023 A Heroic Sacrifice

After more than half an hour, Zhang Su told Zheng Xinyu to stop and rest, though he continued on.

It was not out of a sense of chivalry or a desire to be harder on himself than others; it was simply that when one might encounter an emergency at any moment, it was unwise to train to the point of total exhaustion. At the very least, one had to preserve enough strength to fight back.

"How do you feel?"

As the training concluded, Zhang Su wiped himself down with a wet towel and asked about Zheng Xinyu's condition.

Zheng Xinyu had already tidied up. She was sitting to the side in clean pajamas, holding an energy drink. She shrugged and said, "I feel like I could handle a little more intensity. It’s not too tiring."

It wasn't that she wasn't tired, but rather that she felt the weight of Zhang Su’s efforts, which gave her an inexplicable sense of nervous pressure.

As a PUBG streamer who frequently played in squads, she knew all too well the helplessness of trying to carry teammates who couldn't keep up. Often, it wasn't a lack of desire to save them, but simply a total inability to do so. She didn't want to be the one crawling pathetically in the grass, waiting for death.

"Fine, we'll increase the intensity gradually. Otherwise, it’s easy to get injured."

As he spoke, Zhang Su walked to the window to observe the outside. He couldn't help but sigh, "It’s getting quieter out there. By the way, Xinyu, I thought of something today while we were dealing with the zombies..."

The two discussed many issues regarding the zombies and summarized their experiences from the day's encounters before heading to their respective rooms to rest.

It was past ten o'clock at night. Zhang Su lay in bed, eyes wide open, unable to sleep. A little over a day ago, he had been shaken awake by Zheng Xinyu, followed by a day that could only be described as insanity—a madness that would continue indefinitely, with no end in sight.

"Luezi, Xiaoxue... I wonder how those two are doing."

There weren't many people Zhang Su cared about, but his two employees were definitely at the top of the list. They were among the few people in this world he was familiar with, and who were familiar with him in return.

Occasionally, he also thought of a certain ex-girlfriend...

He rolled over, and suddenly, his hair stood on end. He bolted upright and snapped toward the door, "Are you a ghost? You walk without making a sound!"

A silhouette stood in the doorway in the darkness—it was Zheng Xinyu, clutching her blanket.

Due to a specific thought, Zhang Su had intentionally left his door unlocked that night, as if he had anticipated that Zheng Xinyu might come over.

"There are noises... I’m scared," Zheng Xinyu said in a low voice.

Her bedroom was at the very edge of the building. The open surroundings, combined with the silence of the night, meant she heard many things she didn't want to hear: heart-wrenching screams, hoarse pleas for help, painful groans, and the beast-like howls of the zombies. She had tried wearing headphones to make the world go quiet, but being deprived of her sense of hearing in the pitch black had only made her more terrified.

Zhang Su scooted over and patted the bed. "Come on then. I specialize in taking in helpless girls, though I should warn you—I’m prone to getting handsy!"

Zheng Xinyu didn't hesitate for a second. She darted onto Zhang Su's bed, exhaled in relief, and then laughed, "You say that as if I won't get handsy too! Ha!"

"You dare!"

Zhang Su raised his hand to swat at her bottom, but this time, he didn't succeed. Zheng Xinyu had anticipated his move and used a box to block his mischievous hand.

As soon as Zhang Su touched the plastic film on the box, he knew what it was. The atmosphere was right, the night was still, and it was truly a good time for a cigarette.

He took the pack, pulled one out, and ignited it. The tension eased to its limit with every puff, giving his frayed nerves a moment of respite.

The first night of the zombie outbreak should have been the hardest to fall asleep, but after the relaxation provided by the cigarettes, the two drifted into a deep slumber, only to wake up to the same darkness.

*Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat-tat... BOOM...*

A series of gunshots shattered the silence. The terrifyingly loud echoes shook the sky, casting a red glow against the curtains. Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu woke up almost simultaneously.

"What’s that sound?" Zheng Xinyu asked in terror.

People from the Middle Kingdom weren't particularly sensitive to the sounds of gunfire.

"Gunshots, and... artillery? Quick, let’s go look..."

Zhang Su wasn't unfamiliar with it, as he heard it daily in his games. Zheng Xinyu was different; she played for the atmosphere and the show, and she had never paid attention to the audio of PUBG...

Without bothering to dress properly, Zhang Su hurried to the window. He saw flashes of fire and smoke rising on the street to the west of the residential complex, where no explosions had occurred previously. Through the fire and light, he could see many people moving while firing, their muzzle flashes weaving together in the night to form a halo, attempting to hold back the encroaching evil!

The occasional explosions sounded like grenades; it was like a battlefield, absolutely shocking.

"Over there, it must be the military. They have heavy firepower clearing out the zombies. Haha, we’re safe now!" Zhang Su said, his expression filled with excitement.

He was optimistic and refused to bow to his dire circumstances, but he hoped for the restoration of order more than anything, as his life had been quite good before.

"Really? Oh my god, I think I saw a tank. Was that a tank just now?" Zheng Xinyu grabbed Zhang Su’s arm, her eyes welling up with excitement.

"That was an armored vehicle. It doesn't look like the military; those are special police armored vehicles. They’re likely the same people from the helicopter yesterday. In any case, we’re saved!"

A look of relief appeared on Zhang Su’s face. He felt that in the face of such powerful heavy weaponry, the zombies would surely be reduced to dust.

However, his smile soon stiffened. The flames from the gun barrels were slowly obscured by the buildings, and what came into view was a dark, massive swarm that filled the entire street...

"Those... those are zombies!"

Due to the distance and the lighting, Zhang Su couldn't see the specific details, but he was certain that the entire expanse was filled with horrific zombies.

His hair stood on end, he gasped for air, and his scalp went numb. Even from two or three hundred meters away, the suffocating, sky-blocking pressure made his heart tremble.

There was always a possibility of negotiation with human enemies, but when facing an overwhelming sea of zombies... those bloodthirsty monsters were born for carnage; they would never leave a living thing with a glimmer of hope.

"Damn it, how are there so many? This... this is bad!"

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu desperately wanted to see the end of that dark mass, but before they could, the gunfire began to wane. One could imagine how much ammunition it took to sustain that kind of overwhelming firepower. Once the ammo was exhausted, the guns became useless...

*BOOM!*

With a streak of fire shooting into the sky, the windows rattled slightly. After the explosion, all gunfire went silent. Aside from the raging flames, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

*Thud.*

Zhang Su sat down on the floor, unable to believe what he had seen, not even noticing the chill of the floor.

"Zhang Su, those special police..." Zheng Xinyu asked, stunned.

"They sacrificed themselves."

A heavy answer. Those brave souls had turned their lives into a brilliant light, striving to drive away the filthy evil!