NOVEL SIMPLE CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9: Prey and Predators
As the saying goes, the strong prey on the weak, and the cunning exploit the foolish.
Liu Aiyuan stood at Lu Ming's door, the crowbar clutched tightly in her hand. Her forehead throbbed from the earlier blow, and the sharp sting of humiliation only deepened her fury. Above her, on the second floor, Lu Ming remained at the window, slingshot in hand, a silent sentinel.
Faced with his cold command, she had no choice but to swallow her rage. Her lips twisted into a bitter snarl.
"Crazy!" she spat, her voice laced with venom. "Coward! I hope you never get laid again!"
Cursing under her breath, she slowly backed away from the door, her eyes never leaving the iron gate. She could feel Lu Ming’s gaze on her even as the window closed with a resolute snap.
Behind the iron bars of his door, Lu Ming watched her retreat through the peephole, every muscle in his body coiled with tension.
The walk back to her group felt like a defeat, the crowbar still clenched in her hand, the bitter sting of failure sitting heavy on her shoulders. By the time she reached the others, her forehead still throbbing, her face had twisted into a mask of frustration.
"The plan failed," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Resentment burned in her voice, and it was clear to anyone listening that her pride had been bruised more than anything. “That house would’ve been perfect—reinforced, stocked with food, water, weapons. But he didn’t open the door.”
She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness, but her mind remained fixated on Lu Ming’s fortress. She could still imagine it, the security it promised, just out of reach.
"There's nothing we can do..." she added, the bitterness in her words barely hidden.
The four men with her, however, had already moved on.
"We found some food and water earlier. Since that house is a no-go, let's just head back to the third floor," one of them said.
"That place is too cramped. There's not even a bathroom," another added. "It’s safer out here now, so let’s find a bigger place nearby."
“Hey, check out this little umbrella I found,” one of the men joked, spinning the handle as if the world hadn’t collapsed around them.
Liu Aiyuan’s patience snapped.
“What are you talking about?” she snapped, her voice rising in frustration. “Why are you bringing up umbrellas now? Is that really what's important?”
Her words hung in the air, but this time, her outburst didn’t have the impact she’d hoped for. Yao Zheng and the others exchanged glances, seemingly indifferent to her frustration.
"What else can we do if he won't open the door?" one of them shrugged. "You said it yourself—the place is reinforced. We don’t have the tools to get in. What do you expect us to do?"
Another chimed in, “The world’s gone to hell, and those zombies are like supermen. Let’s just find a place to lay low and survive as long as we can.”
The last man, his grin widening with a lewd expression, added, “Besides, we still have Aiyuan. Better to die in bed than get eaten alive.”
The others laughed, agreeing with his sentiment.
“No!” Liu Aiyuan’s voice sliced through their laughter, her face flushed with rage. Her fingers trembled with suppressed anger as she hissed, “If I can’t have that house, no one can.”
Her eyes darted around, frantic, until they landed on a small roadside mourning hall. At that moment, a wicked idea sparked in her mind. There, among the offerings, were bundles of unlit firecrackers.
“How dare he call me fake!” she growled, her fury bubbling to the surface as she marched toward the firecrackers. “I want to see him torn apart by zombies with my own eyes!”
Her anger reached a fever pitch as she returned with the firecrackers in hand, a savage grin on her face.
“We’ll set them off outside his house!” she declared, her eyes gleaming with malice. “We’ll lure the zombies back! He dared to disrespect me, insult me, hurt my face! He’ll pay for it!”
Her mind raced with the thought of watching Lu Ming’s house swarmed by the undead, of hearing his screams as the horde tore through his so-called fortress. But just as she prepared to set her plan in motion, one of the men spoke up, his voice cutting through her rant.
“The question is,” he said slowly, “who’s going to light them?”
Silence.
The firecrackers had short fuses, and the speed of the zombies made it a near-suicidal task. None of the men volunteered, their faces quickly shifting from amusement to unease.
Liu Aiyuan’s demeanor changed in an instant. She fluttered her eyelashes and let a seductive smile curl her lips. “Whoever volunteers will be my knight. From now on, I will... reward you.”
The men laughed, but their eyes grew cold and calculating.
“Knight?” one of them scoffed. “We’re already your knights, even without the fireworks.”
Another stepped closer. “Aiyuan, listen. Revenge isn’t worth it. Even the military can’t defeat these zombies. What’s the point? Let’s just focus on being happy.”
He leaned in, his grin widening. “Speaking of which, didn’t you say you had some new games for us to try? We’ve found a place to hide, we’ve got food, water, and even an umbrella.”
The men began closing in around her, their smiles no longer playful. Even with her inflated ego, Liu Aiyuan could sense that something was wrong. Their loyalty, which had always been fragile, had evaporated completely.
Her smile faltered, becoming strained. “Brothers, let’s just—help me with this first, then we can... have fun later.”
But Yao Zheng wasn’t listening anymore. He reached out, grabbing her arm firmly. “That’s not up to you anymore.”
Fear flashed in Liu Aiyuan’s eyes, but it was too late. Yao Zheng clamped his hand over her mouth, and the other men grabbed her legs. They moved quickly, dragging her into a nearby shop, her muffled protests fading into the distance.
Unbeknownst to them, Lu Ming had watched the entire scene unfold from his second-floor window. Though he couldn’t hear what had been said, he had clearly seen Liu Aiyuan grab the firecrackers.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His mind raced with possibilities.
“What’s she doing with those?” he muttered, pacing near the window. His thoughts spiraled into panic. Blow up the door.
Yes, that had to be it. She was planning to use the firecrackers to destroy his door—or worse, attract the zombies back to his house. If they swarmed the area, his carefully fortified home would become a death trap.
“That bitch! Those bastards!” His voice trembled with a mix of fear and fury. “They want to kill me!”
His heart pounded in his chest as panic welled up inside him. But then, as the tension reached its breaking point, an eerie calm settled over him. His fingers clenched into tight fists.
“I’ve never harmed anyone,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I just wanted to stay home, to be left alone.”
But the realization hit him like a wave. They want to hurt me.
His eyes darkened as he glanced out at the street again.
“No,” he whispered, “I can’t wait. Strike first, gain the advantage. Strike later, suffer the consequences.”
His breathing steadied, his fear transforming into something cold and hard. I have to kill them first.
Without wasting another second, he rushed upstairs and gathered his weapons—crossbows, slingshots, machetes, daggers—every piece of weaponry he’d stockpiled over the years. The sight of the sharp blades steeled his resolve.
“I have to kill them before they kill me.”
He scanned the streets from his window, mapping out his plan in his mind. The surrounding alleys, the shadows, the best vantage points. He calculated his odds of survival, determined to strike before they had a chance to destroy his safe haven.
Taking a deep breath, he whispered to himself, “It’s not murder. It’s self-defense.”
With his weapons in hand, Lu Ming headed downstairs, his steps quiet and deliberate. The air around him had shifted, filled with a cold, dangerous resolve.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of five locks disengaging echoed in the stillness. He pushed open the door quietly and stepped out into the bloodstained street.
His eyes narrowed, and a chill ran through the air.
End of Chapter 9