Chapter 48: Encounter
Louis once had a terrifying encounter with a witch… That incident left a deep shadow in his heart.
He tumbled and staggered off the boat, panic-stricken, shouting, “Damn it! Why is there a boat full of witches here?” His leg had been scratched by one of the witches.
Bill hurried to support him. “At least it’s only your leg. Let’s get out of here.”
Francis peered into the boat’s cabin through a ventilation window, his scalp tingling, and forced a joke. “Hey, guys, there’s a whole boatload of beauties in here—anyone interested in a harem?”
No one answered him; Bill, Louis, and Zoey had already hurried off. Francis took another glance into the cabin, feeling a chill down his spine, and quickly chased after the others. “Hey, wait for me!”
The group walked along the shore for a while. Suddenly, Zoey spotted something ahead and shouted, “There’s another boat up there!”
They rushed to the vessel, glancing around warily, but none dared to rush in.
“Louis, why don’t you go in and check? See if there are any more witches inside. I bet it’ll be fun,” Francis teased.
Louis shot back, annoyed, “Oh yeah, real fun. If it’s so entertaining, why don’t you go? I’ll cover you.”
“Cowards, both of you!” Zoey jeered.
Bill shook his head. “Alright, enough. Cover me, I’ll go take a look.”
The four of them went down into the cabin together, tense and on edge for a long while, but found no undead inside. In the end, they discovered only a long-dead corpse lying in the cabin.
Next to the body was a notebook.
Bill picked it up, leafed through a few pages, and suddenly turned to the others, excitement in his eyes. “Kids, I think I just found our ticket off the mainland.”
The others looked at him in confusion.
Without explaining, Bill led them outside the cabin and pointed to the distant drawbridge. “Guys, if we raise that bridge, we can drive the boat through it, follow the river, and get off the mainland—find ourselves a safe island. Whoever was here before must have left to find a way to operate the bridge.”
“My god, that’s quite the project.” Zoey sighed, gesturing to the kilometer-long bridge. “I’d bet anything this thing will make a ton of noise—enough to bring every undead in the city right down on us.”
“I think so, too. It sounds insane. But we don’t have any other choice, do we? There aren’t any more boats around,” Francis replied, worry plain on his face.
“That’s right. We need to move fast, or once the undead notice us, we’ll lose our chance,” Bill decided. “Louis, you stay and guard the boat.”
Louis protested loudly, “Whoa, Bill, you can’t be serious!”
Bill explained, “Your leg’s injured, and we don’t have the luxury of time. We’ll come back for you as soon as we’ve raised the bridge.”
Louis muttered gloomily, “Bill, did you see that guy? He stayed to guard the boat too…”
He meant the corpse in the cabin.
Bill hesitated. “Alright, you win. Everyone ready? Let’s move.”
Just then—
Zoey gasped and pointed at the top of the bridge. “Wait! Look, is that someone up there?”
The group followed her gaze. At the summit of the bridge, a lone figure was sitting casually, legs dangling.
…
Li Changsheng had been drawn by the gunfire from this end of the bridge, and had hurried over, watching from above for some time.
At first, he couldn’t make out the group below, but when they drew closer, he realized in astonishment—it was the original four survivors from Left 4 Dead.
What a strange world.
Watching the group busy themselves with the boat, Li Changsheng didn’t call out. Instead, he sat at the edge of the bridge, swinging his legs and sipping a magic potion in small sips.
Because as soon as he saw these four and connected it with the bridge below, he knew what was about to happen.
In the Left 4 Dead cinematic, the original survivors raise the bridge, but something goes wrong during the process—the engine dies. The veteran, Bill, leaps down alone to restart it. He succeeds, but is killed by the special infected who arrive, leaving behind only a gun and a final line:
“…I can finally take a rest…”
When Li Changsheng had played this chapter in his previous life, he’d been moved by it, too.
But nostalgia aside, this was now the real world, and no one could predict what was about to happen. Self-preservation was paramount.
At that moment, he saw the survivors finally notice him. Li Changsheng waved and called out, “Hey, what are you all up to down there?” His tone was as casual as if he were greeting someone before the apocalypse.
“What are we up to?” Zoey repeated, annoyed. She muttered to her companions, “Guys, I don’t know why, but I feel a sudden urge to punch this guy…”
“Calm down, Zoey.” Francis patted her on the shoulder, then said, “There’s always time for that after we meet him.”
They both looked at Louis.
Louis scratched his head. “…Honestly, I feel the same. After everything we’ve been through, how is this guy acting like he’s on vacation?”
Bill shot them a look. “Now’s not the time for that.” He raised his head and called up to Li Changsheng, “Are you from that boat? I think we might have the same goal.”
Li Changsheng was perched atop the bridge, about three stories up, at a section blocked by a steel barricade. The undead inside couldn’t get out, and nothing could get in.
By now, Bill’s group was directly beneath the bridge, and it was easy for them to hear.
“No, I’m not,” Li Changsheng replied, spreading his hands. “I came from somewhere else. I don’t know anything about that boat.”
Bill shook his head. “Then whoever was on board probably didn’t make it. Kid, what are you doing up on the bridge?”
Li Changsheng looked into the distance. “I heard there’s an evacuation point here for Rex Labs. Have you heard of it?”
Bill shook his head. “No broadcasts have mentioned that. But listen, kid, Florida is hell now. Unless you’re ready to die, I’d advise you not to go.”
Li Changsheng said nothing, but Bill’s words only made him more curious about the broadcast’s truth.
At that moment, Louis limped forward. “Hey, kid, we’re about to raise the bridge. Want to come down and help?”
“Sure. I’ll push the lift button for you,” Li Changsheng replied indifferently.
“Damn, this guy’s attitude is infuriating,” Zoey muttered through gritted teeth, glaring at Li Changsheng.
“That’s just what a normal person is like at the end of the world,” Francis tried to comfort her.
Just then, Li Changsheng noticed the wound on Louis’s leg.
“Hey, baldy, what happened to your leg?”
“Hey, watch your mouth, kid. This is apocalyptic fashion. You asked about my leg? I got scratched by a powerful witch. You’ve never seen anything like it—it’d scare you out of your wits!”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, but I did see you running in terror just now.” Li Changsheng couldn’t resist a jab, then asked with curiosity, “You got scratched—won’t you turn into one of those things? Won’t you mutate?”
“How could I be infected? We’ve been caught countless times and never mutated. According to the military, we’re asymptomatic carriers.”
“You all have remarkable constitutions,” Li Changsheng said sincerely.
Still, his curiosity and suspicion only grew.
Could these four be immune? Or were the undead in Florida different from those elsewhere?
Just then, a shambling horde appeared in the distance.
“Damn it, more undead! Get to the bridge, now!” Bill shouted.