I Bought This House Outright with Cash

"Brother Su, that SWAT officer is talking to us!"

Zhong Xiaoshan also noticed the commotion across the way, but unfortunately, due to the noisy environment, she couldn't make out what the other party was saying.

Zhang Su furrowed his brow tightly and glanced downstairs. The huge explosion had attracted the surrounding zombies, and zombies unaware of the situation were swarming toward Unit 2. Meanwhile, rolling tongues of flame had already engulfed the fourth and fifth floors, and with the wind aiding the blaze, it would reach their floor in no time!

Did they want to run?

Of course not...

Zhang Su had planned ahead to organize easy-to-carry supplies, intending to consume the perishables that couldn't be packed before leaving the residential compound. According to his vision, by that time, the three of them would have developed decent combat capability and tacit coordination, allowing them to better handle the harsh environment.

Unfortunately, plans could never keep up with sudden changes!

Zhang Su nodded heavily at the opposite building, then turned around to tell Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan, "Go get your bags, we are leaving!"

"Ah? This, this..."

Zheng Xinyu panicked instantly and spun around in place twice.

Deep down, she knew they would have to leave this place sooner or later, but such a sudden departure still caught her off guard.

Zhong Xiaoshan handled it a bit better than Zheng Xinyu. She didn't live in this compound to begin with, so her sense of attachment was limited. Ever since Zhang Su mentioned leaving, she had been mentally preparing herself, making her acceptance level higher than Zheng Xinyu's.

"Sister Xinyu, get ready quickly!"

Seeing that Zheng Xinyu was somewhat at a loss, Zhong Xiaoshan grabbed her hand and ran toward the bedroom!

Prior to this, Zhang Su had already packed as many supplies as possible into the bags. Once an emergency occurred—just like now—they could simply sling them over their shoulders and go!

Soon, six bulging backpacks were brought out to the living room, each filled to the brim with various supplies.

Thud!

Zhang Su flipped open the box under the bed containing weapons; only the finest machetes remained inside. He strapped the scabbard to his waist—an absolute powerhouse of a tool in close-quarters combat!

"Go grab the crowbars and the fire axe, they'll come in handy!"

Weapons were undoubtedly crucial resources, taking even higher priority than food!

Knowing that time was of the essence and not daring to delay any further, the two women tightly pressed their lips together, picked up whatever usable weapons they could, and fastened them to their backpacks.

"No time left, let's move!"

Zhang Su ran back to the window for another look. The fire was fierce, having already spread to the seventh floor of the adjacent unit. Due to the wind direction, smoke was beginning to billow from the base of their own unit as well!

Without firefighters, the entire building was likely doomed.

"Wait!"

Zheng Xinyu suddenly cried out urgently, "Arm guards! I haven't put on my arm guards!"

Due to the cold weather, they had been wearing more layers of clothing, which caused them to forget about the arm guards.

Arm guards were an indispensable protective measure. The three of them busily strapped on the modified guards. Calling them arm guards was an understatement; they covered not just the arms but also the lower legs with protective gear, making them look very much like ice hockey players.

"Let's go, go!"

Donning their protective gear, with heavy backpacks strapped to their chests and backs, and gripping reliable weapons in their hands, the three of them rushed hurriedly toward the front door.

Zhang Su looked back and spotted a case of bottled water in the corner. Gritting his teeth, he ran back and hoisted it up.

"Brother Su, we have enough water already. Let's go."

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan, standing by the doorway, waved their hands frantically.

"I bought this apartment fully paid in cash, damn it!"

Reaching the threshold, Zhang Su cast a rather nostalgic glance behind him, slammed the door shut with a bang, and then pointed at the fire escape door: "Downstairs!"

Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap.

Urgent footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Zhang Su took the lead, practically bounding down the steps. Zheng Xinyu followed closely behind, mimicking his movements: leaping forward, bracing her hands against the railing, swinging her body, and landing securely.

