Chapter 19: As They Say, Fortune Favors the Bold

At that moment, all the zombies in Yazī's vicinity had scattered, leaving the area momentarily clear. Now was his chance! With a light leap, he landed on the ground—the superior material of the Windrunner Boots muffling his landing sound so completely that not a single zombie was alerted.

Peering through the rear door, Yazī saw a chaotic scene: a dense cluster of zombies had gathered at the spot where the raw meat had landed. Smiling to himself, he activated the "Quick Stride" skill from his boots. In an instant, he felt as if a special energy had coursed through him, making his body feel almost weightless.

In those precious 10 seconds, he sprinted: one second to reach the rear door, two more to burst into the ping‑pong hall, and by the fifth second he was out the main door of the sports center. The layout of the sports center was etched into his mind long ago, and his dash was smooth and unimpeded.

Before the ravenous zombies could recover from their scramble for the raw meat, Yazī had already vanished without a trace.

He reappeared at the safety corridor behind the sports center—a place few frequented, given that the main elevators and escalators were in the busy areas. Sure enough, when he pushed open the door to the corridor, not a single zombie was in sight. He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. His rapid sprint had cost him much stamina, but his speed had kept him completely unnoticed.

Checking his watch, he saw it was now 7:00 PM. There was just one more hour before night would fully descend—and with it, the zombies' attributes would skyrocket. He needed to quickly find a safe haven and then wait until 6:00 AM the next day to act again. As for resting right here in the safety corridor, that wasn't an option; once night fell, the corridor's loosely closed doors would offer little protection.

After resting for nearly 20 minutes and ensuring he was combat‑ready, Yazī slowed his pace and began ascending the stairs. It wasn't long before he reached the second floor. The staircase leading to the third floor was right there, but Yazī chose not to go higher just yet. The third‑floor exit of the safety corridor lay on the far left, while his target—the warehouse with the silver chest—was on the far right. He couldn't risk slogging across the entire corridor; time and stamina were too precious. So he opened the second‑floor safety corridor door instead.

The second floor was eerily quiet—only a few zombies lingered. Apparently, the earlier commotion had drawn most of them down to the first floor. None of the undead paid any attention to Yazī slipping in through the corridor.

The layout of the second floor was simple: large venues like the badminton and basketball courts were here. Yazī's target was the infirmary—it was close to the safety corridor, spacious, contained beds, and might even have some useful medications. Cautiously, he crept toward the infirmary, key in hand (which he had previously retrieved). With the second floor sparsely populated by zombies—and knowing exactly what the zombies could see—plus the fact that his Windrunner Boots kept his footsteps nearly silent, a remarkable scene unfolded.

In the corridor, although a person might normally be noticed by roaming zombies, Yazī's nimble, almost dance‑like movements kept him completely hidden in their "blind spots." As he moved, he executed an even more impressive maneuver: stealthily approaching a zombie from behind, waiting for the creature to turn around ever so slightly, then striking out with his Tang Blade in a flash.

The unexpected decapitation was so quiet that not even a sound betrayed him. In one fluid motion, he holstered his blade and, with lightning‑fast reflexes, scooped up the severed head before it hit the ground—placing it gently beside its body. Throughout this operation, not a single noise was made, and the other zombies continued their aimless wandering.

Finally, Yazī bent down and picked up a card dropped by that zombie. The card read:[Raw Meat Infected by Zombie Virus]Truly, fortune comes at a risk.

With that, he'd secured yet another "zombie lure" for his arsenal. Now, Yazī moved to the infirmary's door. The heavy door was locked, though he had prepared a key in advance. It was odd—at the moment the apocalypse struck at 7:00 PM, one wouldn't expect the infirmary door to already be locked, unless… it was sealed after the apocalypse began.

Yazī's analytical mind quickly deduced the situation. He frowned and muttered, "I hope those inside are behaving themselves."

"Click." The lock opened. The infirmary was shrouded in darkness; nothing could be seen. A small smile tugged at Yazī's lips. Acting as if nothing were amiss, he strode inside and, with a swift motion, re‑locked the door behind him.

Inside, it was pitch‑black. Suddenly, as one's eyes need time to adjust, a small knife suddenly extended from the darkness, and a deep male voice spoke, "Who are you? How do you have the key to our infirmary?"