Chapter Nine: Iron Pillar

“Why are you unhappy?” Ma Yi, just returning home, noticed the worried look on Liu Wen's face.

“My sister called me today,” Liu Wen sighed helplessly. “She said there’s not much food left at home. You know how it is over there—so many zombies around, it’s dangerous to go out and search for anything to eat.”

“It’s all right. I’ll go check on them tomorrow. If it’s safe, I’ll bring them over. If not, I’ll at least get them some food.” Liu Wen’s parents lived on the other side of P City’s downtown, separated from Ma Yi and Liu Wen by the heart of the city. Though P City was only a small county-level city, its population approached three million, ranking among the most populous in the country.

“It’s so far. Be careful on the road,” Liu Wen reminded him. She knew Ma Yi’s capabilities, even if he never spoke of them directly. There was something mysterious about him—otherwise, why had all the other survivors who tried to escape ended up as zombie fodder, while Ma Yi moved freely among the hordes?

“Don’t worry.” To cross from one end of the city to the other, even by car, took more than ten minutes; on foot, at least an hour. Ma Yi had never ventured into the city center before—he feared encountering even more terrifying zombies, and he’d never been interested in those high-rise communities, the kind that only the wealthy could afford. In his mind, if he couldn’t buy it, he didn’t even want to look at it; everything in the city was far too expensive.

The true luxury in P City lay in the southern suburbs. Where Ma Yi lived was already considered the outskirts, but heading even further south, deep into the countryside, there were several hills. Not particularly high—just over two hundred meters—but developers had bought the land, planted greenery everywhere, and built a villa district on the hilltops. It was just a county city, yet the villas reportedly sold for fifty or sixty million apiece—rivaling the prices of big cities.

After dinner—nowadays, they had to eat before sunset due to power shortages; once darkness fell, ordinary people could do nothing but sleep or chat—Ma Yi felt his night vision strengthening. Even after the sun set, the world looked to him as though dusk lingered, everything nearby sharp and clear, the distant shadows deepening into darkness.

This was Ma Yi’s favorite time, idly chatting with Liu Wen, staring at her face. Liu Wen’s eyes couldn’t make out Ma Yi in the pitch-black room, but Ma Yi could see her distinctly—even counting the strands of her bangs.

Beyond night vision, Ma Yi’s daytime sight had doubled—he could spot a dropped coin from a hundred meters away.

He guessed that if he possessed such abilities, then zombies must have excellent night vision too. What he didn’t know was that zombies were far more active at night than during the day.

The night passed without incident.

Before dawn, Liu Wen rose to cook. Ma Yi’s appetite was immense; half her day was spent preparing meals for him. As long as Ma Yi was fed, he became unstoppable, like an ox.

Understanding Liu Wen’s worries, Ma Yi hurried through breakfast and, after repeated reminders to stay safe, left the community.

Fuli Garden was a well-known residential area fifteen years ago, situated in the northern suburbs of P City. Back then, owning a home here was a mark of status, a symbol of the older generation’s strength. Now it was outdated, an old building.

Since his mutation, Ma Yi always went barefoot—not only were there no shoes in his size, but his skin had become so tough that pebbles, even steel nails, couldn’t pierce it.

Humming a tune, Ma Yi swaggered down the street, calm and relaxed. The days of fear were gone; now he felt a bit cocky. Spotting a zombie who had once been a beautiful woman, Ma Yi would even tease her. Though he still defined himself as a mutant, deep down, he felt he was becoming a zombie.

How wonderful it would be to become a zombie—carefree, never needing to yield on the road, walking wherever he pleased. If he released a bit of his aura, the other zombies cowered. At home, a beauty awaited him; in the basement, a little secretary to play with. No wonder everyone in the old society wanted to climb higher.

“Oh, isn’t that Section Chief Xu from the government?” Ma Yi stood before a male zombie in tattered clothes, recognizing the man who had made things difficult for him many times. Without hesitation, Ma Yi slapped Xu across the head, sending him tumbling to the ground. He’d wanted to hit this guy for ages, but Xu was an official, while Ma Yi had only been an employee.

