Chapter 37: The Intelligent Zombie's Trap 

The next morning, Liu Shuang'er woke Huang Ming - he had forgotten to set an alarm last night. She nestled in his arms as he recalled falling asleep early, unaware of what happened afterward.

"You fell asleep so quickly last night," Shuang'er said softly, blinking up at him. "I noticed you didn't set an alarm, so I set one for 7:50. It's almost 8 now - time to get up?"

"Yeah, let's get up. We have important things to do," Huang Ming replied, stretching before heading to the master bedroom's bathroom while Shuang'er got dressed.

From his dimensional storage, Huang Ming had retrieved many outfits for both Shuang'er and Gu Anqing. Though the women usually avoided wearing them - finding the clothes either too revealing or too unconventional - they humored him, knowing he enjoyed seeing them dressed up. In this apocalyptic world with only Huang Ming as their male companion, they accommodated his preferences.

Men's morning routines were quick. Huang Ming finished washing up in minutes, while the women took their time despite the apocalypse. They maintained their beauty regimens using skincare products Huang Ming provided, diligently caring for their skin each morning and night. Other women in their group would probably turn into zombies from sheer envy if they knew.

By the time the women came to the dining table, Huang Ming had already started breakfast - wonton egg noodles and a large serving of xiaolongbao (15 pieces total), with peanut sauce and sweet chili dip. Finding the noodles too bland, Huang Ming added vinegar (the restaurant had originally prepared it for customers to season themselves).

Surprisingly, Shuang'er followed suit, adding vinegar to her noodles too. Huang Ming eyed her suspiciously, thinking to himself: "You're already the jealous type, and now you're adding actual vinegar?"

Pouting, Shuang'er ignored him and picked up a xiaolongbao. She had been about to dip it in peanut sauce when she saw Huang Ming use the sweet chili sauce instead - immediately changing her mind to copy him.

Huang Ming looked at her in complete confusion. "Shuang'er, can't you just eat normally?"

She responded with a sweet smile, popping an entire dumpling into her mouth in one go. In contrast, Gu Anqing ate quietly and elegantly - nothing like Shuang'er's dramatic antics.

May 30, 2035, 8:10 AM

The building was already bustling with activity as the male students mobilized. Having finished breakfast early, Huang Ming went to the window alone to operate the drone, sending it toward Building 9.

Since Building 9 was right next to Building 10, Wang Lei's group of 24 encountered few zombies on their way, easily reaching Building 9's entrance where Chen Haodong and his men were already waiting.

The two groups merged, armed with various melee weapons, and advanced toward the supermarket in formation. Huang Ming's drone hovered overhead, monitoring their progress.

Their advance was steady - while they encountered zombies along the way, their numbers gave them safety for now.

Soon, they reached the supermarket perimeter but hesitated to approach directly. About twenty zombies now clustered around the entrance - several times more than they'd faced on the road.

Taking cover under some trees, they debated their next move. A direct assault would surely result in casualties.

"Brother Lei, what now? There are too many zombies ahead," someone asked.

"What else can we do? Strike fast before things change. We have about sixty men - at least three-to-one odds, two-to-one at worst. Let's all charge together!"

"Agreed! Let's do it!"

Chen Haodong raised three fingers and began a silent countdown. At "one," everyone rushed from cover simultaneously.

Interestingly, Building 9's men charged ahead while Building 10's group seemed to deliberately lag half a step behind - whether prearranged or not, this meant Building 9's men engaged the zombies first.

The skirmish caused casualties on both sides, but their superior numbers prevailed. Building 9 lost seven or eight men but eliminated all twenty-some zombies.

Then something intriguing happened.

Through the drone's wide-angle view, Huang Ming spotted Teacher Li Qingya hiding under a tree near the supermarket. Unlike ordinary zombies, her eyes glowed crimson, her expression viciously alert.

To test a theory, Huang Ming redirected the drone toward Building 5.

His suspicions were confirmed - zombies from Buildings 5 and 1 were converging on the supermarket near Building 9. The horde numbered nearly a hundred - it seemed Li Qingya had summoned every zombie from Building 1 to the surface.

When the drone returned to the supermarket, Chen Haodong and Wang Lei's groups remained oblivious to the danger. They boldly smashed open the supermarket doors, easily dispatching the few weakened zombies inside.

Safety confirmed, they immediately began gorging themselves - standard apocalypse protocol: eat first, gather supplies after.

Building 10's team prioritized transporting water, dividing into fifteen carriers with nine escorts. Assuming the path back would be clear after their initial sweep, they saw no need for a large escort team.

As everyone busied themselves in the supermarket, danger silently approached.

Huang Ming had to reassess his understanding of Li Qingya, this intelligent mutated zombie. The approaching horde wasn't charging blindly - they were methodically forming an encirclement around the supermarket. The sight made Huang Ming's scalp tingle.

This wasn't random zombie behavior - this was a deliberate military-style envelopment tactic. Had he not witnessed it himself, Huang Ming would have assumed the zombies were simply converging from all directions by chance.

"Haodong, we're heading back first. Probably need two or three trips," Wang Lei said.

"Go ahead, Brother Lei! We'll start moving supplies too - sooner finished, sooner we're safe," Chen Haodong replied through a mouthful of bread, waving them off casually.