Zero Hour Squad naturally chose their strongest fighter, Lin Weiguo, to take the lead. He quietly opened the door and examined the surroundings. After ensuring it's safe, he ventured into the staircase and kneeled to keep watch.
"There are three zombies wandering thirty meters away." Lin Weiguo whispered, "Should we take them out?"
"Don't waste bullets, that's Zhao Jingye's job." Tang Zheng replied helplessly. They still had a long way to go, and ammunition was scarce.
"Stay quiet and only speak when necessary. Move out slowly." Lin Weiguo made an OK sign, continuing to issue instructions.
This cautious demeanor caused the squad members to hold their breaths, but none of them retreated. They left the room in an orderly fashion and moved into the hallway.
"Lucky us, the staircase is at the far right of the hallway." Tang Zheng tried to encourage everyone, boosting their morale. It took them nearly ten minutes to cover a distance less than fifty meters.
"That was decent, keep it up." Lin Weiguo nodded approvingly, satisfied with the team's performance. At least they didn't get so scared that they couldn't move.
"You certainly know how to pick a team." Qin Yan whispered into Tang Zheng's ear, appreciatively. She praised Hu Qiong's casual demeanor and Li Xinlan, the only flight attendant from Southern Airlines who had survived two plane crashes, had an exceptional mentality. But she couldn't help but question him, "Why didn't you choose the maintenance worker, but rather the high school student."
Without answering, Tang Zheng, after ascertaining there was no danger, walked over to the glass fire extinguisher case. He opened it and removed a long handled fire axe weighing about five pounds – quite a handy weapon.
"Let's go. From now on, I'm the point man, Lin Wei next, and Baldy guards the rear." After saying that, Tang Zheng took the lead down the stairs.
"He's insane." Li Xinlan said, while staring at Tang Zheng's retreating figure, and licking her red lips, her voice filled with admiration. Everyone knew that leading was the most dangerous position. But seeing him leading by example, they stop resisting his command in this mission.
Hearing Li Xinlan's praise of Tang Zheng made the high school student jealous. He was burning with frustration, wishing a dozen zombies would appear so he could pop their heads with his gun.
The clatter of the three flight attendants' high-heeled shoes hitting the staircase's floor echoed through the silent hallway, startling Tang Zheng who turned around to look.
"There was carpet in the hallway, but not here." Qin Yan shrugged with an unmistakable look of helplessness, suggesting "Why don't we take the elevator? It should still have power."
"Take off the shoes, walk barefoot. The elevator is too dangerous. Who knows if a bunch of zombies is waiting behind the elevator door." Tang Zheng cursed himself, for such an obvious oversight.
Since their black protective suits consisted of a top and Capri pants but no shoes, the flight attendants wore their high-heeled shoes. But in this situation, they became a liability - their clattering noise would undoubtedly attract zombies.
"Take off our shoes?" Hu Qiong's voice pitched up sharply. She immediately realized her slip and suppressed it, but her embarrassment and anger were obvious, "You want us to walk barefoot under the gazes of a bunch of men?"
"Aren't you wearing flesh-colored stockings?" The bald man teased, "Or are you embarrassed because your feet stink?"
"It's just taking the shoes off. Hurry up; don't waste time." The high school student muttered. He thought he had earned the right to say this as he had ventured out in search of food.
"Honestly, your butts in those tight suits look way better than your feet." The bald man was about to make another teasing comment, but Tang Zheng interrupted him.
"Shut up, all three of you. Either take off your shoes or go back," Tang Zheng glanced at Wu Xudong and said, "What do you call those on your feet if not leather shoes? Off they come."
"Alright, I'll take mine off too." Amidst the bald man's complaints, everyone watched as a red sock with a torn big toe appeared. Immediately, a sour stench permeated the air.
"Your taste is quite unique," Tang Zheng mocked before turning to descend the stairs.
The three flight attendants looked at each other helplessly, removed their high heels, held them in their hands, and stepped on the bitterly cold ground with feet clad in flesh-colored stockings, sending shivers down their spine.
Upon reaching the seventh floor, Tang Zheng did not notice the three zombies hiding in the shadows. Due to the small space, within the blink of an eye, the three zombies, dressed in work clothes covered with white paint, had fierily stretched their arms and lunged forward.
Tang Zheng quickly retracted his right foot towards the left rear, leaned against the wall while allowing Lin Weiguo to have the sufficient shooting range, then swung the firefighter axe and sliced it across the shoulder of the closest zombie. A splatter of bright blood immediately gushed out, spreading in a fan shape across the snow-white wall.
As Lin Weiguo started single-shot firing, the high school student was reloading his gun, while Qin Yan held the firefighter axe in front of her chest. The Oasis Hotel was well equipped with fire safety equipment, hence each of the flight attendants had a defensive weapon. Although they felt heavy for them, it was still better than being unarmed.
Tang Zheng swung the axe again, this time hitting the zombie square on the forehead. The sharp part of the axe sank into its skull, and with a thud, the zombie fell to the floor.
"Nicely done." Lin Weiguo complimented, before frowning and adding, "That was another five rounds fired. This won't last if we carry on this way. I better switch to the firefighter's axe as well."
Tang Zheng could not respond. He was leaning against the wall, panting heavily. His chest seemed to tear apart. The stench of the zombies was unbearable when they were almost within arm's reach. It would be false to say he wasn't scared. Now that the immediate danger was over, his hands were surprisingly shaking. Had Lin Weiguo reacted slower and another zombie attacked him, he would certainly have been killed.
"Can't use other people's weapons, what a load of bullshit," the bald man complained as he edged closer, "High school boy, can you stop panicking? It's been so long, haven't you gotten used to firearms yet? The three clips you've got would be disgusted enough to cry."
"I..." The high school boy's face turned purple with embarrassment as he retorted, "Next time, I promise I'll get it right."
"I suggest you switch to the firefighter's axe too," clearly, the bald man didn't have much hope for the high school boy, "You might end up hurting our companions instead of the zombies, and how tragic would that be!"
"Enough, stop arguing. Old Lin, fire less frequently, focus on the potential special infectees. Baldy, you're in charge of shooting the zombies I can't reach. High school boy, you watch our backs," after several deep breaths to calm his nerves, Tang Zheng led the way downstairs.
"Roger that," looking disappointed, the high school boy moved to the rear of the group.
"Actually, he's just looking out for you. The front is the most dangerous," Li Xinlan noted, embodying her nurturing trait, "Being good at FPS games doesn't translate into real life. If you value your life, arm yourself with a firefighter's axe."
.......
PS: Here's the third update, a total of 8000 words.
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