Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Chapter 11 Survival in Danger

Before Chen Haotian could finish speaking, he had already shot across the street like an arrow towards the discount supermarket. His movements carried an explosive force that seemed inconsistent with his injuries, yet he precisely avoided obstacles on the road—overturned shopping carts, broken glass, and several contorted, already decomposing corpses.

Tony Stark was only a fraction of a second slower, his survival instinct and pride driving him to catch up. As he ran, he couldn't help but glance out of the corner of his eye at the emaciated figures staggering towards him from all directions. There were more of them than before, their low, hoarse groans blending together like a tide of death, surging from every alleyway and behind abandoned vehicles. The stench, a mixture of decay and rust, was even more intense, almost tangible, pressing heavily on his chest.

"Quick!" Chen Haotian shouted, already arriving at the broken glass door of the supermarket. The glass on the door was shattered, with only sharp edges remaining. Without hesitation, he squeezed inside, cautiously scanning the dim interior.

Tony followed closely behind, practically crashing in. The momentum made him stumble, but he managed to steady himself by grabbing onto a toppled shelf. The shelf was empty, with only a few torn-open bags of snacks, their contents already moldy, scattered on the floor.

"Close the door! Block it with something!" Chen Haotian's command was concise and swift. As he spoke, his gaze continued to scan the sizable supermarket interior like a searchlight. Light streamed in through the broken windows and several holes in the roof, forming dim, yellowish beams of light. Dust swirled within these beams, further emphasizing the overall gloom and deathly stillness. Most of the shelves were overturned, and the floor was a mess, a mixture of discarded packaging bags, broken bottles and cans, and dried, dark brown stains.

Tony immediately sprang into action, working with Chen Haotian to push over a heavy metal shelf that had originally been used to divide the area, barely managing to block the main gap in the glass door. But this was clearly not enough; there were still considerable gaps above and on both sides of the door frame.

"It's not sturdy enough, and it won't block out sound and smell." Tony panted, quickly analyzing the situation. His brain was already racing, assessing the defense level of this makeshift shelter. "We need stronger barriers."

"Take care of what's in front of us first." Chen Haotian pulled a rusty but sharp-tipped steel bar from his waist (he had somehow picked up a worn belt from the road and fastened it)—clearly another "treasure" he had just acquired. "They're coming in."

Sure enough, in the brief moment they blocked the door, the first few zombies to arrive had already stretched their arms through the crack in the broken glass door, their gray, rotting hands scratching wildly with a sickening scraping sound. More figures gathered outside the door, beginning to ram their bodies against the flimsy metal shelves and door frame, producing dull thuds.

"Take care of those that can squeeze through the cracks first!" Chen Haotian said, stepping forward and ruthlessly thrusting a steel bar into the eye socket of a zombie trying to squeeze its head through the crack in the door. With a soft "plop," the zombie's movements froze instantly, and it hung limply on the door frame.

Tony watched this clean, efficient, yet utterly barbaric scene, and his stomach churned again. But he knew this wasn't the time for sentimentality. He looked around and quickly picked up a half-meter-long solid metal table leg from a pile of clutter. He weighed it in his hand; it felt better than the water pipe from before.

"Aim for the head, temples, eye sockets, back of the head, that's the most efficient." Chen Haotian dealt with the threats approaching the gap like a ruthless reaper, while also giving Tony a "crash course," "Save your energy, their numbers might be beyond your imagination."

Tony took a deep breath, forcing himself into the zone. When a zombie squeezed half its shoulder through the crack in the door, its rotting mouth gaping open as it hissed at him, he sidestepped the nauseating stench, then swung the table leg and smashed it into the side of its head with all his might.

"Bang!"

This time the sensation was much clearer; the table leg transmitted the feeling of a skull shattering. The zombie collapsed without a sound.

However, the gaps at the doorway were too wide, and more and more zombies were gathering. The force of the impacts caused the metal shelves blocking the door to shift, emitting a screeching sound. At this rate, this temporary barrier wouldn't hold for long.

"This won't do! We have to lure them away or create a bigger obstacle!" Tony shouted, sweat soaking his forehead. He was used to solving problems with technology, and this kind of combat relying purely on physical strength and cold weapons made him feel incredibly frustrated and passive.

"Retreat! Utilize the interior space!" Chen Haotian decisively abandoned the plan to defend the entrance to the death. While stabbing with steel bars, he moved backward. "Find a narrow passage to limit the number of them attacking at the same time!"

The two quickly retreated into the supermarket. The interior was more complex than it appeared from the outside; collapsed shelves formed natural obstacles, but also concealed unknown dangers. The stench of rotting food mixed with unidentified substances was almost suffocating.

"Hmm...uh..."

Suddenly, from behind a tilted freezer on the side, a zombie dressed in a supermarket employee uniform lunged out! It moved faster than the ones outside, roaring as it charged straight at Tony's side!

