Su Wan ate well, slept well, and was full of energy.
Compared to worrying about that, she was more troubled about whether to braise chicken feet or deep-fry lotus root slices tonight.
Forget it, if she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it. As long as she and the little one were healthy, being a bit thin was fine. In the apocalypse, being agile was also an advantage.
She clapped her hands, picked up a potato nearby, and started peeling it. When the big shots returned tonight, she had to make them beef stew with potatoes, something filling.
The peace was broken that night.
“Clang!”
It wasn't just one sound, but a continuous series of impacts and some kind of muffled roar.
Su Wan's heart rate suddenly quickened. The zombies were here! She abruptly stood up from the chair, and Zhang Ma, who was beside her, had already rushed to the door, her face pale.
Outside the corridor, there were chaotic footsteps, and the terrified shouts of A Gui and A Fu.
“Miss! Quick! Hide under the bed!” Zhang Ma’s voice trembled as she forcefully pushed her towards the only bed in the room.
A strong, fishy smell poured in through the violently forced-open door, almost making one vomit.
At the doorway, shadows flickered. More than one!
Su Wan's pupils contracted violently. By the faint light of the emergency lamp in the corridor, she clearly saw the outline of the intruders.
Twisted limbs, disproportionate heads, identical to the monster from earlier in the day, even more grotesque.
One, two, three, four… at least four! They blocked the doorway, emitting hoarse growls, and drool dripped from their cracked mouths, sizzling as it corroded the ground.
Zhang Ma fiercely shielded Su Wan behind her, tightly clutching a fruit knife she had pulled out from somewhere. The tip of the knife was pointed outwards, but its tiny blade was ludicrously small in front of the massive Mutants.
“Roar!” One of the Mutants suddenly lunged forward, moving with astonishing speed.
Just then, a dark figure rushed over, accompanied by the sharp sound of metal cutting through the air.
Lu Shiyan!
He held a military dagger, its blade precisely blocking the Mutant’s incoming sharp claws. The immense impact made him retreat half a step, his arm muscles bulging. The blade grinding against bone produced a grating sound that set one’s teeth on edge.
“Xiao Han! Right side!” Lu Shiyan yelled in a low voice.
Xiao Han's figure appeared on the other side. His face was pale, his left arm clearly unable to exert force, but the weapon tightly gripped in his right hand still ferociously struck another Mutant attempting to approach.
In the fishy smell gale, there were bone-cracking sounds that set one's teeth on edge and the muffled tearing of flesh.
A Gui brandished a mop handle he had picked up from who knew where. He roared, and the mop head slammed violently into the monster's head. But the thing merely shook its ugly head, and its slime-covered claw suddenly lashed out!
Pfft!
Warm liquid splattered onto the wall beside Su Wan, leaving a horrifying stain.
A Gui was flung out like a broken sack, crashing into the corner of the wall. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and, with all his strength, screamed towards Su Wan’s direction: “Miss, quick… run…”
Before he could finish, a Mutant had already pounced on him, instantly tearing him in half.
“A Gui!” A Fu let out a piercing scream, trying to rush forward.
The next second, he was lifted whole, his feet kicking uselessly in the air, the iron rod in his hand clanging to the ground, then he was brutally slammed onto the ground, the sound of bones shattering clearly audible, immediately followed by another Mutant pouncing to feast.
Almost simultaneously, a short, muffled grunt came from deep within the corridor. That was Monkey, one of Xiao Han’s only remaining three subordinates. He tried to provide support from the flank, gunshots rang twice, and then he was instantly tackled by a lurking Mutant.
The clang of metal weapons hitting the ground was completely drowned out by the horrifying sounds of chewing and tearing.
Blood and shredded flesh covered the floor and walls. In an instant, those four people became a blurry mess of flesh and blood.
A Mutant stepped over a broken body, making a sickening “crunch” sound.
A Mo blocked Xiao Han’s side and rear, forming a fragile defensive line with his body and weapon, but facing the approach of the other two monsters, he appeared to be stretched thin.
The sounds of fighting, roaring, metal clashing, and walls shattering mixed together, deafening.
The research institute's corridor had become a Shura field.
Su Wan was pressed firmly against the wall by Zhang Ma, her heart practically pounding out of her chest. She could clearly see that Lu Shiyan’s every dodge was incredibly close, his movements swift and sharp, every strike aimed at the Mutant’s vital points, but there were too many monsters.
Lu Shiyan's attacks seemed to be aimed only at the enemy in front of him, but Su Wan noticed that his every movement and block intentionally or unintentionally kept the battlefield within a certain range, separating her and the heavily injured Xiao Han to a relatively safe side.
He was silently protecting them!
This realization made Su Wan feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. She hated her powerlessness, only able to hide there, becoming a burden to him.
Xiao Han’s situation was even worse; he was already injured, and now every swing seemed to drain all his strength, his breathing rapid, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his movements had clearly slowed down.
“Pfft!”
Xiao Han was too slow to dodge and was struck in the back by a Mutant's claw, leaving a wound so deep that bone was visible. He grunted, nearly collapsing.
A Mo roared and lunged to block the pursuit but was slapped away by another Mutant, crashing heavily into the wall, sliding to the ground, his fate unknown.
Only Lu Shiyan and the heavily injured Xiao Han were left. And those four Mutants, though also wounded, were still ferocious, pressing closer step by step.
Lu Shiyan's breathing also grew heavy, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his cold eyes finally showed a trace of anxiety. He was being held back.
Su Wan watched as he was entangled by two Mutants, constantly having to pay attention to Xiao Han and her side, his movements no longer as effortless as they had been at the start.
It's over. It's completely over.
Lu Shiyan… he can’t die… Why is this happening?
She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. She didn't want to die here, didn't want to die here with her child.
Instead, the Mutant closest to her, sensing the scent of fresh flesh and blood, abruptly changed direction and charged towards her! A fishy wind gusted, and the twisted shadow of the thing instantly magnified!
“Miss!” Zhang Ma’s hoarse voice exploded.
Immediately after, a huge force slammed into her back. Su Wan was uncontrollably shoved hard against the nearby wall.
Her forehead hit the hard, cold wall with a dull “thud.”
Her vision instantly went black, and golden stars danced before her eyes. She even tasted a bit of blood from the inside of her mouth where her teeth had cut it.
Almost simultaneously, she heard a suppressed cry of pain and the horrifying sound of claws tearing through flesh.
Su Wan suddenly turned her head, only to see Zhang Ma with a claw piercing her shoulder, blood gushing, yet she still desperately clung to one of the Mutant's legs, buying her a moment of reprieve.
“Zhang Ma!” Su Wan’s eyes were splitting with rage.