NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Chapter 25: The Outbreak
Lu You buzzed with excitement, testing her lightning ability twice more until her knees buckled from exhaustion. Xiao Yang replaced her charred wok while reheating last night's leftovers for lunch—now laced with unintended consequences.
The first bite sent Xiao Yang's hair crackling upright like a porcupine. "Sister You," he groaned, plucking a static-cling noodle from Mu Wanqing's hair, "did you fry the rice or us?"
"I… might've zapped the rice cooker," Lu You admitted, flushing crimson.
Their banter shattered when Coal the raven screeched, legs stiff in the air. A fresh dropping steamed beneath its electrified perch.
"I just refilled its water!" Lu You protested as Xiao Yang revived the twitching bird.
Dusk of the Dead
Outside, temperatures clawed to -10°C. Survivors dared hope—until snowdrifts erupted.
A cyanotic hand breached the white void. Frostbitten limbs jerked mechanically, heaving a summer-clad corpse upright. Its hollow eyes glowed faintly at the brow as it swayed, directionless.
In a nearby motel, a college girl shivered under blankets, her boyfriend's corpse stiffening below. Three days prior, their "passionate debate" had left him sweat-drenched and vulnerable to hypothermia.
A guttural rattle.
She peeked out—and met his reanimated gaze.
"Baby…?"
Rotting teeth sank into her throat. Screams ignited the block. Across the city, shambling figures converged on the sound, birthing hell on earth.
The zombie apocalypse had begun.
Villa Siege
Coal dive-bombed Lu You's head, squawking accusations until distant shrieks froze the room.
Xiao Yang sprinted upstairs, throwing open floor-to-ceiling windows. The gated community writhed—residents fleeing in pajamas, snow stained crimson where the slow fell. A grandmother stumbled; her undead grandson tore into her shoulder with glacial precision.
"Just like his visions," Lu You whispered, nausea rising.
Mu Wanqing gripped the sill, knuckles white. "They're… they're people an hour ago."
Xiao Yang's smile held Arctic frost. "Adapt or join them. Tomorrow, we harvest."
As he strode out to prep weapons, the women lingered.
"Without him," Lu You watched a businessman get gutted, "I'd be breakfast for those things."
"Or the chef," Mu Wanqing murmured.
They stood sentinel, gratitude and guilt intertwining, as the world burned beyond their electrified gates.