Chapter 31: Sweeping the Building (Prince, Please Follow)

The life-and-death scene at dusk left a deep impact on Zhang Su and the others; after returning to 801, they silently threw themselves into training, as if only physical exhaustion could dispel the fear in their hearts.

The intense training accelerated food consumption—even Zhong Xiaoshan, who never ate dinner, slurped down a bowl of luosifen.

Night fell, the moon bright, stars sparse.

The three sat around the coffee table, a small lamp casting a faint glow, its hazy halo making them seem mysterious, the atmosphere eerie like a secret gathering of some religious sect.

“Big Brother Su, food and water are being used up too fast…”

Zheng Xinyu said, looking slightly troubled.

Zhang Su had naturally noticed this issue—and it was precisely why he had changed policy.

“Food and water are being consumed faster because we’ve increased training intensity—that’s a necessary compromise. If we run out of food and water, we can go out and find more. If we don’t push to grow stronger, we’ll just get killed!”

The previous policy was to conserve supplies and slow consumption; now, we trade food for muscle, and growth comes first.

Both nodded in agreement with Zhang Su’s words—sitting idle until resources ran out was no solution; that would mean surviving one day at a time, and when ammunition and rations were gone, death would take them effortlessly.

“So we can’t stay holed up here—we must start gathering supplies and integrate real combat into daily training!”

Zhang Su raised a finger, speaking with serious intent.

“You mean…” Zheng Xinyu’s eyes lit up, pointing downward.

Zhang Su knew she meant the van packed with supplies—he shook his head slightly. “The underground parking lot’s situation is unclear—don’t go there unless absolutely necessary!”

“That’s true…” Zheng Xinyu frowned in thought, then suggested again: “The main entrance door is locked—we could start searching other units in our building?”

Zhang Su nodded. “Right! Our unit has twenty-four households. Based on occupancy, maybe seven or eight are empty. Exclude our floor and Brother Li’s place—no more than fifteen or fourteen left to check!”

“I have a way to roughly figure out our unit’s occupancy!”

Before Zhang Su or the other could react, Zheng Xinyu dashed back to her room and fetched her phone: “Most owners in the resident group changed their real addresses—we just need to search for ‘03-1’, ‘3-1’, or ‘Building 3’ to get a rough idea!”

“That’s a great idea, Sister Xinyu—you tell me, I’ll write it down!”

Zhong Xiaoshan opened her phone’s notes app, eager to prove her usefulness.

“Okay, good. First floor—fully occupied. Second floor…”

Soon, a list was compiled.

“First, third, and fourth floors fully occupied. Second, fifth, and eighth floor, unit 2—empty. Eighth floor doesn’t matter, right?”

Zhang Su looked at the list and asked Zheng Xinyu.

“Correct—but empty doesn’t mean no one’s there. Maybe they didn’t change their name, or never joined the group at all.”

Zheng Xinyu closed her phone and said.

“Conversely, those who changed their address aren’t necessarily still living here. Still, it’s useful as a reference. Let’s call it a night for now—tomorrow we start sweeping the building!”

After the discussion ended, Zhang Su gave Zhong Xiaoshan a meaningful look—she was clearly awkward.

“Then… I’ll go back and rest.”

Feeling Zhang Su’s gaze, Zhong Xiaoshan knew he had no intention of letting her stay overnight—she stood up uneasily.

After seeing Zhong Xiaoshan off, Zheng Xinyu peered through the peephole as 802’s door shut, then asked tentatively: “Shouldn’t we have let her sleep here?”

“Not necessary yet,” Zhang Su shook his head, then grinned mischievously. “Since you’re so concerned about her, I can make a sacrifice—I’ll go keep her company!”

“Go to hell!” Zheng Xinyu spun and punched him.

“That’s what you said—I won’t violate a woman’s wishes.”

As he spoke, Zhang Su moved toward the door.

Zheng Xinyu blocked it, insisting: “I misspoke—I meant go to your damn grandfather!”

“You’re so petty… we’re all exhausted from a full day, drained, and you’re the only one with dirty thoughts!”

Zhang Su turned instinctively toward the bathroom, then remembered there was no water—he sighed, shook his head, and walked toward the bedroom, waving his hand behind him.

“Dirty thoughts? You’re the one who said you’d go over there, damn it!” Zheng Xinyu trailed after him, muttering under her breath—she couldn’t shout, so she had to get right up in his face, or her words wouldn’t reach…

A man of principle like Zhang Su kept his word—he did absolutely nothing all night, resting well and replenishing his energy.

“Man, that was so damn comfortable!”

The next morning, Zhang Su opened his window, breathed in the crisp air, and stretched out with a long, satisfying yawn.

Before, he couldn’t sleep until two or three a.m.; now, exhausted from daytime training and with no mental stimulation, he fell asleep by ten and shifted his wake-up time from noon to seven or eight a.m.

At nine a.m., Zhong Xiaoshan arrived at 801, her body aching. She had thought her hospital work was demanding—but compared to physical training, it was nothing.

Fortunately, it was still within acceptable limits—no loss of strength or loss of control.

Zhang Su knew both Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan were under heavy physical strain, but survival pressure was greater—they had no time for rest.

“I thought about it last night—we’ll sweep upward. For safety, we need to block the stairwell on the seventh floor!”

“Block our way down? Why? Zombies aren’t good at climbing stairs.”

Zheng Xinyu asked, puzzled—she’d seen zombies chasing people out of the compound, stumbling trying to climb rubble.

“Zombies climb slowly, but they can climb! And it’s not just about zombies—it also prevents others from sneaking in. Who knows if there are other survivors in our unit?”

Zhang Su’s eyes flickered with an unreadable expression.

Zhong Xiaoshan rubbed her arms as she spoke: “If there are other survivors, that’s great—we’d have more hands to help.”

“Hmph…” Zhang Su sneered. “In minor disasters, I’m willing to believe in the goodness of people—but this? It’s safer to distrust strangers than to trust them.”

“I guess I’m lucky—I met Big Brother Su and Sister Xinyu, two kind souls.”

Zhong Xiaoshan smoothly delivered a well-timed compliment.

“Enough with the flattery. Plan’s set—let’s go block the stairway!”

Zhang Su stood up and immediately set the two to work.

First, they shoved a sofa cushion into the stairwell—but the big one wouldn’t fit through the safety door, and the small one wouldn’t hold. Finally, they dragged Zhong Xiaoshan’s dressing table over and stacked it on the sofa, nearly blocking the stairs.

Zhang Su tied two iron spoons to the dressing table—they clinked loudly when shaken. The group was very satisfied with this makeshift alarm.

With the obstacle in place, reaching the eighth floor became extremely difficult. Even if zombies came, clearing the path would make noise—plenty of time for them to react.

As for the elevator…

Since it had stopped on the sixth floor that day, it hadn’t moved. No one knew if it was broken—or if something else was going on.

Recently, many readers have left comments, expressing great delight—and from them, I’ve noticed some overlooked points and areas needing clarification.

How to put it? We can’t assume all survivors have strong adaptability. Changing mindsets takes time, and individual differences exist—some adapt fast, others slow. The apocalypse has only just begun—we’ll explore slowly.

(End of Chapter)