Chapter 5: Successful Kill

"Thud." Fang Chong knew that the loud noise from before would attract trouble, so he needed to leave immediately. He forcefully locked the iron door again; after all, there were dozens of zombies inside. Locking the door meant he had a few dozen fewer enemies.

Holding the watermelon knife, he hastily ran and quickly reached the side of the street near a trash bin, hiding. It was a crossroads, offering multiple escape routes. Fang Chong didn't dare to be certain about how many zombies the loud noise might have attracted or from where they would emerge. That's why running in the middle of the street wasn't a wise choice.

"Step, step." As Fang Chong concealed himself, he could distinctly hear footsteps.

"What is that?" Listening to the clear footsteps, Fang Chong's anxiety grew.

Although Fang Chong had seen images of zombies from the Maya system, the reality of facing them was far more unsettling. Before him stood a middle-aged man in a white chef's uniform, wielding a kitchen knife. The white hat displayed the words 'Lai Ji Restaurant,' a familiar place for Fang Chong – his usual dining spot.

This middle-aged man was the chef at "Lai Ji Restaurant," renowned for the delicious wonton noodles that Fang Chong loved. However, now, seeing the chef's face, already showing signs of decay, Fang Chong felt a shiver down his spine. Suppressing the urge to vomit, he remained perfectly still, fearing discovery.

Several minutes passed, and Fang Chong, realizing that the immediate danger had passed, cautiously started moving away. Grateful that only three zombies were attracted by the noise he made earlier, he proceeded silently.

"Phew." Fang Chong let out a sigh of relief, aware that the encounter could have been much more perilous.

Fang Chong halted on a seemingly secluded street, leaning against a large vehicle parked on the roadside, gasping for breath.

"That was close," he muttered to himself. The journey here hadn't been entirely smooth; he had been spotted by at least five zombies. Fortunately, the zombies were not swift, allowing Fang Chong to escape.

A soft sound emerged beside Fang Chong. Normally, such footsteps would be unremarkable, but in this moment, he knew trouble was brewing. Swiftly turning around, he found a young man in black attire entering his line of sight.

Fang Chong initially considered making a run for it. However, in the next moment, the zombie version of the young man turned its head, revealing a pallid, bloodless face with numerous pus-filled sores covering most of its skin. Traces of uncleaned bloodstains adorned the corners of its mouth, presenting a repulsive sight.

"Not human," Fang Chong's heart skipped a beat. Having witnessed the appearance and gait of zombies earlier, he immediately recognized the young man as one.

The moment the young zombie noticed a human, its eyes, originally gray, emitted a faint green glow. Instantly becoming aggressive, it let out a beastly growl and charged straight at Fang Chong.

"Damn it, found again," Fang Chong muttered as the zombie rushed toward him. It was the sixth time he had been spotted this morning. Not prepared for a direct confrontation with a zombie, Fang Chong, left with no other option, retreated. Unfortunately, his path was blocked by a parked car.

"Crap," Fang Chong realized his unfortunate predicament. Clutching the knife tightly in his hand, he saw the young zombie closing in, now less than ten meters away.

"Screw it," Fang Chong knew he wasn't an Olympic sprinter and couldn't leap over the car instantly. Without fighting back, he feared he might end up as the dead one.

The zombie's sprint wasn't particularly fast, and in this perilous moment, Fang Chong's mind remained surprisingly calm, his steps no longer retreating. The distance of just over ten meters wasn't too long, and in less than two seconds, the zombie had already reached Fang Chong.

With both arms raised in front of its chest, forming an encircling posture, the zombie closed in on Fang Chong. The fingernails on its fingers were as sharp as blades, gleaming with a razor-sharp light.

Fang Chong, observing the lethal claws, felt a tightness in his chest. Without others telling him, he knew that if he were touched by these claws, the zombie's strength, five times that of a human, would be enough to pierce his body.

As the tension increased, Fang Chong's potential began to manifest. In the moment the zombie lunged at him, Fang Chong, like a monkey, bent over and simultaneously leaned to the side, avoiding the zombie's deadly claw. At the same time, the watermelon knife in his right hand instinctively swung towards the zombie.

"Snap!" The zombie rushing toward Fang Chong hadn't anticipated him dodging, and the collision was forceful. Moving at a high speed, it crashed straight into the car behind Fang Chong, with one claw tearing through the glass and another embedding into the car's panel.

"Pounce!" The sound of the knife entering flesh echoed. As Fang Chong dodged to the side, the watermelon knife in his right hand instinctively struck, hitting the young zombie squarely in the back. Leveraging Fang Chong's force, the zombie's claws, originally embedded in the car panel, sank even deeper.

"Roar!" The young zombie, struck in the back by Fang Chong, became even more ferocious, letting out a long roar.

"Stuck?" Fang Chong was startled by the young zombie's roar, but soon realized that the zombie's claws were lodged in the car panel. However, Fang Chong had no time to celebrate or thank his luck. He witnessed the zombie shaking the car panel, and Fang Chong hadn't expected the zombie's strength to be so immense. Without an immediate response, once the zombie broke free, he would be in danger.

"Crack!" Just as Fang Chong feared, after only a couple of attempts, a crack appeared in the car panel. The zombie's movements became even more violent.

In this critical moment, Fang Chong dared not hesitate any longer. With a forceful kick, he struck the young zombie's back, causing the zombie, with its half-freed arm, to embrace the car body once again.

"Thud!" In this critical moment, Fang Chong knew the best opportunity had arrived. Taking a big step forward, he swung the watermelon knife at the young zombie's neck with all his strength.

"Plop." In this urgent situation, Fang Chong accurately and decisively struck the young zombie's neck. Although the skin and bones had hardened after turning into a zombie, the neck area was noticeably more vulnerable. With Fang Chong's full force, the head of the young zombie fell to the ground, dripping with black blood.

"Is it dead?" Fang Chong stared at the rolling head on the ground, the watermelon knife still dripping black blood, feeling a bit stunned. His expression kept changing.

Fang Chong stood there foolishly, having actually killed a zombie with the strength of five adults. At this moment, he felt that zombies weren't as terrifying as he had imagined. However, thinking about the days to come, facing this every day, Fang Chong's heart gradually grew cold.

However, such emotions only affected Fang Chong for a short while. Realizing that this street wasn't as safe as he had imagined, he ran away, clutching the knife tightly.