Chapter 17: SSS-Rank Zombie

【System Prompt: Mutant zombie horde has breached the outer perimeter, 10 meters from the villa's main entrance.】

Lin Chen had just pushed Xia Nuan into the bedroom when he heard the door panel being pounded with a rhythmic *thud-thud*.

He looked back at Su Qing, who was huddled in the corner, and kicked a steel pipe toward her.

"If you don't want to die, take it."

Su Qing didn't reach for it; she only stared at the doorway, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

The snarling outside grew closer, accompanied by a thick, putrid stench.

Lin Chen ignored her, grabbed his shotgun, and rushed to the door.

Through the peephole, he could see over a dozen zombies crowding the entrance, veins bulging beneath their grey-blue skin.

The one at the very front had its head tilted at an angle, a half-spent bullet embedded in its neck—the one he'd missed yesterday.

"Bang!"

A zombie slammed into the door, causing the entire villa to shudder.

Lin Chen braced himself against the doorframe, his arm going numb.

【System Prompt: Door panel has withstood 1,200 kg of impact; structural integrity at 98%.】

"Can this door really hold?" Xia Nuan poked her head out of the bedroom, her voice trembling.

Lin Chen didn't look back. "Unless it's a nuke, nothing is breaking this."

That was what the contractor had said when he installed the door.

Back then, he'd thought it was just bragging; now, it was his only hope.

The frequency of the zombies' ramming increased, each impact causing dust to shower down from the walls.

Lin Chen raised his shotgun and fired three shots directly at the lock.

The bullets punched through the panel, and a shriek erupted from outside, but the force of the ramming didn't diminish.

"It's useless," Su Qing suddenly spoke, her voice raspy. "They don't feel pain."

Lin Chen frowned and fired two more shots.

This time, there was no shriek, only more frantic pounding.

He retreated to the center of the living room, watching the bulge forming on the door panel, his heart sinking.

【System Prompt: Zombie saliva detected to contain strong acid; surface of the door panel is beginning to corrode.】

"They're eating the door!" Xia Nuan screamed, pointing at the door gap.

A few drops of green liquid seeped through, landing on the floor and burning small black holes into it.

Lin Chen grabbed the nearby wardrobe and shoved it hard against the back of the door.

"Xia Nuan, pile all the furniture over here!"

Together, they moved the desk and sofa, building a wall behind the door.

Su Qing remained huddled in the corner, like a lifeless statue.

"Do you want to die here?" Lin Chen roared.

Su Qing lifted her eyes, slowly stood up, and helped pile the chairs on top.

The ramming gradually weakened, replaced by the grating, ear-piercing sound of claws scraping against steel.

Lin Chen leaned against the furniture pile, gasping for air; the wound on his lower back began to ache again.

He counted his remaining ammo: only five rounds left.

"They're waiting for us to come out," Lin Chen said.

Xia Nuan nodded, clutching the dagger in her arms.

When the sky turned dark, the outside suddenly went quiet.

There wasn't a sound; even the wind had stopped.

Lin Chen walked to the window and pulled back a corner of the curtain.

The zombies were all squatting in the snow, backs to the villa, as if watching something.

Under a distant streetlamp, dark shadows were moving—more than one.

"Another batch has arrived," Lin Chen whispered.

Xia Nuan leaned over to look and gasped. "At least twenty of them."

The new arrivals moved faster, their skin a dark, bruised purple, clutching bloodied bones in their hands.

They didn't ram the door; they simply circled the villa, emitting low, guttural growls.

【System Prompt: Second wave of mutant zombies joined; danger level upgraded to SSS.】

Lin Chen closed the curtain and lit a candle with his lighter.

In the candlelight, the faces of all three were deathly pale.

"They're waiting for us to exhaust our stamina."

Su Qing suddenly laughed, a sound worse than crying. "Just like when you were trapped in the warehouse?"

Lin Chen's gaze turned cold. "Shut up."

That day, she had locked him in the warehouse with over thirty zombies circling outside.

She had stood outside, watching him be torn apart, while holding the supplies he had hidden.

When the candle was half-burned, the furniture behind the door suddenly shifted.

