Chapter 3: For the Cabbages

Zhang Xiaoqiang came to his senses. The half-pack of instant noodles he had just eaten seemed to have been completely digested, and the feeling of hunger became even stronger. He forced himself not to look at the remaining packs of instant noodles on the writing desk. Instead, he poured a glass of water and gulped it down hard, hoping to feel full with just the water. In the half month since the crisis broke out, he found himself reflecting every day when he woke up. He wondered if his current life was just a dream.

The noodles were all gone, the eggs were finished, and there were only three packs of instant noodles left, which were supposed to last for two days, half a pack per meal and one and a half packs a day. In the past, he could eat two packs of instant noodles with two fried eggs in one meal. And he didn't dare to touch the rice yet, because if he went out to look for food, he needed to eat steamed rice to have the strength to run. Looking at his gradually shrinking belly, he used to want to lose weight but couldn't manage it no matter how hard he tried. Now he had lost at least 5 pounds. He thought it was both funny and made him want to cry.

Although he used to be carefree, he still had a younger sister whose life or death was unknown, and he couldn't stop worrying about her. During these half days with nothing else to do, he kept thinking about the past, the scenes of his family being together when his parents were still alive, the teachers from his school days, his classmate Ling'er who was the first to make his heart flutter, the naughty little girl who drew a turtle on his back, his colleagues and friends from his previous job, and even the girl from Badong who sold breakfast at the street corner. He couldn't get through to his sister's phone, and no one answered the landline either. It seemed more likely that something bad had happened, but he still didn't want to give up and always hoped for a miracle.

The zombies downstairs outside the window were still wandering around. Occasionally, he could see some acquaintances who lived nearby among them. The street was covered with broken glass, torn clothes, scattered white bones, all kinds of garbage, and a burnt-out bus in the distance. A sense of desolation constantly gnawed at his heart. He thought about himself turning into a zombie and wandering around, about running out of food and being starved to death, about his relatives and friends turning into zombies and eating him alive.

The desolation turned into despair. He numbly walked to the kitchen, picked up a kitchen knife, slowly pressed the blade against his neck, closed his eyes, and gripped the handle tightly. His wrist ached from the excessive force, but he still couldn't bring himself to slash. He put down the kitchen knife, hugged his head, and slid down against the wall to sit on the floor. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was afraid of death and didn't dare to commit suicide.

He hated himself for being useless. He wasn't good at studying, didn't do well at work, and couldn't even bring himself to commit suicide. Gradually, his mood calmed down. Then he thought that 90% of the people had turned into zombies, but he was still alive. With 6.3 billion people infected, how could he be okay? Was it arranged by fate? After thinking about it for a while, he felt a bit better. He looked at the Tianwang watch on his hand and saw that it was already past 10 a.m. If he didn't want to starve to death, he had to go out and find food, which meant he had to fight those zombies to the death. He went to the front hall, drew the curtains, and carefully tore a small piece of the newspaper that he had pasted on the glass window half a month ago to look outside.

In the middle of the platform, there were several rows of lush green Chinese cabbages in the small vegetable plot, and just looking at them made his mouth water. He shifted his gaze from the cabbages and carefully observed the surroundings. There weren't many zombies on the platform. The two households opposite his house had knocked through the wall facing the platform, added a greenhouse, and opened their main door on the balcony. Now the door was open, and there were a few zombies going in and out of each household. At the stairway leading to and from the platform, there was a zombie going up and down. In total, there were seven zombies, one at the stairs and six opposite. It would take three minutes to come over from the opposite side. His target was the Chinese cabbages in the middle of the platform.

It was definitely not possible to deal with the zombies bare-handed. He needed to prepare some weapons, but there weren't many ready-made ones at home. He rummaged through the various tools left by his father. The first thing that caught his eye was an 8-pound sledgehammer. He picked it up and tried it, then shook his head. It was too heavy. He didn't have the strength for it. He could swing it three or five times, but any more than that and he couldn't take it. He continued searching and found a hammer. He tried it and found the weight suitable. He went to the kitchen and grabbed an iron pot lid as a shield. He practiced a few moves in the living room to get a feel for it.

