C18 The Surprise at the Wholesale Market

When Lee Yuanhong set out once more, the group had grown by two members. Looh Fei, hefting a large kitchen knife, followed closely behind Lee Yuanhong, his layers of fat quivering with each step. Lu Cuihua walked alongside Lee Luoxia, occasionally stealing glances at Lee Yuanhong with a hint of shyness.

Lee Yuanhong's attention was keenly attuned to their surroundings. Since leaving Food Street, they hadn't come across a single zombie, and the silence around them was unnerving. It put Lee Yuanhong on edge, and he remained extra vigilant.

Upon reaching the wholesale market, they found its gates wide open, the interior eerily silent, and not a breath of wind stirred the hot, dry autumn afternoon. The oppressive atmosphere only heightened Lee Yuanhong's sense of alertness. He paused at the entrance, pulled a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, and took a generous swig before passing it to Lu Yi. He distributed a few more bottles among the rest of the team and then suggested, "Let's take a short break. Something feels off here. Lu Yi and I will scout ahead."

Rather than heading straight into the market, Lee Yuanhong circled the perimeter. The brick wall, standing at two and a half meters, presented a challenge even for someone with his abilities. With Lu Yi's assistance, he managed to scale the wall. Peering over the top, he saw nothing but stillness, yet the pungent stench of blood hit him squarely. His brow furrowed in concern. The line of small storefronts blocked his view of the source of the smell. Lee Yuanhong eyed the rooftops nearby, considering a jump, but the four-meter gap was too great.

Scanning the area, he noticed that the corner building was closer, just over three meters from the wall, and below it lay scaffolding and a partition, the latter only one and a half meters high. An idea struck him.

Together with Lu Yi, they dismantled the partition. Lee Yuanhong then climbed back atop the wall and, using the partition and the wall, fashioned a makeshift triangular platform. This reduced the gap to a mere two meters, and with a modest exertion of effort, he could leap across to the opposite rooftop.

After scaling the rooftop, Lee Yuanhong and Lu Yi followed the scent of blood. Upon reaching the far side of the bungalow, they were met with a grisly sight in the small plaza between the market building and the house—a mound of corpses nearly one and a half meters high, composed of both human and mutant dog remains. Blood seeped from all sides of the pile, and scattered bones added to the macabre scene.

Beside the heap, two lizard-like creatures were voraciously consuming the flesh. The monsters were turned away from Lee Yuanhong, obscuring their full appearance. Estimating a distance of less than twenty meters to the nearest creature, Lee Yuanhong decided to employ the Truth Eye for reconnaissance. He cast the spell on the closest monster:

"[Level 2 Mutant Zombie, Longhorn Spike]

Skills: Bite, Tongue Lash, Claw Attack, Wall Climb

Attack: 4-7

Health Points: 30, Mana Points: 10

Defense: 3, Spirit Points: 1

Constitution: 3, Strength: 6

Speed: 4, Intelligence: 1

Evolved from ordinary zombies, they possess the ability to climb walls and attack, even clinging to walls for ambushes. Their tongues can extend and retract like whips, making them the assassins of the zombie world with formidable attack power, though their defense is slightly weaker compared to standard zombies of their level.

Weaknesses: Vulnerable to fire, head and neck."

As soon as Lee Yuanhong completed the spell, the mutant zombie seemed to notice something and turned its head in his direction. Luckily, Lee Yuanhong was over twenty meters away, on the roof, and downwind, which, coupled with the poor eyesight of the lesser zombies, meant he went undetected. Nonetheless, the encounter left him thoroughly shaken.

Crouching down, Lee Yuanhong's heart raced as he struggled to regain his composure. Once settled, he whispered to Lu Yi to retrace their steps.

Back with the group, Lee Yuanhong relayed the details of the monstrous encounter and sought everyone's input. The team members, brows furrowed in concern, listened intently. Looh Fei and Cuihua, the newcomers, lacked firsthand experience with the zombies' capabilities and looked particularly bewildered. It was then that Looh Fei spoke up, "We'll follow Mr. Lee's lead—whatever he says, we'll do."

