014 Flattering for Favor (Humbly Asking for Votes and Continued Reading~~)

“Ugh… I didn’t think it was that disgusting at first, but after you threw up like that, I feel like puking too!”

The metallic scent of blood mingled with a sour, rancid smell, combined with the gruesome scene before them, stretched their nerves to the limit.

Suppressing his nausea, Zhang Su forcibly steadied himself and patted Zheng Xinyu’s back as she leaned against the wall, dry heaving. “Come on, let’s head back first.”

When faced with such a bloody scene, Zhang Su had his own way of coping. Just the thought that biting the person in front of him would cause mutation made him want to strike the creature a few more times. Instantly, the feeling of nausea lessened.

Zheng Xinyu turned her head toward Zhang Su, her chin still smeared with stomach mucus and a few grains of rice. She was about to speak when the urge to vomit surged again, forcing her to clutch the wall and dry heave once more.

“I feel so terrible… so terrible…”

Clutching her chest and abdomen, her voice was strangled and uneven, the kind one has when trying to speak through nausea, as if her stomach was about to turn itself inside out.

“By my grandmother’s grace, if you keep puking like this, you won’t have enough food to make it through!”

Zhang Su gently patted Zheng Xinyu’s back while glancing toward the door of apartment 802.

With such a commotion at the door, the residents of 802 couldn’t have been unaware. Now that the zombies had been dealt with, why hadn’t anyone come out yet?

From what he knew, 802 was practically uninhabited. The owner was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. The last time they had met was two years ago, when they accidentally bumped into each other in the elevator, exchanging no words.

He was puzzled and surprised to see a woman suddenly appear at 802, but he didn’t plan to investigate further.

Suddenly, the mechanical sound of the elevator operating rang out. Zhang Su took a few steps toward the elevator and saw it moving, going up from the third floor.

“The elevator’s moving. Come on, let’s get inside—quick!”

Zhang Su grabbed Zheng Xinyu around the waist and dragged her back inside.

He had no idea what was going on with the elevator—maybe someone was coming up, maybe a zombie inside had accidentally pressed a button, or maybe someone had called it. It was impossible to tell, but whatever the case, staying outside was far too dangerous.

Once inside the room, Zheng Xinyu collapsed onto the floor, the baseball bat clattering beside her, its surface marked with a trail of blood.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Emotion overwhelmed her, and she twisted her mouth into a pout, tears flowing as she looked at Zhang Su with immense grievance.

She felt both a sense of pride for having accomplished something extraordinary in her life and a deep, inner terror and resistance, as if forced into something she dreaded.

Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought Zhang Su had done something to her.

While Zhang Su peeked out to check the elevator, he heard her crying and nudged her gently with his foot, signaling her to stop.

“The elevator stopped on the sixth floor. Xinyu, do you think it’s a person or a zombie?”

Changing the subject seriously was the best way to comfort her.

As expected, after Zhang Su’s question, Zheng Xinyu’s sobs softened into quiet sniffles. She stuttered, “It’s… it’s definitely a person. A person wouldn’t… a zombie wouldn’t use an elevator!”

“What if there’s a zombie trapped inside the elevator that accidentally pressed the button? That’s not impossible!” Zhang Su analyzed seriously, then gently pushed open the door and stepped outside.

“Where are you going!?”

It was as if springs were attached to Zheng Xinyu’s backside. Seeing Zhang Su open the door, she immediately stood and grabbed his arm, holding on tightly.

“I’m going to the stairwell to listen for any movement and lock the safety door.”

Zhang Su patted her trembling hand.

With the crisis at the door partially resolved, he felt somewhat reassured and had slightly expanded their safe range of movement.

Zheng Xinyu stood inside, staring intently at Zhang Su as he slowly approached the safety door. She couldn’t help but imagine zombies bursting out of the stairwell to attack him. Suddenly realizing she was unarmed, she quickly crouched and picked up the baseball bat, which offered her a little sense of security.

As Zhang Su made his way to the safety door, he glanced back at the battlefield. The zombie lay limp against the 802 door. He had intended to drag it away but changed his mind—after all, the owner of 802 didn’t even stir an ounce of effort, which annoyed him, so he decided to just leave it be.

Reaching the stairwell, Zhang Su looked up and down. The silence was eerie—so quiet he could hear distant shouts through the windows, unclear in meaning, whether cries for help or death throes.

Below, a household’s pickling jar had been smashed, the faint bloodstain mixed with the sour scent of fermented vegetables creating a discordant atmosphere.

The stillness was terrifying.

Normally, the emergency stairwell was very quiet; few people bothered to climb stairs, and only cleaning staff came regularly. But these were no ordinary times. In the atmosphere of a zombie outbreak, the empty stairwell invited endless dark imaginings.

“No sign of movement. Looks like it’s not a person…”

Zhang Su frowned thoughtfully. If someone had taken the elevator to the sixth floor or pressed the button there, there should have been some noise, but the place was as silent as a tomb.

Halfway down the stairs, he peered through the gap and suddenly spotted two swinging arms at the bottom. From their movement, it was obvious they belonged to zombies!

Dangerous!

There was no safe place outside!

Zhang Su cautiously retreated back to the corridor and slowly closed the safety door, only to find the lock was broken. He silently cursed the property management. He could only leave it ajar and planned to find something to tie it shut later.

“Is there a problem?”

When Zhang Su returned inside, Zheng Xinyu immediately asked as she gently closed the door, the lock clicking into place, easing her anxiety.

“I didn’t hear any noise.”

Zhang Su shook his head gravely.

“No noise is actually good… no noise is good…”

Zheng Xinyu swallowed hard, her lips pale.

“Let’s go inside and rest.”

Zhang Su carried the hand axe in his other hand, habitually lowering his voice as he walked ahead. Suddenly, he turned back and asked, “Is there anything dirty on my face?”

“Just some on your chin and neck. W-will it cause problems?” Zheng Xinyu asked nervously.

Zhang Su shook his head as he removed his protective gear. “I don’t know, probably not, but it’s better to wash it off as soon as possible…”

He frowned slightly at the mention of water. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he hated wasting such a precious resource.

“Right.”

Zhang Su exhaled softly, disregarding washing off the blood for now, and turned back toward the main door.

“What are you going to do now?”

Zheng Xinyu hurried to follow, clutching the baseball bat tightly. She had quickly developed the habit of never letting go of her weapon.

Peering through the peephole, Zhang Su gently opened the door and said, “Scavenge.”

“Scavenge…”

Zheng Xinyu’s thoughts momentarily froze. Seeing Zhang Su approach the dead zombie, she suddenly understood what he meant.

Looking again at the bowl-shaped head, Zheng Xinyu almost gagged but quickly forced herself to focus on Zhang Su. She watched as he deftly pulled a ring of keys from the zombie’s body.