Chapter 3: Killing a Zombie
Seeing that the zombie was already awake, Su Ming couldn't afford to hesitate. The calm demeanor he had cultivated since childhood allowed him to face this scene head-on. He slowly pulled a replica military sapper shovel from behind the counter.
"Go to hell!" Su Ming didn't wait for the zombie to pounce, striking first to gain the upper hand. The fairly sharp edge of the shovel hacked directly into the zombie's head.
With a loud "CLANG," the sapper shovel, swung with great force, struck the zombie's skull. The serrated edge on the side neatly split the female zombie's head open.
A human skull was truly tough. Su Ming was no weakling, but the blow had only managed to lodge the shovel in the zombie's head. The sheer impact of the strike sent the female zombie crashing onto the counter.
"Ah... Ugh... Roar~" The zombie seemed to feel no pain or fear. Even with its head half caved in by the sapper shovel, it was still thrashing and roaring wildly.
Su Ming forcefully shoved the zombie to the ground, planted his foot on its head to hold it down, and yanked the shovel free. Then, strike after strike, he hacked the female zombie's head into a bloody pulp. Instantly, blood and shredded flesh splattered across the floor, releasing a sickening, coppery stench.
Su Ming didn't know if these zombies were like the ones in the movies, where the head was the only weak point, so he didn't let his guard down. Only when the zombie beneath his foot finally went limp did he let out a sigh of relief.
Although the sapper shovel was a replica, its quality was top-notch. After being used to kill a zombie, its edge showed no signs of wear, it was just covered in blood.
He took a few deep breaths, feeling the violent impulse inside him begin to fade. In less than five minutes, he had been through so much. Su Ming slowly calmed himself, a strange sense of excitement even bubbling up. He knew it was the adrenaline rush from the kill, a high that wouldn't fade anytime soon.
Unlike those who screamed and cried at the first sight of a zombie, too terrified to even run, Su Ming didn't even feel the revulsion that usually follows a kill. This was partly due to the calm personality he had developed since he was a child, but it was also because a violent streak was embedded in his very bones. It was why he had been so fierce in fights as a kid. He was used to the sight of blood and it was nothing new to him.
"I wonder how Sis is doing." Su Ming wasn't afraid of this apocalypse. The only person he worried about was his sister, the one person he depended on for survival. In Su Ming's heart, anyone else could die, but he would never, ever let any harm come to his sister. He had sworn an oath the moment he'd been transmigrated to this parallel world, right after his sister had saved him from a car crash.
Dialing his phone with one hand, he gathered supplies with the other. Su Ming had specifically chosen this outdoor supply store; it was the perfect place to find tools for the apocalypse. A cut-proof backpack, specialized mountaineering clothes, a grappling hook, a water bottle, military-grade compressed rations, energy drinks...
The outdoor store was large and well-stocked, but he couldn't carry too much. Su Ming was on a rescue mission, not a supply run. Lastly, he took a replica STRIDER D9 dagger he found in a hidden compartment under the counter, it must have been part of the owner's collection.
Though it was a replica, its quality was undeniable. He gave it a quick test. While it might not be able to "cut through steel like mud," it was incredibly sharp and extremely lethal. It was a beautiful weapon, too.
The line on his phone was constantly busy. Logically, the apocalypse had just begun so the communication network shouldn't have collapsed this quickly. Why couldn't he get through? A frown creased Su Ming's brow.
But no matter what, he had to save his sister. The car crash that was supposed to happen was no longer a threat, but the apocalypse brought far greater dangers. He knew his sister was clever, but he couldn't help but worry. Su Ming didn't want to waste a single second.
After a quick search of the store, he finished equipping himself. His eyes fell on the child who had been infected by the female zombie. Even with its neck half torn open, it was still crawling on the floor, wailing. Its eyes were bloodshot, it's pupils a milky gray, as it tried to drag itself toward Su Ming.
"Let me put you out of your misery..." Su Ming walked over calmly. He brought the iron shovel down, and the small zombie's head was partially crushed. After a few more brutal swings, it was dead.
He had already wasted ten minutes. After finishing off the two zombies inside, Su Ming circled the entrance of the outdoor store. There weren't many zombies around, they must have gone off chasing other people.
After the initial chaos, the uninfected survivors had mostly taken shelter in buildings. Only a handful of unlucky souls were still being hunted on the streets, their miserable screams occasionally piercing the air.
Frowning, Su Ming scanned his surroundings before breaking into a run. He was about five kilometers from the airport. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't far, a ten-minute drive, or an hour's walk at most.
But in the apocalypse, that journey was several times more difficult. After rushing out of the store, zombies with their keen sense of smell quickly picked up his scent and began staggering toward him.
Although these zombies were infected, felt no pain, and were unafraid of death, dying only if their head or heart was destroyed, their movements were stiff and clumsy. They lacked all flexibility, making them little more than walking targets. Su Ming had no fear of facing them one-on-one.
The real danger, however, was their numbers. These zombies were rarely alone. They usually moved in packs of a dozen or more. Su Ming had no time to waste fighting them, so he ducked and weaaved through the abandoned cars on the road, managing to shake off his pursuers for the moment.
After a quick glance at his surroundings, Su Ming found the most direct path and sprinted toward the airport...