Chapter Eleven: To Leave or to Stay?

"Mutated humans?" The three family members stared at Ma Yi in astonishment.

"Yes," Ma Yi replied calmly. "I was actually infected by the virus before, but now I exist somewhere between a human and a zombie. To put it simply, you could say I am a zombie, or you could say I am human. Zombies think I'm one of them, so they won't attack me." He revealed his secret without hesitation. There wasn't much point in hiding it—sooner or later, some survivor would discover a J-type zombie, and it would be obvious that Ma Yi was the same. His identity would be exposed regardless.

"Wow, that's so cool! Why didn't you bring my sister along? Zombies wouldn't attack her, right?" Liu Xue looked at Ma Yi.

"I've never taken anyone out with me. What if the zombies decide to attack her?" Ma Yi replied innocently.

"That makes sense," Liu Xue nodded thoughtfully, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"Ma Yi, just bring us some food..." Liu Wen's father began, but his words were interrupted by the sound of steel pipes banging on the iron door outside.

"Liu, I know you can hear me! We're all neighbors here, so let me be honest—our demands aren't excessive. If you're too attached to your daughter, maybe you should consider your wife; we wouldn't mind either way." The shouts outside were accompanied by wicked laughter and the voices of several men and women egging each other on.

"What’s going on?" Ma Yi asked, glancing at the family whose faces had gone pale.

"Sigh, who would've thought... We've been neighbors for seven or eight years, and yet these people have changed so much now that the world has gone mad," Liu Wen's mother sighed.

"I’ll go out and fight them!" Liu Wen's father slammed the table and stood up.

"You're not a young man anymore. What's the harm in being insulted a bit? Just treat it like the dogs barking," Liu Wen's mother hurriedly pulled him back.

"Big guy, if you can kill all those people downstairs, I'll accept you as my brother-in-law," Liu Xue said darkly, staring at Ma Yi.

"What?" Ma Yi was stunned.

"Don't think I don't know—my sister told me everything, including your situation. It's not like her ex had a long life; he died, that's that. If you two want to be together, my word counts for something," Liu Xue said, acting as if she knew it all.

"Oh, alright, that’s fair," Ma Yi finally understood why Liu Wen’s mother had been so polite since he arrived, sizing him up like a prospective son-in-law. Although he’d been calling her "mother-in-law" in his heart, he needed her approval. Liu Wen’s father had also been observing him, it seemed.

"There are six or seven strong men downstairs," Liu Wen's mother added.

"Auntie, don’t worry. Dealing with these people won’t require us to lift a finger," Ma Yi said confidently.

"Liu, you turtle, don’t hide behind your wife and daughter! If you’re a man, come out and let’s talk. The world’s gone to hell; if you lose your wife, so be it. You’re getting on in years, probably not much use anyway. Why not let your wife entertain us? She’s nearly fifty but still looks so seductive—we all want to try her out," the shouted insults below grew more depraved.

Ma Yi’s face darkened as he listened.

"Tie Zhu, come here!" Ma Yi ignored the distressed family and went to the window, opening it and shouting loudly.

Ma Yi’s voice was so loud it made the ears of the three inside ring. They stared at him in surprise, unsure who this Tie Zhu could be.

Downstairs, the jeering voices suddenly ceased. A dozen men and women stared in shock at the tightly closed security door.

"What was that just now?" a man asked.

"Not sure, someone was shouting something," another replied.

While people downstairs discussed, Liu Xue also leaned out the window to see who Ma Yi was calling. Liu Wen’s mother followed, curious.

Suddenly, the two women gasped as a hulking figure came running from afar, resembling Ma Yi, smashing aside what appeared to be terrifying zombies as he barreled through.

Hearing their surprise, Liu Wen’s father approached; his earlier bravado was gone, and he now looked like a middle-aged scholar.

"Is that your buddy?" Liu Xue asked.

"Picked him up as a little brother when I arrived," Ma Yi answered calmly.

Tie Zhu had sharp eyes; even from a distance, he spotted Ma Yi leaning out the window, grinning widely as he charged straight over, crushing flowers and grass beneath his feet.

"Come up from below and kill every living thing," Ma Yi instructed Tie Zhu quietly, gesturing for him to go around and slit the throats of those below.

Tie Zhu was intelligent, but not enough to circle around and use the front door; he simply crashed into the first-floor concrete wall. Luckily, the old-style building was made mostly of red bricks—after four or five hits, Tie Zhu had made a hole. His enormous hands tore the wall apart, creating a makeshift doorway.

