Chapter 4

When Lin Chen finished laying the last solar panel,

the snow was already up to his calves.

He climbed down the ladder, and Xia Nuan handed him a towel;

he took it and wiped his face haphazardly,

water droplets dripping from his chin onto his bulletproof vest, creating a small damp patch.

"Canned goods for dinner." Xia Nuan pointed toward the cellar,

"There are still three cans of braised beef."

Lin Chen nodded, just about to go down.

The system panel suddenly flashed red: 【Detected high-concentration biological scent,

500 meters away, threat level: high.】

"What's wrong?" Xia Nuan noticed his face had changed.

Lin Chen grabbed the hunting rifle and climbed to the top of the warehouse,

sweeping the distance with his phone's flashlight.

There was a trail of footprints in the snow, not human, very large,

like something dragging something along,

and at the end of the trail was a small woods, with vague shadows flickering.

"Call Li Wei out." Lin Chen roared,

and Xia Nuan hurriedly dove into the cellar.

Soon, Li Wei stood at the warehouse entrance, shivering,

still clutching that wooden stick.

"Go pick up some dry firewood, as much as possible." Lin Chen jumped down from the roof,

and shoved the hunting rifle to him.

"Guard the entrance; if anything gets close, fire, no need to aim."

Li Wei was so scared his face turned white, and the gun almost fell to the ground.

Xia Nuan ran over with a bundle of firewood,

Lin Chen took it and threw it into the warehouse, lighting it with a lighter,

the flames leaping high, reflecting the walls in red.

"Burn it brightly; it can block the scent." He said,

already smelling a fishy sweetness in his nose,

like rotten meat mixed with rust.

The system prompted: 【Scent source: Mutated zombie dog pack (8),

carrying infection source.】

Lin Chen cursed.

He had seen this in his past life; their speed was three times faster than ordinary zombies,

their teeth could bite through steel plates, and the worst part was they liked to live in packs.

"Xia Nuan, go to the cellar and move the gasoline barrel out."

Lin Chen pressed bullets into the hunting rifle,

"Li Wei, come with me to block the door."

The two piled the rebar from the warehouse behind the door,

and Xia Nuan carried the gasoline barrel over, her hands shaking violently,

spilling oil all over the floor.

"Splash it at the entrance." Lin Chen said,

climbing up the wall to occupy the high ground.

Xia Nuan gritted her teeth and splashed the gasoline onto the snow.

The air was instantly filled with a pungent smell.

Dog barking came from the distance, not just one,

like wolf howls but sharper.

It made one's scalp tingle.

Lin Chen raised the hunting rifle, aiming toward the small woods,

in the light of his phone's flashlight.

Eight black shadows darted out, their speed as fast as the wind,

their eyes green, red bloodstains hanging from their mouths.

"They're here!" Xia Nuan shouted,

throwing a piece of firewood into the fire.

Lin Chen pulled the trigger, and the leading zombie dog fell to the ground,

rolling twice, struggling to climb up.

Lin Chen fired another shot, hitting its head.

The remaining zombie dogs didn't stop, rushing toward the warehouse like mad,

slipping on the gasoline when they reached the entrance.

Several collided together.

Lin Chen fired at the pile of dogs,

the bullets splashing ice shards on the snow.

He didn't hit many.

"Light it!" Lin Chen roared.

Xia Nuan grabbed a burning piece of wood and threw it toward the entrance.

The gasoline was instantly ignited, a wall of fire leaping up,

blocking the zombie dogs outside; the screams and the smell of burning mixed together,

making one's stomach churn.

Two zombie dogs circled to the back of the warehouse,

their claws scratching the wall, making a harsh sound.

Lin Chen climbed down and ran to the back.

Xia Nuan and Li Wei followed behind.

The back wall of the warehouse was solid brick and couldn't be scratched through for the time being,

but he could see the wall surface falling off.