Zhong Xiaoshan had the hardest time. Her legs were slightly fatigued after the stair-jumping training, and coupled with the heavy load on her back, she visibly struggled to keep up the pace.

She didn't utter a word, gritting her teeth hard as she stared fixedly at the stairs beneath her feet, descending steadily. She was indeed a bit slower, but only by about a single flight of stairs.

"Wait!"

Reaching the fourth floor, Zhang Su suddenly halted, his gaze narrowing as he looked downstairs. He couldn't see anything, but the hurried footsteps didn't lie.

"Someone's coming!"

"It must be survivors from the lower floors, that's great!"

Zheng Xinyu flashed a fleeting smile, believing that encountering living people at this point was always better than running into zombies.

"Move!"

Without offering an opinion, Zhang Su narrowed his eyes and resumed running downward.

The situation in the stairwell was somewhat grim. Aside from scattered debris, there were parked electric bicycles, which hindered their speed to a certain extent, though fortunately, there were no zombies in sight.

Boom-thud...

As they reached the second floor, the three of them simultaneously heard a muffled thud of something hitting the ground.

"Damn it, I bet those plastic-steel windows burned through and dropped!"

Zhang Su kept moving as he exclaimed in astonishment.

The two women weren't as composed as he was; their lips were tightly pursed, leaving them no time to speak.

Soon, the three reached the first floor.

Zheng Xinyu followed closely behind Zhang Su, expecting him to head out the unit's main door, only to find him continuing downward toward the basement!

Slowing his pace, Zhang Su made a hand gesture for them to follow while regulating his breath. Once Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan caught up to him, he whispered, "Those two people from earlier didn't leave the unit!"

In other words, those two individuals had also headed down to the parking garage.

"But you said earlier that there would be a lot of zombies in the parking garage!"

Zheng Xinyu said in a low voice, her heart still pounding from the intense exertion.

When the disaster first broke out on day one, Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu had deduced from various reports that the outbreak likely started around 7:00 AM, right during the morning rush hour for commuting to work and school.

The Shengqin Homeland complex was designed to separate pedestrians and vehicles. Owners driving out would head to the underground parking garage to retrieve their cars, meaning there were far more people underground than above ground!

Pressing close to the wall, Zhang Su walked slowly downward while nodding. "That's right, that must have been the case back then, but not necessarily now. Besides, if we want to break out, we need a vehicle!"

Although road conditions ahead were unknown, vehicles drove past every day, proving that things weren't so bad that driving was entirely impossible.

In areas densely populated by zombies, trying to cross on foot was as difficult as ascending to heaven, whereas the mobility of vehicles was incomparable.

"My Highlander is parked right near the front of the building downstairs..."

Zhong Xiaoshan fought to suppress her rapid breathing as she spoke.

Zhang Su nodded. His van was even closer—the second parking space to the left upon exiting the stairwell door. Buying the apartment in full cash had granted him priority in selecting parking spots.

Stepping lightly, the three descended deeper underground. The lighting grew dim as all the illumination systems had ceased working due to the power outage. However, a faint glow emanated from the very last corner of the stairwell.

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow, made a shushing gesture to the two behind him, twitched his ears, and listened intently.

"Bro, there's gotta be at least eighty or a hundred zombies inside the parking garage. Can't we take a different route?"

A faint, timid voice spoke up.

"Xiaohai, calm down!" a deep, robust voice replied. "I've tested it. As long as our movements are quiet enough, those monsters have a hard time spotting us. Don't be nervous, stay close to me, and remember: absolutely, positively, under no circumstances make any noise!"

The deep voice repeatedly cautioned.

"Bro, I'm still scared. What if the zombies spot us?" The timid, tiny voice sounded again.

"Don't be afraid. We have weapons in our hands. If zombies discover us, we attack. I've verified what you said—just destroy their brains! You have to aim and stab right into the head!"

The robust voice sounded extremely patient.

This time, the timid voice fell silent.