054 Open the door quickly!

There was no time to rest after the insignificant victory; two of the remaining three zombies attacked simultaneously.

“Ah!”

Two sharp cries rang out as Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan followed suit, using their backpacks on their chests as shields, fearless of scratches or bites, and charged boldly at the zombies!

Unfortunately, their weight and momentum were clearly insufficient, and the zombies before them were transformed adults. Even though their chests were pressed painfully, it did not have the same effect as Zhang Su’s impact; at best, they staggered the zombies back two steps.

Thankfully, their aggressive charge did not slow their escape speed. Even a brief imbalance was enough for them to break through the blockade and shake off the seven or eight zombies relentlessly pursuing them.

Zhang Su, running at the front, soon encountered the last zombie and launched a sprint without hesitation. He swung the pack of bottled water in his hand with a whoosh, thinking that over ten pounds of bottled water could surely knock the zombie down.

But alas, the packaging was too fragile. The zombie raised its hand and jabbed, its sharp nails easily puncturing the plastic, scattering bottles everywhere. The attacked zombie merely staggered back slightly, less effective than Zheng Xinyu’s collision.

Zhang Su felt his hand lighten and was momentarily stunned. Reacting swiftly, he swung his axe hammer with the other hand and smashed it down—a habitual move by now.

The clash of metal against skull sent a shiver down his spine; the zombie collapsed immediately, howling in pain.

Zhang Su had no time to finish it off. He discarded the torn plastic packaging and grabbed another bottle from the ground, pressing forward.

Meanwhile, Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan caught up to Zhang Su. The three ran together toward the front of Building Four.

The scattered bottled water wasn’t wasted—one persistent zombie slipped on the bottles, falling and taking three or four others down with it.

Having temporarily shaken off their pursuers, the trio quickly circled to the front of Building Four. But the situation hadn’t improved.

Looking ahead, more than ten zombies blocked the entrance. Fortunately, not all were clustered near one entrance, but already four or five snarling zombies charged toward Zhang Su and his companions.

“Damn, there’s more here! Get in, get in! Hurry, open the door!” Zhang Su swung his axe at the nearest female zombie. In panic, his aim faltered, only slicing her neck. Dark red blood spurted, but the strike wasn’t fatal. He quickly kicked her down.

“It won’t open, Suge! The door’s locked!” Zheng Xinyu crawled to the side of the stairs and pulled at the entrance, her heart sinking.

“Put some muscle into it!” Zhang Su shouted, kicking away a zombie lunging at him, then using his backpack as a shield to block another, before swinging his axe again.

“Xinyu, let me try!” Zhong Xiaoshan shouted to Zheng Xinyu, stepping aside and bringing a large wrench crashing down on the lock.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the lock twisted crookedly.

“All right, huh?”

The two frantically pulled the door, producing a series of loud banging sounds—but the door wouldn’t budge.

“Damn it! Suge, someone’s pulling the door from inside! Let go, damn it!” Zheng Xinyu panicked. The dim light inside the unit concealed the figure clutching the rope behind the door, body rigid and stretched out on the floor like a human doorstop, probably using every ounce of strength.

“Shit!” Zhang Su cursed, increasing his force. His axe flashed like a streak of light, cracking open a zombie’s skull. He then kicked another zombie away and turned to the door.

At that moment, two figures appeared in his vision—one tall and strong, the other lanky and tall.

The sudden arrival did not bring relief but tightened Zhang Su’s chest with tension. Instinct told him these were likely the two brothers who had planned to drive from the underground garage. Sure enough, one spoke, confirming Zhang Su’s suspicion.

“Xiao Hai, there’s someone here! Bro, hurry, lots of zombies behind, get inside!”

The deep voice was filled with urgency, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Zhang Su imagined the number of zombies chasing these brothers and didn’t hesitate. Pointing to the unobstructed passage behind, he said, “Someone’s holding the door inside. I’ll take care of it. You block the zombies!”

“Got it!”

Without a word, the man swung his homemade weapon at the advancing zombies, urging the trembling skinny man beside him, “Xiao Hai, move! Don’t just stand there!”

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan needed no instructions. Leaving the door-opening to Zhang Su, they immediately joined the fight, blocking the oncoming zombies.

With no worries behind him, Zhang Su raised his axe to smash the unit door’s glass. Just then, a voice from inside startled him.

“What are you doing?”

Zhang Su recognized the voice immediately—it was the SWAT officer who had urged him to run earlier. He stopped and urged, “Open the door, quickly!”

Qin Ya was shocked to hear voices outside and shouted angrily, “Why the hell are you holding the door closed? Get out of the way! Can’t you hear someone trying to get in?”

“We can’t let them in! There are zombies outside! If we let them in, we’re all doomed!” The voice holding the door trembled, whether from fear or exertion was unclear.

At that moment, zombies chasing the Duan brothers from the underground garage rounded the corner in front of Building Four. Though still out of sight due to the angle, the dense, chilling moans were enough to terrify.

“Damn fools!” Zhang Su pulled hard on the door, but it wouldn’t budge; the person inside still held firm. Just as he prepared to break the glass—

Bang!

A striking sound came from inside.

The door suddenly creaked open a narrow crack without resistance.

A chorus of snarls rose as the zombies swiftly reached the doorstep. If not for the one-meter height difference of the steps, they would have stepped inside with a single stride.

“Xinyu, Xiaoshan, get in! Hurry!” Zhang Su yanked the door wide, urgently beckoning the others. Once inside, he and the burly man together drove off three zombies closing in, swiftly slipping in and closing the door behind them.

Inside the unit stood five or six people—men, women, young and old—all carrying backpacks, clearly preparing to flee.

But there was no time to relax.

Bang!

Within a second, three or four zombies slammed against the door, their gory maws gnashing at the glass, scraping dried blood into streaks. Their withered hands pounded fiercely on the iron door.

More zombies surged forward, relentlessly battering the entrance. The violent impact made the doorframe and walls tremble.