Several heads poked out of a sixth-floor window, every face terrified.
Su Jin moved among the zombie corpses, raising his blade and chopping, over and over...
Some were beheaded, some dismembered, and some cut into diamond-shaped chunks.
But every last one ended up with its heart cut out.
After watching for a while, Fu Qingdai covered her mouth and withdrew with Zhang Wan supporting her.
The two old men and Fu Hu watched for a while longer before all pulling their heads back in and silently shutting the window.
Even the residents who frequently cried for help whenever Su Jin appeared no longer dared make a sound. Every curtain was drawn.
The compound fell silent, save for the relentless sound of bones being chopped.
After digging out the last corpse's heart, Su Jin looked utterly dejected.
With his superpower, he had no reason to fear infection.
This time, he had planned to collect flesh orbs from the other zombies, desensitize himself and overcome his fear along the way, and finally study their weaknesses and how to fight them.
His efforts hadn't been wasted. In that brief practice session, he had discovered a fatal weakness shared by almost every zombie, one that might save his life someday.
That new insight, coupled with his massive increase in strength, had given his courage a considerable boost.
He had already dissected two corpses. With this additional practice, he could probably ensure that encountering a live one wouldn't trigger a stress response or make his hands shake, allowing him to fight at full strength.
The only disappointment was... the drop rate for flesh orbs was abysmally low.
He had cut open every corpse and found none.
He had arrived full of enthusiasm and left disappointed.
After going back to change his clothes, Su Jin hurried downstairs again, heading straight to the second floor.
He knocked twice and heard someone answer.
Then he shot out the lock and entered.
The man inside was still looking through the peephole. Before he could react, a gun muzzle was pressed against his forehead.
Recognizing Su Jin's face, the man collapsed onto the floor and scrambled backward, his pupils trembling as he cried out, "Please don't kill me, man... I'm Cheng Du! We've even smoked together!"
Su Jin glanced around the room, put away his gun, and smiled. "Captain Cheng, I'm here to rescue you. Don't be afraid."
Cheng Du was captain of the security team at the Talents Residential Compound. His main duty was usually wandering around.
Su Jin had spoken to him beforehand about moving grain and cooking oil at night, so they had indeed crossed paths.
He was in his early thirties. Though his job was laid-back, he maintained a disciplined lifestyle and was in decent shape.
Even after seeing that Su Jin meant him no harm, Cheng Du clearly didn't dare relax. "Brother Li... you, what you were doing downstairs just now..."
"I was using those zombies to practice and build my nerve. Sooner or later... we'll run into more of them. Do I look like a psychopath to you? Get up."
"Ah... right! Right!" Understanding dawned on Cheng Du, and tears instantly streamed down his face. He stood and tried to throw himself at Su Jin.
"Brother! I was scared to death! I saw you so many times and shouted myself hoarse calling for you. Why did you only come to save me now?"
Su Jin raised his gun and gestured him back. "Don't come closer. First, I need to confirm whether you've had any contact with rainwater."
"Of course I haven't!" Cheng Du wiped the corners of his eyes. "Someone sealed my door and slipped in a leaflet. Then I got a text on my phone... the rainwater was all contaminated. How could I dare touch it?"
"Then what have you been drinking?"
"Soft drinks for the first couple of days after the rain started, then toilet water. I even drank lubricant... when I ran out of water completely, I drank urine today. Boo-hoo..." Cheng Du burst into tears. "Why couldn't you have come one day earlier?!"
Su Jin glanced sideways... Seeing a little under half a glass of "iced tea" on the dining table, he felt somewhat reassured.
There probably wasn't a problem. This guy was very cautious-he had even resorted to drinking urine... But what was that about lubricant?
"Why didn't you ration it? You shouldn't have ended up this desperate."
"Who knew things would turn out like this? I thought someone would rescue me soon."
"Mm." Su Jin nodded. "All right. We're all gathered upstairs. I'll take you there in a bit. Someone will help you."
"Do you know what's happening across the hall?"
