Chapter 149: The Rat Has Become a Spirit
Chapter 149: The Rat Has Become a Spirit
The preparations are done, and Doll is nearly awake. Anran feeds her, dresses herself, and places Doll in the high-view stroller. With determination in her step, she pushes Doll toward the security room.
At this age, Doll loves staring at black-and-white patterns. After feeding and seeing the patterns, she calms down and stops making a fuss.
But Anran can’t help but think about what will happen when she reaches the security room. Will Yun Tao beat her this morning, or will she finally get the chance to fight back?
Just as she heads toward the security room, a survivor, drenched in blood, suddenly comes running toward her, screaming in terror and flailing his arms as if something is chasing him.
Behind him, three more survivors sprint frantically toward the security room, their faces pale with fear.
Anran’s heart trembles. Could zombies be attacking the community? She quickly glances back at the community gates. Zombies still lurk outside, their low, hoarse growls echoing in the air. The gates remain intact.
Without hesitation, Anran pulls Doll’s sling from the stroller, ties the now-sleeping Doll securely against her chest, and hurries toward the security room.
The roadside plants sway urgently, as though they are alive but have no voice. The strange sense of urgency spreads through Anran’s body, making her tense.
Before she reaches the security room, the sound of men screaming pierces the air, growing closer.
Suddenly, a man bursts out of the security room, his body engulfed in flames. He collapses onto the tree-lined street about ten meters away from Anran, writhing in agony as fire consumes him. He rolls on the ground, trying to put out the flames.
Yun Tao chases after him, fire extinguisher in hand, spraying him with foam.
Anran stops in her tracks, momentarily stunned by the horrifying sight. But she quickly snaps out of it, glances toward the garbage dump, then rushes into the security room, carefully avoiding Yun Tao and the burning man.
Inside, Liu Yuan huddles in a corner with Hengheng, too afraid to speak. The other three survivors either sit or lie on the floor, their faces drained of color.
Anran scans the room in surprise. There are only four survivors—including the one who just ran out in flames. Where is the fifth?
Her gaze drops to the floor. Scorched marks stain the ground, and two rat carcasses lie trampled to pieces. Their intestines and internal organs spill out, and their scarlet eyeballs have popped from their skulls, revealing the crystal cores inside.
Anran’s first instinct is to suppress her nausea. She grabs a few napkins from the table, squats down with Doll in her arms, and carefully picks up the crystal cores, wrapping her fingers with the napkins to avoid touching anything too gruesome.
Rats may be disgusting, but like zombies, they have crystal cores in their bodies—cores that must be useful. Anran decides to collect them all.
“Anran, Anran, these rats are going to become spirits,” Liu Yuan says, her voice trembling with fear. She clutches Hengheng tightly, her eyes darting around in panic.
“The man who just ran in was covered in rats,” she continues. “They scattered everywhere, and some of them came straight for us. If it hadn’t been for Brother Tao’s quick reaction, we would’ve been bitten to death.”
As she speaks, Anran feels the tension in the air. What is happening? And why are the rats acting so strangely?