Chapter 64: Familiar formula, familiar taste

In the underground garage, the hazard lights flickered like human breathing; between each flash and fade, it felt as if the world were switching between the mortal realm and hell. To see anything clearly, one had to rely on the brief moments of light, while in the darkness, one either had to stop or move forward by memory.

Zhang Su instinctively wanted to click on his flashlight, but ultimately decided against it.

Zombies wouldn't actively attack a light source, but there was still a certain level of danger. Mostly, he felt there were other survivors in the underground parking lot, and if they happened to see him, it might lead to unnecessary entanglements.

"Move!"

Zhang Su took the lead, a hatchet in his right hand and a machete in his left, carefully hugging the wall as he headed toward the basement of Building 3. He was quite familiar with the underground parking lot, and with the hazard lights of the vehicles in the distance, he wouldn't lose his way.

The others followed Zhang Su in the pre-arranged order.

Just as Zhang Su had expected, most of the zombies in the underground parking lot of Buildings 3 and 4 had been lured away by the Duan brothers. Only a few remained, wandering between the cars, but even so, they still posed a significant obstacle for the group.

On their path, two zombies were shuffling back and forth, their movements slow and their demeanor calm. But all this tranquility would vanish the moment they sensed living flesh, turning them into violent, bloodthirsty monsters.

"We have to lure them away!"

Behind the wall, Zhang Su said to the others behind him, his voice no louder than a mosquito's hum.

Zhong Xiaoshan fished her keys out of her pocket and jiggled them, signaling that the car alarm should be enough to draw the zombies away.

Zhang Su shook his head decisively. Once the Highlander's alarm went off, zombies from all directions would surely swarm to the basement of Building 3. Wouldn't that be digging their own graves?

"The old method!"

Zhang Su sheathed his machete and pulled a mobile phone from his bag. Carefully shielding the light, he turned on the sound and pulled up the countdown page. He pondered for a moment, set a five-second countdown, and then showed the screen to the others.

The meaning was clear: be ready to move in five seconds!

Seeing the others nod, Zhang Su took a deep breath, aimed, and pressed the start button. When the countdown hit 00:04, he threw the phone with a *whoosh*.

The phone screen emitted a soft glow, tracing a powerful arc through the air like a shooting star in the night sky, flying toward an area dense with vehicles.

*Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep! *

As the phone flew through the air, the countdown ended, emitting a series of urgent, piercing sounds that carried remarkably well through the vast, silent parking lot.

*Thwack. *

The phone struck the trunk of a car, the sheet metal providing some cushioning. Even after landing on the ground, the *beep-beep-beep* sound remained loud and clear.

*Awoo! *

Roars erupted from all directions as many zombies rushed toward the sound of the phone, heedless of anything else. Then came a series of *bang-bang-bang* collision sounds; the foolish zombies didn't know how to avoid the cars and simply slammed straight into them...

The zombies blocking Zhang Su and his group were naturally lured away as well. Just as he was about to lead the others forward, the roar of an engine suddenly erupted.

*Vroom, vroom! *

An SUV near where the phone had landed suddenly started up, followed by the screech of tires—sharp and ear-piercing!

The X35 burst out of its parking space with extreme violence, driving like a madman toward the parking lot exit.

Qin Ya, in the driver's seat, had a twisted expression, thinking to himself: "Zhang Su, you bastard, you've really screwed me over this time!"

Others might not know, but he was basically certain that the guy using a phone to lure zombies was Zhang Su. This trick was just too familiar!

Qin Ya had previously had a feeling that Zhang Su's group was holed up in 302. Based on his instincts as a SWAT officer, he believed Zhang Su would likely follow behind him...

He had been hoping to recruit Zhang Su's group to leave together, so he had simply waited in the parking lot. By his estimation, Zhang Su should have appeared soon.

Sure enough, Zhang Su had come, and he'd even brought him a gift!

"Don't know who that poor bastard is... hope it's not Officer Qin."

Zhang Su, unaware of Qin Ya's complex thoughts, stepped out from behind the wall. Watching the X35 speed away, followed by the swarm of corpses chasing the vehicle, he nodded with great satisfaction.

"Much safer now, but don't get careless. Move!"

With that, he took off running toward where his vehicle was parked.

Zhang Su quickly found his beloved minivan, pulled the door open, tossed his bag into the passenger seat, and jumped in.

"My car, where is my car... right."

In the darkness, Zhong Xiaoshan couldn't find her car for a moment. In her anxiety, she hurriedly pressed her car key, only to realize it was just a short distance away. The three of them filed into the car and began fumbling to fasten their seatbelts.

The minivan was only three or four spaces away from the Highlander. Zhang Su could hear the others muttering inside their car and knew they were in position, so he decisively turned on his headlights.

"Baby, let's go!"

As he spoke, Zhang Su fastened his seatbelt while turning the key. A series of *ch-ch-ch-ch* sounds followed, which made him break out in a cold sweat.

It wouldn't start...

"Holy shit, don't tell me the battery's dead!"

The five-year-old minivan should have had its battery replaced during the last service, but Zhang Su had kept putting it off, planning to drive it for one more year before replacing the vehicle entirely. He hadn't expected it to fail him at such a critical moment.

Zhang Su looked toward the parking lot exit. Groups of three or five zombies were running out; clearly, the X35 had already exited the parking lot. He had to hurry!

Beside him, the Highlander's headlights flickered on, and the vehicle shuddered—it had clearly started successfully.

Zhang Su felt incredibly frustrated. It wasn't that he couldn't afford a good car, but the minivan was more cost-effective. If he had known today would come, he would have definitely heavily modified a Raptor!

*Tut-tut-tut-tut-tut. *

Zhang Su turned the key while slamming on the gas, muttering, "Baby, baby, finish this one trip and I'll let you retire, okay? Come on, give me some power!"

As if it had heard Zhang Su's promise, the spark plug finally ignited the engine.

*Pfft, vroom! *

The 1.5-liter engine let out a roar.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Su let out a manic laugh. Clutch, gear, gas—all in one fluid motion. He surged out of the parking space, drifted, and headed toward the exit. The little minivan was driven with the spirit of an Initial D tofu-delivery car.

Although the Highlander was much more luxurious than the minivan, its posture was far less composed, giving off a twisted feeling, like a sprinter who had sprained an ankle—it wanted to run fast, but it just couldn't.

"Fast, be fast, hurry."

Inside the Highlander, Zhong Xiaoshan muttered neurotically, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Her eyes were fixed on the rear of the minivan, which only had one working taillight. With one foot on the gas and one on the brake, she was using every ounce of her driving skill.

In the passenger seat, Zheng Xinyu kept her mouth tightly pursed, her eyes filled with terror, much like when she first saw a zombie. Her left hand was pressed hard against the center console, her right hand gripped the handle above the door, and even her toes were tensed.

Wang Guangjun sat in the middle of the back seat, wearing two seatbelts, leaning against the backrest with his eyes closed, constantly muttering "Buddha preserve me."

This time was even more miserable than when he had COVID a year ago—coughing, fever, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, stuffy nose, and even his waist hurt. Was he about to evolve?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 65 =====