Chapter 87: The Comatose Animal (Daily 10k Request for Subscription)

“Thank you, thank you, big brother for sparing my life!”

Wu Daqiang saw that Zhang Su truly intended to let him go, and nearly burst into tears.

“Go.”

Zhang Su waved his hand, signaling the others to make way for Wu Daqiang.

“Thank you, big brother, thank you, thank you all… Oh!”

Wu Daqiang limped toward the door, then suddenly remembered something and turned back to Zhang Su: “I won’t survive going back alone—Mr. Xin will surely send someone to investigate. You might not care, but if it’s unnecessary, just leave.”

Zhang Su paused slightly, surprised Wu Daqiang planned to leave alone, then nodded: “Alright, I understand.”

The grudge was nearly irreconcilable; Zhang Su couldn’t let the four intruders seize supplies, and after losing men, Mr. Xin would surely grow suspicious and wouldn’t let this go.

Wu Daqiang nodded without further words. Though injured, he was grateful just to have survived—this whole affair had been their fault to begin with. As he left, he gently closed the door behind him, though the lock was broken and couldn’t be secured.

“Big Brother Su, you really let him go?”

Lu Yu bo had thought Zhang Su had some clever plan—like killing him as he left—but now Wu Daqiang was actually walking away.

“Do you believe he didn’t forcibly take that girl, so you let him go?” Zhong Xiaoshan asked softly.

Zhang Su shook his head: “I do believe he didn’t do that. But what I really thought was—if he dared pick up a knife, I’d let him go. No matter what he says when he returns, it’s better than killing him. But…”

“I didn’t expect he planned to leave Phoenix International. Pack up—we can’t stay here anymore.”

After a brief explanation, Zhang Su turned to the three corpses lying on the floor, sighing helplessly.

He didn’t doubt Wu Daqiang’s final warning—no matter how he looked at it, Tan Huajun’s home was no longer safe. Even without the warning, he’d planned to move tonight!

“It really proves your old saying—living people are more terrifying than zombies… sigh…”

Zheng Xinyu, backpack packed and standing at the door, spoke gloomily.

Zhang Su smiled: “This is just the beginning. The dark forest has only just started. Let’s go.”

“Big Brother Su, let me take one last look.”

Tan Huajun stood at the door, leaning on her caliper, her flashlight sweeping over the house where she’d lived for five or six years—tears welled up.

This was the house she moved into after her divorce, the starting point for leaving her past behind and beginning anew—and now it was over.

In the apocalypse, homelessness was normal; wandering was the main theme.

Zhang Su’s group left Building 7 and, due to timing, didn’t encounter Wu Daqiang.

In the darkness, under the cold, hazy moonlight, they could barely make out human shapes within three to five meters. They moved through the dark without flashlights—using one would surely expose them.

The group returned to Building 4, which they’d passed earlier, and entered a secure unit to search upward. Soon, they found an open door on the third floor.

Inside, the room was in disarray. Using the faint glow of their phone screens, they quickly scanned—no disturbing corpses, no smell of blood or decay. This environment suited them well.

Zheng Xinyu didn’t remove her backpack and rushed straight toward the balcony, intending to draw the curtains to avoid being seen again.

But as she crossed the threshold onto the balcony, her eye caught a strange object. Without a flashlight, she couldn’t make out what it was.

“Huh? Ehh~~~!”

Zheng Xinyu instinctively leaned closer—and nearly screamed. But thanks to Zhang Su’s constant reminders over the past weeks—“Don’t make noise, don’t make noise”—she swallowed the cry.

She didn’t scream, but the odd sound immediately drew the attention of Zhang Su and the others.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhang Su sprinted to the balcony, the sharp dog-leg knife already in hand.

“D-dog! Dog!”

Zheng Xinyu pointed in shock at the dog cage in the corner.

???

Zhang Su and Zhong Xiaoshan exchanged glances—even in the dark, their mutual shock was palpable.

“Big Brother Su, what’s the deal with the dog? Are you gonna eat it?”

Lu Yu bo, confused by their reactions, asked without context.

“Eat? Eat a pile of shit…” Zhang Su gave Lu Yu bo a sharp tap on the head.

Tan Huajun was also puzzled: “Big Brother Su, why are you so surprised by the dog?”

“Let me check first.”

Zhang Su didn’t answer. He crouched down and lit the dog cage with his phone screen—it was a small Corgi, curled up quietly inside. Its chest rose and fell slightly—alive, but…

They were right in front of it, and yet it showed no reaction. How many days had passed? The food in the cage hadn’t been touched, the water was still full—only a little had evaporated naturally.

“Is this Corgi dead?”

Zheng Xinyu leaned close beside Zhang Su, watching the tiny dog nervously.

“It’s not dead. But its condition is strange…”

Zhang Su turned the knife, using the blade’s back to prod the Corgi through the cage bars. The dog swayed loosely, like it had no bones—yet still slept soundly, showing no sign of waking.

He stood up, frowning: “Tan, Bo—think back. Since the zombie virus broke out, have you seen any other animals? Birds, cats, dogs, insects—anything? Have you seen any?”

“Animals?”

Lu Yu bo tilted his head, digging through recent memories, then nodded vigorously: “Actually, I haven’t seen any cats or dogs. And with the cold, I haven’t seen any other animals either.”

