Chapter 14

As long as people exist, agriculture exists.

Forty-seven days into the outbreak, with stable temperatures confirmed, my stubborn self started round two of seedlings. With experience under my belt, this batch was determined.

Sprouts seemed to race each other up.

The half-dead plants on the balcony, revived by the humidity, slowly perked up.

I harvested a big bunch of hydroponic green onions.

With the compound population decimated, the few remaining residents being survival pros, the casualty rate had actually dropped noticeably.

Not facing blood and gore daily, the sky a brilliant blue after the storm, clouds fluffy… it naturally lifted the mood.

My parents and I decided to reward ourselves for surviving Phase One.

After all, there had been days with cracked lips and parched throats, rationing sips of water, surviving on willpower alone.

“Just some home cooking,” Mom said. “Steamed pumpkin with red dates, stir-fried beef, and some lettuce.”

I rinsed the rice, saving the starchy water in a fermentation bucket for later plant food.

Hot rice soaked in savory beef juices? Pure bliss! I devoured one and a half bowls.

After dinner, the three of us gathered, chatting briefly before I headed to my watch post.

Knowing my parents were nearby brought immense comfort.

I’d watch a while, glance back. Mom was absorbed in an old reality show. Dad, glasses on, was deep in a book.

I focused back on the telescope.

Fewer zombies roamed the compound, but they looked… stronger.

Stranger still, one zombie was crouched in the bushes, its body jerking rhythmically.

I strained to see, horrified by the sight unfolding.

A zombie was eating another zombie!

More precisely, a visibly robust zombie was devouring a weaker one!

Through the telescope’s sharp lens, the feeding zombie looked up. Its milky-white pupils fixed on me!

I dropped the scope, letting the curtain corner fall.

Mom noticed my panic first, coming over to hug me.

She started to lift the curtain.

I grabbed her hand, cold sweat beading. “Don’t.”

The brief eye contact had sent my heart rate soaring. After a moment, I spoke. “They’re cannibalizing their own kind.”

They were following the law of the jungle.

Did that mean the virus within them was evolving?

Would the surviving zombies be the strongest?

Even more terrifying—what if some developed intelligence?

My hands shook. Was our little fortress a Noah’s Ark in this flood? Or just a juicy target for other survivors? Or worse… stored meals for intelligent zombies?!