024 The Second Day (Merry Christmas to all readers celebrating)

"I don't understand. Why couldn't even such powerful weapons resolve the zombie threat?" Zheng Xinyu crouched on the floor, sobbing softly. She grieved for the fallen heroes, felt sorrow for her inability to wait for rescue, and was overcome by the hopelessness and disappointment of an uncertain future.

"I thought the same before. What are carbon-based lifeforms in the face of artillery fire? But I don't think that way anymore." Zhang Su shook his head and continued, "My assumption was based on the military and police systems being fully intact, where heavy firepower could easily wipe out the zombies. But... if the zombie virus is an indiscriminate infection, then..."

Humanity's conventional weapons are indeed formidable, but even the most powerful weapons require operators. Human beings—living, uninfected human beings—are the key.

"If that's truly the case, then doesn't that mean there's no hope for rescue?" Zheng Xinyu looked up at Zhang Su, her face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with despair. If even powerful weapons could not hold them back, how were ordinary people like them, who had never even touched a gun, supposed to resist?

"How could there be no hope?" Zhang Su reached out and placed his hand on Zheng Xinyu's cold back, his tone firm. "Being alive is hope. We must live with everything we've got, and fight until we've reached the very end!"

They lay back on the bed, and despite being exhausted, they tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Eventually, they drifted into a hazy slumber, and by the time they woke, it was already past nine in the morning.

"I'm going to check on Brother Li upstairs." After breakfast, Zhang Su spoke to Zheng Xinyu as she cleared the dishes.

After waking up, neither of them mentioned the cigarette from the previous night. It was as if everything were normal, natural, and a matter of course. There was no exploitation, no one was shortchanged; there was only the solace shared between two souls and bodies in a time of crisis.

Zheng Xinyu wiped the bowls clean with a paper towel and nodded. "Do you need me to come with you?"

If it had been yesterday, she would have been confused as to why Zhang Su was so eager to search for supplies in other people's homes. But after last night, she understood that this was going to be a long-term battle, one that required long-term planning. Even if no trouble occurred within the Shengqin Residential Compound, their ability to venture out for supplies was extremely limited, so starting with the closest locations was the right move.

"No, I'll go alone. Lock the door and continue your exercises. Don't just work on your upper body; strengthen your lower body, too!" Zhang Su said. He walked to the window and pulled back a sliver of the curtain to peek out. It was a clear, cloudless day. If not for the black smoke rising from various spots, it would have been a beautiful day.

"Understood! Let me put your arm guards on for you." Zheng Xinyu carefully strapped the guards onto Zhang Su, adding with concern, "If there's any trouble, don't take risks!"

"Don't worry, I know my limits."

***

Zhang Su gave Zheng Xinyu’s flushed face a gentle squeeze, picked up an axe from the floor, and walked toward the front door.

"Hmm?"

Peering through the peephole to observe the hallway, Zhang Su was startled to find that the zombie corpse they had beaten to a pulp the day before was gone. All that remained was a dark stain stretching from the doorway of 802 to the emergency exit. He had planned to survey the stairwell before deciding how to move the body, but someone had beaten him to it.

"The zombie corpse outside is gone!" Zhang Su felt a shiver run down his spine as he turned to speak to Zheng Xinyu nearby.

"This... has someone been here? There are other survivors in the building!" Zheng Xinyu said with a strange expression. "But even if there are, why would they want a zombie corpse?"

Zhang Su shook his head. "I'm not sure. Let's ask Zhong Xiaoshan."

Opening the door just a crack, Zhang Su didn't step out immediately, intending to observe the stairwell first. Just then, a door opened across the hall. Zhong Xiaoshan stepped out. Unlike the nightgown she wore the day before, she was now in jeans and a tight-fitting knit sweater, a look of exhaustion on her face.

"It's me, it's me!"

Zhong Xiaoshan walked to the door of 801. Seeing Zhang Su’s vigilant and suspicious expression, she pointed toward the emergency exit and said, "I dragged the body away. Don't be nervous."

"You!"

"You..."

Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu spoke in unison, their voices filled with disbelief. He looked at the soft-spoken woman in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze, finding it hard to fathom. From start to finish, neither of them had imagined it could be her. Still, it was for the best; at least it dispelled the suspicion that outsiders had been lurking.

"Well... the body was blocking the door, it was in the way, and the weather hasn't turned cold yet. It would have started to rot and breed bacteria, which wouldn't have been good for any of us..." Zhong Xiaoshan spoke softly. Though she looked weary, her state was clearly better than the day before.

"You've got guts, and you're quite strong, too..." Zhang Su opened the door to let her in.

Zhong Xiaoshan smoothed back her slightly greasy hair and offered a sheepish smile. "You're too kind. Being a nurse at the hospital doesn't leave room for slacking off, so it gave me a pretty good workout."

"Impressive. So, are you here to eat?" Zhang Su asked. He had promised to help her cook instant noodles and snail rice noodles, and he was not one to go back on his word.

Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head. "No, I'm here... I wanted to bring you some news. We probably won't be seeing any rescue anytime soon!"

"You're talking about the firefight on the street last night, right?" Zhang Su frowned, gesturing toward the direction of the conflict.

"Exactly. If even such intense gunfire couldn't defeat the zombies, I... I don't want to just wait for death. I want to join you. Is that possible?" Zhong Xiaoshan stated her purpose directly.

She had barely slept all night. After witnessing that tragic scene, her heart felt as heavy as if it were pressed by a ten-thousand-pound boulder. She had relied on the military more heavily than even Zheng Xinyu had, and seeing that heat-based weapons could not hold back the tide of zombies had driven her to the brink of despair. Zheng Xinyu had found her way out of despair through Zhang Su’s encouragement, while Zhong Xiaoshan had spent the night struggling alone, eventually kindling a fire of survival in the midst of darkness and fear.

She knew very well that as a lone woman, surviving in the Shengqin compound was a challenge, let alone breaking out. Joining Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu was her best option. Unfortunately, the decision was not hers to make.

Zhang Su looked Zhong Xiaoshan up and down, realizing that her initiative in clearing the corpse was a way of demonstrating her worth.

"I don't need a woman who screams every time she sees a zombie."

At this, Zhong Xiaoshan’s fair cheeks flushed slightly. She pursed her lips and said, "I promise that won't happen again. Yesterday was just because it was my first time... but I have a high capacity for adaptation!" She stood straighter as she spoke, as if declaring her resolve to a superior.

"Talk is cheap. If you want to prove you're useful, there's a perfect opportunity right now!" Zhang Su witnessed the change in her. Setting aside her past as a mistress, she had potential. To be able to pull herself out of despair and ignite such a strong will to survive was commendable.

The will to survive was crucial at this moment. If one were filled with despair and pessimism, every action would be passive, and death would not be far away.