Chapter 190: Zombies and outing.
Bai Li did not assume that meant they were safe. In the apocalypse, a zombie could go from distant threat to immediate danger in less than a second if you gave it enough room to surprise you. So when they reached the first floor, Bai Li slowed her pace and moved toward the building entrance rather than rushing out blindly. She carefully observed the situation outside. The zombies were mobile. Their positions were never completely fixed. Because of that, Bai Li could not say for sure how many were still waiting just beyond the front doors.
She pressed herself against the wall behind her and peeked out slightly. The entrance area outside was bright compared to the stairwell, with sunlight spilling across the cracked pavement and the abandoned community path. Even through the glare, Bai Li could still see the shapes moving near the building entrance. Four zombies were there, one less than she had seen on the security camera earlier. One had drifted farther toward the side of the walkway, while another looked like it had just turned back from the parking lane. The other two stood near the entrance itself, their movement slow and uncoordinated. Bai Li’s eyes narrowed just a little. Good. The number was not too high, and they had not yet formed a tight cluster. That meant there was still a window to break through before the outside group became a real problem.
Bai Li whispered to Yan Cijin behind her, "Stay close to me and be careful."
"Okay." Yan Cijin’s answer was quiet and immediate. She was highly focused. Although her relationship with Bai Li had improved considerably over the last few days, she did not want to hold her back now. In fact, she was trying hard not to think of herself as a burden in this situation at all. She knew Bai Li was stronger and faster, but Yan Cijin also knew there were things she could still do. She could protect the rear, watch for angles, and step in when Bai Li needed one more opening. That was enough for now. That was her place in this fight.
After instructing Yan Cijin, Bai Li charged directly at the zombies with her knife. It was a true charge, not a slow advance. Due to the enhancement potion, Bai Li was much faster than an ordinary woman, and that speed showed in every step. The zombies barely even sensed the scent of a living person before Bai Li had already reached the first one. Her blade came down and the zombie’s head rolled off with a dull, heavy sound. The body still twitched for a second before collapsing. Bai Li did not slow. She turned her shoulders, brought her knife up again, and moved toward the next target before the others could recover from the shock of losing the first one so quickly.
Seeing this, the other three zombies also charged at Bai Li. It was a messy rush, not coordinated at all, but danger did not need to be neat to be dangerous. Bai Li nimbly turned to the side, kicked away two of the others, and lightly shifted her body away from the third zombie’s reach. She raised her knife with both hands, turned around, and slashed at one of the zombies in front of her. The blade cut through in a clean arc. Then, with another sidestep, she continued slashing at the other zombie. Each movement was tight and controlled. There was no wasted swing, no extra flourish, no moment where her balance slipped. Her body moved like it had already memorized the pattern of attack and response.
In just a few seconds, two of the three attacking zombies were already dead. The remaining zombie shifted its target and charged towards Yan Cijin instead. It probably sensed that Bai Li was harder to reach, so it tried to grab the second living person behind her. Yan Cijin’s eyes sharpened the instant it changed direction, but before she had to make her own move, Bai Li leaped into the air. She raised her knife with both hands and slashed fiercely at the back of the zombie’s neck. The strike landed with enough force to send the zombie crashing to the ground again, the body folding awkwardly as it hit the pavement. Bai Li’s whole sequence of actions was fluid and seamless; killing four zombies took only a minute or two. She did not pant, did not freeze, did not stand around admiring the result. As soon as the last body dropped, she was already moving again.
"Let’s go," Bai Li said, raising her knife and charging ahead, with Yan Cijin close behind.
Meanwhile, some of the survivors in Building 9 had also witnessed Bai Li’s fight with the zombies. Some had been peeking through curtains. Some had looked through small gaps in their doors. A few had simply heard the movement and then taken the risk of looking out when it seemed quiet enough. What they saw outside was enough to make all of them tense up in different ways. Bai Li’s speed was fast enough to surprise anyone who did not already know what she could do. The way she handled the zombies was not sloppy at all. She did not panic. She did not swing wildly. She moved like she knew exactly how much distance she needed, exactly when to step in, and exactly when to cut off a zombie’s momentum. To ordinary survivors who were hiding indoors and counting supplies one can at a time, that kind of fighting looked unreal. It looked like something from a game, or one of those survival dramas people used to watch before the world became the thing on screen.
A few people inside the building felt fear after watching. Some felt envy too, because Bai Li had the kind of ability that made survival look possible. Others simply stared in shock, their mouths slightly open, unable to believe that someone could fight that calmly in front of so many zombies.
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To be continued.
