Upon hearing Huazhen's words, the others hesitated momentarily but ultimately nodded in agreement.
After all, the risk was not theirs to bear.
"So, are you willing to join us on our departure," Huazhen inquired of the plump youth, "or would you rather venture out alone?"
The plump youth hastily agreed, "No, no, I will act in concert with you!"
Although Huazhen was armed, the plump youth was acutely aware that he had not been bitten.
The gash on his leg was merely an accident from before when he had fallen from a chair in the projection room due to his weight and posture.
Thus, there was no need for concern about mutation.
"Very well, but we shall bind this fellow before you depart," Ren Qingli declared.
"That's no problem," Huazhen responded, clapping his hands. "Now, let's all prepare. Oh, and hand me your mobile phone; it will be used to lure the zombies when I go out with the security guard."
The plump youth, startled, displayed an expression of utter desolation.
"My phone is needed?"
"Of course, your phone contains nothing but games and study materials, while the others' phones hold items of relative importance, such as contacts, which will be useful for finding family once we reach the quarantine zone."
"I have important items too."
"Do you mean important possessions or family?"
Huazhen was sorely tempted to kick him.
However, considering the need to preserve the porter's mobility, he opted for gentle persuasion.
"Your mother has not returned since she left; it's likely she's no longer alive. As for the study materials, they can be downloaded again later."
"Besides, there might be a chance later to acquire the latest model of phone. And think of the upside, no one is stopping you from making in-app purchases now."
The plump youth, clutching his phone, hesitated.
Perhaps he was reluctant to part with the 'wives' within his phone.
Are virtual characters more important than one's own life?
Tears welled up.
The others began to persuade him as well.
Huazhen was right.
They all hoped to contact their families immediately upon reaching the quarantine zone, but the plump youth no longer had any family; his mother and her detestable mouth were probably torn to shreds by the zombies.
What use is your phone beyond gaming? Better to use it to save everyone's lives.
At worst, we'll find another phone for you while scavenging for supplies later.
Whether or not one is found is another matter…
Faced with the collective opinion, the plump youth could only agree.
"Alright, alright…"
He obediently handed his phone to Huazhen.
Afterward, everyone began to prepare.
Huazhen went to the projection room and charged both the plump youth's phone and his own.
This operation required two phones, and his own had a particularly loud volume.
However, the contents of his phone were already backed up on a hard drive, so there was no concern.
Then, Huazhen closed and locked the door to the projection room.
After ensuring no one could enter, he took out the vial he had obtained from the female pharmacist, filled with zombie blood.
Huazhen lightly cut his left shoulder with a kitchen knife.
He had already experimented before.
Infecting from this location significantly accelerated the zombification process.
After all, the outside was swarming with zombies, and venturing out as a human was not safe.
To question the zombies, to understand them, to become one, and to join them!
One might as well cease to be human.
Before the power outage, Huazhen put on a mask to prevent others from seeing his mutating face.
About an hour later, the phones were fully charged.
Huazhen secured his phone with a cord, tugged it firmly to ensure it would not fall, and placed them in his pocket.
Then, he waited.
Until 23:30, or half-past eleven at night.
The mall, just as Li Shurui had said, powered down on schedule.
Instantly, darkness enveloped the surroundings, and silence fell.
Any sound became piercingly loud in the pitch-black environment, even the friction of fabric.
The group turned on their phone lights and gathered together.
When they saw Huazhen, Li Shurui paused for a moment.
"Why are you wearing a mask?"
"Believe me, you wouldn't want zombie blood splattering into your mouth."
Saying this, Huazhen also handed Li Shurui a mask.
"So, according to the plan, Huazhen and I will hang the phones on the second floor to attract enough zombies. When we do, we'll send a text to notify you. Understand?"
"Mhm."
The others nodded.
Meanwhile, Ren Qingli had already tied up the plump youth while Li Shurui was speaking.
Then, Li Shurui, armed with a defensive rod, and Huazhen left the projection room through the fire escape.
In the darkness, the two used the light from their phones to feel their way forward.
Li Shurui was nervous, proceeding with extreme caution.
From his observations over the days, he had noticed that the zombies didn't move much without prey, typically just wandering with tilted heads in one area, occasionally emitting low, guttural growls and convulsions.
Huazhen also pretended to be very nervous.
The two advanced a distance to a stairwell blocked by server cabinets.
Through the gaps between several servers, they could vaguely see a few zombies wandering below.
It seemed that blocking the servers here was the right choice.
Not only did it potentially prevent the zombies' assault, but it also prevented them from wandering up to the sixth floor.
The two continued to move forward cautiously, rounding a corner.
Ahead was the exit to the employee corridor, leading out to the staff rest area behind the popcorn counter.
Their task was to first ensure the safety of that area.
Then, to exit from there, avoiding direct contact with the zombies outside the projection room door.
The distance was not far, just a few dozen meters, and there were no people on the way.
However, Li Shurui had not set foot in this area after the disaster, so he did not know the situation.
There were several rooms in the corridor, a restroom, a cleaning room, and a storeroom.
Li Shurui had not seen anyone nearby when he had blocked the stairwell entrance before.
But that did not mean he was the first to take refuge on the sixth floor.
Indeed, as the two approached, they heard a low, guttural hiss from the restroom, like crows flapping in a graveyard.
Huazhen signaled Li Shurui with his eyes to move behind him.
To be honest, this path did not need to be secured.
Because if the plan succeeded, the zombies would be lured away, and the others could leave the projection room from the front.
But what if it didn't succeed?
Then the two would be surrounded by zombies.
Of course, Huazhen had no safety concerns.
But Li Shurui was different.
If he was eaten by zombies, that would be one thing.
But if he managed to escape to a safe place, that would be terrible.
Because then, he would inevitably realize that he was not being attacked by zombies.
At that time, Huazhen would have to deal with him.
Huazhen could not guarantee that his secret would never be discovered by others
But he would try his best to prevent others from discovering it.
So clearing out the zombies here was the safest course of action.
Huazhen approached the restroom door against the wall and peeked inside quietly.
There was only one zombie inside, facing the door, but its head was lowered.
Huazhen shook his phone in his hand, and the light flickered at the door.
The zombie did not react.
Indeed, although zombies have vision, they do not react to anything other than humans.
It's also unknown whether they eat animals.
Huazhen reached into his bag and took out a piece of dried tangerine peel candy.
He had taken it from the convenience store earlier, and although most of the food was stored on the second floor, Huazhen also carried high-calorie foods like candy and chocolate on him.
He tore open the wrapper and shot the candy out like a marble.
The round, hard candy fell on the tile floor and made a sound in the darkness.
The zombie immediately looked up, turning its attention inside the restroom, and the guttural sound in its throat stopped, replaced by a creaking sound, like an old door opening and closing.
Taking advantage of the zombie's turned head, Huazhen quickly approached and slit its throat with a cleaver.
His movements were smooth and decisive, without any hesitation.
Because if the zombie had not seen a human, it might have turned back quickly.
So the entire process had to be completed before that.
After dealing with this zombie, Huazhen caught it and gently placed it on the ground.
There were four stalls in the restroom, all with closed doors.
Logically, all should be checked to ensure the restroom was cleared of danger.
But Huazhen suddenly had a strange feeling.
That was, there were no other zombies in the restroom, but there were two more in the storeroom 5 meters away.
He was surprised by this thought when it occurred to him.
To confirm his idea.
Huazhen crouched down and shone the light from his phone under the stalls, and there was no one.
"The restroom is clear of zombies," Huazhen whispered.
Li Shurui was almost stunned