Doomsday Cognition Guide

Li Xuan took off his prison uniform and changed into a clean camouflage outfit. He placed the baton and riot shield in the back seat, and his fourth uncle cleared space in the trunk before the two got into the car.

Mother stood at the gate, still clutching a rag. "Be careful on the road," she said. Father didn't come out, but coughed once inside the house. The car started and drove down the gravel road.

As they passed the village at the foot of the mountain, Li Xuan asked his fourth uncle to pull over. Standing at the village entrance, he took a deep breath and raised his voice: "I am Li Xuan from the mountain. Things are not peaceful outside right now. My uncle and I are going to the county town, where there is the government and the armed forces. Anyone who wants to come with us, come out now, we can team up."

His purpose was simple: to save lives and eliminate the threat. The villagers knew his family's advantages; they would definitely come to him for help in times of trouble, and whether he helped or not would be problematic. Based on that memory, the county town should be setting up a survival base now, which would require a large number of people.

In that memory, Old Chen and several villagers from the foot of the mountain came to his house for help, and his father took them in. But Old Chen didn't mention that he had been scratched and later turned into a zombie, attacking his father. The others ran away, and his mother went to help but was bitten to death. His father killed Old Chen with an axe—that's what he saw when he rushed back.

After a few seconds of silence, the door of the first house opened a crack, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. Seven or eight people followed, including elderly people, middle-aged people, and a young woman carrying a child. Li Xuan observed carefully; Old Chen and the others were all present.

When the villagers came out and saw the uncle and nephew, they began to whisper among themselves. Some said, "Wasn't he in jail? Why is he back?" Others said, "He wasn't in jail for doing anything wrong."

Uncle San coughed twice and said, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me. We've watched this kid from the Li family grow up since he was a child. Would he harm us? Besides, he made it very clear that the county town has a government and an armed forces department, so it's definitely safer than here in the mountains."

Li Xuan pointed to his car and said, "Hurry up and pack, just grab some food and warm clothes." The people moved quickly; some went back to pack, others went to find cars. Li Xuan helped check several vehicles, connecting the batteries and bypassing the damaged fuse boxes. About twenty minutes later, a small convoy drove out of the village.

Not far from the village, they met up with a young couple with a child and several cars that had followed from the market town by the roadside. They occasionally saw stray zombies along the way, but Uncle Si didn't stop; he simply ran them over.

As we approached the county town, vehicles began to appear on the road ahead, arranged in a regular pattern on both sides of the highway, leaving a passage in the middle. People were guiding them to pull over. Further ahead was a median strip made of abandoned vehicles and roadblocks, with an armed policeman standing every few dozen meters.

The convoy pulled over as directed. The inner side of the safety cordon was already filled with various tents and makeshift shelters. A young man in a police uniform approached and inquired about the number of people and the condition of the injured. Nearby, a loudspeaker was repeatedly broadcasting: "...The country has declared a state of emergency. According to the temporary law, local governments at all levels are responsible for organizing self-rescue and rescue efforts. All citizens have the right and the obligation to obey the government's unified command..."

Li Xuan glanced at the armed police's firepower—light machine guns, submachine guns, and riot shields—a typical defensive and search-and-rescue setup. The orders from above were clear: prioritize saving lives, not eliminating zombies. If the nation was truly determined to eradicate zombies, what about the tens of millions of zombie hordes in those major cities? They would still be governed by the laws of physics.

The group that had followed began walking towards the registration point. The young woman carrying the child stopped as she passed by and whispered, "Thank you."

Li Xuan nodded, turned to his fourth uncle, and noticed that his uncle was looking around with a disappointed expression. So he said, "Let's go. Let's go into the city."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out. Li Xuan turned around and saw Old Chen. The inspectors had found wounds on his body. He said he had injured himself accidentally, but the police still took him away for quarantine and observation. Li Xuan just looked on without saying anything, and his fourth uncle didn't say anything either.

They had just turned around when the policeman from before caught up with them. "Hey—what are you doing?"

"Going into the city, there are family members in the city who haven't come out yet."

The policeman glanced at their clothes: "Were you in the military?"

"Um."

"The city is in chaos right now; those things are roaming around everywhere. You should be careful to avoid them. ... If you are able, you can bring anyone you encounter out, but that is not your responsibility. Just do what you can."

"We know."

The police officer didn't say anything more and stepped aside to let him pass. "Be careful."

The car drove through a gap in the median strip and headed into the city along the highway. A zombie crouched by the roadside, wearing filthy pajamas, engrossed in gnawing on something. Hearing the car, it looked up, its mouth smeared with something dark red. It struggled to its feet and staggered a couple of steps, but the car had already passed, and it was quickly left behind.

Uncle Si slowed down the car. The scene in the city was pretty much as they had expected. Some shop windows were smashed, and silhouettes could be seen in the windows of a few buildings, but the curtains were drawn tightly shut. No one came out. The streets were deserted, with only dust and scraps of paper swirling in the wind.

