Chapter 2: The Living Dead
Beep—beep— “Hello?”
Hearing the call connect, Ji Ruwen let out a small breath of relief.
His heart gradually began to steady again.
“The news said there might be heavy snow later, and the roads will be bad at night. Come back first,” Ji Ruwen said, trying to keep his voice sounding normal.
He was worried that if the driver learned about the news, he might panic and simply drive away.
“…Alright, Mr. Ji.” On the other end, the driver hesitated for a moment before replying, “The snow’s getting pretty heavy out here. It might be a bit slow.”
“That’s fine—safety is the most important.”
After hanging up, Ji Ruwen finally felt a little more at ease.
He immediately turned to the still-dazed housekeeper and instructed sternly, “Go close all the windows now, and draw the curtains as well!”
The housekeeper flinched before snapping out of her daze, then hurried off to close the windows.
Ji Ruwen walked to the doorway, gazing at the swirling snow outside, and let out a long breath.
Let’s hope… everything turns out alright.
—
“So… so cold.” Standing by the convenience store entrance, Mibao shivered and huddled into a corner. Her face was full of confusion—she didn’t understand why Uncle Driver, who had promised to be right back, still hadn’t returned.
She was so cold.
She wanted to go home.
Ding-ling—
The bell above the convenience store door rang, and the glass door swung open.
The young woman in a convenience store uniform looked over at Mibao.
“Hey, little one, I’ve seen you standing here for a while. Want to come inside? It’s too cold out here.”
Mibao looked at her with wide, anxious eyes.
“But… if I go in, what if Uncle Driver comes back and can’t find me?”
“Sweetie, if you keep standing here, you’ll get sick.” The young woman gently patted Mibao’s head. “How about this—I’ll write a note and stick it on the door. That way, when your driver sees it, he’ll come inside to find you, okay?”
Only then did Mibao nod and follow her into the convenience store.
The sky was growing darker, and the snow was falling even harder.
“Here you go, sweetie.” The young woman came over to Mibao with a cup of hot milk. “Drink some milk.”
Mibao took the cup. “Thank you, big sister. Here, this is for you.”
She reached into the little pocket on her teddy bear and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, handing it to the young woman.
The store clerk blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Alright, I’ll get you your change.”
But the moment she turned away, the ground suddenly gave a violent tremor.
The jolt knocked several items off the shelves, and Mibao lost her balance, falling to the floor.
The young woman staggered as well but quickly grabbed onto a table to steady herself.
“What’s going on? An earthquake?” she murmured in confusion, then instinctively moved to help the fallen Mibao.
Just as she pulled Mibao up, a figure covered in blood suddenly slammed against the convenience store’s glass door!
“Raaah!”
The man at the door had milky-white pupils, clawing at the glass and letting out a chilling, guttural roar toward the clerk and Mibao.
“Ah!” The young woman shrieked, falling back hard onto the floor.
Mibao stood frozen in terror.
The glass door wasn’t locked—it just took some effort to push it open.
Seeing the man outside shoving at the door, the young woman snapped out of it, scrambling on hands and knees to throw herself against it and hold it shut.
“Quick! Find a stick!” she shouted to Mibao, her voice trembling with both panic and urgency. “Hurry!!”
Breathing hard, Mibao nodded frantically. Though shaking all over with fear, she stumbled toward the corner, grabbed a broom, and hurried back.
The young woman took the broom, jamming the handle between the door handles. The glass door finally stayed closed—barely.
“Huff… huff…”
She collapsed to the floor, still gasping, heart pounding.
Mibao trembled as she stared at the figure outside, still howling and clawing.
“C-call the police…” Mibao stammered, poking at her Little Genius smartwatch. “Dad said… if you’re in trouble… you have to find the police… the police…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she dialed 110.
Beep… beep… beep—
“Hello?”
The moment the voice came through, both Mibao and the young woman lit up with hope.
The clerk grabbed Mibao’s wrist and leaned close to the watch, shouting, “Help! This is Star Convenience Store—there’s a man covered in blood trying to break in! Help us!”
“Alright, we’ll—whoa! Old Kang! Ahhhh—!”
On the other end of the line, the officer had barely responded before a sudden, blood-curdling scream ripped through the speaker—then only chaotic noises remained.
The young woman froze.
Mibao stared blankly at her watch for a long moment before whispering, “W-what happened to the police uncle…?”
With trembling fingers, the young woman ended the call, then quickly pulled Mibao deeper into the store. They slipped into the back storage room, and she shut the door tight.
“We… we’ll hide. It’s going to be okay… it’ll be okay,” she murmured, voice shaking, clutching Mibao close.
But the store’s glass door was far too fragile—maybe one living dead couldn’t smash it open, but what about seven or eight?
BANG!
With a deafening crash, the glass door shattered.
In the cramped storage room, both the young woman and Mibao flinched violently. Before fear could fully register, furious pounding rattled the storage door.
Despair settled over them like a heavy shroud.
“Are… are we going to die?” the young woman choked out, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die…”
Mibao was still too young to truly understand death.
But she could feel the fear in the young woman’s voice—and the fear inside herself.
Her small, soft hand slipped into the young woman’s fingers.
“Don’t be afraid, sister. Mibao will protect you.” She pulled a plush toy from her pocket and pushed it into the young woman’s hands. “Crystal Lulu will bless us!”
Jing Lulu was Mibao’s favorite cartoon character—a cute, magical crystal bunny.
Looking at Mibao’s earnest little face, the young woman suddenly felt caught between wanting to laugh but being unable to, and wanting to cry but having no strength left.
The commotion outside was still going on, but the young woman no longer felt quite so hopeless.
She wiped the tears from her face, then lifted her head and glanced around. Soon, her gaze locked onto the ventilation duct high up on the wall.
“Little one, you’re right—Crystal Lulu will protect us.”
With that, she immediately dragged the nearby shelf to block the door, then quickly grabbed the surrounding boxes and stacked them beneath the vent.
They were not going to die here!