[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-zombie-apocalypse-creation":3,"chapter-zombie-apocalypse-creation-zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-574":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Zombie Apocalypse: Creation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1887530,2510,"Chapter 574 574: Story of A Refugee (10)","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-574",574,"\u003Cp>As February flew by, the situation worsened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food was running out fast. Even fresh water was starting to be rationed strictly for everyone in the settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the unit could feel the disconnect between the government and the military, almost like mortal enemies who hated each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just low-ranking soldiers like me being cut back in salary. Active duty soldiers who had to risk their lives outside were a part of the cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of the soldiers were unhappy. But we just had to stomach the cost. The government spokesperson's point was just too valid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed towards the decreasing number of loots to the ever-expanding population size that the government had to support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only fortunate news we got was the promise that there won't be another budget cut. But soon, that promise was broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could still remember that day. April 3, 2021.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days since April Fool's and a day from Qingming Festival, the government revealed an important announcement to the public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just another budget cut that the soldiers had to stomach. But all senior officers are being forced to face a re-evaluation for misconduct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a single senior officer being found guilty, the entire unit was supposed to be disbanded and ejected from the military.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the final nail in the coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a single meeting, all five of the senior officers orchestrated a coup with their most trusted soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fighting lasted surprisingly long, as salvage groups tried to assist the government in fighting back against the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the sun had gone up, there was a new ruler in town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new committee, made up of all five senior officers and two former government officials who sided with the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of the budget cuts were cancelled, and the food crisis was resolved by seizing all the food from salvage groups that had 'rebelled.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, everything seemed to go in a positive direction once again... until the summer rolled around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mass exodus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't from the civilian whose life had only gotten worse since the military takeover. But rather, the zombies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single day, there was a zombie horde marching towards us. Even I was conscripted to the front line for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were to face the zombie before it got close to the wall, which meant I was standing along my peers, right outside the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart was filled with excitement when I fired a live bullet for the first time. Almost half a year ago, I was drafted into the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An actual bullet that landed on a zombie's head. Killing them on the spot as more zombies quickly filled the gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It soon became a daily routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every morning, we rotated soldiers in and out as we fought day and night. Just always more zombies to shoot at every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the senior officers decided to retreat to the walls as we began to run out of ammo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As more and more zombies began to pile up against the wall, people started to panic. Even the soldiers were starting to get a little nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors of imminent collapse began to spread like fire. The ever-increasing zombie howls added to the spark as people began to panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hope of the zombie going away on its own was gone. The reassurance from the military committee only made the situation worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the zombies were about to reach the top of the wall, a miracle appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waves upon waves of soldiers appeared from the southern entrance, clearing all the outside zombies for us as their commander met with our senior officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a day of fighting, the emergency was lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The zombies at the entrance were now gone. Only ashes and smoke remained as corpses were being burned on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even get to meet with several of the soldiers who helped us as they stayed at our barracks for a few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them were sailors and soldiers from Fujian, trying to reunite with the Central Command in Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of them tried to convince us to join in, but I rejected their offer just like everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one wanted to leave their family behind. Not for some imagined destination that is probably filled with zombies at this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a week after the Fujian soldiers had left, the zombies reappeared once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it was greater than any numbers we had ever faced. We were instantly forced back into the wall once again as we ran out of ammo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It almost felt like a deja vu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same scenario was unfolding right before my eyes, except the civilians were surprisingly taking the military committee's word at face value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of the civilians were thinking that a miracle was going to happen again. But as days continued to pass, the promise was becoming less likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was assigned to patrol the streets with my fellow unit, a new rumor appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the senior officers' relatives were sneaking out through the southern entrance, the only entrance that zombies didn't surround.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I know it was true or not? It didn't matter at this point. Everyone was trying to figure out a way to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not a single person could leave. Not even the most trusted soldier to the senior officer could allow their relative and family members to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of the exits were closed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No soldiers, including me, were allowed to leave as the active duty soldiers continued to follow orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why? Because high-up said drawing zombies towards our only remaining exit was suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the senior officers in the committee promised, \"we can all leave when the time is right.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was bullshit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest bullshit lie I had been told by someone who was supposed to be trustworthy. I could still vividly remember the day everything fell apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the middle of July of 2021.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An explosion went off right at the entrance. The reinforced steel door collapsed, followed by more and more explosions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front entrance mine was instantly triggered. All of the fuel stockpile next to the mines instantly engulfed the entrance in flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was everyone for themselves... Except for me and my fellow unit members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had been planning an escape route for ourselves the whole time, ever since the first disaster had struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tunnel goes underneath the wall, leading a mile out from the wall itself. Fully hidden within an abandoned building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single penny was spent towards it. Buying drills, sledgehammers, shovels, and every tool we could think of to speed up the construction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my fellow members ran back home to get their relatives, I myself was running as fast as I could to get back home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I saw Jieqiong and my parent standing by the door with their luggage, I immediately threw it aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no time! We need to run now! The zombies are here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, they all listened as they started running alongside me, going through the streets as people had run long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching closer and closer to the southern exit, the entire road was filled with people trying to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were walking casually, while others were carrying their backpack, trying to get past the traffic jam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly led my family off the main road, taking a small detour before finally arriving at the abandoned building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is everyone here?\" I urgently asked, seeing one of my fellow unit members standing right at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Ping and Liu Huang aren't here yet.\" He answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shit... They are on their own. Let's go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I led everyone inside the building, they were all shocked by the dark tunnel ahead of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just tall enough to enter inside with their back bend. Just wide enough to lie down with their hands closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I signalled everyone to crawl as it was much faster. Along the way, we could hear noises far behind us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear my fellow unit had finally arrived alongside their family member. Still, we continued forward without waiting for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crawling on my knees for almost an hour, we finally reached a small light at the end of the tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We were now in the middle of a small forest. Behind us was the massive wall that we had just escaped from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place that we had lived for almost a year was now behind us forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck, my knees are burning.\" My younger sister complained as her pants had a massive hole from the friction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wouldn't complain if I were you. Be happy you're alive... Zhaoxun, good luck to you and your family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waved goodbye as my fellow unit member walked off into the forest with his family, disappearing from my sight forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why don't we go together with them?\" My Mom curiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We already decided to go our separate ways... Come on, let's go. I don't want to stay here in this forest any longer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1518,"2026-06-10T06:59:52.732Z",1,"novelbin.me","aea23290a90fd89cbab96afa750a536dab7e6e6f67a0726771fbca7d97b3730a","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-575","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-573",829,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fzombie-apocalypse-creation-cover.jpg"]