After clearing the zombies on the second floor, it was naturally time to continue upwards!
However, Ray didn't choose to take the elevator for several reasons: first, it made too much noise; second, the small space could be problematic if it attracted a horde of zombies, making the situation too passive.
Third, there was too much uncertainty, such as the possibility of a sudden power outage getting them trapped inside, which would be an unfortunate predicament.
"Let's go, to the third floor!"
He called out to Liu Yuqing and Zhao Zhizhou, and they entered the staircase together.
In the staircase, Ray checked the door to the first floor and found it locked, which eased his mind, so he didn't pay it any more attention. "Jarvis, locate the zombies on the third floor and count their numbers."
"Right away, sir!"
Jarvis responded, promptly providing the number and distribution of zombies on the third floor.
The third floor was the hotel's dining area for guests, with a higher number of zombies than the second floor, nearly forty.
Since the entire hall was filled with dining tables, except for a few load-bearing columns, there was almost no cover, making the clearing much more difficult.
The moment they dealt with a few zombies near the staircase, it immediately caught the attention of three zombies wandering behind the dining tables a few meters away, which then charged at them.
But Ray and Zhao Zhizhou reacted extremely quickly, seizing the opportunity to rush forward and kill them with a knife each.
As for Liu Yuqing, though her response was slightly slower, she still followed up, kicking over the last zombie with rotting thighs and, with a somewhat awkward swing of her short knife, stabbed it in the head, taking it down.
Seeing this, Ray was impressed, "She's a quick learner, huh? I only taught her combat techniques with a military knife this morning, and she's already applying them in real combat."
"Heh heh...heh heh..."
"Whoa...whoa..."
Just then, the zombies' howling suddenly filled the entire hall, the noise from the dining tables drawing the attention of all the zombies on the floor, who turned to look at them.
"Watch out for your own safety, speed up clearing the zombies!"
"Okay!"
"Understood!"
Ray immediately lifted the nail gun, aiming at the zombies being attracted in pairs and threes, successfully navigating through the dining tables into range, and pulled the trigger, firing nails one after another.
Puff puff puff—
Instantly, the sound of zombies being headshot by nails echoed continuously, leaving each zombie with a bloody hole in their head, slumping to the ground.
Zhao Zhizhou, wielding a short knife, lunged at those zombies that collided with the dining tables and fell.
And Liu Yuqing, having just successfully killed a zombie, showed a trace of confidence on her face, following closely behind Zhao Zhizhou, dealing with those zombies Zhao Zhizhou hadn't managed to clear.
In just four minutes, the sound of zombies howling on the third floor completely ceased.
"Now that the armored vehicle has more space, we could stock up on some food ingredients from here when we leave." After clearing the zombies on the third floor, Ray glanced at the restaurant, silently planning.
Then, withdrawing his gaze, he called Liu Yuqing and Zhao Zhizhou to continue up to the fourth floor.
This floor was an entertainment and relaxation lounge, including baths, saunas, SPA, etc.
There were also quite a few zombies, but most of them were locked in rooms, which wasn't a concern.
The ones outside, about a dozen, were easily dealt with by them.
The floors above were all rooms, with fewer rooms the higher up, but more luxurious. Correspondingly, there were fewer zombies.
However, it still took over an hour to clear, reaching 7 p.m. Maintaining their triangular formation, Ray, Liu Yuqing, and Zhao Zhizhou only made it to the seventeenth floor.
Although there was a slight mishap when they encountered an evolved zombie with an arm that had mutated, hidden in a room and not detected by Jarvis, it was quickly and safely dealt with by Ray, who was leading and had the quickest reaction. He swung his kukri and easily chopped off its arm, neutralizing the threat.
It's also worth mentioning that Liu Yuqing became more proficient with her military knife combat techniques through continuous battle. She still appeared somewhat unpolished, but considering it was only her first day of learning, that was understandable.
In contrast, Zhao Zhizhou, who came from a SWAT background, was impressive. Whether it was her knife fighting skills or hand-to-hand combat techniques, she was very skilled. Especially notable were her long legs, which were extremely powerful; a single kick could topple several zombies.
"That's enough for this floor; no need to go any higher. We're already at a sufficient height to observe the cross-river bridge."
After dealing with the last zombie on the seventeenth floor, Ray checked the time and saw it was already past seven in the evening. Both women were tired, Zhao Zhizhou somewhat less so, while Liu Yuqing was gritting her teeth and persevering. It wasn't realistic to think about going any higher.
"Okay!"
Liu Yuqing, who was physically exhausted and looked somewhat pale, wiped the sweat from her forehead and agreed.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhizhou took a bottle of water from her backpack and handed it to her, "Take a break and drink some water."
"Thank you!"
Liu Yuqing expressed her gratitude, took the water, and started drinking.
"Zhizhou, you stay here and rest with Yuqing. I'll go find a cleaner room," Ray said, glancing around.
"No need, I'm still okay." Not wanting to be a burden, Liu Yuqing, who had regained some strength after drinking the water, shook her head.
Seeing this, Ray didn't press further. After all, the Hilton hotel had a total of 25 floors, so being on the seventeenth floor was already quite high, with only four large suites available.
In the end, Ray chose a suite on the eastern side, which was very clean, had been vacant, and had no zombies.
The suite contained two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, with the refrigerator stocked with some fresh vegetables, fruits, and several boxes of frozen meat. The view of the cross-river bridge was also quite good.
Additionally, Zhao Zhizhou was pleasantly surprised to find that the water and electricity were still functioning normally. She immediately called out to Liu Yuqing, who was resting on the sofa, "Yuqing, come quick! The water and electricity are still on! We can take a bath!"
Hearing this, Liu Yuqing's spirits lifted instantly, and she walked over with a joyful expression.
"Really?"
"Look!"
Zhao Zhizhou turned on the kitchen sink tap, and a stream of water gushed out immediately.
"That's great! I'll go get my clothes!" Liu Yuqing said, her exhaustion seemingly vanishing at the prospect.
For them, in a post-apocalyptic world, being able to take a bath was undoubtedly one of the happiest things.
And compared to washing away the strange smells and a bit of fatigue, what was that really?
Zhao Zhizhou also went to get her clothes immediately. However, before the two women entered the bathroom, they turned back in an incredibly synchronized manner to look at Ray, who was less than three meters away, lighting a cigarette and sitting by the window watching them. They said in unison.
"No peeking!"