Chapter 55: Hurry, Open the Door!

After such a trivial victory, there was no time to rest; two of the remaining three zombies attacked simultaneously.

“Yah!”

Two sharp cries rang out; Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanjian imitated him, using their backpacks as shields, unafraid of claws and bites, charging straight at the zombies!

Unfortunately, their mass and impact were clearly insufficient, and since the zombies they faced were adults transformed, their chests were bruised but achieved none of Zhang Su’s effect—only managing to stagger the zombies back two steps.

Fortunately, the charge tactic didn’t slow their escape; even this brief loss of balance was enough for the two to break through the blockade and shake off the seven or eight zombies chasing behind them.

Zhang Su, leading the group, soon encountered the last zombie; with no distance to build momentum, he swung the case of mineral water he carried, whooshing it forward, thinking that a case weighing over ten catties should at least knock the zombie down.

Puff.

But the plastic packaging was too fragile; the zombie raised its hand and its sharp nails easily sliced through the plastic, sending bottles flying everywhere, while the attacked zombie merely staggered back slightly—even less than Zheng Xinyu’s charge had achieved.

Zhang Su felt the weight vanish from his hand, momentarily stunned, but reacted swiftly, swinging his axe-hammer with his other hand—a motion now automatic.

Thud.

The sound of metal striking bone made their buttocks tingle; the zombie collapsed on the spot, howling wildly.

Zhang Su didn’t bother finishing it off, tossed aside the shredded plastic packaging like rags, and snatched up another bottle of mineral water from the ground as he kept running.

This delay allowed Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanjian to catch up to Zhang Su; the three sprinted together toward the front of Building 4.

The scattered mineral water bottles weren’t wasted; one zombie chasing them stepped on one and slipped, instantly toppling three or four zombies behind it in a chain reaction.

Temporarily freed from the zombies behind, Zhang Su and the others quickly circled to the front of Building 4—but the situation ahead showed no improvement.

Looking ahead, over a dozen zombies filled the front of Building 4; fortunately, not all clustered near Unit 1, but still, four or five immediately shrieked and charged toward Zhang Su and the others!

“Fuck! There are more over here! In, in, in—hurry and get inside!”

Zhang Su swung his axe at the first female zombie to reach him; in his panic, he missed his aim, only slicing her neck, spraying dark red blood—he failed to kill it instantly, so he kicked it hard to knock it down.

“Can’t open it, Brother Su—the lock’s jammed!”

Zheng Xinyu scrambled up the side of the stairs to the unit entrance and pulled the door—her heart sank…

“Push harder!”

Zhang Su roared, kicked another zombie lunging at him away, used his backpack as a shield against a second one, then swung his axe.

“Xinyu, let me try!”

Zhong Xiaoshanjian shouted at Zheng Xinyu; as she stepped aside, she swung her large wrench with a whoosh toward the lock.

Clang.

Sparks flew; the lock was immediately bent out of shape.

“Good, huh?”

The two tugged frantically at the door, producing a series of clangs—but the door wouldn’t budge!

“Shit! Brother Su, there’s a shark-arm pulling the door from inside! Let go, you fucking asshole!”

Zheng Xinyu had been too panicked and the dim light inside the unit had hidden the fact that someone behind the door was gripping a rope tightly, body stretched rigidly on the floor like a human doorstop—likely using every ounce of strength he had!

“Fuck!”

Zhang Su cursed loudly upon hearing this, increased his force, his axe becoming a blur—he smashed open the skull of one zombie, kicked another away, then spun and sprinted to the unit door.

But at that moment, two figures appeared in his line of sight.

One tall and stout, one tall and thin.

Their sudden appearance brought Zhang Su no relief—instead, his heart tightened; instinct told him these were the two brothers who’d just gone to the underground parking lot to get their car—and sure enough, their first words confirmed it.

“Xiao Hai, there are people here! Hey, hurry, lots of zombies behind us—get inside!”

The deep voice was filled with urgency, beads of sweat covering his forehead.

Zhang Su could imagine how many zombies followed these two brothers; he didn’t hesitate, pointed to the unobstructed passage behind him, and said: “Someone’s pulling the door from inside—I’ll handle it. You hold off the zombies!”

“Got it!”

The man didn’t waste a second—he swung his homemade weapon at the charging zombies, and shouted to the trembling tall, thin man beside him: “Xiao Hai, move! Don’t freeze!”

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshanjian didn’t need Zhang Su’s orders; once he took over the door, they immediately joined the fight, helping to block the incoming zombies.

With his back now clear, Zhang Su raised his axe to smash the unit door’s glass—when suddenly, a startled voice came from inside.

“What are you doing?”

Zhang Su recognized the voice—it was the police officer who’d shouted at him to run earlier. He stopped his action and hurriedly said: “Open the door! Quick!”

Qin Ya, hearing voices outside, was even more alarmed, snapping: “Why are you holding the door shut? Get out of the way! Can’t you hear someone’s trying to get in?”

“Don’t open it! There are zombies outside—if you let them in, we’re all dead!”

The man pulling the door’s voice trembled—whether from fear or sheer exertion, it was impossible to tell.

At that moment, the zombies chasing the Duan brothers around from the underground parking lot turned toward Building 4; though still out of sight, their dense, chittering howls sent chills down their spines.

“You son of a bitch!”

Zhang Su pulled the door with all his strength—still no movement; the man inside refused to let go. Just as he prepared to break the glass—

Thud.

A thump sounded from inside the door.

Immediately, the door swung open slightly on its own…

Aaaoohh…

The horde moved fast; drawn by the sound, they’d already reached the unit’s steps—had the step’s drop not been a full meter high, they could have leapt right up.

“Xinyu, Xiaoshan, get in! Hurry! Everyone, get in—”

Zhang Su yanked the door wide, urgently calling everyone inside; once all had entered, he and the stout man pushed back the three zombies that had reached them, then darted inside and slammed the unit door shut.

Inside the unit corridor stood five or six people—men, women, old and young—all carrying backpacks, clearly preparing to flee too.

But there was no time to relax now!

Thud!

Less than a second later, three or four zombies slammed into the unit door; their bloody maws gnawed at the glass, scratching streaks into the dried blood, and their withered palms pounded the iron door.

More zombies surged from behind, hurling themselves against the door; the violent impacts made the frame and walls tremble violently.

(End of Chapter)