Chapter 8: Speed Zombie

Shen Feng burst through the doors of the shopping mall, adrenaline pounding in his veins. The majestic atrium loomed above him, an open expanse that had once been filled with laughter and life, now it echoed with the haunting presence of thousands of zombies. The dissonant music blaring from the mall's aging sound system had inadvertently drawn them like moths to a flame.

The sight was beyond terrifying; rotting figures shuffled forward, eyes vacant, fingers clawing hungrily at the air. Shen Feng's heart raced as he scanned the scene and noticed the horde's attention shifting towards him. **A mistake, a monumental mistake.**

Yet, time was against him. The growls of zombies could be heard behind him; their foul breaths were almost tangible. Without a second thought, he dashed to the nearest elevator. But the entrance was blocked by two male zombies, their uniforms tattered but recognizable as that of mall staff.

"Really? You two—of all people—are going to stop me?" Shen Feng spat out, overwhelmed with frustration as he swung his crowbar with precision, smashing the zombies aside.

He felt the hot breath of more zombies just behind him, the acrid stench filling the air. Shen Feng's feet pounded towards the second floor, the music reverberating around him, a nostalgic echo of a normal life now shattered. **Just a little further**—he thought, a primal fear coursing through his veins.

The six-story mall was filled with convoluted paths, and the zombies appeared less focused than he had anticipated. They were disoriented, wandering aimlessly as their instincts drove them. Shen Feng couldn't help but feel a small twinge of amusement. "You mindless creatures—just wait till I get my hands on you!"

Climbing to the second floor, he noticed a marked reduction in numbers. Venturing further up, he reached the third floor and began setting up distractions to lure more zombies away from exits. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the atrium, freezing him in place.

Peering cautiously over the railing, Shen Feng was taken aback as a zombie tumbled down from the fourth floor, plummeting headfirst, the sickening crunch of bone sending a wave of nausea through him.

"Guess they're not exactly graceful, are they?" he muttered under his breath, shaking off the unsettling image.

With renewed purpose, he hatched a plan. He started throwing objects off the third floor, each clatter and crash drawing the zombies into a greater frenzy.

But as he worked, he noticed something troubling—far fewer zombies seemed to be responding than before. Glancing around, he realized the dispersal was working; those on the upper floors were either too confused or too slow to catch on.

"Good. Now to get out of here." Shen Feng sped toward a nearby cosmetics store, ransacking the shelves in a hurried frenzy, tossing bottles and packing strips of curtain fabric into a makeshift rope. The urgency of his escape weighed heavily on his mind.

Finally, he wedged himself into the window, the humid air mixing with the faint scent of perfume. With a single leap, he began his descent.

Midway down, a drop of moisture hit him square on the head. **What the hell?** Looking up, his heart sank as he locked eyes with a grotesque little zombie peering out from a fifth-floor window, drooling massively.

"Oh great. Let's add 'spitting zombies' to the list," he groaned, speeding his descent. But, just as he thought he was safe, the small creature lunged out of the window, surprisingly agile, digging fingers into the wall—its unnatural abilities completely unreal to him.

"Not today!" Shen Feng yelled, raising his crowbar, but the nimble little zombie was already upon him, using its momentum to launch itself over Shen Feng's head. He barely had time to react before it raked its claws across his shoulder, tearing through fabric and skin.

"Argh!" Shen Feng grimaced, fueled by pain as adrenaline surged. He kicked against the wall, trying to evade its grasp, but the creature just lunged again, eager to land a fatal blow.

It was not mere instinct that guided it; there was intelligence there, a cunning that was startling in the face of typical mindless zombies. Shen Feng felt a primal instinct rise within him—fight or flight.

With a swift, calculated move, he swung the crowbar down, connecting with the small zombie's back. A satisfying crack echoed as he knocked it off its feet. But it wasn't done yet.

As it staggered back, Shen Feng saw his opportunity. He rolled, curling into a tight ball, and when he unfurled, the last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard again. The little zombie recovered quickly, scrabbling towards him on the ground.

But Shen Feng was ready. Channeling all his energy, he propelled himself at it. Their clash was swift and brutal; in a flurry of motion, he grabbed the creature's arms, pinning it down, bringing the crowbar up and piercing through the fleshy mess of mauled remains.

Blood splattered across the mall floor as he thrust downwards again, over and over, until there was nothing left to challenge him. Breathing heavily, Shen Feng stood, panting heavily, feeling the weight of adrenaline flood his system in waves of relief.

"So there are mutations—great. That's just what I needed to learn today..." he muttered beneath his breath.

With the little zombie now nothing but a splatter of gore and ash, Shen Feng resumed his hasty navigation through the mall, driven by both urgency and sheer willpower. Whatever lay ahead needed to be confronted with caution and strength—a truth that gnawed at the back of his mind with every step.

When he finally made it back to the iron gate, he banged on the door as if his life depended on it. Chang Jianyi answered quickly, her face flushed with concern, scanning him from head to toe.

"Are you okay? What happened?!" she demanded, pushing the door open wider.

A bite of pain lanced through him as he shrugged it off, "Just met a faster zombie than I'm used to. But it's nothing I couldn't handle!"

She eyed him skeptically, but he caught a glimpse of her relief when she inspected the cardboard boxes of supplies they had gathered.

"It looks like everyone is ready to go," he said, forcing confidence into his tone. "We need to move before more of them show up."

"You sure we can get out of here?" she asked, glancing nervously at the horizon of chaos surrounding them.

"Trust me. We'll break free of this hellhole, and when we do, we'll find a safer place," he replied, his heart thrumming—a mix of hope and dread.

As the group began moving boxes, preparing for the next momentous journey, Shen Feng glanced back at the mall, every shadow inside threatening and unease lurking like a silent predator. In his gut, a new dread settled. If this was just the beginning, they had no idea what truly awaited them out in the world—an unsettling feeling that made him resolve to keep fighting, no matter what lay ahead.

The road to survival was only beginning.