The next second, the strange lights in the sky suddenly intensified. The reddish glow that had been spreading across the village became almost blinding, washing over the buildings and streets below. At the same time, the zombies scattered throughout the village began to grow agitated. Their bodies twitched violently as they raised their heads toward the sky, their limbs jerking in unnatural movements. Then, one after another, they began growling loudly in unison.
The sound was so sharp and piercing that Zixin's ears immediately began to ring. He grimaced and quickly crouched down, pulling Lin Jing close to him and covering the boy's ears tightly with both hands. He made sure Lin Jing's ears were completely protected, leaving his own ears exposed to the terrible noise. The sound seemed to vibrate through his skull, making his teeth ache as he gritted them together.
Bao, however, seemed completely unaffected by the noise. He quickly helped Zixin back to his feet and pulled him into the kitchen, shutting the door firmly behind them. He then hurried toward the small vent window and closed it tightly as well, trying to block out as much of the sound as possible.
Zixin was still dazed and disoriented. His head felt as though it were buzzing, and the ringing in his ears made it difficult to think clearly. He blinked several times, trying to force his surroundings back into focus.
Bao stepped in front of him and gently cupped his cheeks, making him look directly at him. "Listen to me, Zixin. You need to stay awake… you can't collapse right now."
Zixin nodded disorientedly, still struggling to clear his head. His vision swayed slightly before finally beginning to settle.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the growling and wailing outside stopped.
The sudden silence felt almost as strange as the noise.
Zixin quickly pulled himself together. He ducked his head beneath the kitchen sink and turned on the tap, letting the cold water pour over his hair and face. The freezing water made him gasp, but the shock helped snap him out of his dazed state. He wiped the water from his eyes, shook his wet head, and immediately pulled Lin Jing closer.
"They're evolving, aren't they?" he asked, looking at Bao.
"Yes." Bao's brows furrowed deeply.
Without wasting another second, he grabbed Zixin beneath the armpit and dragged him toward the door. He threw it open and rushed outside, pulling Zixin and Lin Jing along with him.
"I can feel something rushing over here. We need to leave."
The moment they stepped out, a wave of footsteps came rushing from below.
Dozens of zombies were charging toward the apartment building. Their heavy footsteps pounded against the stairs as they rushed upward without slowing down. More and more followed behind them, flooding into the narrow stairwell and filling it with the sounds of hurried footsteps, dragging feet, growls, and bodies crashing against the walls.
The entire building shook and trembled under their weight.
Zixin tightened his hold on Lin Jing and looked toward the stairwell. The sound grew louder with every passing second as the zombies climbed higher, floor after floor, without stopping.
Another heavy impact shook the building as several zombies slammed into the stairwell railing. The metal rattled violently, and dust drifted down from the ceiling.
Zixin gripped his weapon tighter. "They've flooded the lower floors. How do we—"
Another wave of footsteps thundered up the stairs before he could finish.
"They're already here," Bao said.
They had no other choice but to go up.
Gripping Lin Jing tightly in his arms, Zixin ran toward the terrace, taking the stairs as quickly as he could. The apartment buildings in this area were built quite close together, so if they could reach the terrace, there was a chance they could climb across to one of the neighboring buildings and escape the zombies below.
Bao followed closely behind, and even while running, Zixin kept glancing back to make sure he was still with them.
The red light outside had become so intense that the entire apartment building was flooded with a reddish glow. It seeped through the windows and spilled across the walls, brightening and dimming like a pulsing heartbeat. Every time the light brightened, the stairwell seemed to glow red for a moment before dimming again.
They finally reached the terrace. Zixin pushed through the door with Lin Jing still held tightly in his arms, but he barely had time to look around before the sound of rushing footsteps filled the stairwell behind them.
The zombies came up far faster than before.
They flooded through the small terrace doorway one after another, practically piling over each other as they forced their way outside. Their arms reached forward as they lunged toward the three of them.
Zixin quickly lowered Lin Jing to the ground behind him and swung his broomstick weapon at the first zombie that reached them.
The blade struck its neck, but instead of cutting cleanly through, it only dug partway in.
Zixin gritted his teeth and put more force into the swing, twisting the weapon until the blade finally broke through the thickened flesh and severed the zombie's head. Before the body had even finished falling, another zombie rushed toward him.
Zixin swung again.
The blade struck its neck with a heavy impact, but the resistance immediately caught him off guard. He had been able to slice through Level One zombies with ease before, yet these ones felt completely different. Their flesh had hardened, making every strike much more difficult.
"Why are they so strong…?" Zixin grunted, struggling to cut through another zombie's neck.
"The lights are helping them evolve!" Bao shouted.
He quickly pulled Lin Jing behind him, shielding the boy with his body as another zombie crawled across the terrace toward them. Its hands scraped against the concrete as it dragged itself forward before suddenly lunging.
Bao stepped aside and drove his knife straight into its eye.
The zombie immediately went limp.
"Aim for the eye or mouth!" Bao shouted, yanking the knife free. "Their bodies are becoming harder to cut!"
Zixin adjusted his grip on the broomstick and looked at the growing number of zombies spilling onto the terrace.
There were far too many of them.