Chapter 49: Find Help

“Shh, keep it down!”

Qin Ya made a silencing gesture toward Liu Xuanyu, then said: “Little Yu, you eat your noodles properly. Uncle Qin is going out for a bit—when I come back, I expect to see every last bite gone. Understood?”

“Where are you going?”

Liu Xuanyu gripped Qin Ya’s sleeve tightly, his face tense.

Qin Ya smiled, patted Liu Xuanyu’s head, and said: “I’m going to rescue the brother and aunt you said ran to the rooftop.”

“Oh, Brother Tian Fan and Aunt Yu!”

Liu Xuanyu’s eyes lit up; he immediately picked up his chopsticks and said: “Then go, Uncle. I’ll eat right now—I’ll be done soon and can play with Brother Tian Fan, right?”

“Yes.”

Qin Ya nodded, said nothing more, and his figure slowly vanished into the darkness.

Qin Ya gently closed the front door. The elevator screen had long gone dark, leaving only the emergency lights glowing a sickly green, turning the corridor into a ghostly, chilling scene.

Days had passed; even as temperatures dropped, the corpses continued to rot, filling the air with a faint, nauseating stench.

Qin Ya took a slow breath, touched the pistol at his waist, tightened his grip on the fire axe, and moved cautiously toward the safety door.

He knew stepping outside didn’t guarantee survival—but staying in Shengqin Jiayuan, with water, electricity, and gas all cut off, meant certain death.

Escaping Shengqin Jiayuan wasn’t hard for Qin Ya, a former special police officer—but adding an eight-year-old troublemaker made it nearly impossible.

Qin Ya needed help. His first thought was the two people from Building Three who’d distracted the zombies for him, but since he couldn’t contact them, he set that aside—then he remembered the two on the rooftop!

The night was pitch black; the wind howled fiercely on the rooftop, mercilessly draining body heat.

Tian Fan and Yu Nuo, leaning against the smoke vent for shelter, said nothing. As their energy slowly faded, fear crept into their hearts; the prolonged lack of supplies deepened their despair.

A swift death wasn’t terrifying—it was the prolonged torment that frightened them.

“Tian Fan…”

In the night wind, Yu Nuo spoke with difficulty, her voice hoarse, her lips dry and cracked, once rosy now withered: “I think I won’t make it till tomorrow. Can I ask you one favor?”

Tian Fan, head buried between his knees, lifted it at her words, pulled at his mouth, and said: “Aunt Yu, look at me—I’m in no state to help you with anything…”

Yu Nuo gave a bitter smile, brushed back her tangled hair, and gazed at the faint moon visible through the clouds: “The elders in my village say those who die at midnight become vengeful ghosts. When it’s nearly twelve, can you please push me off?”

“I want to become a ghost—and see why this world turned into this!”

Tian Fan stared at Yu Nuo as if she were a ghost, shaking his head vigorously: “Aunt Yu, that’s too much! You’re asking me to be a murderer—I won’t do it! And ghosts? Don’t be superstitious!”

Suddenly, Yu Nuo’s face broke into a look of relief.

“In this world, who cares about being a murderer? Haven’t you seen a whole squad of special police wiped out? Sigh… if not superstition, what else is left to believe in? Buddha? God? Shiva? Who’s coming to save us?”

Tian Fan clenched his lips, his face still set with determination: “I think… Aunt Yu, remember the three people from the building across today? They were all armed. Maybe we’ve overestimated the zombies—if we fight back, maybe we can carve out a way out!”

Yu Nuo frowned, recalling the horrifying sight and stench of the zombies, and shuddered involuntarily. Perhaps only as a ghost would she no longer fear them.

Whoosh!

Tian Fan suddenly stood up, stretching his limbs as he said: “Aunt Yu, we can’t just wait to die. I’ve decided—if we’re going to die, we’ll die fighting. So what if a few zombies are blocking the door? Let’s break out together!”

“Break out—get downstairs, get home, get food and water—we won’t die!”

Filled with renewed energy, Tian Fan picked up a hollow stainless steel pipe, about a thumb’s thickness, and swung it, determined to fight to the death.

Yu Nuo tried to stand too, but as she struggled to rise, gripping the wall, a low growl from nearby made her legs buckle and she collapsed back down.

Aowu!

“T-T-Tian Fan, did you hear that? It sounded like a zombie from Unit One—oh god, did it hear us? Will it come up?”

Yu Nuo, terrified and weak-legged, scrambled backward behind the smoke vent, trying to hide.

“Don’t—don’t be afraid. Zombies can’t open doors. They can’t get up. If they do, I’ll kill them!”

Tian Fan swallowed hard; his earlier bravado had mostly vanished, but he didn’t retreat—he still held the pipe. Too bad the hollow stainless steel was cheap; when he squeezed it hard, it bent slightly…

This pipe couldn’t even deal with a rabid dog, let alone a zombie.

The low, bloodthirsty howl didn’t last long—about ten seconds—then fell silent. What followed was even more chilling: the sound of a door being pushed open.

“Oh god, they’re really coming up—we…”

Bang!

Before Yu Nuo could finish, a sharp chopping sound rang out—and the door was yanked open.

Yu Nuo, crouched behind the smoke vent, trembled like a frightened chick. Tian Fan, gripping the pipe, bit his lip so hard blood welled up.

“Ahh!”

Tian Fan roared, charging toward the door with the pipe raised—he refused to die in silence, resolved to explode in silence.

“Ahh, my eyes!”

But before he could see anything, a blinding flash of light blinded him instantly.

“What’s all the yelling for? You’re a college student—can’t you be calm?”

A voice, slightly annoyed, spoke up.

The tone was harsh—but to Tian Fan and Yu Nuo, it sounded like heavenly music.

“Alive? Alive…”

Yu Nuo cautiously peeked out, staring at the man holding a powerful flashlight—she burst into tears of relief.

“Who… who are you, big brother? Are you here to save us? Are you from Building Three?”

Tian Fan’s nerves eased slightly, but since he couldn’t see, he waved his arms wildly, pacing in place in panic.

Qin Ya sighed, frowned: “Stand still and don’t move! I’m asking you—are you surnamed Tian and Yu?”

“Yes, yes! I’m Yu Nuo—oh god, you’re… a special police officer? Thank heaven—we’re saved!”

Yu Nuo finally saw his face—the words “SPECIAL POLICE” printed on his back glowed like divine light, illuminating her dark future.

“Special police?”

Tian Fan’s vision was slowly returning; hearing Yu Nuo’s words, his heart leapt. He hurriedly asked: “Brother Officer, I’m Tian—how did you know we were here?”

(End of Chapter)