Tan Huajun smiled weakly: “I’ve been stuck at the gas station—I didn’t see anything outside. But if you all haven’t seen any, there must be something wrong.”

“Maybe the virus infected animals too?” Zhong Xiaoshan mused.

Zhang Su frowned: “That doesn’t make sense. Even if animals were infected, where are they? Did they just vanish?”

“Oh come on! Stop analyzing this! Aren’t you all tired?”

Zheng Xinyu had no interest in questions with no answers—she’d been on watch earlier and was exhausted.

Zhang Su glanced again at the Corgi in the cage, then checked his watch: “Four more hours till dawn. We’ll sleep on the sofa tonight. Who’s on watch?”

Zhang Su looked at the time and asked the group.

Zhong Xiaoshan raised her hand: “It’s my turn.”

“You all rest. I’m not sleepy—I’ll keep watch till dawn.”

Tan Huajun spoke weakly.

She’d finally returned home, only to find no family—just a note—and now even her home was unusable, with three corpses lying inside. Her heart ached.

The group knew Tan Huajun was upset, offered a few words of comfort, then went to sleep. To show gratitude for her taking the watch, Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan gave her their rationed food.

In this new world, growth was necessary—both physically and mentally—to face the new order.

Zhang Su opened his eyes to soft light filtering through the curtains. He checked the time—just after seven in the morning.

Around him, Zheng Xinyu slept like a kitten beside him, Lu Yu bo sprawled on the floor snoring softly.

Tan Huajun sat at the table near the kitchen, one hand propping her cheek, the other resting on her caliper, eyes vacant, lost in thought.

Zhang Su’s ears twitched—he heard faint movement from the bedroom. He didn’t need to guess—Zhong Xiaoshan was searching.

“Go rest. We won’t leave until morning.”

Zhang Su didn’t wake Zheng Xinyu or Lu Yu bo. He walked to Tan Huajun’s side and spoke softly.

Tan Huajun startled, instinctively gripping her caliper—then relaxed when she saw it was Zhang Su.

Tan Hua was startled, instinctively gripping the caliper, but relaxed his grip when he saw it was Zhang Su.

After sending Tan Huajun to rest, Zhang Su went to the balcony to check on the Corgi—still asleep, or perhaps comatose. Yellow-and-white fur, long tail curled around its legs, big ears drooping, black nose rising and falling with slow breaths.

He took down the balcony clothesline and poked the Corgi for a long while. It never reacted. He shrugged and followed Zhong Xiaoshan inside to search.

From the traces of habitation, this had once been a happy family of three—luckily escaped, perhaps. But later, someone had ransacked the place—leaving no supplies behind.

No food or drink remained, but warm clothing was plentiful.

Tan Huajun finally shed layer after layer of her gas station uniform (her own clothes had been taken by the rescue team) and put on a thin down jacket she found in the closet—clearly, the original female owner hadn’t been slim.

The others also changed into cleaner clothes to varying degrees. Though they couldn’t bathe, wearing clean garments brought some comfort.

“Let’s discuss what to do next.”

Around ten in the morning, after breakfast, the five sat together to plan their next move.

All knew Phoenix International was only a temporary stop—even an accidental one—but they were lost about what to do next, all looking to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su, seeing their expectant gazes, spoke plainly: “At the next intersection south, turn left two hundred meters—I have a shop there. I hid some good weapons inside. Getting them will greatly improve our ability to fight zombies!”

“Big Brother Su, you’re not talking about those iron-blade knives you sold us, are you?”

Lu Yu bo asked with a mischievous grin, looking downright annoying.

Zhang Su gave him a flat look: “For that remark, when we get to the convenience store, you’ll be last to pick a weapon.”

Zhang Su gave Lu Yu a withering look and said dryly, “Just for that remark, you’ll be the last to pick a weapon at the convenience store!”

Lu Yu bo laughed awkwardly, fiddling with his food sampler: “This thing’s fine too. No new weapon’s necessary.”

“At the intersection, turn right… that’s not far, less than two kilometers? But what if the convenience store isn’t safe to stay at?”

“At the intersection, turn right… it’s not that far, less than two kilometers? But what if the convenience store isn’t safe to stop at?”

“If it’s not safe, we head straight north out of the city! The overall direction is set—but what happens along the way? No one knows!”

Zhang Su traced lines on the floor with his finger.

“Head north out of the city?”

Zhong Xiaoshan asked softly, looking at Zhang Su with an odd expression.

Zhang Su nodded, slightly apologetic: “Xiaoshan, I know you want to go to Funing County to find out about your parents. But you know the situation—going to Funing is worse than going to Qingshan.”

Among Qin City’s four counties, Qingshan was the largest—four times the area of Funing. But due to geography and development, its population was only one-third of Funing’s. Thus, Qingshan’s population density was less than one-tenth of Funing’s.

In simple terms: if you encounter ten zombies in Qingshan, you’d face over a hundred in Funing!

Zhong Xiaoshan understood this well. She bit her lip and nodded silently, whispering: “If there’s a chance, I still want to visit Funing someday.”

She couldn’t leave the group alone like Wang Guangjun had—her strength didn’t allow it, and the distance to Funing wasn’t comparable to the distance from the Environmental Academy.

She couldn’t leave the team alone like Wang Guang did to head for Funing County—first, her combat power didn’t allow it, and second, the distance to Funing wasn’t comparable to what the Environment Academy could handle.

(End of chapter)