Chapter 137: Intermission

Chapter 137: Intermission

Manuel had a whole mob on his tail. He glanced back and saw it wasn't just young folks chasing him—there were old people and even kids in the mix.

Yeah, kids.

They were slower, tripping over themselves and falling behind the adults.

Damn, I don't know any of these people.

But here they are, chasing me like I'm some kind of god.

Lucky for me, I'm faster.

Bit by bit, Manuel put some distance between himself and the freaky crowd.

He kept sprinting toward the city center.

All those years of working out were finally paying off. If it were anyone else, they'd probably be gasping for air and barely able to walk.

I have to survive.

I will survive.

Manuel was sure of it.

Following James's directions, Christopher drove straight to the building.

The whole neighborhood was pitch black and eerily quiet.

A Jeep had crashed onto the sidewalk, the driver's head smashed into the windshield. Glass shards had pierced his skull, killing him instantly. In the moonlight, a dark figure squirmed between the car and the wall. James, holding a machete, turned on his phone's flashlight and saw it was Daniel, the neighborhood security guard, now mutated.

James stared at the monstrous Daniel for a few seconds, then turned and walked away.

Matthew and Christopher quickly secured the stairways.

With no power, the first-floor security door was useless. James hurried up to the third floor, pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and they all rushed inside.

The room was pitch dark.

James found a candle in its usual spot and lit it with a lighter. The room instantly felt safer in the candlelight.

Christopher gave the place a once-over, pacing through each room. After a while, he finally set his assault rifle on a pile of cardboard boxes. In the candlelight, he saw "Spam" printed on them.

James used a utility knife to cut open the tape on several boxes, pulling out various canned foods.

Emily knew the place well. With Matthew's help, they brought out several square metal containers from the inner room, cutting open the thin metal seals to reveal neatly stacked compressed biscuits inside.

They had water and meat. Sure, they couldn't cook up a hot meal, but after a day of starving, even the crappiest food tasted like heaven.

Matthew was famished. He wolfed down two compressed biscuits and shoved a chunk of beef into his mouth. After chugging half a bottle of mineral water, he stood up from the cardboard box and let out a long sigh.

With his belly full, Matthew finally took a good look around the room and the piles of supplies.

Candles, raisins, beef jerky, salt, canned food, water...

Matthew wandered through each room, constantly exclaiming.

"My God, how did you get so many cans!"

"Look at these, raisins, fruit cans, toilet paper. So much stuff, how much did you spend?"

James cut a piece of Spam from a can with a knife, popped it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. "I can't remember the exact amount. Must've been tens of thousands of dollars."

Matthew rubbed his coarse stubble, surprised. "Where'd you get so much money?"

James's answer was short: "Borrowed."

Matthew was taken aback. "Why'd you borrow so much money? And buy all this stuff at once?"

James swallowed the meat, smiled, and didn't answer directly. "Luckily, it was borrowed, so I don't have to pay it back now."

Sitting next to him, Allan loosened his bulletproof vest to get comfy. He asked curiously, "What made you do this? Are you one of those doomsday preppers you hear about online? I remember there are a lot of them abroad. They spend a ton of money digging underground shelters in their yards and buying loads of food and essentials. Yeah, there was a report not long ago, I think it was in the UK or somewhere, about a rich guy who thought there'd be a nuclear war twenty years ago. He spent all his money building an underground bunker and stayed in it for years, only to come out and find everything was the same as before."

Christopher ate his canned food slowly, saying nothing.

Matthew found the place fascinating. He sat down next to James, excitedly saying, "Kid, it's a good thing you set up this place. Otherwise, we really wouldn't have had anywhere to go tonight. By the way, did you know something like this would happen and prepare in advance?"

As Matthew finished his last sentence, he realized the gravity of what he was implying. His face changed, and he looked at James, his eyes twitching slightly.

Kurt and Allan also stopped what they were doing, their faces filled with worry and confusion as they looked at James.

Isabella curled her legs under the oversized hospital gown, sitting there motionless.

Emily struggled to keep her emotions in check, gripping the kukri knife on the nearby cardboard box. If anyone made a move against James, she wouldn't hesitate to split their head open.

James stayed calm. He cut another piece of meat from the can, put it in his mouth, and said while chewing, "I do know some things. But I definitely don't know as much as you all do."

His gaze fell on Christopher.

Christopher's body stiffened, a complex emotion spreading through him from James's gaze, gradually permeating his body. He looked up, meeting James's eyes directly. "If I'm not mistaken, the Greenfield Chicken Farm case was your doing. Michael's death is also related to you."

James's blue, crystalline eyes stared back. "If I said it wasn't, would you believe me?"

Christopher picked up the bottle of mineral water at his feet, shaking it and watching the ripples inside. "Then how do you explain being so prepared in advance? Don't tell me you're one of those doomsday preppers. The amount of supplies here is enough for us to last several months. Besides, you just said the money was borrowed."

Few people could meet Christopher's gaze under such a stern and sharp look. But James was clearly one of them. His voice and expression didn't change at all, as if he were telling an ordinary story.

"Over a month ago, we discovered the existence of the infection virus. Michael and I were both infected. Speaking of which, Matthew, you know about this too."

Matthew was surprised. "Me? How did I get involved?"

James smiled. "Remember the patient I asked you to help me find?"

Matthew nodded. "Of course I remember."

"He was the source of the infection."

James's voice remained calm. "Michael and I were infected by his blood in the ambulance. I noticed changes in my body and wanted to ask Michael if he felt anything unusual. But I couldn't find him. The next day, Mr. Taylor, you came to the hospital and told me Michael was dead. Later, I found another doctor in the hospital who was also infected by that patient. Things pretty much started from that point..."

James didn't hide anything, revealing everything he knew.

Of course, he omitted a few key points.

For example, Michael and Andrew's deaths had nothing to do with him.

Also, mutated infected individuals would form predatory relationships to obtain biological nutrients.

Having escaped from the hospital, James had thought things through.

The city was filled with death, with mutated zombies everywhere. Relying solely on himself and Emily, survival would be difficult. They needed more people to help them, to find other survivors to face future challenges.

To achieve this, he had to eliminate the suspicions of Christopher and the others.

After all, social order had collapsed, and he refused to admit to any killings. As long as he held firmly to this principle, even the police couldn't convict him.

A few knives wouldn't be enough to deal with the overwhelming hordes of zombies.

If he could get Christopher's help and approval, he could get weapons.

So, James didn't hesitate to expose his secrets, bringing Christopher and the others to his place.

James's story was long, taking over half an hour to tell. Finally, he looked at Christopher with bright eyes and said seriously, "Mr. Taylor, given the current situation, the source of the infection isn't just that one patient. This city turned into this state in less than half a day. There are multiple outbreak points of the virus, and many of them."

Christopher had been carefully observing James's emotional changes.

His eyes were very clear, filled with sincerity. Whether in the car earlier or after entering this room, James's behavior had been impeccable.

Yes, he did know some things.

But regarding the virus infection itself, he didn't actually know much. Christopher had seen information transmitted from abroad and other places, which also mentioned the symptoms of blackened bodies. From this, it could be inferred that the source of the infection had appeared in this city a long time ago. It was just that the virus's incubation period was unpredictable, so it hadn't been discovered in time.

If James had intentionally spread the virus in the city, why would he still be here? Seeking safety is human nature, even a madman who wants to destroy the world with a nuclear bomb would prepare a shelter for himself to live out his days safely and happily.