After venting his anger on Xu, Ma Yi felt even better—soon he would see his father-in-law’s family.

Though he and Liu Wen hadn’t done anything outrageous, Liu Wen was already like Ma Yi’s little wife, managing the household, tending to broken appliances and spoiled food.

Ma Yi simply obeyed—whenever something was needed, he went out and found it.

“It’s been ages since I came into the city,” Ma Yi thought as he watched the shops along the street grow more prosperous.

After he’d been promoted, his salary hadn’t increased much, but his responsibilities had multiplied. He never had time to enjoy himself—while his colleagues traveled during holidays, he was always contacting clients, either meeting them or preparing to meet them.

As he walked, Ma Yi suddenly stopped. Across the intersection, a hulking figure also paused. The two stared at each other for more than ten seconds.

This was a J-class zombie, much stronger than those Ma Yi had seen before—taller than him, with skin tinged blue and purple.

“Roar.” The creature threatened first. Ma Yi had noticed that every powerful evolved zombie claimed a territory; now, he was clearly an intruder, no wonder the creature was hostile.

“I’m just passing through,” Ma Yi said, gesturing with his hands.

“Roar!” The brute didn’t care; anyone crossing its territory was unwelcome—its territorial instinct was fierce.

After roaring at Ma Yi, the creature charged. The ordinary zombies caught between them were unlucky—like tanks colliding, they were sent flying to either side. Those directly in the way were smacked aside by the J-class zombie.

Ma Yi realized it was a fight, so he rushed forward as well. The two giants collided—no sound, but the rippling waves on their skin showed how terrifying the impact was.

Ma Yi felt his bones loosen and then snap back into place; his right shoulder, where the collision landed, went numb, losing all sensation.

No fancy moves—just two massive warriors locked in close combat.

The J-class zombie lacked intelligence, so it kept pounding Ma Yi’s head, face, and chest with its fists.

Ma Yi was more cunning; while defending, he kept trying to trip the creature.

Their skin was tough, but the blows weren’t ineffective. Layer after layer of resilient skin was battered open, purple-black blood oozing from abrasions, only to be reabsorbed—a truly eerie sight.

Seeing an opening, Ma Yi flipped the J-class zombie over his shoulder, sending it flying more than ten meters, crashing hard into a street lamp. The metal pole bent under the impact, bouncing the creature back to Ma Yi’s feet. Ma Yi seized the chance, straddled the zombie, and pummeled its head with fists as big as sandpots, leaving it a bloody mess.

Desperate, the J-class zombie opened its jaws and bit Ma Yi’s wrist, making him grimace in pain. In such a situation, Ma Yi couldn’t hold back; he swung his massive elbow, hammering relentlessly at the creature’s face.

The zombie’s skull began to cave in under Ma Yi’s blows.

Ma Yi leaned against the wall of a shopping mall, slumped on the ground, staring absently as the torn flesh on his wrist slowly healed. His clothes were shredded, only a few scraps survived the battle.

Not far away, the J-class zombie crouched, covered in wounds, staring at Ma Yi in terror.

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Ma Yi asked calmly.

The zombie nodded, somewhat aggrieved.

“I was just passing through—look at how rash you were.” Ma Yi grew angry, grabbed a nearby bicycle, and flung it at the creature, smashing it hard, though the zombie dared not move.

“Be gentle, be loving, be...” Ma Yi’s rambling lecture stretched on for tens of thousands of words.

“All right, from now on you’re my little brother.” After an hour, Ma Yi finally stopped and, with a shift in his gaze, declared the J-class zombie his subordinate.

The creature seemed to understand perfectly, nodding repeatedly. When Ma Yi decided to name him Iron Pillar, the zombie didn’t object—in fact, he looked quite pleased.

Seeing his wounds nearly healed, Ma Yi broke open the mall doors and picked out some clothes. His own were ruined; he couldn’t meet his mother-in-law and sister-in-law in rags.

Iron Pillar followed closely behind, never leaving Ma Yi’s side. If ordinary zombies blocked their path, Iron Pillar would charge at them, roaring wildly, sending them fleeing, then return to Ma Yi, waiting on him like a loyal henchman.