063 The familiar recipe, the familiar taste

In the underground garage, the hazard lights flashed like human breathing. Each flicker between light and dark felt like a transition between the mortal world and hell. The only way to see things was during the brief moment the lights flashed, while during the darkness, one either had to stop or move forward by relying on memory.

Zhang Su instinctively wanted to click on his flashlight, but ultimately decided against it.

Zombies would not actively attack a light source, but a certain level of danger remained. Mostly, he felt there might be other survivors in the underground parking lot, and if they spotted him, it could trigger unnecessary entanglements!

"Let's go!"

Zhang Su took the lead, holding a hatchet-hammer in his right hand and a machete in his left. He carefully pressed against the wall, walking toward the area beneath Building Number 3. He was quite familiar with the underground parking lot, and with the hazard lights of the distant vehicles, he wouldn't take a wrong turn.

The others followed closely behind Zhang Su in a predetermined order.

Just as Zhang Su had anticipated, most of the zombies in the underground parking lot of Buildings 3 and 4 had been lured away by the Duan brothers, leaving only a few wandering among the cars. Even so, they still posed a considerable obstacle to the group.

Along their inevitable path, two zombies were shuffling back and forth, moving slowly with a calm demeanor. However, this tranquility would instantly vanish the moment they perceived living flesh, turning them into violent, bloodthirsty monsters.

"We need to lure them away!"

Behind the wall, Zhang Su said to the others, his voice no louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Zhong Xiaoshan fished her car keys out of her pocket and jingled them gently, implying that the car alarm should be able to draw the zombies away.

Zhang Su decisively shook his head. Once the Highlander started wailing, zombies from all directions would surely gather right beneath Building Number 3—wouldn't that be shooting themselves in the foot?

"The old method it is!"

Zhang Su sheathed his machete, pulled a smartphone out of his bag, carefully shielded the light, turned on the audio, and pulled up a countdown timer. After pondering for a moment, he set a five-second countdown, then showed the screen to the others behind him.

The meaning was clear: get ready to move in five seconds!

Seeing the others nod one after another, Zhang Su took a deep breath, aimed his throw, and pressed the start button. When the countdown showed 00:04, he hurled the phone out with a swish.

The phone screen emitted a soft glow, tracing a powerful arc through the air like a fleeting shooting star in the night sky, flying toward the densely parked area.

Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!

Flying through the air, the countdown reached zero, and the phone emitted a rapid series of beeps that carried exceptionally well across the empty and quiet parking lot.

Thud.

The phone smashed against the trunk of a car. The sheet metal provided some cushion, and after dropping to the ground, the beeping sound remained loud and clear.

Roar!

Howls erupted from all directions as numerous zombies rushed frantically toward the direction of the phone, followed immediately by a series of crashing impacts. The foolish zombies had no idea how to avoid the cars and smashed directly into them...

The zombies blocking the path of Zhang Su and his group were naturally drawn away as well. Just as he was about to lead the others forward, the roar of an engine suddenly shattered the silence.

Vroom, vroom!

An SUV near where the phone had landed suddenly turned on its ignition, followed immediately by the harsh, piercing screech of spinning tires!

The BMW X5 burst out of its parking space with extreme violence, racing like a madman toward the parking lot exit.

In the driver's seat, Qin Ya wore a distorted expression as he muttered to himself, "Zhang Su, oh Zhang Su, you really screwed me over this time!"

Others might not have known, but he was virtually certain that the guy who used the phone to lure away the zombies was none other than Zhang Su—he was far too familiar with this trick!

Qin Ya had a hunch earlier that Zhang Su's group was hiding out in Unit 302. Based on his SWAT instincts, he believed Zhang Su would likely follow right behind him...

He had always wanted to recruit Zhang Su and his group to travel together, so he simply waited inside the parking lot, estimating that Zhang Su would show up soon.

Sure enough, Zhang Su came, and even delivered a gift!

"I wonder who that unlucky bastard is... Hopefully not Officer Qin."

Unaware of Qin Ya's complicated thoughts, Zhang Su stepped out from behind the wall, looked at the speeding BMW X5 and the swarm of zombies chasing furiously after it, and nodded with great satisfaction.

"It's a lot safer, but don't let your guard down. Move!"

With that, he broke into a run toward their parked vehicles.

Zhang Su soon located his beloved minivan, pulled open the door, tossed his bag onto the passenger seat, and hopped right in.

"My car, where's my car... Right."

In the darkness, Zhong Xiaoshan momentarily lost track of her car. Panicking, she hurriedly pressed her key fob and realized it was just nearby. The three of them scrambled into the car one after another and frantically began buckling their seatbelts.

The minivan and the Highlander were separated by only three or four parking stalls. Zhang Su could hear the group inside the other car muttering, knowing they were in position, so he decisively turned on his headlights.

"Baby, let's roll!"

As his voice trailed off, Zhang Su fastened his seatbelt while turning the key. A string of grinding engine-cranking sounds rang out, but the result made cold sweat break out all over him.

It didn't start...

"What the absolute hell, don't tell me the battery is dead!"

The five-or-six-year-old mini-van was supposed to have its battery replaced during its last service, but Zhang Su had kept procrastinating, planning to squeeze out one more year before upgrading. He never expected it to drop the ball at such a crucial moment.

Zhang Su looked up toward the exit of the parking lot. Groups of three or five zombies were running outward; clearly, the BMW X5 had already cleared the exit, and he needed to hurry!

Next to him, the Highlander's headlights illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered, clearly having started successfully.

Zhang Su felt a wave of deep frustration. It wasn't that he couldn't afford a nice car, but the minivan offered much better value for money. Had he known today would happen, he definitely would have heavily modified a Ford Raptor!

Chug, chug, chug, chug, chug!

Zhang Su furiously twisted the key while slamming down on the gas pedal, muttering incessantly, "Baby, baby, let you retire after this trip, okay? Come on, give me some power!"

As if it had heard Zhang Su's promise, the spark plug finally managed to ignite the engine.

Puff, vroom!

The 1.5-liter engine roared with anger.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Su let out a somewhat manic laugh. Clutch, shift into gear, and gas—all in one fluid motion. He shot violently out of his parking space, drifting around a turn as he headed straight for the exit. He drove the little minivan with the spirit of an Initial D delivery car.

Though the Highlander was vastly more luxurious than the minivan, its movement was far less composed, giving off a distorted sensation like a sprinter with a sprained ankle—wanting to run fast, but simply unable to.

"Fast, be fast, hurry!"

Inside the Highlander, Zhong Xiaoshan chanted neurotically, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as her eyes locked onto the rear of the minivan, which now only had one functioning taillight. Alternating wildly between the gas and brake pedals, she pushed her driving skills to their absolute limit.

In the passenger seat, Zheng Xinyu pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes filled with fear resembling when she first saw a zombie. Her left hand pressed desperately against the center console, while her right hand gripped the handle above the door so hard her toes were curling inside her shoes.

Wang Guangjun sat in the middle of the back seat, buckled in with two seatbelts. Leaning back against the seat with his eyes tightly closed, he kept repeating Buddhist chants under his breath.