NOVEL SIMPLE CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12: Awakening and Awakeners
Good Hope Village, Lu Ming’s sanctuary, sat in a strategic location within the Nanxiang region. Its proximity to the city center and moderate size made it both an asset and a liability. While its dense population meant more potential survivors, it also promised a faster infection rate and a deadlier undead menace.
The morning's military intervention had been a fortunate twist of fate. By luring away the bulk of the zombie horde, the soldiers had inadvertently granted the village a brief reprieve. What had once been a liability—the sheer volume of the populace—now translated into more survivors. Though the survival rate wasn’t impressive, the number of people still clinging to life was.
As dusk settled, casting long shadows across the village, the ripples of Lu Ming's afternoon actions began to spread. Encouraged by the temporary lull, several brave souls emerged from their hideouts, driven by two pressing needs: scavenging for essential supplies and the alluring, if unlikely, hope of joining the military's efforts.
For these survivors, the focus was clear—find food, water, medicine—anything to extend their fragile existence. But their scavenging, while necessary, had consequences. The noise and movement quickly caught the attention of lingering undead, turning what began as cautious searching into a frantic scramble for survival.
Lu Ming, enjoying a rare moment of peace after his meal, was abruptly pulled from his reverie by a sudden burst of noise outside. A guttural, rasping sound—like a dying bellows—cut through the quiet. Startled, he moved to the observation window, his gaze locking onto a scene playing out on the street below.
A young soldier, Xiao Zhang, was hauling a middle-aged woman in a white coat through the narrow streets, both engaged in a desperate fight for survival. Five zombies lumbered after them, their hungry moans a terrifying chorus. Their fanged mouths and outstretched claws made their intent clear—there would be no mercy.
The winding, cluttered streets of Good Hope Village offered some refuge, a perverse advantage as the undead struggled to navigate the chaotic layout. Yet even as the maze-like alleys slowed the zombies, exhaustion weighed heavily on the fleeing duo. The woman stumbled with each labored breath, her strength fading fast.
"Xiao... Xiao Zhang," she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "Take this... and leave me. Hurry!" With a final surge of energy, she thrust a leather bag into the soldier’s hands before deliberately slowing her pace.
Zhang Lixin skidded to a halt, panic flashing across his face as he realized the woman’s intention. Her face had gone pale, her body trembling with fatigue. He was exhausted too, his reserves depleted after a morning of brutal combat and the nerve-wracking escape. But he refused to abandon her.
Tears blurred his vision as he tightened his grip on his rifle, the metallic click of the bolt loading echoing in the narrow street. Zhang Lixin stood in front of her, his jaw set in grim determination. If this was where they died, he would make sure the zombies didn’t take her easily.
"The data! Little Zhang," Dr. Meng Jie rasped, her voice tinged with desperation. "Take the data and go… it’s the only thing that matters."
"No, Dr. Meng!" Zhang Lixin’s voice cracked with emotion as he roared back. "My orders are to protect you, not the data!"
Tap, tap, tap.
The sharp retort of gunfire cut through the night as Zhang Lixin emptied his magazine. Each shot fired was a declaration of loyalty: “Without Dr. Meng, the data is useless!” The noise, however, acted as a beacon, drawing more undead to their location. The groaning chorus of approaching zombies grew louder, their shuffling feet drawing nearer.
As the weight of despair settled in, Dr. Meng Jie collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands. She had no more fight left in her. The will to survive had drained away with the last bullet.
Crack, crack, crack.
The final rounds left the chamber, and the silence that followed was deafening. Zhang Lixin, now out of ammunition, drew his bayonet and steeled himself for close combat. But before the inevitable clash could begin, a new sound pierced the darkness—a cry, human yet somehow strange, echoing from above.
Zhang Lixin looked up in disbelief. His eyes widened as he spotted the source.
A pair of oversized feet, clad in bright white sneakers with mismatched blue socks, descended from the sky. It was a surreal image, like something out of a fever dream. The first foot came crashing down on the head of a zombie, the sickening crunch of bone pulverizing beneath it.
Standing atop the corpse, silhouetted against the fading light, was a young man. He couldn’t have been older than his early twenties. Dressed in a simple black outfit, his large, round eyes gleamed with a fiery resolve that radiated both danger and hope.
