Chapter 63: Greenwood Town

Hearing Wang Tao say this, I couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. So much had happened in just a few days, and I had been in the Misty Forest the entire time, completely unaware of the outside world. I wondered how Blue Moon was doing now, whether she had been attacked by zombies. Shaking my head, I forced myself to calm down. I admitted I liked Blue Moon, but it could only remain as affection. I could be sentimental, but never indiscriminate in my feelings. And then there was Iron Hammer—though I'd only known him for a short time, just a few days together, his straightforward nature had earned my admiration. I hoped nothing would happen to either of them. I would make my way to Phoenix Blue City as soon as possible.

"Where is Greenwood Town?" I asked as I helped Tiger up.

At that moment, something seemed to come over Wang Tao. He suddenly reached out and grabbed me by the arms. I was caught off guard as he gripped me tightly.

"Captain, what's wrong? Let our savior go!" Tiger shouted in terror.

I pried Wang Tao’s hands off and looked him over. His eyes were now tinged with a bluish-grey light, the pupils faintly glowing with a dark red hue, and his face was twisted, advancing toward me with a menacing expression. I raised my revolver and aimed at Wang Tao. Compared to the scenes I’d seen in films, I strongly suspected that Wang Tao had been infected. My guess was not far from the truth—Wang Tao had indeed been infected, and now he was no longer conscious, driven only by hunger as a zombie. I pressed the muzzle to Wang Tao’s forehead, ready to pull the trigger at any moment, while Tiger stared at me in terror.

"Please wait," Tiger said, coming up beside me.

"Captain, may you rest in peace," Tiger said, and with a single sweep of his great blade, he severed the captain’s neck. Wang Tao’s head tumbled to the ground.

It turned out that before the team was even formed, they had agreed that if anyone was infected, immediate action must be taken to eliminate them. Mercy would only endanger the team again, something Tiger, who had faced life and death, understood all too well. At the outset, they had over a dozen teammates; as they fought their way through, many were infected. The virus was highly contagious—being caught, bitten, or even splattered with infected blood in the eyes could lead to infection.

Earlier, zombie blood had splashed into Wang Tao’s eyes, turning him as well. Tiger’s decisive act in killing his own captain was to prevent further casualties among his comrades. Tiger knelt on the ground in pain, tears streaming down his face. A childhood companion, a brother who had always acted as the big brother in his eyes, now slain by his own hand.

With a long, anguished cry, Tiger collapsed to the ground in a faint.

The two remaining men were Zhao Daniu and Hu Yan, both residents of Greenwood Town. After the apocalypse broke out, they worked as volunteers under the mayor’s orders. When people from nearby villages fled here, the two were responsible for drawing them in. The town’s leadership wanted to expand its size to better resist the zombies, but expansion was impossible without enough food, so the mayor decided to organize teams to search for supplies.

The newcomers to the town were so traumatized that most had not yet adapted to the post-apocalyptic terror. The mayor had no choice but to send out local residents and those with strong nerves to look for food. So the team formed, led by Wang Tao, trekking through desolate mountains and forests for days. Whenever they encountered small animals, they hunted them immediately. All the zombies they met at first were ordinary ones, easily dispatched by the team. But forget about finding food—even feeding themselves was becoming a problem. Two days ago, they encountered a mutated zombie. After the apocalypse, many were infected by an unknown virus; in the beginning, the zombies were weak, and anyone with a bit of courage could kill them. But after a few days, the zombies seemed to grow stronger. Two days prior, a mutated zombie nearly wiped out the entire team; it took all their strength to kill it, and the cost was high. Of the seventeen who had set out together, eleven perished just killing that one mutant. Of the six who remained, two were infected and turned, so Wang Tao and the others fled here, intending to return to Greenwood Town. But they encountered another mutant zombie and, if not for my rescue, would have long since become victims themselves.

Zhao Daniu and Hu Yan helped Tiger up and invited me to stay in Greenwood Town for a few days. I told them to wait while I called over my brothers. When Zhao and Hu saw five or six hundred people appear, they immediately became excited. "Great! With so many people, no need to fear those zombies anymore!"

"Yes, yes! Let's hurry back to the town. The mayor will be thrilled!" Hu Yan said.

I forced a wry smile. "Heh, I wonder if your town will welcome someone like me."

"Welcome! We all welcome you," they quickly echoed.

With the two leading the way, our group of over five hundred marched toward Greenwood Town. Before nightfall, we finally arrived. A river ran outside the town—not particularly wide, perhaps thirty meters across, its current swift, the depth impossible to judge. The town itself was in disarray; the once-diligent villagers now hid in their homes, peering out at the world from their windows. Seeing our large group approach, the villagers hurried to lock their doors.

"Auntie, it's me, Hu Yan, open the door!"

"Mayor, we're back!"

Only when the villagers heard the voices of Zhao and Hu did they open up.

"Oh! Daniu, Yan, you're finally back. We're almost out of food—if this keeps up, everyone will starve," an old woman with snow-white hair said, leaning on her cane.

"Don't worry, Granny Meng. We've found a group of people, and I'm sure they'll help us look for food," Hu Yan replied.

Granny Meng? Could this old woman really be the legendary Granny Meng? Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

"Daniu, Yan, did you find any food? What’s wrong with Tiger? Where are the others?" An elderly man in his fifties came out of the house.

"Mayor, we were attacked by zombies. The others..." Zhao Daniu’s voice was heavy with sorrow.

"If not for this brave man’s help, we would not have survived," Zhao Daniu said, pointing at me.

I nodded and smiled faintly, saying nothing.

"Hmph! Not only did you fail to find food, but you brought back so many people. In a few days, we’ll all starve together!" The mayor brushed his sleeve and left.

Zhao and Hu apologized, "Please don’t mind, sir. The mayor didn’t mean to target you." I smiled. "No worries. Leave the food problem to me. I promise I’ll find enough food for everyone." Though I pounded my chest and spoke with conviction, deep down I had no idea what to do. There was no food in sight, and my own brothers had gone hungry all day. I just wanted to reassure everyone, to lift their spirits. As the saying goes, when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself out. There had to be a way.

Greenwood Town was too small to accommodate so many of us, but the warm-hearted villagers quickly gathered cloth, wooden poles, and other materials from their homes, and I organized everyone to set up makeshift tents by the riverside outside town. That night, we gathered by the campfire to discuss our next steps for survival. Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the night.