Chapter Seventeen: It Is Summoning Its Companions!

“I don’t have much food left here, so just take a little and get lost.” Li Wei, who had just entered the house, suddenly realized that Qin Sheng outside might be here to take his supplies. He hurriedly put on his slippers and stormed out, intending to scold her and drive her away.

But just as he finished speaking, he found himself face to face with a zombie that had just wandered in.

As luck would have it, this zombie was blind. Li Wei’s angry shout was exactly what the creature needed to zero in on his location. In an instant, the zombie lunged at him, jaws agape and hungry.

Li Wei wasn’t stupid enough to stand there and wait to be bitten. He bolted in panic, grabbing whatever was within reach to hurl at the zombie as he ran.

“Shh.” Qin Sheng, still observing from the sidelines, clamped a hand over Xia Tian’s mouth to stop her from recklessly rushing out, concerned as she was for the shopkeeper, Li Wei.

On the first day of the outbreak, Li Wei had saved Xia Tian’s life. Now, with the zombie attacking him, Xia Tian couldn’t bring herself to abandon him—even if she was powerless to help, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Her desire to help was overwhelming.

Qin Sheng frowned, her voice icy in Xia Tian’s ear. “If you run out there now, we’ll all die.”

From what she could see, the zombie hunted solely by sound; its eyes were nearly useless. The loud crash Li Wei made while hiding had actually saved his life—the zombie wouldn’t find him so easily.

But if Xia Tian were to go out right now, she’d immediately become the new target. That would be certain death—utterly pointless.

“Trust me, and no one will die,” Qin Sheng said calmly. She had the means to kill the zombie with her Tang sword, but she wasn’t sure whether there was a horde lurking outside. If she drew attention, a swarm of zombies would be far more dangerous.

Xia Tian bit her lip, slowly regaining her composure. She didn’t know why she trusted Qin Sheng so much—her body instinctively obeyed, perhaps out of fear for her own life.

Meanwhile, Li Wei used the noise of a toppled shelf to distract the zombie and hid in a corner behind another rack.

For a moment, the zombie lost its target and began to drift around the store as it had upon first entering.

But it was still determined to find its prey, sniffing and listening intently as it moved from place to place, searching each spot in turn.

Qin Sheng nodded at Xia Tian, then held her breath and slipped out from under the table, making as little sound as possible, even suppressing her breathing. She crept up behind the zombie and drew her Tang sword, poised to strike. Just as she was about to finish the creature off, the shelf Li Wei was hiding behind collapsed.

The zombie instantly located its prey and charged like a wild dog.

Li Wei realized his blunder had drawn the zombie’s attention. He scrambled to his feet and, seeing Qin Sheng standing nearby with a calm and unhurried air, dove behind her without a second thought.

Qin Sheng frowned. Though she knew she could handle the zombie, she couldn’t help but be disgusted at Li Wei’s cowardice, hiding behind a woman.

“I can’t die, I can’t die…” Li Wei muttered in terror, and as the zombie lunged at Qin Sheng, he didn’t hesitate to shove her toward it and sprinted toward the hiding spot she and Xia Tian had shared.

Qin Sheng’s brow creased slightly, but without a moment’s hesitation, she kicked the charging zombie several meters away, regained her balance, and fixed Li Wei with a cold, sharp glare—the same man who had just shoved her into harm’s way.

But Li Wei was a grown man; there simply wasn’t enough space for three people in that cramped spot. While Qin Sheng and Xia Tian could squeeze in together, Li Wei clearly couldn’t fit.

“Get out!” Li Wei barked, not waiting for Xia Tian’s reply. He yanked her out and shamelessly took her place.

Xia Tian, timid by nature, felt a pang of grievance at how unhesitatingly Li Wei had cast her out. “Manager…”

“This is my shop! Of course I’m the one who shouldn’t die!” Li Wei tore away all pretense, declaring his ownership like a demon staking a claim.

Xia Tian was stunned. She couldn’t reconcile this man before her with the one who had pushed her into safety on the day the zombies first appeared.

“But…” Xia Tian tried to protest, but Li Wei cut her off.

“I saved your life that day—now it’s time for you to repay me! You should be grateful; if not for me, you’d already be a zombie!”

Tears slid down Xia Tian’s cheeks. She bit her lip and said nothing more, forcing a stiff smile at Qin Sheng.

He was right, after all. If not for him, she’d be dead.

“The apocalypse reveals true character,” Qin Sheng said flatly—the very words she’d spoken to Jiang Miaomiao before.

