanchuan was slightly nearsighted. Squinting, he finally made out a dark figure on the rooftop of the electronics mall.

The electronics mall was located at the intersection diagonally across from his supermarket. The intersection was choked with abandoned cars, making it impossible for even people to get out. That’s why the zombies roamed the commercial street.

The few people he’d seen a few days ago had escaped from this electronics mall.

Xiang Nanchuan was a little nervous. He’d been free these past few days and counted the zombies on the commercial street. There were a total of 308 zombies, not including those in the buildings. Could the opponent, a single person, escape from so many?

 Xiang Nanchuan leaned against the doorframe, his eyes fixed on the rooftop across from him.

Just then, the man moved.

He took a few steps back, then sped up. He leaped, and finally landed safely on the rooftop of a jewelry store about seven or eight meters from the electronics mall. This jewelry store primarily sold gold and jewelry, and most importantly, there was no food inside.

Xiang Nanchuan’s supermarket was just across the street from the jewelry store.

Xiang Nanchuan licked his slightly dry lips as the first customer arrived.

Across from him was a women’s clothing store, and across from it was a restaurant. A month had passed since the apocalypse, and with the power and water outages, the vegetables, fruits, and meat in the restaurant had probably rotted. However, rice, flour, and eggs were still edible. Xiang Nanchuan had long coveted the restaurant’s food, but unfortunately, he lacked supernatural powers and didn’t dare to risk his life.

That handsome guy on the rooftop has some pretty good skills and even superpowers. If only he could work with him…

Just as he was lost in thought, Chi Yan, who was upstairs in the jewelry store, noticed Xiang Nanchuan downstairs.

There was a female zombie on the rooftop. It must have been hiding there while still alive, awaiting rescue, but had accidentally been infected by the zombies. Chi Yan casually unleashed a few fireballs, hitting it in the head.

Chi Yan glanced at the zombies swarming excitedly below. He had no doubt he was living. A living person standing so carelessly in front of zombies was either an idiot or someone with something to rely on. He guessed this person was the latter.

Chi Yan watched the zombies pass by the shop with indifference, and his eyes suddenly darkened.

The iron gate on the rooftop rattled with bangs. The zombies on the second floor of the jewelry store, sensing the presence of living people, chased after it. The gate was already old and wouldn’t hold out for long. Chi Yan looked up at the layout of the entire commercial street.

 Xiang Nanchuan stretched out his arm and waved upwards. “Hey! Handsome, do you want to come in and buy something?”

The zombies piled up at the jewelry store entrance paused at the sound and looked in the direction of the voice.

The zombies’ actions frightened Xiang Nanchuan so much that he immediately withdrew his hand.

Chi Yan lowered his head and gave Xiang Nanchuan a cold look. A clang rang out, and the iron gate behind him was teetering on the verge of being smashed open.

Without hesitation, he stepped on the rooftop railing.

The sight of the young man made the zombies below even more excited. They raised their hands as if cheering.

Xiang Nanchuan’s mouth twitched slightly. He suddenly felt like he was at a large concert, though if only these “fans” weren’t so ferocious.

The jewelry store was only two and a half stories high, while the women’s clothing store next door had five. To jump directly to the women’s clothing store, one would have to have wings. As Xiang Nanchuan was wondering what the man was planning, he suddenly looked up at the gradually darkening sky, dark clouds rolling in. He murmured, “The wind’s picking up.”

At this time, Xizhou was in the transition period between autumn and winter. Evenings got dark early, and sunset began around five o’clock. It was just about time for the sun to set, and the weather had been gloomy lately. Xiang Nanchuan had a vague feeling of foreboding: rain was about to fall.

A loud “clang” drew Xiang Nanchuan’s attention.

On the rooftop of the jewelry store, out of sight, the iron gate finally burst open, and dozens of zombies rushed out. Chi Yan grabbed the railing with one hand and leaped onto the second-floor windowsill.

Xiang Nanchuan watched as the zombies clung to the railing with half of their bodies sticking out, reaching out to scratch each other, almost catching the man.

Xiang Nanchuan’s heart leaped.

“Mission countdown, fifteen minutes left,” the system, after three days of silence, suddenly announced. 

Xiang Nanchuan cursed inwardly and shouted to the young man in black, “Hey handsome man, why don’t you come into the store and take shelter? It’s going to rain!”