“Ah! Fight!”
The strange cry erupted from his lips again as he launched into a whirlwind of motion, delivering a spinning kick that shattered the skull of the next zombie. Blood splattered the ground, the wet thud of bodies hitting the pavement signaling the beginning of the massacre.
The remaining zombies, enraged by the sudden attack, lunged at him. But the young man was ready. Despite his unconventional appearance, he moved with the grace of a trained fighter, his combat skills far exceeding the undead's crude strength. His punches and kicks were sharp, deliberate, each strike dispatching a zombie with an almost surgical precision.
“Follow me!” he barked, gesturing urgently to Zhang Lixin and Dr. Meng Jie.
Still dazed by the sudden turn of events, Zhang Lixin grabbed Dr. Meng Jie by the arm, helping her to her feet. Together, they followed the stranger as he led them through the winding alleys, dodging the remaining zombies with brief bursts of combat.
After what felt like an eternity of running, they reached a nondescript residential house. The young man threw the door open, ushering them inside before slamming it shut, effectively cutting off the outside world.
Relief washed over Zhang Lixin and Dr. Meng Jie. They had narrowly escaped death, and now, in the quiet safety of this house, they allowed themselves a moment to breathe.
Zhang Lixin rose first, snapping to attention with a salute. "Thank you, sir! Without your intervention, we would surely be dead. My life doesn’t matter, but Dr. Meng’s is critical—she’s the key to stopping this nightmare!" His voice was thick with emotion as he stepped forward, clasping the man’s hand firmly. “On behalf of the country and its people, I thank you.”
The young man, visibly startled by the soldier’s formality, stumbled over his words. "No need for thanks, no need at all. I just… saw something wrong and acted. It was a small thing, really." His expression softened into a shy smile. “I’m Wang Xiong, by the way. This is my place. It’s... relatively safe here. You’re welcome to rest. Can I offer you some water or food?”
Wang Xiong’s warm demeanor immediately set them at ease. Dr. Meng Jie, her curiosity piqued, studied him for a moment before asking the question that had been forming in her mind since his heroic intervention. "How long have you been... awakened?"
Wang Xiong’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Awakened? What does that mean?”
Zhang Lixin, sensing the shift in conversation, exchanged a glance with Dr. Meng Jie before diplomatically steering them away from the topic. “Why don't we talk while we eat?”
Wang Xiong’s pantry wasn’t overflowing, but that hardly mattered. With his newfound abilities, gathering supplies had become less of a challenge. He prepared a simple meal of instant noodles, which they gratefully devoured. For a brief moment, the world outside could be forgotten.
As they ate, they shared their stories. Zhang Lixin spoke of his past as a soldier in the eastern war zone, recounting how his unit had been stationed in Nanxiang City before the zombie horde overwhelmed them. Dr. Meng Jie explained her role as a leading scientist from the Third Biological Research Institute. The military had been transporting her to a secure location near the city center when their convoy was intercepted by the outbreak in Good Hope Village.
“The battle you saw earlier this morning,” Zhang Lixin said, his voice heavy with regret, “was between my troops and the zombies. We... didn’t make it.”
He glanced at Dr. Meng Jie, then continued, “She’s been studying the zombies since the outbreak started. We’ve made some progress, but the Research Institute is too vulnerable. Our mission was to get her to a safe location where she could continue her work, but... things didn’t go as planned.” His unspoken plea for help lingered in the air.
Wang Xiong listened, then shared his story in turn. A university graduate at 23, he had been a rising star in the world of mixed martial arts until a career-ending injury forced him out of the spotlight. He had just begun figuring out his post-graduation life when the apocalypse hit.
“As for my fighting skills,” he said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head, “they’re all from my MMA training. But my body… that’s something else. The night that tower appeared, I got a raging fever. I was out cold for hours. When I woke up the next day, I was... like this. Even my old injuries were gone.”
Dr. Meng Jie’s eyes gleamed with understanding as she seized the moment. “What you’ve gone through is what we call an ‘awakening,’” she said, her voice steady and deliberate. “It’s a transformation—unlocking abilities beyond the ordinary.”
End of Chapter 12