Chapter 4: Disturbance

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Disturbance

Xu Mo was awoken at midnight by a continuous, low roar.

The sound wasn’t deafening, but it was unusually persistent, like countless tattered drums being beaten in the distance. It shattered the stagnant silence of the deep night. Xu Mo’s heart clenched, and he immediately glanced at his watch—2:27 AM.

He’d heard the sounds of zombie activity on previous nights, but those were mostly sporadic and brief. This was the first time he’d heard a continuous low roar, clearly a convergence of many voices.

’Something’s not right...’ All sleepiness vanished as an inexplicable chill crept over him. He moved silently to the window, ever cautious, keeping his body hidden in the shadow of the wall and exposing only half his face to peer outside.

The cold starlight outlined the town’s decaying silhouette; visibility was better than he’d expected. On the street below, the shadowy figures that had once been scattered about all seemed to have come to life. They were no longer aimlessly wandering within small, fixed areas. Instead... they were all moving in the same direction—west.

Xu Mo shifted to another window, confirming his observation. A sparse number of zombies were emerging from various alleys and ruins, converging on the main road. Then, as if pulled by invisible strings, they shambled with clear purpose toward the path leading up the barren mountain to the west.

There weren’t enough zombies to form a "tide," but their unified, unnatural procession was far more unnerving than their usual scattered wandering. ’What are they doing? What’s on that mountain attracting them?’

Xu Mo held his breath, watching their gait intently. He couldn’t tell if the starlight was playing tricks on his eyes or if the night was amplifying his senses, but he felt that the zombies’ movements tonight were a little smoother than during the day. The stiff, jerky quality of their movements had lessened, and their speed seemed to have increased by a fraction.

This subtle discovery made his palms break out in a cold sweat. ’If I’m not just imagining things,’ he thought, ’then I need to completely re-evaluate how dangerous the night is.’

The low roaring continued for about half an hour before it grew sparse and faded into the distance. The figures of most of the zombies had vanished toward the western mountain path, leaving the street empty once more, submerged in an unsettling, dead silence.

Xu Mo slid down against the wall, his brow tightly furrowed. His body still felt weak, but the mental strain was even more intense. The zombies’ collective, abnormal behavior and their potential evolution loomed over him like a dark cloud.

He didn’t dare sleep. Forcing himself to stay awake, he crept to the window to observe every so often. His taut nerves only began to relax when an extremely faint, almost imperceptible shade of gray-white appeared on the horizon, and still no large-scale commotion came from the western mountain. The streets below remained deserted.

"Looks like... it’s over for now," Xu Mo muttered. A wave of immense fatigue washed over him. He lay back down on the sofa, and the combination of physical weakness and mental exhaustion quickly pulled him into a deep sleep. But even in sleep, his brow never fully relaxed.

...

「The next morning」 When Xu Mo woke again, sunlight was already pouring through the window, casting distinct patches of light on the dust-covered floor.

As he sat up, Xu Mo carefully assessed his condition. He was definitely better than yesterday. His head was no longer so groggy, the weakness in his limbs had lessened considerably, and the dry itch in his throat was almost gone. His body was relying on the resilience of youth and his limited food supply to struggle against the inflammation and begin the slow road to recovery.

Yesterday, this improvement might have given him a surge of relief. But right now, Xu Mo’s face showed little joy.

The image of the zombies’ bizarre, unified march west last night was seared into his mind. ’Unusual events are a sign of trouble.’ He didn’t understand the logic behind zombie behavior, but he understood the most basic principle of risk-aversion: when a familiar environment undergoes a major, incomprehensible change, the safest choice is to leave as soon as possible.

’I can’t stay in this town any longer. I have to recover my strength and leave as soon as I can. The next time I ’open the door,’ I won’t just be gathering supplies. I’ll need to prepare for the move.’

’Who’s to say last night won’t happen again? Will the zombies that were led away come back? Or worse, will whatever drew them away eventually turn its attention to the town itself?’

Xu Mo glanced at the countdown timer in his mind. Less than a day until the next "door opening." ’This time,’ he resolved, ’my objectives have to be crystal clear.’

He needed supplies to sustain him on an uncertain journey: more water, high-energy and easy-to-carry food, a detailed map, a sturdy backpack... and anything else that could improve his odds of survival.

Xu Mo spent the entire following day in a state of high alert.

The image of the massive zombie migration from the previous night haunted him. He feared the zombies would return, or worse—that they would be driven back by some unknown force, flooding the town like a tidal wave and leaving him stranded in his little building.

This anxiety drove him to the window every ten or fifteen minutes to cautiously observe the streets and the distance. Each time he confirmed that the outside remained empty and silent, his frayed nerves would momentarily relax, only to tighten again moments later.

The three-story, street-facing house Xu Mo occupied was a temporary shelter he had chosen after much deliberation. Back in the early days, while weak and fighting a high fever, he’d picked this place specifically. It was relatively isolated, not directly connected to other buildings, which reduced the risk of zombies breaking in from the side or the roof. Most importantly, it was inconspicuous.

After selecting the house, the first thing Xu Mo did was reinforce it to the best of his ability. He moved every piece of heavy furniture he could find to barricade the ground-floor entrance. It wouldn’t stop a coordinated assault, but it would at least slow down a few stray zombies and buy him precious time to escape.

However, his view from inside was limited. To get a wider perspective and ascertain the town’s true state, Xu Mo decided to go up to the roof.

He crept up the internal staircase to the third floor, then climbed out onto the roof.

The afternoon sun was a bit blinding. Xu Mo kept low, using the short parapet at the roof’s edge for cover as he slowly raised his head and scanned his surroundings.

His view opened up dramatically.

Most of the town lay before him. Crisscrossing streets, rows of dilapidated buildings, abandoned vehicles... Everything was shrouded in an absolute, heart-stopping silence.

Xu Mo carefully scanned every street, every corner that might conceal danger.

Nothing.

Not a single zombie.

The zombies that had been wandering the main roads, the ones lurking in the shadows of the alleys—all the ones he had observed before—had vanished as if wiped from the town overnight by an invisible hand. The streets were completely empty. Only the wind was left to stir up dust and scraps of paper, sending them spiraling across the deserted sidewalks.

This dead silence, far from bringing Xu Mo any comfort, sent a chill deep into his bones.

’Strange events always have a cause.’ Zombies didn’t just vanish into thin air. Their mass exodus had to be at the behest of a more powerful force. ’What is that force? Is it still nearby? Will it one day turn its attention to this town, or... has it already?’

He didn’t dare linger on the roof. After confirming his immediate, albeit temporary, "safety," he retreated quickly and silently back to his room on the second floor.