Chapter 17: Clearing the Youth Valley Road (Part 1)

"Coward! How many lives have you cost?" Everyone gathered at the vegetable stall, devouring fruits and kicking Jiang Qian’s backside with unrestrained fury.

Now, only fifteen people remained, not counting that coward Jiang Qian.

"This time we’ll move in pairs—one with a rebar frame, one with a steel pipe," said Li Fengyi, having observed that pairs were more efficient and safer than groups of three, especially now that all the doors had been discarded and smashed. He quickly organized the group.

Seven took up rebar frames, the remaining eight paired with them for two-man teams, divided into three ranks. After a brief discussion, Li Qiang stood in the first rank, Li Fengyi in the second, and together they pressed onward toward the north end of the alley.

Jiang Qian slunk along at the rear, undeterred by threats or even the occasional blow from a steel pipe, trailing after the group with the persistence of a lovesick boy. This time, though, neither Li Fengyi nor Li Qiang dared to include him in the formation; he was simply too dangerous, liable to disrupt their ranks and get everyone killed.

They made their way back to the school gate. Aside from the scattered white bones, not a single zombie remained. For safety’s sake, the school’s main gate had been reinforced. Li Fengyi found the key and locked it. As he did, memories of happier days when children poured out of the gate in boisterous lines, rushing into their parents’ arms, flashed through his mind. Now, looking at the tiny bones strewn across the ground, a wave of sorrow washed over him.

The alley had a bend, and directly opposite was a towering building. The group advanced cautiously, as though sneaking into an enemy-occupied village, when suddenly a screeching sound came from above—metal grinding on metal, setting their teeth on edge.

Looking up, they saw a window-cleaning platform suspended nearly twenty stories high. A man, harnessed in a safety belt, flailed atop the platform, waving frantically for help. The iron cradle scraped along the facade, until suddenly, the man’s safety belt snapped and he plummeted toward the ground.

"Ah! Mama, the zombies are coming to eat me!" Jiang Qian shrieked from the rear, collapsing to the ground in terror, his legs scrambling backwards, leaving a wet stain on the pavement from his soiled trousers.

With a sickening thud, the falling corpse crashed onto the concrete, splattering dark blood everywhere, making it clear this was nothing more than an aerial zombie.

Li Fengyi narrowed his eyes: tall buildings, zombies, bodies smashed to pieces.

Li Qiang also gazed thoughtfully.

They rounded the bend; only the last entrance to a residential complex remained. There was no need to clear it—the entrance was already blocked by a wrecked pile of cars.

At the mouth of the alley, Li Fengyi surveyed the heap of cars clogging the street. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Let’s head east first—block off the east end of the road, then the west!"

"So many cars, so few brains, move it!" Li Qiang joked, grinning as they pushed the heavy vehicles into place.

"Deputy, what’s so funny?" Wei Yong asked, panting from exertion.

Li Qiang shared his thought with a cheerful grin, and everyone responded with a collective sneer.

They ignored the zombies trapped inside the cars; those who could escape already had, and the rest posed no immediate threat.

The group moved westward. Most entrances were already blocked by toppled cars, but occasional gaps remained, which they sealed with the tallest vehicles they could find.

At the western end of Qingnian Ditch Road stood the Coal Building, the tallest landmark in the area. Once they blocked the western side, the road was completely sealed.

Where Qingnian Ditch met Hepingli Middle Street, the Coal Building’s underground parking was a scene of chaos—a mass of wrecked cars intertwined, easily forming a blockade.

"Sun Xiaoshan, Tian Ming, take your team to the fruit stall by the halal restaurant and bring back some fruit," Li Fengyi ordered, struggling to catch his breath. "The rest of you, clear out any remaining zombies."

There were no large clusters of zombies along the now closed-off road, just a few zombie drivers wedged between crashed cars, easily dispatched.

Sun Xiaoshan and Tian Ming led their teams, clearing out stray zombies as they went. Soon, they returned, hauling several baskets of fruit.

Li Fengyi called everyone for lunch—they’d been working non-stop all morning and were exhausted.

The group set the fruit baskets on a Mercedes, inside which a zombie strapped in a seatbelt clawed desperately, as if wanting to join the meal.

The young man in black bared his teeth at it, making a face, then smashed the window with a steel pipe. Before he could finish off the zombie, the car alarm blared to life.

"Damn it!" he cursed, startled by the alarm. With a swift jab of the steel pipe, he drove it through the zombie’s gaping mouth and into its brain, ending its miserable existence.

Sun Feigang reached in and shut off the alarm. "The alarm shouldn’t go off without the anti-theft system armed. Even in a crash, it usually stays silent. This guy won’t let us eat in peace, even in death."

Sun Feigang puffed up with pride. "A Mercedes S6000, just like mine."

"Good thing you didn’t drive here," Tian Ming remarked, shrugging.

Sun Feigang fell silent.

With the zombie dealt with, Sun Xiaoshan dumped the fruit onto the car roof. Everyone crowded around, using their hands to keep apples and peaches from rolling off, and eagerly dug in.

Jiang Qian swaggered up and grabbed the largest apple for himself.

"Hey, who the hell are you? Shameless much?" the young man in black hadn’t forgotten him, and raised his hand to slap him.

"What’s wrong? Can’t I eat an apple?" Jiang Qian retorted, full of bluster.

Everyone erupted in outrage, ready to thrash him. "We’ve seen shameless, but never anyone as shameless as you!"

Li Fengyi, holding a banana, sighed. "Lock him in the car. If he tries anything, break his legs."

Someone mischievously twisted the zombie’s head to face Jiang Qian, who was now strapped into the passenger seat. The gaping maw, dripping dark blood and white brain matter, sent Jiang Qian into violent tremors. He’d already wet himself once; there was nothing left.

As they ate, Li Fengyi and Li Qiang discussed their next move. Seven would gather drinking water and food, while the other eight would search the nearby shops for survivors and useful tools.

Today, both mattress boards and doors had proven less effective than rebar tripods. They resolved to improve their weapons if possible, and deal with Jiang Qian when they returned.

Forty-seven had set out; now only sixteen were left. Every team had suffered casualties. In Jiang Qian’s group, only Tian Ming and the young man in black remained. For this, Tian Ming vowed to treat Jiang Qian to all ten tortures of the Manchu dynasty, and the young man in black readily volunteered, showing keen interest.