Chapter 189: Olfactory Zombies
Chapter 189: Olfactory Zombies
It is already December in Xiang City. The temperature should be just a few degrees, but strangely, it keeps warming up as time passes.
A men’s pullover is thick enough for Little Mint to wear, so Anran hands it to her.
Back in the fitting room, Anran watches as the girl puts it on. She is thin—so malnourished that her limbs look like twigs. Her frizzy, yellowed hair frames a small, fragile face. Under the oversized pullover, her bare legs, as thin as bamboo poles, stick out awkwardly. The sweater is so large that it slips off one of her shoulders and hangs down to her knees.
Anran sighs. Standing by the fitting room door, she says, “This will have to do for now. I’ll find you some proper pants later.”
The wall where the pants are hung is a bit far from their fitting room.
Anran turns to glance at the lily field outside. Its range hasn’t expanded much, but the edges have piled up into a thick, towering wall, blocking the zombies outside. The wall has grown so high that it now obstructs her view.
There are countless zombies inside the mall, and the lilies are flourishing, their heavy scent filling the entire clothing store. The overwhelming fragrance masks the scent of humans, keeping them momentarily hidden. Yet outside, the zombies continue to make unsettling noises, refusing to disperse.
Anran thinks of the shopping carts she saw toppled near the escalator railings. They need to retrieve them—otherwise, how will they get their next meal?
A few blocks away, another group of survivors is battling the relentless zombie horde. Their voices are filled with frustration and anger as they struggle to hold their ground.
None of them expected this.
Overnight, the zombies’ hearing has evolved dramatically, making them far more agile and responsive. Many of them have become unnervingly quick, dodging attacks and moving unpredictably.
It is maddening. The survivors had hoped that by quietly eliminating nearby zombies, they could enjoy a brief period of peace. But instead, these newly evolved zombies have awakened an even more terrifying ability—a heightened sense of smell.
When humans fall silent and stop making noise, these "olfactory zombies" take over the hunt. Their noses are so sensitive that they can lock onto prey from several meters away, tracking survivors with eerie precision.
How is this even possible?
Zombies don’t have circulating blood. They don’t even breathe. By all logic, their sense of smell should be useless. This is completely unscientific!
But then again… is anything about the apocalypse scientific?
As the olfactory zombies pick up the scent of living humans, the entire zombie population in the Xiang City Star District begins shifting, dividing into several groups and converging on the survivors’ location.
—
The sky is beginning to brighten.
Zhan Lian grips the wheel of his fuel-guzzling SUV, forcing his way through the sea of corpses. Two pickup trucks trail behind, linked by a tow rope. Their cargo beds are packed with oil barrels, but now even the barrels are crawling with zombies.
With a flick of his wrist, he sends a few throwing knives into the surrounding undead, clearing a brief path. Then, in one swift motion, he leaps onto the rooftop of a nearby office building.
Chewing on a piece of betel nut, he adjusts his grip on his binoculars, his black leather gloves tightening over his fingers.
From his vantage point, he surveys the situation.
Below, at the intersection, a tide of zombies surges forward, splitting into two groups. Those from the north and south funnel into the crossroads before dispersing east and west. Meanwhile, a cluster of zombies lingers at the base of the office building.
Their unnatural stillness confirms one thing—the olfactory zombies have already locked onto him.