"Isn't he hurt?" Liu Wen’s mother trembled at the sight, her face full of astonishment.

"Tie Zhu is a J-type zombie, incredibly strong. My body is quite similar to theirs," Ma Yi said, frowning. Tie Zhu truly lived up to his name—he barely used his head.

"Are there different types of zombies?" Liu Wen’s father asked, Liu Xue’s curiosity piqued.

"So far, besides the ordinary zombies, I’ve found three types: J-type like Tie Zhu, then the S-type—fast, small, agile. They’re like martial arts experts in TV dramas, with claws sharp enough to pierce concrete, able to run along walls and rooftops with ease."

"Doesn’t that mean even houses aren’t safe?" Liu Xue asked anxiously.

"Exactly. The first time I encountered one, I saw it running swiftly along the exterior wall of an apartment building, just like a gecko," Ma Yi nodded.

"And the last type?" Liu Wen’s father’s brows furrowed.

"The P-type zombies have a sac under their necks filled with some unknown acid that can easily corrode metal and wood, though it’s much less effective on leather and plastic," Ma Yi explained after thinking for a moment.

"I never imagined there were so many dangerous types of zombies," Liu Wen’s mother said, covering her mouth in shock, her anxious demeanor invoking pity.

Screams echoed from below. Ma Yi hurried out to check; with Tie Zhu’s strength, a dozen humans were nothing—he could easily handle a hundred.

"Alright, that's enough," Ma Yi called out as soon as he stepped outside, only to see Tie Zhu tearing a woman in her twenties in half, red blood splattering across his body, his eyes filled with excitement and joy.

Nearby, in the stairwell corner, two men and a woman sat slumped, clearly terrified to the point of losing control of their bodily functions.

Ma Yi felt a reflexive urge to retch at Tie Zhu’s public slaughter, but it wasn’t particularly intense; while his mind resisted, his body was remarkably unaffected.

Tie Zhu, spotting Ma Yi, happily strode over and tore the security door off its hinges. What had seemed so sturdy was reduced to scrap in moments under Tie Zhu’s hands.

"So terrifying?" Liu Wen’s parents, who hadn’t seen Tie Zhu before, now watched as he shredded the iron door like it was made of tissue paper.

Tie Zhu growled, baring his teeth at the three behind Ma Yi, his expression fierce.

"It’s fine, these are friends," Ma Yi waved at Tie Zhu.

Seeing Ma Yi unharmed and hearing him declare them friends, Tie Zhu slowly relaxed his ferocious look, standing obediently downstairs.

"Hey, isn’t that Old Sun? Scared yourself into wetting your pants?" Liu Wen’s father wasn’t about to let it go, taunting the man in the stairwell.

"How did your family attract such a monster?" Old Sun stammered for ages before finishing his sentence.

Liu Wen’s father grinned smugly, trying to pat Ma Yi’s shoulder but settling for his arm, announcing, "This is my son-in-law, here to rescue us. What do you think? Weren’t you acting tough before? Wanted to sleep with my wife, but look at you now—do you even deserve it? And this must be your son-in-law and daughter. Turns out my son-in-law still needs a foot-washing maid, a servant."

"Liu, you’ve colluded with monsters—you’re a traitor to humanity, a turncoat!" Old Sun cursed in fury.

"I haven’t colluded with monsters—the monster is my son-in-law’s subordinate," Ma Yi said, surprised at how Liu Wen’s father, once a stern city official, now resembled a street rascal in his triumph.

Thinking it over, it made sense. Liu Wen’s father couldn’t fight seven or eight men alone; he’d been hiding at home, enduring harassment and insults. Now, finally, he could vent his anger—anyone would act similarly.

Hearing Liu Wen’s father call him son-in-law, Ma Yi showed no outward emotion, but his heart soared. He’d finally been acknowledged. In times like these, survival was all that mattered. For someone like Ma Yi, free to move about, life wasn’t just about survival, but thriving.

"Auntie, as you can see, our home isn’t safe anymore. Why don't you and your family come with me? My place will suffice for now. Next, I plan to check out the villas to the south—if all goes well, we can move there," Ma Yi said, considering the ruined security door and turning to Liu Wen’s mother.

She hesitated, glancing at her daughter and then around her home. After so many years, she’d grown attached, but the world had changed. Her expression was full of turmoil.