Chapter 149: Race Against Time

"Old Tan, it's complicated—don't shout later!"

While running, Zhang Su warned Tan Huajun; others heard only a few shouts, but he heard more—fearing Tan Huajun might lose control.

"Huh?" Tan Huajun instinctively asked, then quickly nodded after processing it: "Got it!"

Whoosh!

Zhang Su yanked open the safety door, kicked the zombie guarding the entrance two meters away with a loud thud, shone his flashlight inside, revealing three zombies total—including the one he'd kicked—and two more down the distant stairwell; the situation was far better than outside, and the group swiftly dealt with them.

"Wait!"

But just as everyone prepared to climb the stairs, Zhang Su raised his hand to stop them—he heard footsteps above, and a man urgently urging someone on.

"Hurry, hurry! You two bitches, if you don't want to die, move faster!"

Xiang Wei leaped down the stairs three steps at a time, as if rocket-powered, constantly shouting at the women behind him to speed up, yet always staying at the front—so long as he stayed ahead of the others, the zombies couldn't catch him!

The shouting from the stairwell was loud enough for everyone to hear, though only Zhang Su could make out what the man was saying.

Not long after—just over ten seconds—a figure staggered into view at the stair landing, slamming into the wall, clearly having jumped down and couldn't stop.

"Oh my god, so many zombies! Go back—"

Xiang Wei slammed to a stop against the wall, pushed back with both hands, stumbled and fell, then scrambled to climb the stairs again.

"Ah…"

Immediately behind, two feminine screams rang out.

"Xiang Wei, it's me, Jia Shiqin—not a zombie!"

Jia Shiqin called out quickly.

"Jia Shiqin?" Hearing a voice, Xiang Wei froze mid-climb; when he turned again, two flashlight beams shone directly on his face.

"Ah, it's people! No need to fear—it's Captain Jia and his team come to rescue us!"

Xiang Wei finally relaxed, leapt down the stairs, and ran up to the group.

"Xiang Wei, Tang Xiaoxiao, Tang Xiu? Only the three of you? Just now I heard Old Tan and Little Ma's voices—where are they?"

Jia Shiqin asked, alarmed at seeing only three descend.

Upon hearing Jia Shiqin's question, Xiang Wei waved his hands wildly, feigning breathlessness.

"Where's my dad? Speak up!"

Tan Huajun, seeing the man refuse to answer, rushed forward and grabbed Xiang Wei's arm, shaking him hard.

"Your dad?"

Xiang Wei frowned, thinking this woman must be insane.

"She's Old Tan's daughter—Lanlan's mother. We just heard Old Tan's voice—where is he?"

Jia Shiqin was frantic.

"Old Tan's daughter?" Xiang Wei echoed like a broken recording, repeating Jia Shiqin's words—whether genuinely clueless or pretending, no one could tell.

"Ugh!"

Tan Huajun shoved Xiang Wei aside and sprinted up the stairs.

"Bozi, Xinyu, Pang Da, come with me—the rest of you tie these three up!"

Zhang Su gave Xiang Wei a cold, piercing glance, gave the order, and dashed up the stairs.

The named individuals followed without hesitation; a few others wanted to join, but the urgency of the situation held them back.

"Hey, what are you doing? Fuck, hey, why are you tying me up!"

Xiang Wei had already begun thinking how to escape the moment he realized the crazy woman's father was Tan Chengwu—yet before he could react, they'd bound him without a word. Was this some kind of precognition?

"Shut the fuck up!"

Slap.

Zhao Dezhu swung his arm and delivered a sharp slap to Xiang Wei's face—the sound echoed through the stairwell.

No one understood why Zhang Su wanted to restrain these three, but now wasn't the time to question.

Aside from Jia Shiqin and the two women, everyone else easily bound Xiang Wei and the two women tightly.

"Captain Jia, who are these people? What's going on? Why bring them back to target me?"

Xiang Wei was thrown to the ground, filled with terror—he wasn't sure if Old Tan and Lanlan were already dead in the zombie horde; if the rescuers learned the truth, he'd be in grave danger!

"I—I mean, little Xiang, don't panic. I met Old Tan's daughter on the way. They're here to rescue Old Tan and Lanlan—they don't know you. They thought you were a threat. It's just a misunderstanding. When our captain returns, everything will be cleared up."

Jia Shiqin said, ever patient as an electrician.

"What misunderstanding? Fuck, I'm not a bad guy! Untie me! I'm with Captain Jia—I'm part of the self-rescue team! This is way too much! There are zombies outside and you're fighting your own kind? Are you even human?"

Xiang Wei writhed on the ground like a greasy eel, resisting fiercely.

"Whether you're good or bad, whether there's a misunderstanding—we'll find out when our boss returns. You better stay still now. Open your mouth again and I'll stuff your face with a stinking sock—fuck!"

Zhao Dezhu swiftly drew his dog-leg knife, his demeanor brutally aggressive.

Over these past days, they'd been conditioned by Zhang Su—not to trust human goodness anymore.

Based on the situation, it was likely a group had fled together, and the weakest—elderly man and little girl—were probably abandoned during escape. Even worse, someone might have deliberately shoved them toward the zombies to buy time for themselves!

