Wasteland Nation
Ch. 9 - The Scaredy-Cat and the Warrior

The three-star zombie crawled closer, growling with excitement. Chen Liu’s heart raced. I have to end this now. His face was strained with concentration. He unleashed a flurry of axe strikes at the four-star zombie, each swing fuelled by desperation. Caught off guard, the zombie stumbled, raising a hand to block. Slash—the axe sliced through, severing half its palm, as black blood oozed. Seizing the moment, Chen Liu spotted an opening and swung hard, burying the blade deep in the zombie’s waist. Aargh—the zombie howled, nearly cut in half.

But it didn’t falter. It lunged, grabbing Chen Liu’s neck as his axe lodged in its flesh. His face flushed, his vision blurring. With no time to think, he slammed his head forward, knocking the zombie down with him. Its fangs snapped at his throat relentlessly. Chen Liu yanked the axe free and hacked at its head. Crack—gore splattered, stopping its attack. Its jaws kept moving, grotesque and unnerving.

Exhausted, Chen Liu couldn’t stand. The three-star zombie reached him, ready to strike. Thwack—a crowbar pierced its skull, pinning it to the ground. Li Dong stood over it. “Thanks,” Chen Liu said, struggling to his feet. Stubborn pride kept him from showing weakness.

Li Dong smiled. “Sorry, I was late. You were impressive. Welcome.” Chen Liu’s fight—killing one zombie and crippling another while trapped—earned his respect. I’m not sure I could’ve done that, Li Dong thought. Strength ruled the apocalypse, and Chen Liu had proven his worth.

“Got a smoke?” Chen Liu asked. Li Dong laughed, this time genuinely, and handed him a cigarette. They smoked in silence, ignoring the distant corpses. Feels good to be alive, Chen Liu thought with relief. Li Dong flicked his cigarette away. “Can you still fight?” Chen Liu nodded, retrieving the four-star’s crystal but leaving the three-star’s for Li Dong, who seemed unwilling to claim it. Fair’s fair, he thought. Then  Li Dong took it without comment.

Together, they tore into the corpse horde. Against these weaker foes, they were unstoppable. Chen Liu watched Li Dong’s bronze-hued hands wield the crowbar—stabbing with the flat end, gouging with the hook, each strike deadly. Like death itself, Chen Liu thought, his face showing admiration. Li Dong’s Bronze-Skin Iron-Bones ability, still in the bronze-skin stage, protected only parts of his body, leaving no marks when corpses struck. They cleared the horde and headed inside, Li Dong leading naturally, Chen Liu following without challenge. Strength speaks loudest, he thought, his face composed.

At the checkpoint, a young guard approached. “You were amazing. I’m Fang Ruoming,” he said, eyes wide with awe. A visitor trapped at the sanatorium, he didn’t know Chen Liu. “Chen Liu,” he replied. Fang Ruoming turned to Li Dong. “Captain, can Brother Chen room with me?” Li Dong’s eyes held a hint of contempt, but he paused, then looked at Chen Liu. “Your call,” he said. Chen Liu shrugged. “Fine with me.” Fang Ruoming beamed. “I’ll show you the room. Let me carry your bag.” Unable to refuse, Chen Liu handed it over.

“Go settle in,” Li Dong said. “We’ll talk later.” Chen Liu nodded and followed Fang Ruoming to the third floor. Fang explained eagerly, “First floor’s the dining hall. Second’s for elderly and women. Young men stay on the third.” Chen Liu raised an eyebrow. “Married couples split too?” Fang nodded, betraying unease. “Captain says young men are reserve warriors. No women in fights—looks bad.” Quasi-military setup, Chen Liu concluded. Fang continued, “Seventeen guys up here. Five security, most are staff, two visitors like me.” His voice dropped. “My grandpa didn’t make it.” Chen Liu patted his shoulder in silent acknowledgement.

“How many ability users?” Chen Liu asked. Online estimates pegged ability users at 1% of survivors. “Just the captain,” Fang said, then added hopefully, “You’re one too, right, Brother Chen?” “Sort of,” Chen Liu replied evasively. But Fang pressed, “What’s your ability?” Chen Liu gave him a look, smiling faintly. Fang laughed, embarrassed. “My bad.” They entered a former private dining room, now a bedroom with cleared furniture. Rough compared to the villa, Chen Liu resigned to his fate. “Rest here. I’ll grab a blanket,” Fang said, leaving. Chen Liu sank into a chair, eyes closed, exhausted.

In the lobby, a security guard approached Li Dong. “Captain, that guy’s good. Why pair him with the scaredy-cat?” Li Dong smiled. “A scaredy-cat and a warrior—perfect match.” Liu Wei chuckled, understanding.

thINKer: Is that envy? 🙂