"Splash the gasoline." Lin Chen said,

and Xia Nuan hurriedly handed over the remaining half barrel of oil.

Lin Chen opened the barrel lid and splashed it onto the wall.

The oil flowed down the wall to the ground; he took out his lighter and threw it over,

the flames leaping up along the oil trail, forcing the two zombie dogs to retreat,

much of the fur on their bodies singed.

The fire wall in front gradually grew smaller,

and the remaining five zombie dogs didn't retreat, circling at the entrance,

their green eyes staring at the warehouse.

As if looking for a flaw.

Lin Chen had Xia Nuan add firewood,

while he stood guard at the back.

His ears were full of dog barking and scratching sounds.

Suddenly, a "crack" sound came from the top of the warehouse,

the sound of the solar panels being crushed.

Lin Chen looked up; a zombie dog had actually jumped onto the roof,

looking down, its green eyes staring at him.

"Damn it!" Lin Chen raised the hunting rifle.

The dog suddenly jumped down, lunging straight at his face.

Lin Chen sidestepped, and it slammed into the wall, bricks falling everywhere.

Lin Chen took the opportunity to fire.

It hit its stomach, and green blood splattered all over him.

The zombie dog howled and turned, biting toward his leg.

Lin Chen kicked it in the head.

He pressed the hunting rifle into its mouth and pulled the trigger,

the bullet passing through from the back of its head,

green brains splattering everywhere.

"Lin Chen!" Xia Nuan shouted,

the fire wall in front had collapsed, and four zombie dogs rushed in,

Li Wei was so scared he collapsed on the ground, the gun falling beside his feet.

Lin Chen rushed over, picked up the gun, and threw it to Xia Nuan,

while he grabbed the steel pipe from the floor,

smashing it hard onto the leg of the nearest dog.

The sound of bone shattering was very loud,

and the zombie dog fell to the ground screaming; Lin Chen didn't stop,

smashing it a few more times until it stopped moving.

Xia Nuan raised the hunting rifle, her hands shaking the whole time,

and after much difficulty, she hit one, but didn't hit a vital spot,

and that dog turned and lunged at her.

Lin Chen lunged over and pushed her away,

getting scratched on the back by the dog's claws,

the bulletproof vest torn open, his skin burning with pain.

"Fire!" Lin Chen roared.

Xia Nuan closed her eyes and pulled the trigger,

the bullet hitting the zombie dog's back.

It felt pain and turned to bite Lin Chen's neck.

Lin Chen jammed its mouth with the steel pipe,

pressing his knee against its stomach and twisting hard.

The dog's neck was twisted, and green blood sprayed all over his face.

The last two zombie dogs saw the situation wasn't right and turned to run.

Lin Chen picked up the hunting rifle.

He aimed at the leg of one and fired, breaking its leg,

ignoring the other and letting it run—

The system prompted: 【Threat level dropped to low.】

The warehouse was a mess,

the fire was almost out, the floor covered in blood and minced meat,

the singed dog corpses emitting an unpleasant smell.

Lin Chen collapsed on the ground,

the wound on his back beginning to ache, green blood seeping into the wound,

feeling a bit numb.

"You're hurt!" Xia Nuan rushed over,

tearing open his clothes; the skin around the wound had already turned blue.

She hurriedly rummaged through the medical kit for disinfectant and bandages.

When she poured it on the wound, Lin Chen winced in pain.

"This blood is problematic." Lin Chen said,

feeling dizzy.

The system prompted: 【Detected mild infection,

use antibiotics to alleviate.】

Xia Nuan hurriedly found the antibiotics,

pried open his mouth to stuff them in, and poured in a mouthful of water.

Li Wei was still collapsed on the ground, his pant leg wet,

having been scared into wetting himself.

Lin Chen glared at him but didn't speak,

leaning against the wall to catch his breath.

Besides the singed smell, there was something else in the air,

like the smell of human flesh being roasted.

