C4 Kill the Zombies

The mobilized soldier edged ever closer to the zombie, yet not a whisper of sound betrayed his approach. His absolute obedience to Han Feng's commands was clear.

Closer and closer he moved. Han Feng watched the soldier's retreating figure, his hands clenched in anxiety.

Would he really remain silent? Without firing a shot, how would the soldier handle the zombie? What could I possibly do? What if he's overpowered? What if he's bitten? Could the soldier then become a zombie himself? Who would stand a chance then? Han Feng's mind raced with endless scenarios.

But reality soon delivered the answer to Han Feng, or more precisely, the soldier's adeptness did.

As the soldier closed in, just meters from the zombie, the creature sensed his presence. It turned, letting out a ferocious growl, and lunged at the soldier.

In a flash, the soldier leapt forward, gripping his AK-47 tightly as he delivered a devastating strike. His bulging muscles were no joke.

With a muted "thud," the zombie's head was brutally struck by the butt of the soldier's rifle.

Imagine a towering man of 1.9 meters, wielding a rifle butt against the head of someone just 1.7 meters tall... The violence was staggering.

The zombie was sent flying three or four meters back. Yes, it was literally knocked off its feet.

It hit the ground with a thud, and the soldier was right on its heels.

Despite the severe blow, the zombie didn't die immediately. Its rigid body still reached out, trying to grasp the soldier's leg. After all, the skull is the strongest bone in the human body; even a powerful strike might not shatter it.

But the soldier was quicker, lifting his foot and stomping down on the zombie's head.

With a "crunch," the zombie's skull was crushed, its brain matter splattering the soldier's leg.

Normally, a human's stomp wouldn't result in such an explosion of the head. But the initial blow had already fractured the zombie's skull, and combined with the soldier's considerable strength, it led to this gruesome end.

The headless zombie was now truly dead.

The zombie's luck had run out. It had just turned, only to encounter Han Feng and the soldier, and its undead existence was abruptly cut short.

After dispatching the zombie, the soldier snapped back into a military stance, seemingly awaiting Han Feng's review.

His coffee-colored leather jacket was speckled with blood, and a few drops trickled down from the stock of the AK47 in his grasp. To the uninformed observer, the scene could easily be mistaken for a war-torn area—a headless corpse sprawled on the ground, a well-trained thug looming over it, a chilling tableau of an armed brute tormenting defenseless civilians.

Yet, the reality was even more astounding: they were dealing with zombies, a threat more intractable than any riot!

Han Feng was dumbfounded, at a loss for words to capture the whirlwind of emotions he felt. Moments before, he had been contemplating various scenarios, but now the zombies had been swiftly neutralized by the mobilized soldiers in mere seconds.

Han Feng gulped, scarcely able to believe that the Red Alert's weakest soldier could exhibit such ferocity!

This was fantastic! As the realization dawned on him, Han Feng's heart swelled with elation.

"I've struck gold! I've struck gold!" he exclaimed in a hushed, ecstatic whisper. He understood that the stronger the combatants summoned from the Red Alert, the greater his odds of survival.

Crouching low, Han Feng made his way toward the mobilized soldier, careful to keep quiet. His elation dulled the sensory assault of sight and smell, allowing him to disregard the scattered flesh and the pungent stench of blood.

"Let's head into the convenience store," Han Feng murmured.

Once inside, they quickly secured the premises, with Han Feng shutting the door and, not fully at ease, barricading it with the store's counter.

"This should be safe, right?" Han Feng mused, wiping away sweat as he spoke to himself.

"Stand guard at the door, stay alert. Notify me immediately if there's any trouble, and remember, no reckless shooting," Han Feng instructed the soldier with a string of commands.

"Affirmative!" The soldier replied before taking up his post by the door, vigilant and ready.

Han Feng surveyed the store's offerings, casually grabbing high-calorie snacks like chocolate, jerky, and other edibles from the shelves. He knew that these items, far more than bread, could sustain him for longer.

The selection at the convenience store was sparse: a handful of chocolate bars, six cans of beef, and three bags of dried meat—a single plastic bag could easily hold it all.

Oh, and there was water. Han Feng made a round of the store and grabbed a bottle off the shelf, unscrewed the cap, and took a gulp. "Ah, refreshing!" After a morning of thirst, Han Feng finally quenched it with his first sip of water in this post-apocalyptic world.

He tossed a bottle to the mobilization soldier, signaling him to hydrate as well, before Han Feng turned back to grab a loaf of bread.

