A day passed quickly. Wang Zhi got out of bed early in the morning. For someone accustomed to long-term training, suddenly stopping for two days of rest actually made him feel a bit restless.
Going to the bathroom, Wang Zhi trimmed the beard and long hair he hadn't shaved/cut in a while—one must look presentable when going out!
Wang Zhi looked at his reflection. After these few months, his face had gradually become resolute, his gaze sharper. He suddenly felt that the person in the mirror was a complete stranger.
After everyone got up and ate, they began packing supplies. The six of them each carried their own ammunition, equipment, food, and medicine.
They had actually considered concentrating the supplies on one person to make it more convenient for the others to fight. However, if all the supplies were carried by one person, and that person met with an accident, if the team didn't retrieve their supplies, they would lose everything. If the supplies were distributed, and someone had an accident, the others could then weigh the pros and cons; if the risk outweighed the benefit, they could abandon the supplies at any time.
Finally, after the six of them put on their Hazmat Suits, they headed for the exit on the first floor.
The six arrived at the elevator leading near Z Hospital. The guards in the lobby saw another team heading out, so they raised their rifles toward the ceiling and stood at attention, showing respect to those departing.
...
Walking down the corridor, Wang Zhi opened the iron door, and the flying snow outside immediately struck the faces of Wang Zhi and the other five.
The snow had been falling for two days, already accumulating 20 centimeters on the ground. The biting wind, despite Wang Zhi wearing thermal underwear, could not stop the cold from penetrating his body. The six of them made crunching sounds as they stepped on the ground.
Wang Zhi looked around; this place was so familiar!
"Is this the park we came from?" Old He said, looking at the surroundings.
"That's right."
Wang Zhi observed the situation inside the park. A few elderly Zombies were weakly lingering in the snow nearby.
The six exchanged glances and decided to use close-combat weapons to deal with these few older Zombies.
Just as Wang Zhi was slowly approaching one of the Zombies, that slow-moving Zombie suddenly became frenzied, its speed in no way inferior to the Zombies they had first encountered.
Wang Zhi was startled but quickly regained his composure, dodging the Zombie's lunge and bite. The Zombie missed, fell to the ground, and before it could get up, Wang Zhi took its head off with his Dagger.
Wang Zhi wiped the blood off the Zombie's tattered clothes with the Dagger.
Wang Zhi thought to himself, looking at the completely dead Zombie on the ground, that even Zombies were cunning old schemers, capable of hiding their strength and waiting for an opportunity.
After the rest of the group dealt with the Zombies, Wang Zhi and the other five continued walking west. The park was vast, but sparse in Zombies. Passing through it, the road on the other side led to the plaza. Wang Zhi raised his binoculars and looked at the dense swarm of Zombies milling about in the distance.
"Looks like we'll have to change our route," Wang Zhi said, lowering the binoculars.
Every road led to Z Hospital; they still needed to avoid areas thick with Zombies as much as possible.
After taking two detours, Wang Zhi realized he was mistaken. The number of Zombies on every path seemed considerable. No matter which way they circled, they would eventually have to enter the city center. What was inevitable would happen eventually.
"Cap... Captain Wang, if it's too dangerous, let's just go back! Our Survival Points are enough to last us a while yet, going into the city center is too risky!" Fatty pleaded from the side, losing his nerve.
After Fatty spoke, Wang Zhi remained silent for a moment, ignoring him, and took a step forward to continue onward.
Wang Zhi understood Fatty's nature; if he pressed on alone, Fatty would still follow.
Was Fatty the only one afraid? No! Wang Zhi was afraid too!
He knew clearly that the path ahead would be arduous, but he had to advance. Because he knew this road had to be walked sooner or later—while the Zombies hadn't mutated yet, while humanity hadn't been completely eradicated, while they still possessed resources.
The Zombies on the road immediately went into a frenzy upon hearing the commotion from Wang Zhi's group. Some slipped on the snow underfoot, staggering as they lunged toward the six of them.
Wang Zhi switched to his pistol and blew the heads off the two nearest Zombies. The others also switched to firearms, continuously shooting at the approaching horde in the distance.
Someone's bullet shattered the display window of a street-front shop, the crisp sound of breaking glass echoing in the silent street.
Wang Zhi inwardly cursed his bad luck and immediately ran toward the end of the street.
"Don't worry about them for now, get to the intersection as fast as possible," Wang Zhi said over the radio while running.
The six of them sprinted through the snow, the pack of Zombies closely pursuing them.
When the group reached the intersection, it was already blocked by abandoned vehicles. Wang Zhi jumped onto the roof of a jeep before turning around to shoot back.
The abandoned vehicles greatly hindered the Zombies' breakthrough, giving Wang Zhi and his five companions enough time on the rooftops to reload their ammunition.
After they exhausted their spare magazines, not many Zombies remained at the intersection. The six lowered their guns and finished off the remaining infected with melee weapons.