It wasn't from their side,

but drifting from the direction of the small woods.

"Do you smell that?" Lin Chen asked Xia Nuan.

Xia Nuan nodded, her face pale:

"It seems to be... the smell of people."

Lin Chen grabbed the hunting rifle and struggled to stand up.

The pain in his back made him wince.

"I'll go take a look." Lin Chen said.

Xia Nuan pulled him back: "Don't go, it's too dangerous."

Lin Chen ignored her, pushed her hand away, and walked to the entrance,

on the system panel, the red dot in the direction of the small woods was still flashing,

not a zombie dog, but a human silhouette.

"Guard the warehouse." Lin Chen dropped this sentence,

lifted the rebar piled at the entrance, and walked into the snow.

Behind him, Xia Nuan's voice was tearful: "Be careful."

Lin Chen didn't look back,

the hunting rifle in his hands, walking step by step toward the small woods.

The blood smell in the snow grew stronger.

Mixed with that smell of human flesh, it made his stomach churn.

When he was ten meters from the woods,

he saw someone lying in the snow.

Wearing a security uniform, it was the young guard from yesterday,

his lower body already gone, the wound charred black,

as if it had been gnawed and then burned.

Lin Chen raised the hunting rifle and walked into the woods,

the light of his phone's flashlight sweeping,

seeing someone tied to a tree.

It was Wang Dama, her eyes wide, her stomach sliced open,

internal organs scattered all over the floor, and a crowbar thrown to the side,

the same one she had held yesterday.

The system prompted: 【Discovered dead survivors x2,

confirmed attacked by zombie dogs.】

Lin Chen frowned and was about to turn around.

He heard movement behind the tree, very light,

like someone panting.

He raised the hunting rifle and aimed behind the tree: "Who?"

No one answered, but the panting became more obvious,

mixed with some groaning, as if in great pain.

Lin Chen walked over step by step.

In the light of his phone's flashlight, he saw someone curled up behind the tree,

wearing a military uniform; it was Captain Wang, his arm gone,

the wound wrapped in bandages, already soaked through with blood.

He was humming, his eyes half-open and half-closed.

"Where's Su Qing?" Lin Chen asked,

the gun muzzle aimed at his head.

Captain Wang shivered, his mouth opening and closing, unable to speak,

his eyes glancing toward the depths of the woods.

Lin Chen followed his gaze.

In the darkness, it seemed a white shadow was moving,

still dragging something in its hand, a trail dragged out in the snow,

the end of which was deeper darkness.

The smell of human flesh in the air,

seemed to be drifting from that side.

He gripped the hunting rifle tightly, the wound on his back beginning to ache again.

He felt even dizzier.

On the system panel, the red dot of that white shadow was moving,

getting closer and closer.

Lin Chen gritted his teeth and turned to walk toward the warehouse,

Captain Wang's groaning growing weaker behind him.

He knew tonight wasn't over.

That white shadow was nine times out of ten Su Qing,

and what she was dragging made one feel sick just thinking about it.

Returning to the warehouse entrance, Xia Nuan hurriedly greeted him.

Seeing the blood on his face, her eyes turned red: "What happened?"

Lin Chen didn't speak, pointing toward the small woods,

his voice a bit hoarse: "Su Qing is over there, and... the smell of human flesh."

Xia Nuan's face turned white instantly,

stepping back and hitting the door.

Lin Chen pushed her away and walked into the warehouse.

He leaned the hunting rifle in the corner, grabbed the parts of the diesel generator,

and began nailing them to the wall; the pain in his back made his movements a bit slow,

but his eyes were fierce.

The system prompted: 【Countdown: 27 days, 23 hours.】

Lin Chen touched the bandage on his back,

already soaked through with blood, green, and carrying a fishy sweetness.

He knew that tomorrow he wouldn't just have to reinforce the warehouse,

but also make a trip to the small woods;

some debts needed to be settled.