Zhang Xiaoqiang drank some water, lit a Taishan cigarette, and took a deep drag. At eighteen yuan a pack, it tasted richer and more fragrant than the five-yuan Huangguoshu brand.
Sitting on the sofa with his eyes half-closed, he looked at the mountain of supplies in front of him. He felt satisfied. The swirling smoke carried his thoughts as they drifted lazily through the air. Zhang Xiaoqiang was just an ordinary guy, a small-time citizen with no big dreams. He never wanted to be a hero who gave his life to save the world.
He admired Mencius's words: "I want fish and bear paw. If I can't have both, I would give up the fish for the bear paw. I want to live a good life, and I want to be a good person. If I can't have both, I would choose to live a good life even if it meant giving up on my dreams. I want to live, but there are things I want more than that, so I won't take life for granted. I hate death, but there are things I hate more than death, so I will not avoid danger for its sake. If life is the most valuable thing there is, why wouldn't you do everything you can to protect it? If death itself were the most dreaded thing, why wouldn't you do everything you can to prevent disaster? But sometimes people forget about life and don't take steps to avoid problems. So, there are desires more compelling than life, and fears more profound than death. This feeling isn't just for good people. Everyone has it. The good people only keep it.
A single basket of rice, a single bowl of soup—having these means life; not having them means death. But if someone offered them to a beggar, the beggar would not accept them.
I would not accept ten thousand measures of grain without first making sure that it is appropriate and fair. What good would ten thousand measures do me? Would those who don't have much money come to me for great palaces and the companionship of wives and lovers? Before, I would rather die than accept such things. Now, I do it for the sake of splendid palaces. Before, I would rather die than accept such things. Now, I do it for the sake of those I know who are poor. Before, I would rather die than accept such things. Now, I do it because people who don't have much money seek me out. Is this really okay? This is what it means to lose one's original heart."
This doesn't mean he'll become a wise person. He's always been selfish and just wanted to survive in this world that was ending. Every day, I wake up and smell the faint scent of rot. It makes me happy.
We inventoried the food and supplies, and found about 50 jin of rice, 20 jin of pork, two fish weighing about 1 jin each, various dried seafood totaling about 3 jin, 47 eggs, a jar of pickled vegetables, a small amount of various greens, two each of cured chicken and duck, and half a crate of oranges weighing about 7-8 jin. Soy sauce, cooking wine, and other seasonings were not included in the count. There were 12 packs of Taishan cigarettes, two cartons (20 packs) of Blue Box Yellow Crane Tower, and one and a half cartons (15 packs) of Red Packet Red River Tower, for a total of 47 packs of cigarettes. We have two bottles of high-quality Daohuaxiang baijiu and one bottle of Great Wall Cabernet red wine. Two bags of milk powder, six bottles of soft drinks, 22 bottles of mineral water, various medicines, and other things you need every day.
After getting all the supplies, Zhang Xiaoqiang rubbed his hands together. He took out a crossbow, a pair of binoculars, and a very good Tiger Fang military knife from his backpack.
While looking for supplies on the platform, he entered a bedroom with many gun stickers on it. The owner must love the military. He found a crossbow and a military knife in the wardrobe and binoculars on the wall. Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't know how to use a crossbow, so he looked for the instructions.
MP9 Military Anti-Terrorist Sniper Crossbow:
The weight is 48 kilograms.
Range: 180 meters; effective range is over 100 meters.
The object weighs 4.6 kilograms.
Includes: You will need a spare bowstring, a large crossbow case, an LED spotlight for crossbow use, a laser sight, a four-way adjustable iron sight, a 4x32 optical sight, a crossbow loading tool set, three long arrows, a bag of steel pellets, two calibration arrows, and four standard arrows.
Zhang Xiaoqiang prepared the MP9 with his foot, loaded a steel ball, aimed it at the calendar five meters away, released the safety, and pulled the trigger: "Bang..."
The MP9 jerked backward, causing his shoulder blade to hurt. He almost let the crossbow fall, but he caught it. He rubbed his shoulder and looked at the calendar. The picture of the beauty from last year's calendar was gone, and only some pieces of paper were left on the floor.
Zhang Xiaqiang pulled the calendar down. Cement pieces fell to the ground. There was a big hole in the wall, with a steel ball stuck in the tiles. "Whoa..." He took a deep breath.
"Incredible speed..."
"It has a devastating power..."
If a zombie got hit in the head at this distance, its skull would probably be blown clean off.
His shoulder still hurt a little as he gently touched the crossbow's surface with his fingertips, as if he was being very careful to not hurt it. The textured lacquer finish had a subtle shine, like the vibrant lips of a fragile maiden, and it looked mysterious and attractive. (Writing this makes me feel sick—please understand the importance of a weapon in the apocalypse.)
Zhang Xiaoqiang put down the MP9 military counter-terrorism sniper crossbow and took the binoculars. They were a pair of silver-gray binoculars with a high power. The manual stated: 10x50MM Binoculars: Magnification: 10x Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm Field of View: It is 114 meters at 1000 meters Minimum Focusing Distance.
Zhang Xiaqiang took off the protective lens cover, went to the window, and held the binoculars up to look outside. The sky was still gloomy, and the dark clouds made him feel sad. The zombies below were now in his line of sight. He looked at their sharp, pointed teeth and could almost smell the bad smell coming from their mouths.
Zhang Xiaqiang stood inside the window and watched carefully. After 20 days, the zombies started to change into mummies. Their hair had thinned to thin tufts, and the flesh on their faces had slowly disappeared, leaving only wrinkled, old skin. The zombies moved slowly because they couldn't see, and they only changed direction when they bumped into walls, cars, or other obstacles. After twenty days of constant use, many of their shoes had changed shape. Some zombies walked unsteadily, one foot wearing shoes and the other bare, their uneven stride making it clear they were not walking normally.
Zhang Xiaoqiang's home was far from the city center. The buildings around it weren't very tall, with the tallest reaching about eight stories. There weren't many people living in the area. On a road wide enough for four two-ton trucks to pass side by side, hundreds of zombies were scattered along nearly a kilometer of roadway near his house.
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked around. The binoculars he was holding became heavier and heavier, and his arms started to hurt a little. The food at home would eventually run out. The only sensible thing to do was to find a way to escape the city. Hundreds of zombies had surrounded his apartment building, leaving him unable to help himself.
Zhang Xiaqiang looked at the city center. Through the binoculars, a huge column of thick smoke appeared!