In the past, no one wanted to think this way—but now they knew such evil wasn't new; they'd just been slower than Zhang Su, unable to react in time.

"Why aren't you two saying anything? I saved you—this is how you repay me? Tell them what's going on! Tell them what happened to Old Tan and Lanlan!"

Xiang Wei kicked the two women who'd escaped with him.

Tang Xiaoxiao and Tang Xiu lay quietly beside him, offering little resistance; after a few kicks, Tang Xiaoxiao stammered: "X-Xiang Brother, we were just running for our lives—we didn't know what happened to Old Tan and Lanlan. Wait a moment—it'll all be clear soon."

Clear my ass—if we wait for "clarity," we're all dead!

Xiang Wei hadn't expected Tang Xiaoxiao to betray him so fast; his venomous gaze nearly solidified as he glared at Tang Xiu: "Tang Xiu, speak."

"S-say what? X-Xiang Brother, I don't know anything!" Tang Xiu feigned ignorance.

"You're both fucking bitches—ungrateful whores!"

Xiang Wei nearly fainted from rage, cursed under his breath, and fell silent—he knew talking more now was useless. His only hope was escape. He shifted his posture, trying to use the broken edge of a stair tile to saw through his zip ties.

But the moment he moved, a flashlight beam shone directly on his face.

"Mr. Xiang, I advise you to behave. Don't try any tricks."

Yu Wen warned sternly.

"What trick do I need to play? Pfft. A bunch of lunatics."

Xiang Wei put on a sneering expression, hummed a tune, and jiggled his leg—using the motion to mask his hand movements.

"Ah… Dad! Dad!"

At that moment, everyone heard a faint, agonized cry—raw, pitiful, heart-wrenching.

"Grandpa! Waaahhh…"

In front of a children's desk shop on the third floor, Mo Qianlan screamed in anguish; over ten meters away, a horde of zombies devoured something on the ground.

"Go, go! Ah…"

Among the zombies, Tan Chengwu's face twisted in agony—he'd been betrayed by Xiang Wei earlier, his leg already bitten. Now he deliberately threw himself into the horde, not struggling to escape, but instead pulling the zombies toward him, buying time for his daughter and granddaughter.

"Dad…"

"Grandpa!"

Lanlan had no time to comfort her mother—she was consumed by grief.

"Good people, thank you for coming to save us, thank you… Ah…"

With a final defiant roar, Tan Chengwu vanished beneath the zombie horde.

"Boss, zombies are approaching from both sides!"

Under the flickering light, Lu Yubo's face showed clear panic.

It was rare to see such fear on his face—the zombies closing in from both directions were too numerous, or rather, their group was too small.

"Old Tan, move! Don't waste Old Tan's sacrifice! Go! Or someone else will die here!"

Zhang Su gripped Tan Huajun's shoulder and dragged her toward the emergency exit, shouting: "Bozi, get Lanlan out—now!"

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Su hauled Tan Huajun, her face streaked with tears, screaming "Dad, Dad!"; Lu Yubo scooped up the collapsed Mo Qianlan; Pang Dakun and Zheng Xinyu covered the rear, and they sprinted toward the emergency exit.

But the zombies blocking the other side were closer to the safety door—by speed calculations, they'd likely meet at the door.

"Hurry, Pang Da, open the door!"

Zhang Su nearly carried Tan Huajun as he ran; Lu Yubo, carrying Mo Qianlan across his arms, moved slower; Zheng Xinyu held the rear.

"Ah!"

Pang Dakun roared, sprinting toward the safety door with astonishing speed.

Just as the zombies were five meters away, he slammed into the door and burst inside.

"Old Tan, if you keep acting like this, I'll leave your daughter here! Move your ass!"

Zhang Su knew if things continued, everyone except Pang Dakun would be trapped—they had to fight now.

"Ah!"

Tan Huajun finally snapped out of her grief, shoved Zhang Su's arm away, used the recoil to sprint forward, and swung her massive vernier caliper down on the lead zombie—crushing its skull instantly.

Thud.

Her once bulky frame had grown surprisingly agile from days of training; she kicked another zombie aside, then swung the caliper horizontally, using her body's momentum to briefly stall the zombies behind.

But it wasn't enough—there were at least five or six rows of zombies charging side by side; stopping two rows was useless.

Fortunately, allies were nearby. Zhang Su didn't hesitate—he launched a flying kick, then struck left and right: his right hand wielded the dog-leg knife with precision, his left swung the axe-hammer with brute force—two more rows of zombies were halted.

"Yah!"

Clang.

Zheng Xinyu followed close behind, swung her bat—didn't kill the zombie, but knocked it down, causing the ones behind to trip and fall.

The three of them forcibly halted the zombies' advance for a moment.

If not for the horde of zombies chasing them from behind, Zhang Su believed their combat strength was more than enough to eliminate the two or three dozen zombies ahead by leveraging the terrain.

But there was no "if"—the pursuing zombies, having crossed over Tan Chengwu's corpse, were rapidly closing in on the group.

"Hurry, hurry! Uncle, Auntie, quick!"

Pang Dankun, guarding the door, grew frantic watching everyone fight the zombies, waving wildly for them to come inside.

(End of Chapter)