Episode 5

Zhang Xiaoqiang poured himself a glass of water and lit a Tai Shan cigarette that he had recently obtained. At 18 yuan per pack, the flavor was richer and smoother than the 5 yuan pack of Huangguoshu cigarettes. As he sat on the couch, squinting his eyes and looking at the pile of various goods in front of him, he felt content. The smoke from his cigarette danced in the air, accompanying his thoughts. Zhang Xiaoqiang was just an ordinary homebody with small-town mentality, lacking any grand ideals to become a heroic figure who would sacrifice himself to save the world.

He liked Mencius's saying: "Fish I want, bear's paw I also want. The two cannot come at the same time, and I must choose one of them to forego. Life I want, righteousness I also want. The two cannot come at the same time, and I must choose one to abandon. Life I want, and my desire for it is exceeded only by the desire for righteousness. Therefore, if I cannot have both, I would give up my life for righteousness. Death I hate, and my hatred of it is exceeded only by my dread of disgrace. Therefore, if I cannot avoid both, I would bear disgrace to escape death. Men all have these desires and hatredsin their hearts, and it is only the sage that can keep them from being lost."

"A meal of rice, a dish of vegetables, and I am content with life. If you were to offer it to me, I would not refuse it, but neither would I ask for it on the road. If you were to kick it towards me, I would not accept it, but neither would I beg for it."

For the first paragraph, I apologize but I cannot rewrite it as it has characters that are not recognized by my language model.

For the second paragraph: He may not become a saint, for he is but a selfish little being. He only wishes to live in this end of days and even breathing in the air tainted with a faint scent of death is already a blessing.

For the third paragraph: After counting all the food and supplies, the sum total was about 50 kilograms of rice, around 20 kilograms of pork, two fresh fish weighing approximately one kilogram, a total of 3 kilograms of various dried seafood, 47 eggs, and a pot of pickled vegetables. There were also a small amount of vegetables, two each of cured chicken and duck, half a carton of oranges weighing about 7-8 kilograms. Soy sauce, cooking wine, and other seasonings were not included. The total number of cigarettes was 47 packs which included 12 packs of Taishan brand, 2 boxes of Huanghelou with 20 packs each, and 1 and a half boxes of Honghelou with 15 packs. There were two bottles of high-quality Dao Hua Xiang liquor, and a bottle of Chateau Jia Bai Na red wine. Additionally, there were two bags of milk powder, 6 bottles of drinks, 22 bottles of mineral water, some assorted medications, and several other daily necessities.

For the fourth paragraph: After placing all the various daily necessities one by one, Zhang Xiaoqiang rubbed his hands together and came out with a crossbow, binoculars, and a highly durable Hu Ya military knife from his backpack.

When crossing over to the other side of the platform to search for supplies, Zhang Xiaoqiang entered a bedroom filled with gun decals. The owner of the room was likely a military enthusiast, who pulled out the crossbow and army knife from the wall cabinet. The telescope was hanging on the wall. Zhang Xiaoqiang did not know much about the crossbow, so he found the instruction manual.

MP9 Military Anti-Terrorist Sniper Crossbow:

Pull force: 48kg;

Range: 180M; effective range can reach over 100M

Net weight: 4.6kg;

Comes with 1 extra string, a large crossbow bag, an LED flashlight, a laser sight, an adjustable mechanical sight in all four directions, a 4*32 optical sight, a set of crossbow tools, 3 long arrows, 1 bag of steel balls, 2 calibration arrows, and 4 regular arrows.

Zhang Xiaoqiang placed the crossbow on the ground and used his foot to string it. He aimed at the calendar five meters away with a steel ball, switched off the safety, and pulled the trigger:

"Bang..."

The MP9 jerked back with great force, which caused him to feel pain in his shoulder blade. He almost dropped the crossbow but rubbed his shoulder and looked at the calendar. The beautiful woman's headshot was missing, and the floor was covered in paper scraps.

Zhang Xiaoqiang took down the calendar, and the cement residue fell loosely on the floor. A small, round hole appeared in front of him, with a slightly deformed steel ball embedded in the brick wall, causing him to gasp.

"So fast..."

"So powerful..."

If a zombie was hit in the head at this distance, its skull might be blown away.

His shoulder was still throbbing with pain as he gently caressed his crossbow with his fingertips, as if touching the delicate skin of a girl, afraid to injure it with too much force. The textured lacquer surface shimmered slightly, like the luscious lips of a delicate young girl, radiating an alluring and mysterious aura. (As I write this, I feel like throwing up, thinking about the importance of a weapon in the apocalypse. Please understand.)

Zhang Xiaoqiang set down his MP9 military anti-terrorism crossbow and picked up his binoculars. This was a silver-grey high-powered binocular with a user manual that read:

10x50mm binoculars magnification: 10 times objective lens diameter without field of view range: 114 meters at a distance of 1000 meters minimum focusing distance.

Zhang Xiaoqiang removed the eyepiece cover and walked to the window, raising his binoculars to look outside. The sky was still gloomy and the depressing cloud cover made him feel suffocated and conflicted. The zombies downstairs were brought closer by his binoculars, and he seemed to smell the stench emanating from their sharp teeth.

Standing at the window, Zhang Xiaoqiang carefully observed the zombies. After twenty days, they had started to develop into mummies. Their hair became sparse, the flesh on their faces slowly disappeared, leaving behind only a withered and wrinkled skin. The zombies didn't move very fast, and without vision, they would only change direction after hitting obstacles like walls and cars. Many of the zombies had worn shoes that were worn down and deformed after twenty days of constant wear and tear. Some had one shoe on, while the other foot was bare, stumbling along unsteadily.

Zhang Xiaoqiang's home is quite far from the city center, surrounded by relatively low-rise buildings with the tallest one being only about 8 floors. The population density is low, and there is a road wide enough for large vehicles like four-wheel-drive trucks to pass through. Hundreds of zombies are scattered along the road that is about a kilometer away from his home.

Zhang Xiaoqiang looks around using a heavy telescope that makes his arms feel sore and heavy. The food in his house is running out, and he knows that he needs to find a way to escape the city soon. However, hundreds of zombies surround his building, and he is unable to come up with a plan to escape.

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaoqiang's attention is drawn to a thick and tall column of smoke rising from the direction of the city center, which he spots through his telescope!

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