If he wanted to get that man over, he had to find a way to lure away the zombies downstairs. Countless plans flashed through Xiang Nanchuan’s mind, but he rejected them all.

The jewelry store was about twenty meters away from the supermarket. Judging by the zombies’ speed, it would take about five seconds to get there. Five seconds was too short, and Xiang Nanchuan couldn’t guarantee he could lure all the zombies over.

Xiang Nanchuan’s brows were furrowed so tightly that they could pinch a fly to death. With over ten minutes left until the mission was over, he really didn’t want to let this man go. His gaze flickered between the jewelry store and the women’s clothing store. Suddenly, he seemed to see something, and a thought flashed through his mind. Xiang Nanchuan raised his voice and shouted, “Get inside! Jump out of the window at the end of the left corridor on the second floor!”

Before Xiang Nanchuan could finish his words, Chi Yan had melted the tempered glass on the window with a fireball and leaped into the jewelry store. All the zombies on the second floor had swarmed to the rooftop, leaving only one or two with limited mobility.

They were covered in gold and silver jewelry, and jewelry lay scattered on the ground beneath their feet. It was clear that these people had taken advantage of the apocalypse to rob the jewelry store.

What was the point of stealing so much jewelry? In the end, they still couldn’t make it out alive. It’s a true example of the saying, “People die for money, birds die for food.”

Hearing Xiang Nanchuan’s words, Chi Yan paused and stared at the end of the corridor. In the moment he hesitated, the zombies on the first floor climbed the stairs, and the zombies on the rooftop gradually retreated to the second floor. He was now surrounded by zombies from both sides.

He quickened his pace and reached the end of the corridor. Sure enough, there was a window.  Chi Yan launched a fireball, this time much smaller than the previous one, clearly depleting his supernatural power.

The fireball only melted half the glass, but it was too late. The zombies were approaching.

Chi Yan keenly sensed danger. His heart trembled, and he instinctively dodged. The moment he dodged, a wind blade pierced the air, passing by his ear, sending strands of hair flying off.

He spun abruptly and was met with a slate-gray face. Zombies had supernatural powers?

The zombie opened its mouth and spit out several wind blades in quick succession.

Behind Chi Yan was a wall, leaving him no escape; the best he could do was avoid the vital areas.

The wind blades missed his shoulders and arms. He grunted, summoning the last of his supernatural power. A fireball larger than his fist burst from his palm, slamming into the zombie’s head.

 In an instant, the zombie’s head crumbled to ash, its headless form falling to the ground.

Chi Yan, his supernatural powers exhausted, paled slightly. He was about to turn toward the window when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a silver-gray object nestled among the ashes.

A voice within him told him: This thing is very important, pick it up quickly.

Chi Yan, always trusting his instincts, leaned over to pick up the soybean-sized object, shoving it into his pocket without a second’s scrutiny.

From the moment he stopped to pick up the “soybean,” the entire process took less than a second. Within that time, the zombies had already caught up. In a flash, Chi Yan grabbed the leading zombie’s wrist and flung it against the wall. Then, spinning around, he swept his left leg and sent the zombie flying. It slammed into the group behind it, its force so powerful that it toppled like dominoes.

Seizing this opportunity, Chi Yan rushed to the window and leaped out.

At this moment, Xiang Nanchuan, who had been eagerly waiting at the supermarket entrance, waved, “Come here!”

A tourist bus had suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, parked across the road, blocking the zombies from the jewelry store. However, the bus wasn’t long enough to completely block the road, so he had to rush past before the zombies could react.

Chi Yan had also thought of this, and without a second thought, he ran towards Nanchuan.

The zombies had no intelligence. After sensing the presence of a living being opposite the bus, they all crowded in front of the jewelry store, ramming into the bus. Chi Yan was much faster than the zombies. Just before the zombies could turn around and rush over, he ran into the supermarket like a gust of wind.

Unable to detect any living presence, the zombies lingered at the supermarket entrance for a moment before dispersing in confusion.

Inside the supermarket. “Don’t worry, the store is safe.” Xiang Nanchuan extended his right hand. “Hello, I’m Xiang Nanchuan.”

The young man’s hair was damp with sweat, clinging to his forehead. Despite looking disheveled, he maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. He panted himself slightly, removed his black gloves, and gently touched Xiang Nanchuan’s hand. “Chi Yan.”