Chapter 30: Don

“Look over there! Look at Building 7—someone’s controlling a drone!”

Whether Zheng Xinyu was lucky or sharp-eyed, she quickly spotted a figure crouched behind a window on the second floor of the middle unit of Building 7, operating a drone in the air.

As Zhang Su looked toward Building 7, he suddenly saw four figures appear around the corner of the building; the drone operator, seeing his companions arrive, placed the remote on the windowsill and leapt out the window without hesitation!

From the fluid precision of their actions, it was clear they had rehearsed this plan for a long time—at least up until now, everything had gone smoothly; unfortunately, the real challenge had only just begun!

The second floor, though only three meters high, could easily leave someone crippled if they lacked proper technique—and if they landed wrong, death was a real risk.

Clearly, the man who jumped wasn’t reckless; he rolled forward upon landing, then collapsed onto the ground, his movements slightly awkward but effectively cushioning the impact.

The four rushed to the man’s side; one woman pulled him up from the ground, another handed him a backpack, and the man who had jumped didn’t hesitate—he followed the group sprinting toward the wall, slinging the backpack onto his back as he ran.

Soon, the five reached the collapsed wall—but just as they prepared to climb over, a small group of zombies burst out from the other side of the building!

Danger struck in an instant; clearly, none of them had expected zombies to remain unattracted by the drone. In their panic, two immediately stumbled onto the rubble.

Though zombies moved stiffly, their speed was far from slow—they could easily match a human’s brisk walk when chasing prey, and they quickly closed in on the two fallen men.

“Danger!”

Zhang Su’s grip on the windowsill tightened until his knuckles turned white; his mind raced, imagining how he would handle such a situation.

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanyi had clenched their fists tightly, too nervous to even breathe—as if the fleeing strangers were themselves.

“Pick up bricks and throw them! That bag’s too soft—it won’t work!”

Zheng Xinyu saw the woman in the group using a travel bag to strike the zombies’ heads and shouted advice frantically.

Someone in the group seemed to hear her; a man bent down, grabbed a chunk of rubble the size of a watermelon, and hurled it at the zombies—but then something absurd happened…

Perhaps too panicked, the man forgot to release the rubble in time; the force of the throw sent him stumbling forward—and he tumbled right off the collapsed debris!

Even on flat ground, falling among zombies is dangerous—let alone from a height. But his fall knocked the zombies off the two trapped men, giving them instant breathing room as they scrambled upward with hands and feet!

“Sssss!”

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanyi gasped as they saw the man land among the zombies.

“It’s over…”

Zhang Su whispered, voice heavy with sorrow—given the situation, only coordinated, desperate fighting or firearms could save the man.

Firearms were virtually impossible to have—and to fight zombies together as a team…

Under organized, prepared conditions, fine—but when chaos erupts suddenly, no one can react in time!

As he expected, the men on the rubble reacted slower than zombie instincts; the zombies gathered at the base, spotting fresh meat before them, surged forward eagerly, while those on the rubble stood frozen, helpless.

Against one zombie, an average adult male—unless caught off-guard and injured immediately—still had a chance to win. But against three or four zombies charging at once, while already dazed and disoriented from a fall…

The outcome was inevitably tragic.

The zombies closed in; the man’s terrified screams reached Zhang Su and the others even from nearly a hundred meters away—he flailed his arms wildly in the air like a drowning man grasping for straw, but no one could save him…

One zombie lowered its head and bit into the man’s exposed neck; blood sprayed three feet into the air!

Outside the window, a woman screamed hysterically—a woman in a windbreaker on the rubble hurled broken stones at the zombie devouring the man, but it had no effect—not even slowing the bite.

The loud cries drew zombies from elsewhere; soon, more detached from their pursuit of the loudspeaker and headed toward the collapsed wall.

One man in the group covered the woman’s mouth, another dragged her across the road, while the last one briefly blocked zombies climbing the rubble before following the others.

Soon, the group vanished behind cover; the man who had raised the stone to strike the zombies remained forever beneath the rubble.

Just crossing a collapsed neighborhood wall—with planning and preparation—and still someone died. How brutal.

“Those two just ran off…”

Zheng Xinyu stared blankly at where the group had disappeared, disbelief in her eyes.

Others ignoring the fallen man was one thing—but even the two they’d saved didn’t lift a hand to help. It made her fear the darkness of human nature.

Zhong Xiaoshanyi also struggled to accept it, speaking softly: “There were only six zombies, two already fallen to the side—killing them all wouldn’t have been easy, but those four could’ve fought back together and had a real chance to save the dead man!”

“Correct,” Zhang Su said, voice dull. “But ordinary people can’t make optimal decisions or act on them in crisis—fear and selfishness dominate. That’s human nature. No need to feel guilty.”

“Unless you’re a trained soldier, few are born willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. Don’t be fooled by the God’s-eye view. If we ever face the same danger, we might not do any better than those who ran.”

Zhang Su spoke seriously. Seeing Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanyi eye him skeptically, he added: “As observers, we can imagine countless possibilities after the fact and claim we’d have chosen the best one—but if we were the ones living it…”

“Could you guarantee a reaction within a single second?”

Before his words finished, Zhang Su swung his arm swiftly—the axe whistled to a stop inches from their faces.

“Ah…”

“Don’t…”

Without exception, both reacted identically—closing their eyes and raising their hands to block.

“See? When real danger strikes, there’s no time for God’s-eye analysis—only instinct. And instinct isn’t always the best solution!”

Zhang Su lowered his arm slowly: “If this had been us three—I could’ve escaped alone easily. You two, given your current state, would’ve likely died. If I tried to save you both, half of us would’ve died.”

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanyi exchanged a glance, their hearts heavy with mixed emotions—watching a survivor devoured by zombies gave them a visceral sense of helplessness.

“So there’s no solution? I refuse to be a burden!”

Zheng Xinyu asked, voice stubborn, eyes blazing.

“Train.”

Zhang Su’s reply was one word.

Training isn’t just about skill—it’s about courage, spirit, and reflexes!

(End of Chapter)