When Qiqi saw the thoroughly dead zombies up close, she gripped my hand tightly—I could feel her sweaty palm. "Don't be afraid, dear. They're completely gone!" I reassured her. This delicate woman who had never known hardship made even someone like me want to protect her!
On the drive back, Qiqi leaned against my shoulder, watching the bleak scenery outside, her expression growing solemn. "Duo, has the apocalypse really come? Do you think we can survive?"
"I believe we can, as long as you trust me! Keep living with confidence!" I patted her hand. Aze remained silent. As a criminal police officer from the branch bureau, he'd seen much of the world. Someone who never believed in ghosts or gods was deeply shaken by this disaster.
"Duo, can we stop by my station? The armory has supplies we need," Aze suddenly said.
I immediately notified the team via walkie-talkie. The branch bureau was located between Qiqi's neighborhood and ours—just one street away.
Due to the cold and snow, zombie activity had slowed, and their numbers had decreased. Who knew where they were hiding?
Seeing our equipment—all large blades—Aze asked, "Where'd you get all these controlled weapons?"
I rolled my eyes. "Officer, skip the interrogation, yeah?"
Aze laughed. "Not interrogating! I'm impressed! You adapted so fast! Even as a cop, I feel ashamed I didn't measure up!"
So that was it! I thought he was being professional. I proudly touched the long knife on my back. "This was a treasured piece from an old man downstairs. He's gone now, so I'm just borrowing it!"
"Let me see!" Aze was fascinated. I handed him the knife with its sheath.
He drew it, examined it closely, and exclaimed, "What a fine tachi!"
"Tachi? Isn't it a Japanese samurai sword?" I was confused.
"Tachi is a type of samurai sword! This length classifies it." Aze gave me a look of mild exasperation. Hmph! I'm a woman—why would I study blades? But I wasn't bothered! I'm always confident! Even with a kitchen knife, I'd still slash zombies without hesitation!
"Good steel! Excellent craftsmanship. You're lucky to find this—can't buy such an authentic tachi in stores now," Aze said. The more he praised it, the prouder I felt. I snatched it back and slung it over my shoulder. Hmph, jealous?
"Seriously, Duo, I'll trade you a gun for it," Aze said, his ulterior motives showing.
"No deal! Not even for a rocket launcher! What's so great about guns? This blade is one of a kind!" I shook my head vigorously.
"Che, so stingy! Guns are more useful. Aim at the head, pull the trigger—bang! Done!" Aze persisted.
"I know, but gunshots attract more zombies. Blades are quieter! Besides, we have guns—we just use them sparingly. Look, I even carry one." I pulled a Type 64 pistol from my coat pocket—given by my husband—and waved it at him.
"Hey! You're audacious! Civilians can't carry guns! Where'd you get it?" Aze's tone was stern but excited. For a gun user, seeing one was like meeting an old friend.
"From my across-the-hall neighbors. They never returned after the incident. We found a whole drawer of these—all the same type," I said honestly. I knew he wouldn't arrest my missing neighbors.
"The Type 64 suits women. Men prefer the Type 54," Aze said, instantly recognizing it. Sure enough, he was a cop!
We soon arrived at the branch bureau. Aze led us boldly inside.
Normally, law-abiders like us wouldn't come here. I'd only been to the passport hall years ago.
Zombies in the hall wore police uniforms! Oh no—zombie cops! I hoped they couldn't use guns! This wasn't an action movie!
The zombie cop had a holstered gun but only snarled and lunged with its claws. Easy—still a job for blades!
Aze looked grimly at the zombie cop, unwilling to accept it. He shouted, "Captain Cao! It's me!"
But Captain Cao was too hungry to remember. Why had he stayed inside that chaotic day instead of fleeing?
Seeing the ferocious zombie approach Aze, who hesitated, I didn't wait. I drew my knife, pushed Aze aside, and stepped forward. The space was wide, perfect for swinging. I gripped the knife with both hands, aimed at Captain Cao's neck, and swung—swish! Behind me, Aze and Qiqi screamed as the rotten head rolled. The headless body swayed and collapsed.
Seeing the severed head still "alive," I walked over, aimed the knife tip at its eye socket, and stabbed down. Now it was truly dead.