"I do. Sister Liu is a widow. We were still talking while you were cutting up those bodies. She lives alone and has a water dispenser with two spare barrels, so she's not short on food or water." Cheng Du licked his lips, which tasted acrid and foul. "On the third floor, something definitely happened in 301, right above me. I heard fighting and screams."
"302 has a new tenant, a female college student. I don't know how she's doing."
His account was thorough, and he could provide useful information promptly. So far, Cheng Du seemed reliable.
That was only natural. Fools generally had a hard time surviving this long.
Su Jin had already formed a preliminary judgment.
"All right. Pack up all the useful supplies in your apartment. I'll get Sister Liu out from across the hall, and we'll go upstairs together."
Inside 302, firewood was burning. The room wasn't cold at all; anyone dressed too warmly would even break into a sweat.
Li Fang sat on the bed with lifeless eyes and disheveled hair, looking as though she was on her last breath.
Two sickly young men slumped on the floor in opposite corners of the room.
"Li Fang... is there really... nothing left to eat?" one of them asked weakly.
Li Fang turned her head numbly and gave him a resentful glance.
She had originally invited Cao Chengping and Li Kai over to work on a group assignment.
They had drunk heavily together that night, and by the next morning, they couldn't leave.
There had only been a few snacks at home... and those two bastards had eaten half of them.
Without them, she wouldn't have been starving this badly.
When Li Fang didn't respond, Li Kai pressed on feebly. "Did you... hide some more food? You must've hidden something... otherwise, why do you look more energetic than me?"
"Fuck off." Li Fang spat out the words and fell silent.
"Who are you telling to fuck off... would I be in this state if you hadn't insisted on that stupid group assignment?" Li Kai fumed. "Would we have ended up like this if you hadn't flushed the toilet?! Who told you to flush after using it?! Why are you so selfish?! Can't you think about anyone else?!"
"Enough. Stop talking." Cao Chengping staggered to his feet, staring at Li Fang as he began taking off his clothes. "If we don't die of thirst, we'll starve. And even if we don't starve, who knows when we'll get carbon monoxide poisoning... now there's a murderous lunatic guarding the door outside, besides the monsters. None of us are getting out alive... none of us..."
As he spoke, Cao Chengping swallowed. "Li Fang... I have water..."
"You have water?!" Hope sprang into Li Fang's eyes.
"Wa... you have water?!" Li Kai instantly perked up.
Cao Chengping's expression gradually twisted. "Yes, I have water! I collected it the day the rain stopped, and I've already drunk some! Nothing fucking happened! At this point, I'm done hiding it. There's only a little left, and drinking it won't help anyway! Li Fang, I'll give you the water..."
"Where's the water? Where is it? I want some..." Li Kai crawled over and grabbed Cao Chengping's trouser leg, only to be brushed aside by a light kick.
"Get lost!" Cao Chengping's eyes grew red as he stared Li Fang down. "I'll give you the water. Before we die, why don't you and I..."
"What are you saying? Have you gone mad, Chengping?"
Tears welled in Li Fang's eyes, and she kept shaking her head and shrinking back, her voice thick with sobs.
"I'm not mad... we're going to die either way, so why die like a loser?" Cao Chengping rasped. "Li Fang, I'm giving you water. Aren't you touched?"
After shouting, Cao Chengping worked his dry lips, his gaze growing more frightening.
"Chengping... Chengping, don't do this. You're not thinking straight. Calm down. Didn't you say you've always thought of me as your little sister?"
"Yeah, I've always thought of you as my stepsister!"
"Li Kai... Li... Kai, help me... didn't you say... you liked me? Help... help me." Li Fang turned her pleading gaze toward Li Kai.
At her words, Li Kai forced himself up against the wall. In what seemed like a final burst of strength, he roared, "Cao Chengping!!"
"What?! We're all going to die, and you want to stop me?!" Cao Chengping turned his bloodshot eyes toward Li Kai.
The muscles in Li Kai's face twitched a few times before he spoke in fury.
"You despicable bastard! Taking advantage of her like this!!"
"Heh, playing the hero now? Let me tell you, Li Kai, you're nothing but a simp! You're still letting her order you around. You'll be a simp your whole life!"
Before you continue