Tony reacted quickly, instinctively holding the table leg in his hand in front of him.

"Clang!" The zombie's teeth slammed into the metal table leg, producing a chilling sound. The immense force sent Tony staggering back two steps, his arm going numb.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Haotian struck, the steel bar piercing the zombie employee's ear from a tricky angle and exiting through. The zombie's movements came to an abrupt halt, it released its grip on the table leg, and collapsed to the ground.

"Watch out for blind spots!" Chen Haotian pulled out the steel bar, his tone still calm, but his breathing was a little rapid. "There might still be some 'stayed' here."

Tony stared with lingering fear at the fresh "corpse" on the ground. Just moments before, death had been so close. Without his armor, without Jarvis, he had almost been swallowed by this primal terror. This sense of powerlessness fueled a fire in his chest, both towards this godforsaken place and towards the guy who had dragged him in.

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They continued retreating, reaching the vicinity of the original fresh produce section. This area was relatively open, but several sturdy concrete pillars offered cover. However, the pursuers behind them finally broke through the crumbling barrier blocking the entrance, and like a flood bursting its banks, a dozen or so zombies roared and surged in, spreading out and surrounding them.

There are obstacles ahead and behind... Although there are no pursuers, the retreat route is unknown and may hide more dangers.

"Too many!" Tony leaned against a load-bearing pillar, gripping the table leg tightly, his face grim as he watched the horde of zombies closing in from multiple directions. He quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for anything he could possibly use.

Chen Haotian's sharp gaze swept over the shelves and miscellaneous items scattered on the floor next to the fresh produce section, suddenly fixing on several bottles of liquid that had rolled to the ground, their labels torn but the bottles themselves intact. That seemed to be...high-proof liquor? Next to them were a pile of discarded, greasy rags and several tattered promotional posters.

A thought instantly formed in his mind.

"Tony! Take off your suit jacket!" Chen Haotian ordered urgently, while quickly bending down to pick up the bottles of liquor and the flammable rags and paper.

"What?" Tony was stunned. Taking off his clothes at a time like this?

"Don't ask! Hurry!" Chen Haotian's tone left no room for argument. He swiftly wrapped a rag and paper around the neck of the bottle, creating a makeshift Molotov cocktail. He had no fire, but that didn't stop him. He looked at Tony, "Do you have anything that can create a spark? Even just a tiny one!"

Tony instantly understood his intention. He instinctively reached into his pocket, only to find a spare communicator that was also unresponsive, and... a Zippo lighter? It was a habit he'd picked up at a bar one night, and he still had it on him!

"This!" He immediately tossed the lighter to Chen Haotian.

"Beautiful!" Chen Haotian took the lighter, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. He quickly lit the neck of a bottle wrapped with a strip of cloth soaked in alcohol, and flames shot up.

At this moment, the nearest zombie was less than five meters away from them, its empty eyes and open, rotting mouth clearly visible.

"Cover your mouth and nose!" Chen Haotian roared, his arm suddenly swinging out!

The burning bottle traced an arc and smashed precisely at the feet of the first few zombies charging forward.

"boom!"

The glass bottle shattered, instantly igniting the high-proof liquor and creating a small wall of fire. The flames licked at the zombies' rotting clothes and bodies, crackling and releasing an even more indescribable stench of burning flesh. The zombies, scorched by the flames, let out even more frenzied but meaningless roars, their movements becoming chaotic, temporarily hindering the advance of their companions behind them.

"It works! But it's not enough!" Tony looked at the small wall of fire and knew it could only buy him a few moments.

"And this too!" Chen Haotian quickly dipped Tony's expensive custom-made suit jacket into another bottle of liquor, then lit it with a lighter and threw it fiercely towards the direction where the zombie horde was denser!

The burning clothes, like a fireball, landed among the zombie horde, causing another small disturbance and fire.

"Let's go! Now!" Chen Haotian grabbed Tony, who was still a little dazed, and ran towards the passageway opposite the firewall that led to the warehouse area behind the supermarket.

Using the chaos and obstacles created by the flames, the two narrowly escaped the fresh produce section, temporarily leaving most of the zombies behind. At the end of the passage was a half-open, heavy metal fireproof door.

Chen Haotian arrived first, slipped inside, and Tony followed closely behind. Then, the two of them worked together to slam the still-intact fire door shut with a loud bang, and then inserted a thick metal bolt from the inside.

Outside the door, the sounds of zombies crashing and roaring were mostly blocked out, leaving only muffled echoes. Inside, it was a relatively independent, dark, and quiet space, with only the heavy breathing of two people reverberating within.

Tony leaned against the cold metal door, slid down to the floor, feeling all his strength drain away. He looked down at his hands, which were covered in grime and sweat, and then at Chen Haotian beside him, who was equally exhausted but whose eyes were still warily scanning the new environment.

The series of thrilling battles and escapes that just happened lasted only a dozen minutes.