Chapter 34: Give It to the Two of You

“Brother Su, he probably thinks we’re here to steal stuff…”

Zhong Xiaoshan whispered to Zhang Su beside his ear, because if it were her, she’d think the same.

Zhang Su shrugged, said nothing, and stepped forward: “Big brother, we’re searching for food and water—do you have any extras?”

No one inside responded; only rustling sounds emerged. Moments later, the door clicked open a crack, then slammed shut with a bang.

The sudden noise startled all three.

“I’ve got a few packs of instant noodles and some canned goods—take them and go, don’t come back!”

The man inside said, his voice calm, revealing no joy or sorrow.

Zhang Su cautiously pulled the door open and was stunned to find a second inner door—the double-door design helped with soundproofing and security, a feature some residents added themselves.

The gap between the two doors was no more than thirty centimeters; one side stood a shoe rack nearly as tall as a person, neatly lined with a dozen pairs of shoes, while on the floor lay a large opened pack of instant noodles and a can of peaches in syrup.

Zhang Su picked up the instant noodles on the floor—four small packets remained—and the can was sizable, the kind with a large bottle shape, weighing at least seven or eight hundred grams.

“This big brother’s pretty decent.”

Zheng Xinyu said, watching the items in Zhang Su’s hands.

Zhong Xiaoshan nodded in agreement—people who shared food and drink in this hopeless world were rare; certainly, she couldn’t have done it herself.

“I guess he doesn’t understand the situation—he still thinks this is just a normal disaster, and official rescue will come soon…”

Zhang Su held the instant noodles and can the man had handed out, but didn’t immediately stuff them into his bag.

He’d only intended to test the man’s reaction, but the man responded warmly and generously—this made Zhang Su feel awkward about taking the items.

“Why haven’t you left yet? Just go, go away, don’t come back again!”

Just as Zhang Su was about to explain the true situation to the man inside, a furious roar erupted from behind the door—suddenly violent emotions left the three staring at each other.

“Big brother, this disaster isn’t ordinary—the outside world is in chaos, no one’s coming to help us. We’ll leave the supplies with you—thank you!”

Zhang Su decided not to take the man’s supplies. He gently set them down, closed the door, and led the two women away from the twelfth floor.

A man with messy hair stood inside the door of 1201, his eyes hollow behind his glasses. His hands trembled slightly from emotional upheaval. After watching Zhang Su and the others leave through the peephole, he returned to the room with a strange smile, ignoring the items on the floor entirely.

“Xiao Min, they’re gone. It’s so quiet—the room is quiet, the hallway is quiet, the whole world is quiet. But why are you so quiet too? Wake up, talk to me, please?”

The man sat on the floor, holding his wife in his arms—her skin grayish, her head bloody, a fruit knife still stuck in her.

The three returned to the eleventh floor—the zombie in 1101 had stopped pounding on the door, as if programmed: if no prey was sensed for a certain time, it entered energy-saving mode.

“I bet many people are like that guy on the twelfth floor—still waiting at home for official rescue. We’re among the survivors who reacted and moved fastest!”

Zhang Su reflected, recalling the brief exchange.

“Definitely! On day one, you were like a madman dragging me to kill zombies—looking back now, it still feels unreal. How did you even think of that?”

Zheng Xinyu exhaled deeply, gazing at Zhang Su with a hint of grievance.

Zhang Su didn’t rush to open the door. Instead, he lit a cigarette and said: “Isn’t it better to adapt early? Everyone’s information sources differ—if they knew the outside world was completely broken, even if terrified, they’d muster the courage to face it!”

Dependence and trust are a double-edged sword—they can sustain hope in despair, but over-reliance can drain the will to fight.

“Brother Su… you said the outside world is completely broken—how big is this ‘outside’ exactly?”

Zhong Xiaoshan asked, her face gloomy—until now, she still didn’t know the scope of this catastrophe.

Zhang Su met Zheng Xinyu’s gaze and said quietly: “Human civilization.”

Zhong Xiaoshan’s face twisted in disbelief; she swayed, nearly falling. She opened her mouth to ask more, but Zhang Su shushed her and made a bizarre gesture.

Zhang Su took a deep drag on his cigarette, then pulled hard on the 1101 door, blowing a thick cloud of smoke through the crack. He waited. When there was no reaction, he repeated the motion four or five more times.

“Looks like these things don’t react to smoke—maybe it’ll mess with their sense of smell. The ones dazed by the smoke? You two handle them!”

Zhang Su gave the order and slid the key into the lock.

“Damn, you should’ve warned us!”

“Hey, didn’t you say we were luring it to the stairs?”

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan didn’t hesitate to obey Zhang Su’s command—even with fear in their hearts, they gripped their weapons and prepared to attack. This was a battle with no retreat.

Slowly turning the key, Zhang Su lifted the door upward as he opened it, avoiding the creak of overloaded hinges.

The smoke had diluted the stench of blood and blocked the zombie’s ability to sniff out living flesh. When the door opened wide, they saw a female zombie facing away, its joints stiff, upper body swaying slightly, neck turning mechanically in small motions—relatively still.

From her build and clothing, she was clearly female—her shoulder-length hair, mutated, hung limp and brittle, like she’d just gotten a terrible perm from an incompetent barber…

With experience from their first kill, Zheng Xinyu didn’t hesitate. Her shadow blurred, wind surged—and she swung the baseball bat straight at the zombie’s head!

Thud!

The heavy bat struck the zombie’s skull with a dull thump.

Grrraaah!

The zombie roared in fury, turning just as another blow slashed toward its face.

Thump.

The heavy wrench slammed diagonally into its head, forcing the zombie to stagger backward.

Zheng Xinyu remembered clearly how hard it had been to kill the first zombie—two or three hits wouldn’t finish it—so after her first strike, she immediately reloaded her strength.

Thud, thwack, clang, thud-thud-thud…

Under the relentless, frenzied blows of the metal bat and iron wrench, the female zombie couldn’t defend itself. Soon, it collapsed to the floor.

“Ah!”

With Zhong Xiaoshan’s soft cry, the wrench came down hard, crushing the zombie’s cheek inward. After a violent, electric-like spasm, its limbs went still. The last red eye faded, slowly returning to a normal pupil.

“So brutal… but good.”

Zhang Su had gripped his axe-hammer tightly the whole time, ready to intervene if needed. The reality was better than expected—the two women had unleashed their potential under danger.

(End of Chapter)