When he thought he was ready, he prepared to set out. At the door, he hesitated again. His hand was on the doorknob, and he took it away several times. In the end, thinking that it was better to die in battle than to starve to death, he said, "If a man dies, he faces the sky; if he doesn't die, he lives forever." Then he opened the door and walked out.

Zhang Xiaoqiang planned to take down the zombie at the stairway first. It was too close to the vegetable plot. Before the zombies from the opposite side got close, he would try to pick the cabbages within one minute. He wore high-top military leather shoes, his father's woolen military coat, and thick leather gloves on his hands. While the zombie hadn't shown up yet, he quickly ran to the stairway. A zombie was coming up the stairs. Sensing his smell, it lunged at him with its claws outstretched. This was the first time he had seen a zombie up close. The zombie's face was grayish, its eyes rolled upwards, and its mouth was wide open enough to fit a fist inside. Its black teeth were all shaped like miniature triangular scrapers, which made one's heart turn cold.

A strong stench of decay hit him, and he felt a wave of nausea and almost vomited. The zombie had already pounced on his pot lid shield, and the impact made him take a step back. The feeling of fighting in the past came back to him. He moved the shield to the left and kicked out with his right foot, hitting the zombie right in the chest. The zombie rolled down the stairs. Without time to think more, he ran to the vegetable plot, put down his weapons, took out a snake skin bag, and started grabbing the cabbages, dirt and all, and stuffing them into the bag. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the zombies from the opposite side approaching him step by step. Faster, faster. He panted as he kept putting the cabbages into the bag. He thrust his hands hard into the black soil, grabbed the cabbage stalks, and pulled the cabbages out with all his might. He didn't even feel it when the mud and vegetable juice splashed into his eyes. He just wanted to pick a few more.

These were food, and they were hope! The zombies were getting close, and he couldn't be greedy anymore. It was time to leave. He grabbed the bag in one hand and his weapon in the other and ran desperately towards home. Seeing the entrance to the corridor right in front of him, he quickened his pace. He stepped into the corridor and ran towards his home.

Suddenly, the iron door opposite his home opened, and the zombie that used to be his neighbor on the opposite side, reeking of a strong stench of decay, pounced on him. Its sharp claws were less than 10 centimeters away from his eyes. A chill shot up from the base of his spine and through his head. He wanted to shout, but his throat made no sound. Only two words flashed through his mind:

"Finished."

His legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground. The shield in his hand flew out. The zombie missed its target. His mind went blank, and he kicked the zombie's lower leg. The zombie lost its balance and fell towards him. He rolled to one side and desperately smashed the hammer in his hand onto the zombie again and again. When he came to his senses, the upper body of the zombie had been smashed to a pulp by him, and the black, sticky blood splattered everywhere. The strong stench of the zombie made his head feel as if it was about to explode.

The zombies on the opposite side of the platform were only about ten meters away from him. Three strong ones were in the front, and three zombies that had been old ladies before the mutation were slowly following behind. Sensing his smell, they all became very excited. They were determined to get the prey that was so close. He jumped up from the ground, and without even having time to retrieve the shield, he grabbed the bag and rushed into his home.

After locking the anti-theft door, he leaned against the iron door and let out a long sigh of relief. The zombie blood splattered on him smelled so bad that he couldn't stand it. He quickly ran into the bathroom and changed his clothes.

Zhang Xiaoqiang took out the Chinese cabbages from the bag and neatly arranged them on the floor tiles. There were a total of 11 cabbages, weighing more than 20 pounds.

The zombies outside were scratching at the iron door, but for the first time, Zhang Xiaoqiang had confidence in surviving.