One hour earlier, Li Dong and his team devised a strategy to counter the relentless assault of the corpse horde. They employed a tactic of fighting while retreating, utilising the building’s narrow corridors and stairwells to diminish the enemy’s numerical superiority. Initially, their plan yielded success. With Chen Liu anchoring the defence against the formidable Seven-Star zombie, the team  eliminated two Six-Star zombies and three Five-Star zombies during their withdrawal from the first floor to the second. The outcome was promising, and as they fortified their position on the second floor, the defensive layout provided a temporary respite. Holding out for an hour seemed achievable, even if a full counteroffensive remained elusive. If we can maintain this choke point, we might survive this, Li Dong thought, his determination unyielding despite the surrounding chaos.

Yet, the unpredictability of war shattered their carefully laid plans. In the heat of battle, three Six-Star zombies formed a spearhead formation, breaching the second-floor defences and charging toward the third floor, with three Five-Star zombies in close pursuit. This sudden incursion caught Li Dong’s group unprepared, leaving them disoriented. The third floor, their final stronghold,  had only one reserve fighter—Zhang Chong—while the rest were elderly or non-combatants. Pursuit was impossible for Li Dong, as abandoning the second-floor defences would have exposed his team to a devastating pincer attack from the horde below. If we leave this position, we’re finished, he realised, his chest constricting with frustration. His only hope was that Zhang Chong would evacuate the survivors to the reinforced VIP room on the third floor, where a fortified door might grant them a fleeting chance to hold out.

The second floor was transformed into a crucible of desperation. Facing four Six-Star zombies and eight Five-Star zombies—a force twice as formidable as the one encountered during the complex cleanup operation—Li Dong’s team fought with relentless tenacity. The narrow hallways were their salvation, preventing the horde from fully encircling them. After a gruelling half-hour of combat, they felled two more Six-Star zombies and three Five-Star zombies, but at a heavy cost: one teammate’s life was lost. Li Dong and Fang Ruoming were the linchpins, their weapons cutting through the Six-Star threats with lethal precision. The fact that some zombies broken off to assault the third floor, ironically, alleviated pressure on the second floor, granting the team a momentary opportunity to regroup. “Hold the line a little longer!” Li Dong shouted, rallying his weary comrades. Six of them remained, pitted against two Six-Star zombies and five Five-Star zombies—a battle where survival odds hovered above seventy percent if they could maintain their position. We’re close. We can do this, Li Dong thought, his grip tightening on his crowbar.

The tide, however,  turned treacherous. As the enemy’s numbers dwindled, the remaining seven zombies converged against the team in a unified assault, rendering their attrition tactics ineffective. The situation grew more perilous than ever. Amid the chaos, a personal tragedy struck Fang Ruoming. He spotted his grandfather among the horde, now transformed into a Six-Star zombie, his once-familiar face distorted by undeath. Grandpa… how did this happen? Fang Ruoming’s thoughts spiralled, his heart gripped by grief and disbelief. The old man, devoid of recognition despite his evolved intelligence,  lunged with merciless brutality. Fang Ruoming froze, and in that moment of hesitation, his grandfather’s claws tore into him. A Five-Star zombie joined the attack, and together, they dragged Fang Ruoming down the corridor, away from the front lines. I can’t… I can’t fight him. His mind was a tempest of anguish as he was pulled into grave danger. Li Dong and the others were powerless to intervene, entangled in their own desperate struggles.

The situation deteriorated further when Zhang Chong’s frantic voice crackled through the walkie-talkie: “Anyone still alive on the second floor? The VIP door’s about to be breached!” Damn it, not now! Li Dong’s heart plummeted, the spectre of imminent slaughter weighing heavily on him. “Hold on! We’re coming up soon!” he roared, though the buzz… buzz… of static that followed signalled that time was running out. Enraged, he ignored the searing pain in his injured right hand and drove his crowbar into a Six-Star zombie’s skull with deadly precision. One hit, one kill, he thought grimly. With his team, he dispatched the remaining Five-Star zombies on the second floor and rushed toward the third, unable to spare a moment to check on Fang Ruoming’s fate.

Upon entering the VIP room, Li Dong was confronted by a scene of unmitigated horror. The reinforced door had been breached, and five zombies—three Six-Star and two Five—Star—were tearing through the survivors with ruthless efficiency. Screams rent the air as the creatures ripped open throats and drank greedily, leaving pale, lifeless husks in their wake. To the zombies, humans were mere vessels of blood. Over half the non-combatants perished in moments, the elderly particularly vulnerable. Survivors huddled in corners, trembling, their fates determined by the grim lottery of the zombies’ hunger. This can’t be happening. Not like this, Li Dong thought, his blood surging with helpless fury. Some women attempted to resist with makeshift weapons, but their efforts were futile against the overwhelming strength of their foes. Zhang Chong, the sole fighter on the third floor,  managed to slay one Five-Star zombie before collapsing, bloodied and unconscious.

Li Dong charged into the fray, crowbar swinging with unrelenting force. The sight of such one-sided slaughter ignited a primal rage within him, not born of emotion, but of an unshakable instinct to defend humanity’s dignity against this monstrous violation. His team, battered and wounded from the second-floor battle,  followed without hesitation. Yu Dachao, limping on an injured leg,  fought alongside them, as the remaining security guards. Born a man, how can one not fight? The thought burned in Li Dong’s mind, a rallying cry against despair. The battle was merciless. Liu Wei fell, followed by another security guard. Three zombies remained, their guttural Guaao!! Guaao!! cries echoing like a taunt, as if mocking the frailty of their prey. Li Dong, though resilient as steel, was covered in wounds. His strength waned after slaying another Six-Star zombie with immense effort. Yu Dachao and the last security guard slumped against the wall, too exhausted to continue, leaving only three reserve fighters—none with the strength to carry on.

As the zombies continued their slaughter, Yu Dachao’s voice trembled through the haze of pain and fatigue. “Captain… are you still alive?” He’s gone. He has to be. Just like Fang Ruoming. Just like Zhang Chong. The thought clawed at him, a bitter acknowledgement of their dwindling hope. The Chen Liu Squad teetered on the brink of annihilation, and Yu Dachao refused to accept it. Just then, a voice crackled through the walkie-talkie: “Anyone still alive? What’s the situation up there?” The words hung in the air, a faint glimmer of possibility in the encroaching darkness.

thINKer: What beautiful chaos this is. It reminds me of Resident Evil