Chapter Seven: Weapons Revealed, Eliminating the Undead

Jiang Qiyu cursed under her breath, calling it bad luck; the zombies were multiplying as if they could smell her. She drew an M1911 pistol, expertly chambered a round, and fired several shots. The zombies in the front collapsed in response, swift and clean, without a hint of hesitation.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for your first zombie kill. Reward: [Thermal Imaging Glasses capable of penetrating all obstacles x1]."

The system’s voice chimed in at the perfect moment. Jiang Qiyu gave a blank "hmm" in response.

As she put on the glasses, her vision sharpened instantly. The dim wharf was now saturated with thermal hues; the zombies radiated a frigid deep blue, while she glowed in a warm orange-red. The surrounding environment was also distinguished by varying colors. More importantly, obstacles no longer hindered her sight. She could clearly see the number and positions of the zombies behind the shipping containers; walls could not obstruct her gaze, granting her something akin to X-ray vision.

"Efficiency has certainly improved," Jiang Qiyu remarked, her expression unchanged. These glasses would allow her to better control the situation and avoid getting surrounded. In her past life, people were often ambushed by zombies at night; with these glasses, she had gained an extra layer of protection.

Behind the containers on the wharf, a number of zombies had indeed gathered, looking like piles of glowing red embers. Fortunately, she had discovered them early. Jiang Qiyu remained expressionless, her heart devoid of ripples. To her, this was merely a minor matter of survival in the apocalypse.

Her gaze sharpened as she swept the surrounding environment, quickly determining the best escape route. She holstered her pistol, pivoted neatly, and with a light push off the ground, leapt onto a nearby shipping container. Though the top was rusty and uneven, her footing was steady, as if she were walking on level ground. With a few bounds, she wove flexibly between the containers, her silhouette flickering in the night like a nimble cat. Making little noise, she climbed back onto her small electric scooter and headed toward her seaside mansion, her back appearing exceptionally solitary under the setting sun.

On the road, the number of zombies was increasing, and traffic had begun to gridlock. Car after car piled up in rear-end collisions, and the cacophony of horns sounded like a chaotic death symphony. Some drivers had turned into zombies while behind the wheel, killing their families before attacking surrounding vehicles. Passersby who kindly stepped out to check the situation were dragged into cars by rotting arms reaching through the windows, their screams echoing incessantly. On the pavement, people fleeing their abandoned vehicles ran in a panic, mixing with the equally frenzied zombies to create a scene out of a living hell.

Jiang Qiyu only furrowed her brows slightly.

"So cruel, even on the first day," Jiang Qiyu muttered to herself, a cold light flashing in her eyes. As time passed, the zombies would grow stronger and more numerous. Resources would become scarce, and human hearts would grow more treacherous. Survival would only become more difficult.

A few zombies blocked her path. She pulled out a suppressor, attached it to her pistol, held her breath, and lightly squeezed the trigger. *Bang!* The muffled gunshot echoed across the wharf; the suppressor effectively dampened the muzzle flash and recoil. The bullet struck the lead zombie perfectly between the eyes, leaving a clear hole. It collapsed, twitched a few times, and then went still. A path was barely cleared.

A faint scent of gunpowder lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate. More zombies were approaching from behind. Jiang Qiyu stopped, took a bottle of mineral water from her inventory, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink. The cold liquid slid down her parched throat, bringing a hint of relief.

Tossing the bottle aside, she decisively abandoned the highway, pulled out her tactical electric scooter, twisted the throttle, and did not look back. The tactical scooter let out a low roar, like the growl of a panther before a hunt. The vehicle leapt forward, tracing a graceful arc like a bolt of black lightning, vanishing into the congested traffic and the bewildered crowd. The afterglow of the sunset stretched a long shadow behind her, which was gradually swallowed by the encroaching night, leaving only the fading hum of the motor echoing through the increasingly dead city.

Back home, as soon as Jiang Qiyu opened the door, three zombies lunged at her aggressively—the very same three cleaning ladies sent by the housekeeping agency.

"Tch," Jiang Qiyu clicked her tongue in annoyance. She closed the door behind her and pulled an MP5 submachine gun from her inventory. For these slow-moving, low-level zombies, a submachine gun was the most suitable choice—efficient and effortless. It was fortunate she had scavenged plenty of weapons from the cargo ship earlier; otherwise, this would have been difficult to handle.

Jiang Qiyu’s eyes sharpened as she agilely dodged a swipe from a zombie’s fist. The wind of the strike brushed her cheek, carrying a nauseating stench of decay. Unfazed, she calmly observed the movements of the three zombies, searching for their weaknesses.

In life, these three had been the housekeeping staff responsible for the kitchen, laundry, and garden. Now, the scents of their former lives—lemon dish soap, lavender detergent, and the fragrance of soil—clung to them, blending with the rot of dead flesh to create a bizarre and grotesque sensation.

The zombie from the kitchen had the most strength and the fiercest attacks, though its movements were relatively slow. The laundry lady’s zombie was the most agile, its fingernails sharp as knives, clawing incessantly at the air. The garden zombie, meanwhile, clutched a bucket of fertilizer it had scavenged from somewhere, holding it like a treasure with a vacant gaze and sluggish movements.

The living room was narrow, and the clutter scattered on the floor hindered her movement, leaving almost no room to dodge. Jiang Qiyu quickly analyzed the situation. She drew an HK MP7A1 submachine gun and attached a suppressor. This weapon had low recoil, a high rate of fire, and great accuracy—perfect for use in tight spaces.

Her eyes narrowed, and she squeezed the trigger.

*Da-da-da-da—*

A series of muffled gunshots echoed through the villa. The kitchen zombie collapsed, its head bursting open and splattering disgusting black fluid onto the snowy-white wall. The laundry zombie shrieked and lunged at Jiang Qiyu with its sharp claws, but she dodged to the side and fired a shot into its head.

Only the garden zombie remained, standing blankly in place, completely unresponsive to the carnage. Irritated, Jiang Qiyu frowned and pulled the trigger on its head as well.

The zombie fell, and the fertilizer bucket tumbled to the floor. The brown, granular fertilizer spilled everywhere, releasing a pungent smell of ammonia that mixed with the scent of blood, making it even more stomach-churning. Jiang Qiyu couldn't help but cover her nose and mouth.

The villa was a mess, covered in rotting flesh and filthy blood. Frowning, she took a bottle of disinfectant from her inventory and began to clean the scene.