C11 Resources and People

Lee Yuanhong emerged from the building's corridor, flanked by five men clad in bizarre attire. Once outside, Yuanhong arranged them into a "V" formation, positioning himself at the center, and flawlessly executed his "invisibility" technique. Despite this, his mood was far from cheerful. The week's worth of food he had stockpiled had been devoured by the five riflemen, converted into their energy reserves in no time. Though they obeyed his commands, they showed no courtesy at mealtime, leaving Yuanhong to watch his meat supply rapidly dwindle, a painful sight indeed.

The journey onward proved to be relatively smooth. The residential area was sparsely populated with wandering zombies, and none of the more advanced kind had been spotted. Yuanhong persisted with his baiting strategy, drawing the zombies out one by one for his riflemen to collectively overpower, steamrolling their way to the front of a small supermarket.

The supermarket's door was ajar, a faint stench of blood seeping from within. Yuanhong instructed Lu Yi to fully open the door (Lu Yi was the name Yuanhong had assigned to his riflemen: Lu Yi, Lu Er, Lu San, Lu Si, and Lu Wu, a nod to their military background with simple, sequential numbering. After naming them, he earned a disdainful glance from Yiling). Lu Er and Lu San took positions on either side of the doorway, while Lu Yi rhythmically tapped the door with his spear, generating noise. They waited, but the door remained still, an eerie silence from within. The blood scent suggested the presence of zombies, yet there was no sign of them. Puzzled, Yuanhong sent Lu Yi and Lu Er to investigate.

Inside, Lu Yi and Lu Er found no zombies, but a female corpse lay behind the cash register, her body marred with clear bite marks. The supermarket's back door was open, and a shelf had been toppled—an unmistakable sign of human activity. With the area secure, Yuanhong entered the supermarket with a relaxed gait and spotted the female corpse behind the counter, recognizing her as the supermarket's owner. For safety's sake, he had Lu Yi deliver a final shot to the woman's head. He then turned to Lu Yi and inquired, "Did you check the back door?"

Lu Yi snapped to attention in a standard military pose and responded, "Reporting, sir, no, sir. You haven't issued any orders yet."

Lee Yuanhong was taken aback. The soldiers' intelligence seemed to be lacking.

He made his way to a window near the back door and peered outside, spotting a few zombies roaming in the distance. They were far enough from the supermarket to pose no threat. With that in mind, Lee Yuanhong quietly closed the back door and secured it to prevent any zombies from slipping in. Then he set about the pleasant task of scavenging. Bread, which doesn't keep well, was the first to be grabbed, followed by essentials like rice, oil, canned goods, and bottled water. After half an hour, he had filled four burlap sacks. To be prepared for any eventuality, they needed to keep a combat-ready force, so Lu Yi shouldered only a large backpack. As for Lee Yuanhong, well, officers don't do the heavy lifting.

Eager to stockpile more supplies before the sun set, Lee Yuanhong quickly headed back after loading up. The return trip went off without a hitch, with no new zombies in sight. The soldiers had now become porters. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until, on their third trip to the supermarket, Lee Yuanhong was shocked to find the once-open doors now firmly shut, the windows heavily barricaded. It was clear that someone had taken over, seizing the spoils for themselves.

Fury surged through Lee Yuanhong, and he ordered Lu Yi to knock on the door.

Lu Yi's knocking wasn't loud, but it was audible from inside. A brash voice soon answered, "Quit it. I've claimed this place. Go scavenge elsewhere. Keep knocking and you'll draw those man-eating monsters here. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lee Yuanhong was tempted to have Lu Yi break down the door, but that would surely draw the zombies lurking nearby. The small supermarket was too close to the neighborhood entrance, and just beyond lay the main road, teeming with zombies since the outbreak hit during the morning rush. If they broke in, they'd be the first to suffer. For now, Lee Yuanhong had to swallow his anger. But he wouldn't forget the man inside the supermarket. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and in a few days, when the zombies had fully evolved, the supermarket's defenses would be no match for their onslaught.

After returning to his room, Lee Yuanhong sorted through the day's haul. There was a decent amount of food, but with these voracious eaters in tow, it likely wouldn't last three days. It looked like he'd need to scavenge for more food outside, but that was a task for tomorrow. Now was the time to savor the rewards of his hard work. So, he posed a question to Lu Yi and the others, "Does anyone here know how to cook?"

Lu Yi and his companions lined up neatly before Lee Yuanhong, standing ramrod straight as they stared at the blank white wall ahead. You'd think there were pin-up posters on that wall the way they were fixated, not even glancing aside, yet no one responded to Yuanhong's inquiry. He was baffled. What was going on?

Lee Yuanhong probed once more, "Lu Yi, can any of you cook?"

"Reporting, sir, we are combat troops; we do not come equipped with a logistics function," came the reply.

Lee Yuanhong couldn't help but picture a flock of crows flying overhead as he looked at Lu Yi's earnest face. It dawned on him that he, the officer, was essentially a nanny. What a wearying life he led.