Chapter 6 The Second Head

"Two more to go." Fang Chong walked, recalling the recent experience of hunting zombies. Despite the zombie's own mistakes, Fang Chong believed that now, even if faced with a zombie, he had an eighty percent chance of killing it.

With the success of the first encounter, Fang Chong's confidence received a significant boost. He understood that in the apocalypse, many people were killed by zombies not because they were weak but because of the inner fear. If he hadn't known about zombies beforehand, Fang Chong believed he would have been terrified by the sight of that pale, bloodshot face with pustules.

No longer as anxious as before, Fang Chong left the secluded street and ran towards another one, the largest and most bustling street in his city – Zhongshan Pedestrian Street. His ultimate goal was simple: the biggest shopping plaza in the city center, Carrefour.

Having learned from the Maya system that the zombie outbreak occurred last night, it's evident that places like Carrefour would likely be devoid of regular customers. If there were any zombies, their numbers wouldn't be overwhelming, mostly consisting of the mall's staff.

Today, the Maya system assigned three tasks to Fang Chong, and finding food, including securing a sturdy location, makes Carrefour an excellent choice. Here, he doesn't have to worry about encountering large groups of zombies and can easily complete the first task.

As Fang Chong navigates the lively street, he remains cautious. Although he's no longer afraid of individual zombies, being surrounded could prove fatal even for him.

Approaching the entrance of Carrefour with utmost care, Fang Chong finds it eerily quiet. The usually bustling supermarket is now tranquil, a sight that brings relief. What's even better is that the doors are open, saving Fang Chong from unnecessary trouble.

Entering the mall, Fang Chong remains vigilant. The first floor, dominated by digital products, isn't his target. As he moves towards the larger sections, he spots several zombies, likely the owners or salespeople from the electronic stores.

Although Fang Chong had anticipated the presence of zombies, witnessing hundreds of them simultaneously was still startling. Holding his breath and slowing his pace, Fang Chong stealthily moves towards the escalator. He aims not to alert the zombies; if detected, he might have to abandon this location.

The entire city had experienced a power outage due to the meteor shower yesterday. While places like Carrefour usually have their own power sources, the zombie outbreak rendered such facilities abandoned. With no electricity, escalators become the only viable option. Soon, Fang Chong, who has learned to understand the zombie behavior, arrives at the second floor.

This floor is his destination. Familiar with living in this city, Fang Chong is well-acquainted with Carrefour.

"Delicatessen Section." Fang Chong ascends to the second floor and immediately spots the area dedicated to selling prepared food. Having gone without food for most of the day, hunger strikes him instantly.

"Food has been contaminated by the virus. Host, please be cautious," the voice of the previously silent Maya system suddenly echoes in Fang Chong's mind.

"Huh?" Fang Chong is taken aback by this revelation, as he was about to take a bite of a chicken leg. He reluctantly puts it down upon hearing Maya's warning.

Although frustrated, Fang Chong understands the rationale when he sees a swaying figure emerge from behind a counter. The entire Carrefour staff has succumbed to the virus, and even the air is infected. Fang Chong shudders at the thought that without Maya's timely reminder, he might have turned into a thoughtless zombie himself.

However, it's not the time to dwell on these thoughts. As the zombie emerges from the shelves, it spots Fang Chong.

"Another showdown," Fang Chong mutters. He knows there's no hiding when he sees the green glint in the zombie's otherwise gray eyes.

The sound could attract more zombies, and Fang Chong knows that the best and most effective way to deal with it is to swiftly kill the zombie to prevent it from summoning additional companions.

Gripping the knife tightly, Fang Chong makes his move. Zombies seem to inherit human selfishness and greed. Generally, they don't loudly call other zombies for help when they discover living humans; they prefer the taste of fresh human flesh and would rather feast alone.

On his way to Carrefour earlier, Fang Chong relied on this characteristic of zombies to avoid direct confrontations, arriving here unscathed.

"Must kill in one strike," Fang Chong charges toward the zombie, already forming a strategy in his mind. The weak point is the neck; he must hit it in one swing. While zombies don't feel pain, using the knife on other parts of their bodies would still provoke their anger.

In this situation, with potentially thousands of zombies in the mall, Fang Chong is not audacious enough to believe he can take on such overwhelming odds.

"Roar!" The zombie, noticing Fang Chong approaching, lets out a guttural sound, angered by Fang Chong's boldness, and charges towards him.

Fang Chong doesn't forget the advantage of zombies being slow in their movements. Watching the zombie stumble towards him, he times his move perfectly. As the zombie's claws almost touch him, Fang Chong swiftly squats down, dodging the claws and simultaneously extending a foot.

"Thud."

The zombie, manipulated by Fang Chong's calculated move, falls flat on the mall floor.

"Good opportunity." Fang Chong, surprised by the effectiveness of his foot maneuver, seizes the chance. With the zombie now lying on its back, it poses minimal threat.

"Go to hell!"

Seeing the opening, Fang Chong, ignoring the pain from the leg-to-zombie contact, quickly jumps up, exerting all his strength to precisely plunge the knife into the zombie's neck.

"Crunch."

A crisp sound echoes as metal meets bone. The zombie's head falls off in response.

"Phew." Fang Chong looks at the zombie covered in black blood, letting out a sigh. "The second one."

Although he dealt with this zombie smoothly, Fang Chong still doesn't dare linger too long. The recent scuffle might have attracted attention with the noises it produced.

However, this was Fang Chong's destination, and even if he knew the danger, it was impossible for him to leave. Fang Chong, who had just easily killed the zombies, had a somewhat crazy idea popping into his mind – facing a single zombie wasn't a challenge for him, so why not try to eliminate all the zombies in this area now? Though he felt the idea was quite insane, after some contemplation, Fang Chong found it feasible. As he entertained this notion, a loud sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. He swiftly turned around, hiding in the vicinity of where he had dispatched the zombie moments ago.