Chapter 56: Brothers, Don

Bang, bang, bang—frantic pounding.

Fortunately, the zombies couldn’t pull the door outward, and fortunately, they lacked coordination; otherwise, a single charge would have shattered the fragile unit door completely.

“Ah…”

An involuntary cry rose from behind Qin Ya.

“Don’t shout!”

“Don’t scream!”

Zhang Su and Qin Ya both turned and glared at Yu Nuo.

Zombies have no intelligence, but they possess powerful instincts—just like violent assailants; the more you scream, the more excited they become!

Yu Nuo quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes overflowing with unrestrained fear—the horde of zombies just beyond the door made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

Liu Xuanyu, the youngest among them, turned ashen, lips tightly clenched, fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, yet he made not a single sound.

“This door won’t hold—get upstairs!”

Qin Ya called out to everyone and sprinted ahead toward the stairwell.

Zhang Su had intended to go down to the parking lot, but considering the chaos, if they encountered any mishap down there, they’d have no escape route—he gritted his teeth and dragged Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan upstairs too!

A chaotic storm of rapid footsteps erupted behind them; barely had the group reached the third floor when a thunderous crash echoed from below.

The unit door gave way heroically—the zombies trampled over the fallen entrance and poured into the building, their howls echoing through the halls.

The group exchanged glances, knowing zombies climbed stairs slowly, yet they couldn’t help sprinting faster upward.

Qin Ya snatched up the little boy Liu Xuanyu and bolted, shouting urgently: “Ninth floor—we’re going to the ninth floor, hurry!”

When the group burst through the door of 902, they all collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

“Fuck, my legs went weak from fear!”

The tall, muscular man leaned back against the wall, revealing a weary, relieved smile.

Zhang Su didn’t sit down—he scanned the room, locked eyes with the middle-aged man sitting in the corner, lunged forward, grabbed his collar, and yanked him up.

He slammed the man hard against the wall—*whoosh*—his axe instantly pressed to the man’s throat, its jagged edge glinting coldly!

The sequence of movements left no hesitation; the man, stunned, felt a chilling touch on his neck and cried out: “Ah… don’t kill me, I’m sorry, don’t kill me…”

The middle-aged man looked about fifty, wearing a milk delivery uniform and a cap—clearly a milkman—his face pale with terror, clearly shaken by Zhang Su’s actions.

“Brother, don’t do this—stay calm, don’t act impulsively!”

Qin Ya shot up as if springs were under his butt, soothing: “Brother, from this man’s perspective, refusing you entry wasn’t wrong—don’t do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life!”

The living room’s atmosphere instantly tightened—Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan abandoned their rest, leaping to their feet and standing beside Zhang Su, watching Qin Ya and the others warily.

Often, it’s not about right or wrong—only about stance.

Zhang Su’s icy gaze shifted from the milkman’s face to Qin Ya, and he licked his lips: “You’re right—his perspective justifies refusing us entry. But now I’m standing from my own perspective, seeking retribution—what’s wrong with that?”

“No problem!” The tall, muscular man also spoke up, standing and pointing at the milkman: “You’re a selfish bastard, but brother—you live on the eighth floor, right? Calm down, kids are watching—take it easy.”

Qin Ya saw the cold, ruthless determination in Zhang Su’s eyes and had no doubt he’d kill the milkman—but he was deeply confused: why would someone who’d just saved him be so brutal?

“Brother, listen to me—let’s put down our weapons and talk. The disaster’s here—outside, it’s hell, like the end of the world. Now’s the time we stick together, unite, or we won’t survive!”

“Give me a face—let him go. I already kicked him hard enough. You’ve escaped danger, haven’t you?”

Qin Ya spread his hands, gazing sincerely at Zhang Su, then pointed toward the window: “Why not take one last look at your home? It’s about to collapse.”

Zhang Su’s lips twitched—he hadn’t expected this cop to have a sense of humor. If the guy had started by throwing around legal threats or moral accusations, there’d have been no point in talking at all!

“Fine—I’ll give the cop a face.”

With that, Zhang Su released his grip and turned toward the window.

It wasn’t really about giving the cop a face—it was about giving the rifle slung on his back a face…

The milkman collapsed onto the floor, exhausted, staring at Zhang Su’s back, swallowing hard—he’d felt death’s breath so clearly just now. Had no one spoken up, he’d be dead.

“Holy shit, this… fucking hell!”

The tall man, hearing Qin Ya, joined him at the window, gaping at the building across the way. “Collapsed” was an exaggeration—but flames had already engulfed it; except for the first and second floors, nearly the entire structure was consumed.

In barely ten minutes, the fire had spiraled beyond control.

Twenty or thirty meters away, the group could still feel the searing heat—the building was merely a matter of time before becoming a hollow shell.

“Brother, I’m Duan Wuhu, live in 401—now we’re truly homeless!”

Duan Wuhu, face grim, extended his hand to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su sighed, shook his hand: “I’m Zhang Su. You’re right—I live on the eighth floor.”

“Damn, a fire—spares us even the cremation step. Wife, Mom, rest in peace!”

With that, Duan Wuhu pulled Duan Sihai to their knees before the window and bowed three heavy, thudding bows toward their home.

The room fell silent—no one spoke. No one expected the Duan brothers’ loss to be so devastating. But then again, surviving didn’t guarantee fortune—the real torment had only just begun.

“This is my brother, Duan Sihai. Are you two ladies from Building Three too? You look unfamiliar.”

Duan Wuhu rose after bowing, introducing his brother to Zhang Su and the others, then asked about the two women beside Zhang Su.

“Yes, I’m Zheng Xinyu—Zhang Su’s girlfriend! Nice to meet you, Wuhu and Sihai.”

Zheng Xinyu warmly responded, shaking Duan Wuhu’s hand.

“I—I live in 802, Zhong Xiaoshan. Nice to meet you.”

Zhong Xiaoshan didn’t dare call herself Zhang Su’s girlfriend—they’d only slept together once, their relationship was unclear. She couldn’t openly admit she was a mistress, so she skipped it entirely.

“You two ladies are no ordinary women…”

Duan Wuhu rubbed his palm, gesturing to them—he’d clearly felt the calluses on their hands during the handshake; clearly, they’d trained hard these past few days.

(End of Chapter)