Chapter 46: The Hunter
Hunter and Prey?
If we were to call them hunters while they were chasing after the Baiyin, then the roles had already swapped the moment the Baiyin dashed into the apartment building.
There were zombies inside the apartment building. Baiyin saw more than one during the rush to the rooftop.
However, these bandits, who only wanted to steal, were blinded by immediate gains, completely oblivious to the lurking dangers in every corner.
Perhaps they just wanted to take a gamble. After all, if they couldn't get supplies, they would be left with no other option but a dead end. The only difference being, whether it was sooner or later.
---
When everyone reached the rooftop, several zombies had already heard the commotion and were heading towards them through the corridor.
"Boom!!!"
Combined with the noise from Baiyin frantically banging on the pot lid receiver, the apartment building attracted even more zombies.
---
"You're crazy!!"
Baiyin's unexpected action caught everyone off guard. They had intended to grab what they could and escape quickly. But now, it was clear that the situation was spiraling towards the most dangerous scenario.
"Ahh..."
From the staircase, the moans of zombies could already be heard, causing a shiver to run down everyone's spine.
"You stop it!!"
The middle-aged man panicked and lunged forward, trying to snatch the stick from Baiyin's hand and grab the bag as well. His plan was to seize the opportunity to escape when the zombies attacked others.
But as soon as he approached...
"Bang!!!"
Baiyin kicked him away. The middle-aged man fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain.
Seizing the chance, Baiyin hammered the pot lid receiver a few more times.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
The deafening noise left everyone in a state of panic.
"Stop, please stop!!!"
The voice of an elderly lady trembled with despair.
"Ahh!!!"
At that moment, a woman behind the crowd let out a piercing scream. It was because the zombies, attracted by the noise, were now flooding onto the rooftop from the staircase.
Their numbers were substantial. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight were rushing towards the crowd.
An elderly man, too slow to react, was knocked down and had his throat bitten off.
And then, the others faced a similar fate, one after another.
"Help, help me!!!"
A chubby man took the opportunity to rush into the corridor but was cornered by the zombies ascending the stairs. He was torn apart right there on the staircase.
Even so, more zombies continued to arrive on the rooftop, increasing their numbers by at least twenty.
In an instant, the entire rooftop turned into a hellish slaughterhouse, with the zombies viciously attacking the humans, one by one.
Watching as each person fell victim to the zombies, Baiyin's face remained emotionless. He quietly slipped away from the hellish scene when the last person standing was also brought down and ruthlessly devoured by the zombies.
"Help..."
As Baiyin passed by a certain spot, a bloody hand suddenly grabbed his foot.
Looking down, he saw the middle-aged man from earlier, his lower body being torn apart by two zombies. His eyes were filled with panic and pleading.
"Save... save me..."
The man's transformation was swift, contrasting sharply with his previous hostility towards Baiyin.
"Sure, give me your hand..."
Baiyin smiled faintly, reaching out to help.
In that moment, the man's eyes were filled with hope as he moved his hand away from Baiyin's foot, attempting to grab the offered hand.
But before he could do so...
"Bang!!!"
Baiyin delivered a powerful kick to his head.
For a brief moment, the man felt his consciousness falter.
When his vision cleared, all he saw was Baiyin walking away, leaving him behind.
"Don't go, save me..."
His hoarse voice filled with despair and anguish.
But what awaited him next was not Baiyin turning back. Instead, another zombie lunged forward, sinking its teeth into his neck.
"Ahh!!!!!!"
The piercing scream sent shivers down one's spine.
And then, the torn body lay still, motionless.
In the end, the passing of over a dozen lives amounted to just a few short minutes.
---
---
---
Baiyin went to the old man's place as agreed.
As he laid out the food in front of the old man, a rare smile appeared on the old man's face.
Tears welled up in the old man's eyes as he thanked Baiyin profusely, repeatedly exclaiming:
"Good person, good person..."
---
Baiyin left half of the food behind and departed.
Of course, it was all ready-to-eat items.
As for noodles and the like, he didn't give any.
---
After leaving the building, he collected some firewood from the surrounding area and filled his bag.
Only when the bag was full did he start heading home.
The sky was drizzling lightly, but his umbrella was buried at the bottom of the bag and couldn't be retrieved easily. Luckily, the rain was light enough not to soak the contents of his bag.
Baiyin returned to the villa around noon.
After making sure he wasn't being followed, he unlocked the door with his key and locked it securely from the inside.
Upon entering the bedroom, Baiyin found Baiyu reading in bed, immersed in the book he usually read, Robinson Crusoe.
Blackie lay on her shoulder, curiously looking at the words on the book, purely out of boredom.
It seemed they got along quite well.
---
"Welcome home!"
Seeing Baiyin return, Baiyu hurriedly sat up from the bed.
"Woof woof!!!"
Blackie immediately jumped off the bed, wagging its tail frantically around Baiyin.
"Uh, I'll go prepare some food."
Baiyin nodded and took Blackie to the kitchen.
Baiyu quickly got off the bed and followed behind.
"Can I help with anything?"
"No need. Just stay in bed and rest!"
"But I'm just having a cold, not that serious..."
"But there's nothing for you to help with here unless you're good at cooking!"
"..."
Baiyu fell into silence, feeling awkward and guilty, as she indeed couldn't cook.
Seeing her discomfort, Baiyin understood her anxiety.
In the end, he simply said:
"Could you help me lay out the sofa bed? I'll sleep there tonight. The blankets are in the wardrobe. Is that okay?"
"Sure, sure!"
Baiyu felt relieved, then hurried off to help.