Setting Out Anew!

"Hey, old Wang, that abacus of yours calculates pretty well!"

In the dim light, Zhang Su flashed a mischievous smile and said, "Yogurt is delicious, but it's not that valuable. A pack of instant noodles for ten cigarettes, or two packs of noodles—you choose!"

Wang Guangjun stammered and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's make it a pack of noodles for ten cigarettes, and throw in a lighter, alright? I don't have a lighter..."

Zhang Su shook his head with mild exasperation. Lighters were something the group had plenty of, so he didn't press the price any further.

After finishing their evening meal, Wang Guangjun lit a cigarette with utmost care. Sitting by the window, he looked in the direction of the environmental university with a melancholic gaze, heavy with worry.

Zhang Su, meanwhile, led Zheng Xinhyu and Zhong Xiaoshan in their training session—an indispensable daily routine.

"My goodness, these two young ladies are so impressive..."

Hearing the commotion, Wang Guangjun walked closer. The whistling wind generated by Zheng Xinhyu swinging her baseball bat caused his facial muscles to twitch involuntarily.

He could easily imagine what it would feel like to take a swing like that to his own head.

It definitely wouldn't just ring in his ears; his brains would literally splatter out!

In the darkness, heavy breathing and grunts echoed continuously, seeming to warm up the chilly room through the sheer physical exertion of the three.

Some things didn't require reminders. Having lived half his life and relying on hard work to support his family, Wang Guangjun was not one to slack off. Learning by imitation, he began his own training.

Seeing him clumsily poking around with a self-made wooden spear, Zhang Su offered some guidance for safety reasons, teaching him that only strikes to a zombie's head could incapacitate it.

That night, Wang Guangjun fell asleep the moment his head hit the bed, completely unburdened and unguarded. The prolonged state of high tension had left him utterly exhausted.

"Starting tonight, we will take turns on night watch!" Zhang Su said solemnly as he lay in the middle of the room.

"I feel like Uncle Wang is very honest. Is this really necessary?" Zheng Xinhyu asked limply, completely devoid of energy. The previous workout had consumed so much stamina that she couldn't muster any enthusiasm for anything at the moment.

Zhang Su shook his head. "You can know a person's face, but not their heart. Besides, keeping watch isn't just because of Wang Guangjun. Once we leave the residential compound, no matter where we go—unless it's a genuine official safe zone—we must take turns standing watch!"

It was to guard against zombies, but even more so, to guard against people!

Truth be told, defending against zombies only required a simple tripwire alarm, but defending against human beings was far from that easy!

"Fine, then tell me, how should we schedule the shifts?" Zheng Xinhyu asked listlessly, feeling quite unhappy at the thought that her sleeping time would be shortened from now on.

Zhang Su thought for a moment and said, "Xinhyu, you like staying up late, so you'll take the first shift. I'll relieve you in the middle of the night, and Xiaoshan, you take the early morning shift and relieve me!"

The dead of night was the hardest time to endure, and out of various considerations, Zhang Su decided to take on that shift himself.

Neither Zheng Xinhyu nor Zhong Xiaoshan had any objections to this arrangement. The three of them were in the same boat, tightly bound and relying on each other for survival; naturally, none of them would shirk their duties or cheat.

Their first night away from home passed peacefully under the rotating watch. In Zhang Su's words, it never hurts to be prepared for danger in times of peace.

The next day was overcast, which kept the temperature bearable—not uncomfortably cold.

After breakfast, Zhang Su reached into his bag and pressed a key into Zhong Xiaoshan's hand.

"Brother Su, what is this?"

Zhong Xiaoshan accepted the car keys in surprise. They were the keys to the Highlander she had traded to Zhang Su.

"My beat-up van lacks power. If everything goes smoothly, you'll drive the Highlander with the other two!" Zhang Su said in an unquestionable tone. His van was packed full of supplies and genuinely lacked power, and he also didn't want Wang Guangjun eyeing the contents.

"What..." Zhong Xiaoshan hadn't expected Zhang Su to hold her in such high regard.

"I... I..." Zheng Xinhyu wanted to object, but in the end, she just pouted and said nothing.

As for Wang Guangjun, he had no objections whatsoever and completely obeyed the arrangements.

"Then... Brother Su, which direction are we heading? Tell me in advance so I have an idea." Zhong Xiaoshan gripped the car keys tightly, her palms sweating.

"Look at the map. After leaving the compound from here, turn right. The road conditions over there are uncertain, so we'll adapt on the fly—use side roads, sidewalks, green belts, whatever is passable. At the first intersection, turn left towards the south. There's a gas station on the right side of the road. That will be our first destination!"

Zhang Su opened the navigation app on his phone. Although offline mode wasn't great, it was enough to give a general overview.