As they passed a wall blasted by a grenade, Uncle Si glanced at the charred bullet holes and scattered concrete fragments on the road and remarked, "They even used grenades."

Li Xuan didn't answer. He stared at the wall, its steel bars exposed from the blast, knowing full well that it was merely the residue of a single-person grenade—a standard issue carried by infantry squads. During the clearing of floors, when encountering densely packed zombies, a grenade could save a lot of trouble. But that was the limit of what could be used in this current battle. Using anything higher up wouldn't just destroy a wall, but an entire building. Buildings, roads, bridges, and water sources in a city can be destroyed in an instant, but rebuilding them can take years. The crucial point is that you don't know which buildings still have survivors, so for now, the only option is to clear each building one by one.

After the car rounded two intersections, Uncle Si slowed down even more. The closer they got to the west of the city, the quieter the streets became, with even fewer zombies in sight. This quietness was unsettling—this area mainly consisted of shops and warehouses, and was also the location of the armed forces headquarters; it must have been cleared out. Uncle Si stopped lighting his cigarette, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands until his knuckles turned white.

"Your aunt's shop is in the west of the city..." Uncle Si stopped mid-sentence. Li Xuan understood what he meant—if his aunt was here, she would either have been taken to the gathering place earlier, or she would already be...

"Let's go check at her house first," Li Xuan said. "It might not be safe for her to be alone in the shop. There are locks and supplies at home, so she's most likely there."

Fourth Uncle didn't say anything, lit a cigarette, and took a puff. His fingers trembled slightly as he held the cigarette.

Ahead lay an intersection, where a dozen or so zombies wandered aimlessly. Uncle Si didn't slow down; instead, he stepped on the gas, the engine roaring to life. Before the zombies could even form a swarm, the car had already sped past. Several reached out to grab, their fingernails scraping harshly against the car door, but they caught nothing.

"Turn left ahead," Uncle Si said.

He knew this area like the back of his hand, and after several twists and turns, he avoided the blocked intersections. Just as they were approaching the residential area, four zombies suddenly sprang out from the roadside, only about ten meters from the front of the car. Uncle Si slammed on the brakes, and the two of them got out of the car at the same time.

Li Xuan handed the riot shield to his fourth uncle and pulled out the steel pipe from the back seat. "Fourth Uncle, you take the shield."

Uncle Si took the shield, slipped his left hand into the handle, and gripped the baton tightly with his right. Four zombies were already pouncing on him.

Li Xuan dodged the first one, then swung the steel pipe and smashed it into the back of the head. The sound of bones cracking was dull, and the zombie fell headfirst. Using the momentum of the blow, he twisted his waist and swung the steel pipe horizontally towards the neck of the second zombie. The zombie was knocked off balance, and Uncle Si stepped in from the side, using his shield to smash it to the ground, followed by a baton to the back of its head. The remaining two were quickly dealt with as well.

Just as Li Xuan was about to speak, footsteps sounded again from the street corner. Seven or eight zombies were pouring out of the alley, scattered across a width of six or seven meters. Some were dragging their feet, while others were already running quickly.

Li Xuan, carrying a steel pipe, went to meet them, because in the battle just now, he had regained some of the fighting feeling from his memories.

The first zombie lunged at him. He dodged to the side, swinging the steel pipe upwards and striking its chin. The zombie fell backward, and he followed up with another blow. The second one charged right after, and he lowered his center of gravity, slashing the steel pipe diagonally at its knee. The zombie's leg buckled, and it collapsed.

The third and fourth pounced right after, but they were too close for Li Xuan to deal with them one by one. He had intended to use the momentum from knocking down the second one to unleash his full power from his waist and sweep the stick across to finish off the other two at once—but the power broke at his waist.

His waist failed to transfer the power from his legs to his hands. The steel pipe swung out, but with a slight delay than expected, only managing to knock the third zombie off balance. The fourth zombie was already upon him, its grayish-white fingernails aimed straight for his face.

Countless thoughts popped into my mind. Then my body moved on its own—it moved aside.

The steel pipe grazed his ear and came crashing down.

Uncle Si's baton struck the zombie hard on the back of the head. The zombie froze for a moment, then fell straight down, its forehead grazing Li Xuan's knee before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Be careful," Uncle Si said.

Li Xuan nodded without speaking. His hand gripped the steel pipe so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He felt something was wrong with the thoughts that had just flooded his mind; it wasn't just a disconnect between his brain and body, but more importantly, the thoughts that had suddenly popped into his head had startled him. But now wasn't the time to dwell on those things.

The iron gate at the entrance of the residential compound was ajar, and there was no one in the guardhouse. They walked into the building. The motion-activated lights were off, with only a sliver of light coming in through a small window at the corner of the stairs. Their footsteps echoed in the narrow space, each step clearly audible.

