C14 The First Time Encountering Bandits(1)

When Lee Yuanhong approached the partially open supermarket door, his habitual caution kicked in. He bent down to peer through the gap, wishing he hadn't when he saw what was outside. More than a dozen burly men armed with an assortment of weapons were charging toward the supermarket.

Lee Yuanhong straightened up to assess his companions, weighing their collective strength. Opting against confrontation, he gestured decisively and led them toward the back exit.

No sooner had they left through the rear than the clamor of the front entrance being forced open reached them. Without hesitation, Yuanhong guided them around the building, heading for the front.

Reaching the corner near the main entrance, Yuanhong crouched and stealthily glanced out. The intimidating men had vanished, replaced by two young guards with flamboyantly dyed hair, the sort one might encounter in the underworld. Yuanhong had met such characters in his business dealings, always choosing to sidestep trouble rather than court it. He hadn't anticipated a run-in like this at the supermarket, clearly after the same supplies.

As Yuanhong was about to retreat, he noticed another figure peering outward above him. Looking up, he nearly had a nosebleed at the sight of a formidable pair just inches from his face, accompanied by a fragrance that set his heart racing. Collecting himself, he was about to speak to Lee Luoxia when she, with a furrowed brow, turned to him and suggested, "Let's go this way," pointing to a narrow alley beside the supermarket. The alley led to another street, taking them further from Yuanhong's home, but he nodded without a moment's hesitation, replying, "Okay!"

The group hastened down the alley, barely wide enough for two. Yuanhong was close enough to Lee Luoxia to sense her uneven breathing, a sign of her distress. Clearly, there was more to the situation than met the eye, but for Yuanhong, those concerns would have to wait.

Shortly after the group vanished into the depths of the alley, several burly men emerged from the supermarket's back door. After scanning the area, they retreated inside, clearly searching for something.

Lee Yuanhong trailed the armed men, managing to sprint out of the alley in five minutes. Without the gunmen clearing the way, he might have ended up in a close embrace with the zombies. Observing the fallen zombies, Lee Yuanhong decelerated and glanced back. With no pursuers in sight, he reassured Lee Luoxia, "Don't worry, we've lost those guys. But let's stay alert. There's a high concentration of zombies on this street, and we don't want to get trapped between them—that would be dangerous."

Lee Luoxia gave a soft nod, murmuring an acknowledgment.

"Where's your place? I'll escort you home first, then we can figure out our next move," Lee Yuanhong inquired.

After a brief pause, Lee Luoxia replied, "Okay, I live in that complex over there."

Following her pointed direction, they saw a cluster of high-rise buildings towering over the surrounding old neighborhood, standing out like a crane among chickens. This was a government-developed affordable housing complex. Despite its lower prices, the eligibility criteria were strict, with numerous restrictions. Those who secured a home there were considered fortunate among the common folk—unless, of course, they had connections.

With caution, Lee Yuanhong and his companions navigated the deserted streets, now eerily quiet with only the occasional car wreckage and distant zombies in sight. As long as they avoided alerting the undead, they remained safe. Under the soldiers' protection, they made it back to Lee Luoxia's building without incident.

Approaching the entrance, they found it besieged by no fewer than twenty zombies. Lee Yuanhong, puzzled, asked, "Were there this many zombies when you left?"

"Yes, but I came down from the back of the building, where there aren't any zombies," Lee Luoxia confirmed.

Recalling the extraordinary way Lee Luoxia had descended when they first met, Lee Yuanhong realized her route was far from ordinary and likely impassable for him. Yet, facing over twenty zombies, a head-on approach seemed fraught with difficulty.

Lee Yuanhong scanned the area and spotted a parking lot not too far off, with over a dozen cars parked within. An idea quickly formed in his mind.

With two armed soldiers in tow, Yuanhong approached the parking lot and instructed them to dispatch a couple of stray zombies. He then stood beside a BMW, pondering for a moment before deciding internally, "You're the one." Next, he directed the soldiers to snap off two thick branches from a nearby willow tree. They secured the branches to the ground, tying them together to form a net-like pouch, into which they placed a sizable rock, crafting a rudimentary slingshot. Yuanhong stretched the slingshot, aimed at the chosen BMW, and secured it with a length of rope. Lighting a cigarette, he took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, and then attached the cigarette to the rope, fashioning a makeshift timer. Once everything was set, he swiftly returned to Lee Luoxia's side with the soldiers.

Lee Luoxia, her eyes brimming with curiosity, looked at Yuanhong, who reassured her with a smile, "The zombies will be gone soon. We just have to wait."

Roughly three minutes later, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the parking lot, quickly followed by the shrill blare of a car alarm. It was like stirring up a hornet's nest; the previously subdued zombies now screamed and surged toward the parking lot as if fueled by adrenaline. The area was soon swarming with zombies, easily numbering over a hundred, forming a daunting, dark mass.

Yuanhong didn't have the luxury of admiring his handiwork. He snapped Luoxia out of her stupor, urging, "We need to move, now!"

Luoxia snapped to attention, bolting from the bushes and sprinting towards her apartment building. The distance was short, under a hundred meters, but it left Yuanhong gasping for breath. Yet, the soldiers at his side seemed unfazed, their composure intact, leaving him to wonder at the mysteries of their extraterrestrial biology. Glancing at Luoxia, he noticed her flushed face but none of the breathlessness that plagued him, stirring a sense of defeat within.

Upon reaching the entrance of the residential complex, Lee Luoxia fished out a card from her waist pouch and pressed it against the electronic lock. With a "click," the gate swung open.

Lee Yuanhong caught hold of Lee Luoxia, who was about to push the door open, and stepped back, positioning Lu Yi in front. He placed Lu Er to the side of the gate before allowing Lu San to open it. No sooner had the door opened than a zombie charged out with a low growl. But it was swiftly tripped by Lu Er, who was stationed at the side, sending the zombie face-planting in front of Lu Yi, who easily dispatched the unwitting intruder.

Lee Luoxia's face was a mix of relief and admiration for Lee Yuanhong's prudence and intelligence. After a brief pause, confirming the corridor was silent, the group surged inside, led by Lu Yi.

The hallway was dimly lit, and to their relief, the elevator was operational. Lee Yuanhong turned to Lee Luoxia and inquired, "What floor are you on? Are there zombies on your floor?"

"I'm on the 20th floor. There shouldn't be any zombies in the hallway, I think. I didn't see any through the peephole, at least."

With a sigh of resignation, Lee Yuanhong pressed, "What do you mean by 'think'? Haven't you encountered a zombie in all this time? How have you managed to stay alive when you go out?"

Lee Luoxia, with a hint of grievance in her tone, murmured, "The zombies are just too frightening. I always sneak around them. Besides, they can't climb stairs."