LCFM Chapter 8

Fu Yan smiled as he explained for the third time that he had no blood relation with Jiang Xinghuai and repeatedly showed his ID to prove, beyond doubt, that he was 32 years old. Only then did Geng Manhong reluctantly believe him.

“Why are you still standing here! No food for you! Five points! I thought you’d dropped out and self-taught yourself in the past month!” Geng Manhong shifted his fire.

“Then I won’t eat.” Jiang Xinghuai snatched the paper from his hands and dashed into the room.

“You’ve eaten half the pot already, you little brat!” Geng Manhong shouted angrily. “Throwing a tantrum again! Are you still a child?”

“He’s eleven.” Fu Yan smiled. “Let’s eat first. After we eat, we can discuss the plan.”

“He…” Geng Manhong sighed. “He wasn’t like this before.”

“When he just entered the first year of high school, he was cute, cheerful, did well in school, and had a good personality.” Geng Manhong’s voice lowered as he spoke. “In the second year, his parents divorced. It was messy. Apparently, there was even a lawsuit. He couldn’t accept it, took a break from school for a while. When he returned, he changed.”

“Fatty Geng!” Jiang Xinghuai suddenly ran out of the bedroom again.

“Ah!” Geng Manhong was so startled that the chopsticks fell from his hands. “I didn’t say anything!”

“Say what?” Jiang Xinghuai looked confused.

“Nothing.” Fu Yan looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xinghuai finally remembered the reason, his face anxious. “Someone’s prying open the iron gate downstairs!”

“What!” Geng Manhong sprang to his feet.

The old house had a poor layout. The living room was at the back, and the bedroom windows faced the street, so sounds barely reached the living room.

The group quickly rushed to the bedroom, opened the window, and leaned out to look down.

Below, there were about six or seven people, both men and women, all very young. Judging by their clothes and style, they seemed to be from the same production-line background as the blond.

Two of the boys were desperately using tools to pry the lock on the iron gate.

“What about the infected people who were chasing us? How did these people get here? Why didn’t we hear a thing?” Geng Manhong froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. “No, wait, don’t pry the gate! If it opens, we’re done.”

“It’s too late.” Fu Yan frowned as he spoke. No sooner had he finished than the tallest boy downstairs kicked the loosened iron gate.

The iron gate crashed down, and the group rushed up quickly.

“They’re here.” Jiang Xinghuai furrowed his brows and pointed toward the nearby street.

Hundreds of infected were rushing toward them at the sound. At a distance of two hundred meters, a normal person could cover it in half a minute.

“Shit! We can’t let them in! They’re bringing the monsters! We’ll be trapped in here!” The blond boy shouted, eyes wide. “Drive them away!”

Jiang Xinghuai protested, “We could open the door and let them in faster.”

“Open your damn mouth!” The blond boy spun around in anger, grabbed Jiang Xinghuai by the collar, and slammed him against the wall. “You want to die?”

“No, I—” Jiang Xinghuai didn’t finish.

Fu Yan, standing nearby, suddenly reached out, grabbed the back of the blond boy’s collar, and forcefully yanked him away.

“What are you doing!” The blond boy scrambled up from the ground and rushed forward.

Fu Yan pressed against his shoulder, staring him down, and said in a deep voice: “If he hadn’t opened the door, you’d already be dead outside.”

The blond boy panted heavily and said nothing.

Fu Yan released his grip. “Now is not the time to argue. Make a decision.”

“Open it.” Geng Manhong made up his mind and patted Jiang Xinghuai on the back. “They’re already up here. Let’s not make a fuss. We can’t stand by if there’s a chance to save people.”

Fu Yan nodded.

Jiang Xinghuai rubbed his neck and nodded, too.

In just half a minute, the infected were already at the open main gate.

The blond boy frowned silently, holding the large kitchen cleaver used for cutting ribs. Geng Manhong gripped his spatula tightly, ready for action.

Jiang Xinghuai clutched his skateboard, face tense. He turned to Fu Yan and lowered his voice: “It’s not that I insist on saving everyone… It’s just, if I can help, I’ll help, I…”

“You did the right thing. It’s correct.” Fu Yan reassured him.

Jiang Xinghuai nodded with relief, finally freed from the tension pressing on him. He noticed the two bags Fu Yan was carrying on his back. “Why are you carrying backpacks?”

“Better to be prepared.” Fu Yan replied.

“Then give me mine. I’ll carry it myself.” Jiang Xinghuai snatched it over.

“They’re here.” Fu Yan patted his head. “Stay safe.”

From downstairs came a chaotic mix of footsteps. Judging by the sound, they had already reached the fourth floor.

Those people were probably trying to pry open the doors of the fourth-floor rooms.

But it was already too late. The fastest infected had climbed up to the third floor.

“Come straight up!” Geng Manhong rushed to the staircase and shouted down. “Hurry!”

The group below didn’t respond, but the footsteps sounded like they were running upward.

“Ah! No!” A woman’s pitiful scream suddenly rang out.

The infected must have caught up.

Immediately, people appeared at the top of the stairs. Only four remained, all men. All the women from the group downstairs were gone.

Fu Yan frowned at the situation. But before he could fully react, Geng Manhong had already stretched out his hand. “Quick, quick, quick!”

The tall man leading the group also reached out, but grabbed Jiang Xinghuai’s arm instead.

Jiang Xinghuai was standing aside, ready to help someone else, and didn’t react in time. By the time he realized something was wrong, his whole body was already falling forward.

He happened to fall at the staircase landing. Before he could get up, the gaping mouth of an infected lunged at him.

In an instant, Fu Yan dashed out the door, grabbed Jiang Xinghuai’s upper body on the ground, and dragged him hard backward, narrowly avoiding the biting mouth of the infected.