They arrived at the fourth floor. Uncle Si stood at the door, his right hand gripping the key so tightly his knuckles turned white. Just as he was about to raise his hand to open the door, Li Xuan stopped him.

Li Xuan pressed his ear against the door. He glanced at his fourth uncle and whispered, "The voice sounds off."

Uncle Si lowered his hand, letting it hang by his side, still clutching the keys. After a few seconds, he said, "Actually, I was already mentally prepared."

His voice was a little hoarse. He took out his key and inserted it into the lock. His finger paused on the key for a moment before turning it. With a click, the door opened.

The living room curtains were half-drawn, casting a dim light. Everything seemed normal. Except for the silence. Then Li Xuan heard—a series of thumping sounds coming from the bedroom, one after another, the rhythm monotonous and persistent.

Fourth Uncle heard it too. He stood at the bedroom door, his hand hovering above the doorknob, not letting it fall, his other hand clenched into a fist, very tightly.

Li Xuan remained silent. There was no need to speak at this moment.

Fourth Uncle took a deep breath and lowered his hand.

"I'm going to take her home."

His voice trembled slightly at the last two words, and Li Xuan nodded. He walked around the living room, and together with his fourth uncle, he carried the fabric sofa to the bedroom door and placed it diagonally. He then found some tools and stretched two simple tripwires a few centimeters off the ground at the doorway.

"Ready?"

Fourth Uncle nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line, and walked to the sofa, gripping the armrests with both hands.

The door opened, and a figure in pajamas rushed out, tripped over the cable, and fell heavily to the floor. Uncle Si strode forward, pushed the entire sofa over, and pinned it down. It was still struggling, its arms reaching out from the edge of the sofa, its nails scraping the floor with a harsh sound.

Li Xuan moved to the side, knelt on one knee, pressed one hand against the back of its head, and held the knife in the other. Aiming at the gap between the back of its head and its cervical spine, he precisely inserted the knife from bottom to top. A violent tremor ran from head to toe. The tremor stopped, and it remained still.

Li Xuan drew his knife. His fourth uncle, still pinned to the sofa, took a few breaths, then released his grip and stood up. He didn't look at the corpse on the floor, but went straight into the bedroom, sat down on the edge of the bed, head bowed, his shoulders heaving. There was no sound, but Li Xuan knew he was crying.

Li Xuan didn't follow him inside. He wrapped the body on the floor in a bed sheet, tied it tightly at both ends, and dragged it to the doorway. A few minutes later, his fourth uncle came out with red eyes, took a suitcase from the top of the wardrobe, and then picked up a photo frame from the bedside table—it contained a family photo of the three of them: his fourth uncle, his fourth aunt, and his cousin, all smiling. He put the photo frame in the suitcase, then picked out a few pieces of clothing that his fourth aunt often wore, folded them, and put them in as well. Then he went to his cousin's room and packed a few of her belongings. He didn't speak the whole time, and his movements were very slow; he would pause after picking up each item.

Li Xuan went to the kitchen. He sorted and packed everything he could carry into woven bags. The two of them carried the items downstairs in several trips. Several residents poked their heads out of their homes to ask what was going on. He briefly explained the situation: the government had set up a camp on the east side of the city, guarded by armed police. Three of the young men decided to go with him.

The car passed through the entrance of the residential area and turned onto the main road. Uncle Si held the steering wheel with one hand and reached for a cigarette with the other. He lit it after several attempts, taking a deep drag. The smoke billowed from his nose and dissipated into the hazy air. The return journey was smoother than the way there; they encountered a few scattered zombies, which Uncle Si rammed through.

The police were still there when they crossed the cordon. They saw Li Xuan and his fourth uncle and approached them.

"They've been brought back?"

Li Xuan nodded and then shook his head.

The police officer glanced at the long, rectangular package wrapped in a bed sheet inside the car and didn't ask any more questions.

"These people are here to report for duty," Li Xuan said, pointing to the three young men behind him. "They ran out of food at home, so they came with us."

The policeman nodded, beckoned the three young men to get out of the car, and led them to the registration point.

"And you?" the policeman asked Li Xuan.

"We're going back to our hometown. Everything's settled there, and we can come down anytime."

The policeman glanced at their car but said nothing. He paused for two seconds, then patted the pickup truck door.

"Be careful on the road. Get ready and come down as soon as possible. The settlement needs manpower."

Uncle Si nodded. He didn't look at the policeman; his gaze remained fixed on the road ahead.

The car was restarted and drove north along the highway. In the rearview mirror, the county town receded further and further away, eventually becoming a hazy gray shadow. The two remained silent the entire way.

Uncle Si suddenly spoke up: "I shouldn't have left her alone in the city." Li Xuan didn't reply because he knew that Uncle Si understood that it was the same no matter where she was.