Carefully rounding the corner of the hallway, a faint glimmer of light became visible in the distance. It filtered through a small ventition window near the ceiling, though the thick yer of dust and dark stains covering the gss dimmed its glow. Even in the early morning sunlight, the illumination here was barely stronger than the beam of a fshlight.

  "Shh…"

  Lin Tao, leading the group, switched off his fshlight and raised a hand to signal a halt. The three behind him immediately stopped, pressing themselves against the wall. Bai Ru, gripping her shotgun, cautiously leaned against Lin Tao's back and peered around the corner. In the dim light, she saw five or six zombies, some standing, others sitting, gathered near the source of the light. Perhaps some remnant of their human instincts drew them to the brightness over the darkness.

  At the end of the lit area stood two tightly shut warehouse doors. It was clear that a horrific disaster had unfolded here. The gray fireproof doors were smeared with chaotic bloody handprints, and the floor was stained with dark, dried patches of blood. Scattered bone fragments and torn clothing added to the gruesome scene, making it look like a human sughterhouse that had yet to be cleaned.

  Lin Tao crouched behind a stack of beverage crates and gnced at Bai Ru. She swallowed hard, her expression serious, and held up six fingers to indicate the number of zombies. Lin Tao nodded, signaling for her to stay back while he handled the situation. Bai Ru hesitated for a moment but then quickly darted to a rge wooden crate on the opposite side. She pointed to her eyes and then at Lin Tao, using precise combat hand signals to communicate that she would provide cover.

  Lin Tao frowned, clearly displeased with her decision, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he adjusted his fshlight to a focused beam and directed the intense light at the eyes of a zombie standing at the edge of the group.

  The zombie, startled by the sudden brightness, froze for several seconds before turning its head in confusion. Seeing the dimming light now circling on the floor, it tilted its stiff head and began shuffling toward the moving glow.

  "Whoosh…"

  A fsh of white bde light sliced through the air, cutting cleanly across the zombie’s neck. The creature, feeling no pain, continued to fil its arms, eager to reach the figure in the corner. But as it moved, its shriveled head toppled from its body, rolling across the floor with its mouth still gaping, bckened teeth gnashing audibly.

  Bai Ru, clutching her shotgun, stared in shock. She had never imagined that killing a zombie could be so effortless—just a swift ssh of the bde, and the menacing creature was down. Even killing a human wouldn’t have been this straightforward, she thought.

  Lin Tao ignored her stunned expression and dragged the headless, rotting corpse behind him. He repeated the process, luring the zombies one by one and dispatching them with precision. When two zombies approached simultaneously, he remained calm, dispatching both with two quick strikes. Finally, only one zombie remained, sitting motionless on the ground. Lin Tao suddenly flipped the long meat cleaver in his hand and offered it to Bai Ru, saying calmly, "Your turn."

  Bai Ru straightened up, slung her shotgun over her back, and eyed the cleaver now coated in dark, dried gunk. She wrinkled her nose in disgust but, after a moment’s hesitation, took the weapon from Lin Tao. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the handle tightly and began to slowly approach the zombie.

  "Wait…"

  Lin Tao’s low voice stopped her after just two steps. He pointed to her hand on the cleaver and said softly, "You’re gripping it too tightly. Not only will you hurt yourself, but the bde could slip. Rex. You haven’t been active for over a year. If you’re too tense, you’ll exhaust yourself quickly."

  Bai Ru pressed her lips together and nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words. Indeed, the women had been trapped in that dark, confined space with no room for physical activity. Just two steps into her approach, she was already drenched in cold sweat from the tension. If she didn’t kill the zombie in one strike, a few moments of struggle would leave her completely drained.

  She wiped the sweat from her brow with her arm, her earlier arrogance repced by a humble expression. "Mr. Lin," she said softly, "is there anything else I should know?"

  "Aim for the neck or above. The heart is useless. If you don’t have the strength to decapitate it in one strike and the bde gets stuck, abandon it immediately. Use your gun butt or even fire a shot if necessary. And whatever you do, don’t let the zombie’s blood get in your eyes or mouth. That’s fatal," Lin Tao expined succinctly. His advice, though simple, was invaluable in this apocalyptic world—more precious than gold.

  Bai Ru nodded gratefully, adjusting her grip on the cleaver to rex her body. She then began to slowly approach the zombie, which seemed too starved to even move.

  However, Lin Tao, perhaps intentionally testing her, kicked a heavy crate beside him, creating a loud thud. The zombie’s head snapped toward the sound, its gray, pupil-less eyes locking onto Bai Ru, who was now just steps away.

  The sudden eye contact startled Bai Ru, and she instinctively stepped back. But the zombie, sensing fresh prey, surged forward with surprising speed, pushing itself off the ground and lunging at her.

  The stench of decay hit Bai Ru like a wave as the zombie’s rigid arms filed toward her. Caught off guard by its speed, she stumbled backward into a stack of beverage crates, the cleaver cttering to the ground.

  The zombie let out a guttural roar, its gaping, torn mouth now just two meters away. Bai Ru could almost smell its foul breath as she scrambled on the crates, instinctively looking to Lin Tao for help. To her shock, she found him casually smoking a cigarette, his left hand supporting his right elbow as he watched her with an indifferent expression. He stepped forward only to kick the fallen cleaver back toward her.

  The zombie, dressed in a filthy work uniform and wearing white rubber shoes—likely a former factory worker—showed no mercy as it lunged at Bai Ru’s delicate frame. Its torn mouth stretched wide, aiming straight for her rapidly pulsing neck…