“Fuck!” The blond boy flew into a rage and kicked the tall man in the stomach. “You’re really not playing fair!”

The tall man ignored him, got up, and pushed his way inside.

“What are you doing!” Geng Manhong grabbed him, trying to stop him. “Who told you—”

“Get out!” The man shoved him aside and lunged desperately into the room.

“Hey! You guys!” Geng Manhong’s eyes reddened in panic. He didn’t say another word, swinging his spatula as he charged out. “Xingxing!”

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” Jiang Xinghuai tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through his knee, leaving him powerless. He had hit the corner of the stairs when he fell.

“Quick, get inside!” Geng Manhong blocked in front of him, slapping the head of an infected trying to reach Jiang Xinghuai with his spatula.

“Can you stand?” Fu Yan supported him, his expression grim.

“I can.” Jiang Xinghuai gritted his teeth. Seeing the infected surging toward them, he pressed against the wall and forced himself upright. “Go, quickly.”

Fu Yan half-carried him, one hand holding a knife, cutting down countless hands that reached out recklessly.

But in response, countless more hands reached out—layer after layer, covering everything. The entire stairwell was packed with heads, writhing and pressing forward.

“Useless!” The blond boy, holding his cleaver, also came over to help. He stood next to Geng Manhong, shouting without even looking back: “Hurry, get up!”

At that moment, a loud bang came from behind them!

It was the sound of the door slamming shut!

The blond boy whipped around, furious. “Those damn bastards shut the door!”

The stairwell was narrow. Even though there were many infected, only three could push up at the front, but they didn’t fear death. Undaunted, they pressed forward, step by step, facing blades and knives without hesitation.

Jiang Xinghuai and the others could only keep retreating. With each step back, their space to survive shrank.

After just over ten seconds of resistance, they began to struggle. Geng Manhong’s spatula nearly got snatched from his hands.

Jiang Xinghuai swung his arms desperately, trying to block with his skateboard, but it only held for a second.

“Go to the rooftop!” Geng Manhong shouted, sweat streaming down his face. “There’s a door up there!”

“Why the hell didn’t you say so earlier!” The blond boy slashed with his cleaver, blood splattering across his own face. “My legs can’t manage it. Go up first!”

“You’re a good kid!” Geng Manhong praised him with relief.

“Shut up! Don’t insult me. I’m a thug.” The blond boy didn’t appreciate the compliment at all.

Jiang Xinghuai struggled to leap a few steps upward. Suddenly, his feet left the ground. He was airborne.

Fu Yan lifted him effortlessly. “Go!” Fu Yan shouted to those below.

Hearing the command, Geng Manhong swung and pushed aside several storage boxes stacked by the door. “Good kids! Run!”

“I’ll do what I want!” The blond boy turned and dashed upward.

The infected were slower than they were, and the stairway further slowed their progress.

The rooftop indeed had an iron door. It was open.

Fu Yan was the first to rush in, set Jiang Xinghuai down, then quickly returned to the door to help the remaining two.

“Close the door.” Fu Yan supported Teacher Geng as he spoke.

“The lock is broken!” The blond boy said in despair.

“Move the water tank over!” Geng Manhong, barely catching his breath, quickly assigned tasks. “Blond and I will move the old sofa!”

Fu Yan turned to move the water tank.

Jiang Xinghuai couldn’t sit still either and immediately stood to help move the tank.

As soon as the water tank was shifted to the door, the first infected charged up, violently smashing into the iron door.

The water tank slid back an inch, water sloshing out.

Fu Yan and Jiang Xinghuai pushed it tight again.

“Make way!” Geng Manhong and the blond boy pushed the old sofa over.

The infected kept crashing into the gate, making it clang and rattle violently.

Geng Manhong searched the rooftop for anything that could add weight, piling everything he could find by the iron gate.

Jiang Xinghuai also grabbed several flowerpots on the rooftop and stacked them on the sofa.

Only then did it barely hold. But everyone knew these makeshift barricades wouldn’t last even twenty minutes.

The group panted as they watched the temporarily stabilized blockade.

“Where did it hit just now?” Fu Yan turned to ask Jiang Xinghuai.

“I’m fine.” Jiang Xinghuai shook his head, the pain in his leg making it hard to speak. He could feel his knee swelling already.

Fu Yan didn’t ask further. He took off the backpack and rummaged for alcohol, iodine, and cotton swabs.

“No use, it won’t hold.” Geng Manhong pointed to the water tank at the far end, nearly breaking.

Their previous estimate had allowed roughly twenty minutes, but now it seemed it wouldn’t even last ten.

They had underestimated the destructive power of the infected.

“It’s over…” The blond boy plopped down on the ground. “It’s over. I don’t want to die.”

Jiang Xinghuai gritted his teeth and straightened up, using the dim light to gauge the distances between the surrounding buildings.

This was an old residential area. The buildings were relatively close, but not a distance an ordinary person could jump across.

Squinting, Jiang Xinghuai remembered the long ropes scattered in the corners of the rooftop when moving the flowerpots. Carefully judging their length, he began to step toward them.

“Sit down, let me check your leg.” Fu Yan set down his backpack and twisted open the alcohol bottle.

“What’s the point? People are about to die, and you care about a leg?” The blond boy sneered, standing up, eyes full of anger and fear as he scanned the surroundings. “Whoever can fly today is the only one who survives!”

“Are you challenging me?” Jiang Xinghuai raised an eyebrow.

“So what if I am? Let’s see you fly then.” The blond boy challenged him angrily.

“Sorry, the underworld gave me a nickname…” Jiang Xinghuai winced in pain as he crouched to tighten his shoelaces, tilting his head with a grin. “Call me… the Little Flying Man.”

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