He ripped open the packaging and started eating. Han Feng wasn't actually hungry, but in these end times, it was wise to stock up on energy whenever possible.

As he munched and browsed, Han Feng stumbled upon some treasures—cans of lunch meat and compressed biscuits!

Indeed, what were the essentials in the apocalypse? Water, canned lunch meat, and compressed biscuits, without a doubt! Water was vital for survival, the canned beef boasted an impressive three-year shelf life, and the compressed biscuits were perfect for staving off hunger, providing a feeling of fullness, and lasting a long time.

Regrettably, there were only two compressed biscuits left. The canned beef was more plentiful, with four cans...

That's right, there was a small door at the back of the store. If he wasn't mistaken, it was probably the storeroom. It was worth checking for boxes of canned lunch meat and biscuits. Although Han Feng wasn't too hopeful—the convenience store was just that, not a supermarket. Such non-perishable goods wouldn't be stocked in large quantities by the owner.

But even if there were no cans or biscuits, stocking up on water was still a good idea. He couldn't just walk out with only two bottles after all the effort, could he? Fighting tooth and nail for just two bottles of water?

With his plan in mind, Han Feng pulled open the storeroom door. Stepping inside, he flicked on the light. The space was cramped, so he quickly shut the door behind him.

Bent over, Han Feng crouched down to inspect the goods more closely, searching for the cans or biscuits. Little did he know, danger was creeping closer...

A shadow flickered in the light. Noticing the silhouette on the ground, Han Feng looked up, only to come nearly nose to nose with a zombie bearing down on him.

The zombie hunched over, peering at Han Feng, who was crouched on the ground, looking up at the undead creature. The eerie tableau lasted but a second...

"Ah!" "Argh!" Both cries erupted simultaneously! In an instant, they were locked in an embrace.

I absolutely can't let it bite me! That was Han Feng's immediate thought. He had come to understand the zombie's method of attack and transmission: biting. So, Han Feng knew he had to keep his distance from the zombie's mouth at all costs.

"Help! Call in the troops! Get over here, quick!" In his panic, Han Feng remembered the soldiers stationed outside and bellowed for help, no longer concerned about keeping his voice down. He prayed they would act quickly, or it would be the end of him.

"Bang, bang, bang." The sound of the door being pushed echoed. It was the soldiers!

But to Han Feng's horror... the door was jammed by himself and the zombie! Yes, the door swung inward... and Han Feng and the zombie were sprawled right behind it! As the soldiers pushed, they inadvertently struck Han Feng's head several times. As if the zombie wasn't enough of a threat, now he was caught between two forces.

Propping up the zombie had already drained most of Han Feng's strength, and the repeated blows to his head from the door only worsened his plight. His weary body lost its balance in an instant...

Suddenly, the zombie's face was mere inches from Han Feng's, close enough for him to see the remnants of leaves stuck in its teeth.

This is it. I'm done for! What was I thinking, closing the door? Haven't I learned anything from past mistakes in the bathroom? Now, I'm just like a sitting duck!

His strength was fading fast...

Out of the corner of his eye, Han Feng spotted a short iron rod. It seemed to be a makeshift doorstop, crafted for convenience when moving goods without having to manually open the door each time.

This was the only "weapon" Han Feng could reach.

With one hand free and the other desperately pushing against the zombie, his right hand finally clutched the short iron rod. But what good was such a tiny stick...

Enough! Han Feng yanked his right hand back, the one clutching the short iron rod, and jabbed it at the zombie's face.

As he braced against the zombie with one hand, it gradually bore down on him. At last... Han Feng's left hand gave out. The zombie slammed into his chest with force, and his right hand, gripping the iron rod, was trapped between the zombie's face and his own chest.

The zombie went still. The zombie was dead...

The iron rod in Han Feng's right hand had pierced the zombie's eye socket, and with the zombie's face slamming hard against Han Feng's chest, the rod had driven deep into its brain...

Han Feng had made it out alive, managing to take down the zombie all by himself.

The soldiers outside continued to pound on the door relentlessly.

"Stop knocking," Han Feng said, his voice shaking from sheer depletion. He shoved the zombie off and sat up, his gaze settling on the chaos of the warehouse as he sank into contemplation.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle." Noise echoed from the far end of the warehouse.

"Oh my god, another one?! I can't handle this..." In an instant, Han Feng was on his feet, flinging the door open to make his escape.