Cuihua was blunt: "With so many of us, why not just attack together? We took down four dogs, didn't we?"

Lee Luoxia whispered wistfully, "If only we had guns or handy throwing knives."

Lee Yuanhong's frown deepened as he considered the less-than-reliable suggestions. Lost in thought, his eyes caught a commercial for a brand of strong liquor. He absentmindedly recited, "White wine, burning bottle, burning white wine..." Then, an idea struck him. He remembered the incendiary bottles frequently used as props in zombie games.

With preparations complete, Lee Yuanhong and a few others readied over a dozen alcohol-filled incendiary bottles. The moment of truth had arrived.

Accompanied by Lu Yi and Lee Luoxia (Looh Fei had wanted to join, but his weight had collapsed the scaffolding, thwarting his attempt to climb it, so he had to bow out), Lee Yuanhong returned to the previously scouted location. There, two mutant zombies lingered around a heap of bodies, seemingly basking in the sun rather than feasting.

Lee Yuanhong realized that a direct throw of the incendiary bottles wouldn't reach the mutant zombies. They needed to be drawn closer. So, he pulled out several stones (always keeping a few on hand for such purposes) and hurled them towards the mutants.

The zombies, now disturbed, charged at Lee Yuanhong and his companions. As they closed in to less than ten meters, Lee Yuanhong and Lu Yi tossed their incendiary bottles. Unfortunately, the bottles didn't ignite, and they shattered on the ground in front of the zombies, splattering the liquid. Most of it formed a slick in front of the zombies, and as they trampled through it, the flammable liquid coated them.

Then, Lee Luoxia ignited her bottle and threw it at the zombies. It burst into flames upon impact, setting the drenched zombies ablaze. They continued their fiery charge like two blazing lizards, racing towards Lee Yuanhong and Lu Yi. The pair kept hurling their bottles, but after only a second volley, the zombies were already at the base of the house. Scaling the wall with surprising speed, it seemed the flames hardly slowed them down.

Lee Yuanhong had no choice but to confront the zombies directly. He instructed Lee Luoxia to fall back, as she lacked a long weapon and would be at a significant disadvantage in close-quarters combat with the zombies. The risk of infection from a bite or scratch was too great. As the first zombie clambered up and showed its head, Lu Yi swiftly dispatched it with a shot. However, as the second zombie ascended, Lu Yi was in the midst of reloading and couldn't fire again in time. Lee Yuanhong was forced to raise his shield in defense. He felt a heavy impact against his chest, but thankfully, he was unharmed. Without hesitation, he gripped his pickaxe with his right hand and brought it crashing down on the zombie's skull.

The zombie tumbled off the wall, and only then did Lee Yuanhong inspect the source of the earlier blow. To his alarm, he discovered a large hole in his pot lid shield. Luckily, the hole was above the grip, sparing his left hand, and although the flat-bottomed pot on his chest was dented, he was otherwise okay. The strength of the attack was startling; without the high ground, he might have been injured.

After the initial skirmish, the zombies made another attempt to scale the wall, but their pace had noticeably decreased. Their skin was visibly cracked and oozing oil, which, upon contact with fire, turned to smoke and vanished into the air.

By the third assault, it was evident that the zombies were on their last legs. Lu Yi took precise aim at the head of one and plunged his weapon in with a decisive thrust, effortlessly penetrating the skull and neutralizing the threat.

Remaining vigilant, Lee Yuanhong continued to employ his shield defensively, taking extra care to avoid the zombies' elongated tongues. On the third repulsion, he managed to knock another zombie off the wall. A long wait ensued, but the creature did not reappear. Peering down, Lee Yuanhong saw that the fallen zombie had been reduced to a charred heap.

With the battle concluded safely, Lee Yuanhong directed Lu Yi to extract the Crystal Core from the zombie. They then leaped down from the house, regrouped at the entrance, and summoned the others hiding in the nearby convenience store to begin their scavenging operation.

"Tomorrow marks New Year's Eve, so I'd like to extend an early wish for a joyous and prosperous Year of the Pig to everyone. May all your endeavors be met with success!"