The zombie, having recovered from the kick, rose unsteadily and let out a piercing howl so shrill that Qin Sheng was forced to cover her ears.

“This is bad. It’s calling for reinforcements,” she muttered, wasting no time. She drew her Tang sword and swiftly beheaded the zombie.

Xia Tian’s legs trembled in fear at Qin Sheng’s words.

“What should we do?” she asked, her hopes pinned on Qin Sheng, who stood poised with her sword.

“Run!” Without hesitation, Qin Sheng sheathed her sword, seized Xia Tian’s hand, and made for the exit—only to see that the zombies summoned by their fallen kin were already closing in.

It looked like a sizable group, starving and desperate, eager to tear apart their prey the moment they heard the call.

Xia Tian stared in horror at the thirty-odd zombies barreling toward the glass door. Sweat drenched her left hand, which Qin Sheng was holding, and cold sweat beaded her brow.

Without a second’s hesitation, Qin Sheng released Xia Tian’s hand, found the heavy lock used to secure the doors, and at the last possible moment slammed it shut, blocking the zombies’ path.

But this was only a temporary solution. The zombies howled and pounded furiously at the glass door. If it weren’t so thick, they would have been devoured long ago, not even bones left behind.

Qin Sheng knew she could fight her way out, but she couldn’t bear to leave Xia Tian alone to face the horde.

Outside, the zombies raged and slammed against the glass, their monstrous faces pressed against it like creatures from a nightmare.

Inside, all was eerily calm. Qin Sheng forced herself to remain collected, searching for the best solution.

Though Xia Tian was frightened, she trusted Qin Sheng with all her heart, clenching her fists in silent support.

Seconds ticked by as life and death hung in the balance. Then, with a soft “ding,” the lights flickered on and the freezer began to hum. Qin Sheng glanced at the microwave in the corner and inspiration struck.

“Go find some alcohol and anything that shouldn’t go in a microwave,” she instructed Xia Tian, laying out her plan.

Xia Tian, quick on the uptake, gathered bottles of the shopkeeper’s liquor and a handful of items explicitly marked as microwave-unsafe, placing them before Qin Sheng.

With calm precision, Qin Sheng loaded everything into the microwave, then dragged it as close to the entrance as possible.

Three minutes. Two hundred and fifty degrees.

She let out a cold laugh, glancing at the horde clawing at the door like a demoness from hell.

You want in? Then have a taste of the ‘bomb’ I made myself.

“Hide in the farthest corner,” Qin Sheng told Xia Tian.

Xia Tian nodded and bolted to the back of the store, while Qin Sheng stood silently at the door, watching the zombies bare their fangs at her—an irresistible lure to creatures like them, making them ram the glass even harder.

The door was already starting to give. Qin Sheng glanced at the microwave—thirty seconds left—then sprinted for the back.

Ding, ding, ding!

The glass finally shattered under the onslaught, and in the very next instant, an explosion ripped through the shop, shaking its very foundations.

Boom!

The blast was deafening. All traces of the zombies’ growls vanished in an instant.

Qin Sheng knew she had succeeded.

Xia Tian, overjoyed, threw her arms around Qin Sheng. “We did it!”

Qin Sheng smiled faintly, disentangled herself, and stepped outside. The devastation was everywhere—zombies and debris strewn about, some bodies torn apart by the blast. The sheer force was undeniable.

A fire broke out, but the sprinkler system quickly doused it.

The convenience store was a battlefield now—dirty, ruined, ashes everywhere—but it was clear that Qin Sheng had emerged victorious.

“We’re finally safe,” Xia Tian sighed in relief.

Qin Sheng shook her head. “The noise will draw more zombies soon. Pack what you need—I’ll get you out of here.”

At the mention of more zombies, Xia Tian’s face paled. She nodded and scrambled to gather her things.

Just as they were about to leave, their way was blocked—by none other than Li Wei, who had also survived.

This treacherous man now wore a sycophantic smile, his demeanor toward Qin Sheng completely transformed.

Qin Sheng hadn’t forgotten how he’d tried to sacrifice her moments before.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Li Wei said, bowing obsequiously. “I admit I was blind to your abilities. Would you be willing to let me come with you?”

After what had just happened, Xia Tian saw him for what he was—a selfish, unprincipled opportunist. Moments ago, he had despised Qin Sheng; now he was all flattery, having witnessed her strength.

If there was anything her two lifetimes had taught Qin Sheng, it was to spot snakes like him from a mile away. She would never let someone so cunning and treacherous at her side.

But there was someone else she could leave him with.