Chapter 2

"Beep—High-value transaction target detected. Equivalent recovery system, requesting connection."

The cold, mechanical sound echoed in my mind, and my legs went weak, almost causing me to fall headfirst off the three-meter-high shelf.

I gripped the edge of the sheet metal tightly, my breath almost stopping.

This monster, whose head I smashed in half, not only didn't die completely, but it even awakened a business mind?

What horrifies me most is that it actually uses living people as currency!

The woman outside the roller shutter was struggling frantically, her face covered in tears and mud.

Her desperate sobs were like a rusty knife, sawing repeatedly at my nerves. Save her? Or play dead?

"System connection in progress..." The countdown in my mind was like a death knell.

I cannot back down. In this damned apocalypse, retreat means death.

"I won't trade a living person for a living one!" I suddenly leaned close to the ventilation vent and roared at the door in a hoarse voice.

The sound exploded in the deathly silent street, and all the zombies raised their heads in unison.

Dozens of grayish-white eyes were fixed on my position. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.

"Did you understand? I don't need anyone!" I gripped the hammer tightly, my nails digging into my flesh. "If you want a replacement, bring gasoline and a car battery!"

My heart was pounding like a drum as I stared intently at the zombie in overalls.

"Three boxes of sausages! In exchange for a can of gasoline and two batteries!"

The air froze again.

The zombie in work clothes tilted its tattered head. A glint of extremely murky light flashed in its remaining left eye.

It's thinking. A zombie, actually understanding what I'm saying!

Those few seconds felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, the zombie in work clothes let out a short, sharp roar. It abruptly lifted its foot and released the woman.

Then, it turned around, dragging its broken steps, and led the crooked army of zombies behind it, walking towards the street corner without looking back.

I stood frozen on the shelf, not daring to even breathe.

Only after the group of dark figures completely disappeared into the thick fog at the end of the street did I slide off the shelf as if I were completely exhausted.

I grabbed the crowbar and stumbled to the roller shutter door.

The iron gate opened a crack, and I grabbed the woman by the collar, dragged her into the supermarket, and slammed the lock shut.

The woman lay limp on the cold tiles, trembling like a leaf.

“Sarah…” she gasped for breath, her voice broken and incoherent. “My name is Sarah, and I’m a high school teacher…”

I didn't have time to comfort her. The supermarket's generator had been shut down long ago; without electricity, the defense system here was just for show.

If those monsters come again at night, this broken roller shutter door alone won't be enough to stop them.

Time passed in a suffocating silence.

The crimson glow of the setting sun crept in through the ventilation vents, casting long, thin shadows in the supermarket. Darkness was consuming the last vestiges of security.

"Bang!"

A dull thud struck the roller shutter door without warning. Sarah screamed, covered her ears, and cowered under the counter.

I gripped the hammer tightly, my heart leaping into my throat. I peered through the crack in the door.

That's it.

The zombie in work clothes stood outside the door again, accompanied by five or six henchmen. But this time, they didn't bring any living people.

Several zombies roughly slammed a 20-liter red tin oil drum, along with two oil-stained car batteries, onto the steps in front of the door.

The zombie in work clothes raised its only remaining left hand and pointed to the supplies on the ground.

Then, it pointed to its own bloodied and mangled face.

Its jaw opened and closed with extreme difficulty, and this time, its speech was several times clearer than in the morning:

"Three...boxes!"

I gasped, a chill running down my spine. Not only had it remembered the price, but its language skills were even evolving!

"System determination: The value of the traded goods is equivalent. Please deliver the goods."

The crisp beeping snapped me back to reality. I kicked aside the pile of cardboard boxes next to me and pulled out three boxes of dusty sausages.

I took a deep breath, yanked up the roller shutter, pushed the box out forcefully, and immediately pulled down the iron door.

The horde of zombies outside the door suddenly erupted in a beast-like roar.

Through the crack in the door, I saw them pounce on the cardboard box like hungry wolves, clutching the sausages, and quickly disappear into the twilight-shrouded depths of the street.

I collapsed to the ground, staring at the bucket of life-saving gasoline, my lips twitching involuntarily.

In this cannibalistic apocalypse, I actually made my first deal with a zombie with only one head.

I leaned against the cold iron gate, gazing in the direction it had disappeared, and murmured to myself:

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, old ghost."