Chapter 16: I Just Don't Believe You're a Good Person

The death of Chen Tianhu seemed to have deterred the remaining residents of the complex from actively engaging with Zhang Cheng. Butfor Zhang Cheng, whether these residents had a favorable opinion of him or feared him didn't matter. He didn't need to rely on them to survive and didn't care about their judgments.

Three days after Chen's death, the food Zhang Cheng had brought was mostly consumed. It wasn't Tang Ying's fault, as she ate little. The blame lay with Zhang Cheng himself, who had increased his food intake to fuel his frequent and energy-consuming muscle-building exercises.

After disengaging from Tang Ying, Zhang Cheng dressed and told her, "I'm going out tonight to look for food. You stay here and wait for me. Don't open the door for anyone except me, understand?" Tang Ying obediently nodded, though she was puzzled by his decision. She had noticed the pattern of zombies being less active during the day, preferring cool, shady places unless disturbed by loud noises. But Zhang Cheng chose to venture out at night when the zombies were most active.

Zhang Cheng kept his secret – his immunity to zombie bites – from

Tang Ying. This was key to his survival in this apocalyptic world. When he opened the door, the zombies outside approached him. He pushed them aside and closed the door without killing them. For ordinary people, zombies were a major threat, but for Zhang Cheng, they were like security guards, deterring intruders and keeping Tang Ying from leaving.

Humming a tune, Zhang Cheng easily navigated past the zombies in the staircase, who merely glanced at him before ignoring him. He reached the ground floor without trouble. The night was pitch black, devoid of any starlight. Instead of starting his motorcycle right away, Zhang Cheng headed towards Chen Tianhu's corpse.

Chen had been dismembered by zombies and was now dead, but he left behind items that Zhang Cheng had no qualms about taking: a baseball bat stained with black blood and brain matter, and the keys to a Hummer. Apparently, Chen had planned to escape the complex in the Hummer. With his death, his belongings fell into Zhang Cheng's hands.

Zhang quickly pocketed the keys and returned to his motorcycle. Starting the engine, he left the complex to search for the Hummer. It was a rare vehicle in Donghai City, not commonly favored by urban dwellers. Sure enough, Zhang found the Hummer in a private parking lotoutside the complex. Pressing the key fob, the Hummer beeped twice, attracting nearby zombies.

Zhang Cheng wasn't concerned about the zombies; he was more interested in what might be inside the vehicle. Chen Tianhu was definitely not a good person, and the fact that he didn't park his vehicle in the complex's garage suggested he had something to hide.

The trunk was already open, revealing fishing gear, chairs, a foldable sun umbrella, an outdoor stove, a gas cylinder, and a can of olive oil – the belongings of an outdoor enthusiast. However, Zhang Cheng was convinced of Chen's villainy and found a handgun and three full magazines hidden under the passenger seat's carpet.