HLM – Chapter 904 Are the Zombies Coming?

Wang Bo was fine—he only smelled the stench on the front lines. But a few of the guys grilling meat nearby hadn’t dodged in time, and the sprayed fish juice landed all over them!

In other words, if Wang Bo had only smelled the grandpa’s excrement-like stench, these guys had actually been hit by it!

In an instant, several screams erupted. The burly man who had just claimed he liked eating canned bonito yelled the loudest, as if seventeen or eighteen men had taken turns assaulting his backside: “Aaaaah!”

Several men screamed as they jumped up and ran out. With so many people around—especially near the lake—they ran toward the water, bumping into others along the way, inevitably spreading the fish juice onto them.

Chaos broke out. Screams rang out by the bonfire, and those covered in the fish juice were shouting as they leaped into the lake.

At first, it was just a few burly men, then a dozen, and eventually dozens more. “Splash! Splash!”—people kept jumping into the lake.

Dale, playing with Xiao Si and the others, blinked and asked, “What are they doing?”

“I don’t know… learning how to be frogs jumping into the lake?”

“Oh! One frog, one mouth; two eyes, four legs. Splash, splash into the water! That’s a Chinese children’s song! Who knows it?” Dale said proudly.

The smell around the bonfire was unbearable. A breeze carried the stench farther, and many people covered their noses and backed away.

Seeing the people screaming and running into the lake, Ready, who had just caught a breath on stage, was shocked and exclaimed: “Oh my god… has the zombie outbreak started?!”

“Zombies? Are there really zombies? Where?”

“This is a New Year celebration, right? How could there be zombies? Is there a cosplay segment in this celebration?”

“The mayor here is Chinese—do Chinese people celebrate New Year and Halloween together?”

“F***, everyone shut up! Haven’t you smelled that disgusting stench?”

“It’s really awful! That’s the smell of corpses! Absolutely the smell of corpses—I’ve smelled it during investigations!”

The cheers turned into screams. The crowd grew restless, and the stench lingered.

At that moment, Atulu’s voice reached Wang Bo’s nose: “Hmm, such a familiar smell… someone must have opened a herring can. Move aside, let me see what’s going on!”

Wang Bo pinched his nose and staggered out, pointing at the bonfire: “The herring can is over there! Quick, for f***’s sake, figure out how to deal with it!”

Atulu nodded: “Leave it to me, boss. Don’t worry. Come, give me a piece of bread and spread some sour cream on it—that neutralizes the smell. And these onions and potato slices, give them to me too…”

The canned fish was still hanging on the hook. Earlier, Wang Bo had casually placed it on the ground, so the fish meat and remaining juice didn’t spill—the damage had only been caused by the initial burst of juice.

Later, Wang Bo praised himself for his calm and quick thinking. If he had just thrown the can recklessly, the contamination would have been massive…

For the lakeshore, it was comparable to nuclear contamination!

Under Wang Bo’s and others’ shocked gazes, a burly Māori man grabbed a piece of bread, scooped the fish from the can into it, and started eating it heartily.

Finally, he even drank the leftover can juice.

Wang Bo gasped—then almost bent over to vomit from the stench. No exaggeration—it was that foul!

He couldn’t help but wonder if the herring in the can had been caught in May or June of this year—or if it was some thousand-year-old fish dumpling! Was this really food… or a source of a biochemical disaster?!

Someone finally realized and asked: “Was that what was being grilled just now? A herring can?”

Wang Bo nodded: “Ah, yes.”

“F***!” the person cursed loudly. “Do you want to kill us? Do you know that herring cans should be opened underwater to reduce the smell?”

“Not only did you not open it in water, you actually heated it on the fire until it exploded under pressure! My god, that’s a terrorist act!”

Wang Bo wanted to argue, but he didn’t dare open his mouth—or even breathe. The stench was unbearable!

Atulu walked over: “It’s not that serious, sir. This is food, isn’t it? You’re overreacting!”

“Yes, it’s food. Food is meant to be eaten. You don’t need to be so dramatic. I know herring cans have a peculiar smell, but it’s not that scary,” said a plump woman.

Wang Bo had to apologize internally for his previous behavior—the woman defending him was Atulu’s wife, whom he had once scared.

She looked at Atulu: “I won’t argue with you—you’re a brave man! Anyone who dares to eat a herring can and drink the juice is fearless in this world!”

Facing Wang Bo, she added: “Grilling a herring can on fire is indeed an act of terror! A couple of years ago, a herring can in a Swedish supermarket exploded naturally. Do you know what the fire brigade did? They evacuated the entire store!”

Others chimed in to support:

“Oh my god! So this is a herring can!”

“Damn, no wonder it’s the world’s number one dark food ingredient!”

“This is a herring can? Oh my god, I thought someone was roasting dog poop!”

“Grab this guy—he must be trying to cause trouble!”

“Shut up! He’s the big BOSS of Sunset Town! By the way, I’ve got an idea now… I know how to deal with that bastard neighbor of mine, haha, he’s doomed!”

“I finally know what a herring can smells like. My Swedish friend was right—the taste is even more intense than poop!”

The stench of the herring can was not only strong but lingered for a long time.

Atulu dug a hole at the bottom of the lake and buried the can—it was essentially destroying the evidence—but the smell still wafted.

The lakeshore was effectively ruined. At the New Year party, a strange scene unfolded: the central lakeside area was empty, while people on both sides continued grilling, drinking, and singing…

“A ghost—the ghost of poop odor—wanders along Sunset Town’s lakeshore. At the New Year party, all forces—officials, townsfolk, tourists, merchants, firefighters, and police—formed a sacred alliance to drive out this ghost,” Hani said slowly, holding a glass of red wine.

Mrs. Vanessa, beside him, laughed at his words: “Don’t say that, Mr. Hani. Officer Atulu is right. It’s just food.”

Wang Bo rinsed his mouth, washed his face and hands, then sniffed himself—he still detected a faint stench: “Damn, why won’t this smell go away?”

Eva suppressed a laugh: “No, it’s not your clothes—they’re fine. The smell is in your nostrils. There’s no way to wash that out.”