It was as if something was pushing from the outside.

Lin Chen gripped his shotgun and signaled for Xia Nuan and Su Qing to step back.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, a gap was forced open in the furniture pile.

A dark purple hand reached in, its nails long and sharp, leaving five white scratches on the floor.

Lin Chen pulled the trigger on the hand.

The bullet shattered the wrist, and green blood splattered onto the furniture.

The hand didn't retract; instead, it pushed harder, trying to squeeze through.

"They're dismantling the door!" Xia Nuan cried.

Lin Chen fired repeatedly, shredding the hand.

A furious roar came from outside, and the ramming resumed, more violent than before.

【System Prompt: Corrosion area on the door panel has expanded; structural integrity at 90%.】

"How much longer can it hold?" Xia Nuan asked.

Lin Chen didn't answer, just stared at the widening gap.

He knew it wouldn't be long now.

Su Qing suddenly walked to the kitchen and brought out a jug of cooking oil.

"Pour it on," she said, handing him the jug. "If it doesn't burn them, it'll at least block them for a while."

Lin Chen's eyes lit up; he took the jug and poured it into the door gap.

A sizzling sound came from outside, and the ramming stopped.

"It worked!" Xia Nuan said, pleasantly surprised.

Lin Chen, however, frowned. "They're getting smarter."

Sure enough, within minutes, the ramming started again.

This time, the force was even greater, as if something was using a rock to smash it.

【System Prompt: Zombies detected using tools; intelligence level increased.】

Lin Chen's heart sank to the bottom.

This was the first time he had ever seen zombies use tools.

The furniture pile shook violently, and a chair from the top fell, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

Xia Nuan grabbed Lin Chen's arm in terror, and Su Qing took a few steps back.

"Prepare to fight." Lin Chen loaded the last five bullets into the chamber.

He glanced at Su Qing. "Stay with Xia Nuan later; don't be a burden."

Su Qing didn't speak; she simply picked up the steel pipe from the floor.

The ramming suddenly stopped.

A deathly silence followed.

Lin Chen held his breath, staring at the door gap.

It was as if the zombies outside had suddenly vanished.

About ten minutes later, the sound of a car engine came from afar.

It grew closer, finally stopping at the villa entrance.

Someone shouted from outside: "Listen up, people inside! We're from the Safe Zone, here to rescue you!"

Xia Nuan's eyes lit up. "It's a rescue team!"

Lin Chen, however, frowned and tightened his grip on the shotgun.

How could people from the Safe Zone arrive at such a convenient time?

He walked to the window and pulled back a corner of the curtain.

A military truck was parked at the entrance, the words "Safe Zone" sprayed on its side.

Several people in camouflage stood by the truck, guns in hand.

The zombies were all gone.

It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

"Open the door!" the person outside shouted again. "If you don't open it, the zombies will come back!"

Xia Nuan wanted to open the door, but Lin Chen held her back.

"Wait," he said. "Something's wrong."

Just then, the canvas cover on the back of the truck shifted.

A dark purple hand reached out and gripped the tailgate.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

Those zombies hadn't left at all.

They were inside the truck.

【System Prompt: Safe Zone identification detected as abnormal; suggest refusing contact.】

Lin Chen turned to Xia Nuan and Su Qing. "Hide in the basement."

He pointed to the secret door in the corner. "Go through there, keep going forward, and it leads to the back mountain."

Xia Nuan froze. "What about you?"

"I'll cover the rear." Lin Chen handed her his last dagger. "Take care of yourself."

Su Qing suddenly spoke up: "I'm going with you."

Lin Chen frowned. "Don't make things worse."

"I owe you," Su Qing said, her gaze firm. "I'm paying you back this time."

The people outside were still shouting, and the ramming started again.

This time, it wasn't zombies; it was humans.

They were using crowbars to pry the door open.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and said to Xia Nuan, "Go, quickly!"

Xia Nuan bit her lip and followed Su Qing into the secret door.

Lin Chen watched the secret door close and raised his shotgun.

The door panel was pried open a crack, and an eye peered in, looking into the room.

Lin Chen pulled the trigger.

The gun fired.