There was a convenience store inside the gas station. Being in the same business, he knew very well what a convenience store usually stocked, making it an extremely precious supply station. Plus, they could refuel the vehicles—killing two birds with one stone!

Even if someone had looted it in advance, it was impossible for them to take everything. Taking a step back, if there really was time to clean out all the supplies, the area around the gas station must be relatively safe, making it a reliable waystation on the way to his own convenience store.

Zhong Xiaoshan nodded as she looked at the map. "The gas station is easy to spot, so that should be fine. And with you leading the way, following you means I definitely won't get lost!"

"Right, also, when the time comes, don't rush to close the car doors because they make a loud noise, and don't rush to start the ignition. Wait until I flash my headlights three times before you start the engine and close the doors. Don't forget your seatbelts—if an accident really happens, they can save your life..."

Zhang Su carefully explained all the details that needed attention.

Zhong Xiaoshan and the others nodded repeatedly, engraving his words in their minds.

Even Wang Guangjun, who had lived for most of his life, couldn't help but sigh. Some things truly couldn't be understood simply by living a long time, and acting like an elder demanding respect was definitely an idiot's behavior. He humbly followed Zhang Su to learn various small survival tips.

Originally, Zhang Su expected Qin Ya's group to set out the next day, but who would have thought that a whole day would pass by without the slightest movement from upstairs.

During the boring wait, Zhang Su taught the others some weapon-use techniques. This time, the moves weren't meant for dealing with zombies, but for living humans.

Zhang Su had always known that human hearts were treacherous and needed guarding against, but he hadn't expected to encounter guys like Chong Zi and Brother Xiang just a few days in. The collapse of order was a terrifying thing, and from then on, he could never lower his guard around living people again.

Another day passed. As Zhang Su rinsed his mouth with mouthwash in the bathroom, he muttered to himself that if there was still no movement upstairs by noon, he would take the three of them and leave first—lingering here any longer wasn't a solution.

"I wonder how those two are doing..."

Zhang Su lost himself in thought with mouthwash in his mouth, remembering his two employees, Wu Lue and Zhao Xue.

"The store must have been ransacked by now. I just hope the stuff under the shelves hasn't been discovered..."

Just as he was thinking, Zhang Su's ears twitched slightly. His eyes lit up as the faint sound of footsteps entered his ears, accompanied by the voice of a child.

The distance was somewhat far, separated by walls, so Zhang Su couldn't hear the exact words, but he could distinguish Liu Xuanyu's voice.

The team upstairs was making a move!

"Get ready, get ready!"

Zhang Su shoved the mouthwash back into his bag, waved his hands at the two young women who were studying how to set up noisemaker traps, cast a sideways glance at Wang Guangjun who was folding clothes, and then hurried to the door to listen intently.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Qin Ya's slightly puzzled voice rang out.

"What is it, Officer Qin?" Duan Wuhu asked, coming to a halt.

"Someone has opened this security door!"

Qin Ya said with certainty, then pulled the door open to step into the hallway, adding, "After scavenging for supplies, I marked all the security doors. Someone has definitely been on this floor!"

"Could it have been when we ran upstairs yesterday and bumped into them?" Tian Fan suggested.

Qin Ya shook his head. "Impossible. Just bumping past it wouldn't leave a mark."

"It must be little Zhang and the others. They probably scavenged some supplies on their way out."

Duan Wuhu followed Qin Ya into the hallway, glancing left and right.

Behind the door of 302, Zhang Su looked through the peephole and saw Qin Ya slowly emerge from behind the wall, looking directly toward his side!

Zhang Su turned back and made a stop gesture to the others.

"I don't know! But someone has definitely been on this floor. I specifically left the door of 302 unlocked, and now it's closed!"

As Qin Ya spoke, he walked up to the door, gave it a pull, and his expression turned slightly solemn.

"Brother Qin, forget about this. It must be those guys from yesterday. Let's just focus on what we need to do."

Yu Nuo walked at the very rear, gripping a table leg with a look of terror on her face.

Qin Ya furrowed his brow without speaking. He pressed his ear against the door of 302 and knocked a few times.

A moment later, receiving no response, Qin Ya subconsciously touched his rifle and turned back to the others. "Let's go."

Soon, the group vanished down the hallway.

"Shh!"

Zheng Xinhyu was about to speak when she saw Zhang Su make a shushing gesture, and she quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.

They didn't realize it, but Zhang Su knew that Qin Ya's group hadn't left at all—their footsteps had stopped right at the stairwell. That group was definitely hiding behind the security door.

"Get ready, we're heading out!"

After waiting a full five minutes and clearly hearing the footsteps fade away into the distance, Zhang Su finally spoke.