"Ugh…" Qiqi bent over, vomiting. Aze looked pale too. At their compound, they'd only seen corpses—this was their first live decapitation.
I moved to help Qiqi, but she pointed at my bloody knife and waved frantically. I understood—zombie fluids were disgusting. Even I found it revolting, though I was used to it.
Aze patted Qiqi's back until she stopped vomiting.
He looked at Captain Cao's body, paused, then stepped forward and took the Type 54 pistol from his holster. No wasting good stuff.
Qiqi stood two meters away. "Duo, you madwoman! When did you get so fierce? I want to wait in the car—I can't take it!"
I shook my head. "No. The rule is: stick together in unsafe areas. Even with someone in the car, it's not safe. Zombies are everywhere—they might swarm, and we can't save you in time. You stay with us."
Qiqi had no choice but to follow us inside.
The armory was at the end of the first-floor hallway—the most vital department, of course.
The door was locked. I reached for my lockpick, but Aze directly shot the lock open. So violent! Tsk tsk! I wondered how badly he'd gotten along with the armory staff—such hatred for that door!
"Normally, checking out a gun felt like begging for food! Now I'll clean out your whole stash!" Aze said with satisfaction. Ah, so that was why!
"Don't cops carry guns normally? Why check them out?" I didn't get it.
"That's old rules. Regulations changed—firearms must be stored after work. Taking them home is illegal," Aze explained.
No wonder the armory was so stocked! They couldn't take guns home! This worked for us!
Besides Type 54s and 64s, there were Type 79 submachine guns. "This submachine gun has a 30-round mag, fast fire rate, great power, good stability, and high accuracy! This is a Type 92 shotgun—8 rounds, massive power. Can blow half a head off those bastards!" Aze introduced them one by one. We were stunned.
"Hurry, load the vehicles! First come, first served! My colleagues might've survived too. If they get here first, we get nothing. Those guys!" Aze spoke of his colleagues with mixed feelings.
There were large and small guns—dozens, plus many ammo boxes. Heaven, we struck gold!
Is gun love innate in men? Their eyes glowed green, drool nearly dripping. I had to remind them, "Hey, wipe your mouths! Don't slobber on the guns!"
"I know you love guns. I know shooting zombies is thrilling. But remember: you're law-abiding citizens. Before this, you rarely saw real guns, let alone fired them. Now isn't the time for practice! First, load everything up. We'll play back home. Besides, Aze can coach you—he'll teach you!" I had to say it upfront. Otherwise, they'd play with guns and accidentally shoot themselves.
Back at the compound, everyone was thrilled at our haul. Sixth Brother immediately grabbed a submachine gun. "Buddy, long time no see!" I recalled his background—of course he'd handled guns before!
After an exhausting day, everyone was tired, but we held a meeting. We decided: starting tomorrow, Aze would train adults in shooting, beginning with the men. Then everyone dispersed to rest.
Qiqi and Aze moved into Unit 1701 in our building. Unit 1702 housed siblings Strawberry Jam and Seafood Jam. They became new neighbors. Actually, Building 6 had vacant luxury units, but Qiqi wanted to live near me. Luckily, Unit 1701 below was empty.
After consolidating everyone into Buildings 5 and 6, many rooms remained vacant aside from lower-floor storage. We seemed to hope to fill all rooms, restoring the lively past when every home was bustling.
In peaceful times, we took things for granted, never feeling grateful. Now, how we missed summer evenings wearing flip-flops to the compound market for watermelon…
Ling told me it was a false alarm—she wasn't pregnant. I sighed in relief. These times weren't fit for babies. Bringing a child into this fearful, hiding world wasn't right.
Qiqi's boyfriend was already here, living in Unit 1301. He was Ruowang, an internist from a top local hospital. He'd studied in Japan and became a department director in his early 30s—young and promising. With him, our health was better guaranteed.
I promised Qiqi: next supply run, I'd bring enough cat food for her chubby cat, Baozi! For now, it ate human food.
Since the virus didn't affect Baozi, animals might not turn zombie. This was crucial. Not that I'm an extreme animal activist, but if humans never ate meat again, that'd be the true apocalypse…