"Officer Qin knows we're here?" Zheng Xinhyu helped Zhang Su put on his arm guards and asked curiously.

"He left a mark on the door—the kind of trick you see in spy movies. He might not know we're *here*, but he knows we've been here. As expected of a SWAT officer, he really has some skills. We can learn a lot from him!"

Zhang Su adjusted his gear, walked to the door first, habituatedly glanced outside, and then pulled it open. The others followed him out one by one.

"Let's double-check: I'm in the lead, Xiaohai follows me, then Tian Fan. Yu Nuo, you keep Xiao Yu with you right behind Tian Fan, and Teacher Duan brings up the rear. Clear?"

Behind the iron door leading to the parking garage, Qin Ya spoke in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces under the dim glow of a flashlight.

"Clear!"

"No problem."

The group answered in succession.

"Good, let's move!"

Decisive as ever, Qin Ya gently pulled open the iron door once he saw no objections.

As Duan Wuhu stepped through the iron door, Zhang Su and his group arrived on the ground floor.

Awoo, arooo...

"No wonder they had such a smooth journey; it turns out the zombies in the apartment unit basically all wandered off."

Zheng Xinhyu poked her head out of the hallway to look into the lobby and found only two or three zombies wandering around. The rest must have been drawn away by some noise and had already left the unit.

"Should we take them out to eliminate any future trouble?" Zhong Xiaoshan asked.

Having spent these past few days following Zhang Su, she had absorbed many survival tricks through subtle influence. Clearing out the lobby now meant that even if something went wrong in the underground parking garage, they would have an extra option during a retreat.

Zhang Su listened intently. There was no movement downstairs; Qin Ya's group was presumably still cautiously groping their way forward. Not in any rush, he said, "Xiaoshan, you'll lure the zombies this time. Xinhyu, you set the tripwire, and old Wang takes the heads."

"Got it!"

"No problem!"

"Brother Zhang..."

Seeing the two young beauties agree so readily, Wang Guangjun grew somewhat anxious and stammered, "Brother Zhang, I... I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it alone. You have to help me!"

"With them helping you, what are you afraid of? Don't worry, I'll be watching; I won't let anything happen to you!" Zhang Su patted Wang Guangjun's shoulder reassuringly.

Zheng Xinhyu quickly set up a tripwire across the doorway and flashed an OK sign to Zhong Xiaoshan.

Zhang Su held back Zhong Xiaoshan, who was about to go lure the zombies, and instructed, "This time, don't use your voice. Slowly move toward that male zombie closest to us and see at what distance it reacts."

Zhong Xiaoshan knew Zhang Su wanted to test the sensitivity of the zombies' sense of smell. Although she felt a bit anxious about the difficulty of the task, she didn't say much, nodded, and left the stairwell.

"Brother Zhang, this... won't little Zhong be in danger?"

Wang Guangjun watched Zhong Xiaoshan slowly approach the zombie, swallowing hard. He never imagined that modern youth would have the courage to defy the heavens.

"Only by understanding them can we deal with them better!" Zhang Su briefly answered Wang Guangjun's question, intently observing the distance between Zhong Xiaoshan and the zombie.

The distance from the stairwell to the nearest zombie was about eight meters. Zhong Xiaoshan walked with steady steps. She had long since swapped her sexy high heels for Zheng Xinhyu's casual flat shoes, creeping closer with almost no footsteps at all.

Arooo, clicking noises.

Zhong Xiaoshan's concentration was at its peak. She could hear her own heartbeat and the sound of the zombie grinding its teeth right in front of her. As the distance shrank step by step, her muscles grew increasingly tense.

When her foot came down once more, the strange guttural sound from the throat of the zombie facing her stopped abruptly, and it violently whipped its head around to look at her.

Awoo!

A wild, echoing scream pierced the air, and the zombie immediately lunged toward Zhong Xiaoshan on all fours. Shortly after, the other two zombies reacted within a very short timeframe and charged at her in unison.

However, Zhong Xiaoshan was faster. The moment the zombie turned its head, she executed a sharp turn and bolted toward the security door.

Standing at the doorway, Zhang Su pointed at the floor, reminding Zhong Xiaoshan to watch out for the tripwire.

"Hah!"

Zhong Xiaoshan rushed into the stairwell, running up a full flight of stairs before finally stopping to catch her breath.

At the same time, she heard successive dull thuds from downstairs. Without needing to look, she knew the tripwire had successfully tripped all three zombies in a row.

The zombies crashed to the ground, kicking up a wave of rotting stench. Their withered arms clawed at empty air as they arched their necks and shrieked crazily like evil spirits unleashed from hell to hunt for prey.