As the door was pulled open, Tan Xinger nervously stared at the commotion at the doorway. She saw a man squeeze in and stumble to the ground.
Following closely behind was a woman, and Tan Xinger immediately recognized her as Song Qing, which made her grit her teeth in frustration.
"Hu-ge!"
The younger brothers rushed forward to help the man up, but before they could close the door properly, it was forcefully pushed open by the zombies outside.
"Ah!"
A man standing outside was caught off guard and bitten on the neck by a zombie, blood gushing out instantly, and he slowly lost his breath, his eyes rolling back as life left him.
Soon, the man's body convulsed, and he began to shrivel up, a crimson tongue slowly protruding from his mouth.
The entire process took less than a minute, shocking Tan Xinger, who instinctively stepped back.
"Up."
Gao Xin and Si Qiao exchanged a glance before rushing forward, one to close the door and the other to provide cover.
About four or five zombies rushed in, one of them bearing a familiar face from not long ago.
The man who had gone out with Hu San had mutated into a zombie, his elongated tongue lunging towards Gao Xin.
"Swish!"
Gao Xin stabbed his dagger into the zombie's heart and kicked him away, then rushed towards the next zombie.
Several zombies were quickly dispatched, and Hu San seemed to have regained his senses. After listening to the report from the short man, he angrily searched for Song Zhigang's figure.
The group's gaze searched around for a while before finally finding the man in a pool of blood.
With bulging eyes on his grim face, he seemed to have died too quickly to mutate, his body much fuller than the other zombies, more like a half-human half-zombie.
"He died too quickly. Throw him down to feed the zombies!"
Hu San sneered coldly, glanced at the others, and returned to his place.
Tan Xinger watched as the remaining henchmen threw the man off the rooftop, and after a dull thud, the excited voices of the zombies slowly floated up.
Tan Xinger felt a bit dizzy, as if she heard the sound of zombies chewing on flesh.
The sharp teeth scraping against bones, like nails scratching on a wall, made her skin crawl.
"Ugh."
Tan Xinger couldn't hold it anymore and leaned against the wall, retching.
"Xing Zi, are you okay?"
Jiang Qiqi rushed over to support her, but almost bumped into Gu Jingyong. She saw Gu Jingyong supporting Tan Xinger and slowly helping her sit against the wall, so she had to go around to the other side and pat Tan Xinger's back.
"I'm fine, just feeling a bit uncomfortable."
Tan Xinger waved her hand, her eyes red and watery from the nausea.
"I feel a bit off too, like my head's pounding."
Jiang Qiqi squatted down and patted her head.
Gu Jingyong glanced at her upon hearing this, then returned his gaze to Tan Xinger, gently rubbing her back to help ease her discomfort.
After a few more minutes, Tan Xinger felt the sensation completely disappear, and she sighed in relief, leaning against the wall and looking at Gu Jingyong with a grateful smile.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Gu Jingyong withdrew his hand and paused for a moment before speaking.
"This scenario is really sinister."
Seeing Tan Xinger recover, Jiang Qiqi pulled her aside to share her thoughts.
As day turned into night, it was already the ninth night.
Tan Xinger looked at the shiny dagger in her hand, polished by Gu Jingyong for her. Since last night, some zombies had begun to climb up the walls one after another.
The zombies evolved much faster than ordinary people. When the first zombie climbed up along the wall, Tan Xinger happened to be there.
As her hand touched the railing, she felt a chilling sensation, which startled her and made her step back.
Then, she saw a pair of crimson eyes slowly floating up, and the sharp sound of a protruding tongue filled the air.
After Tan Xinger screamed in surprise, she quickly dodged to the side. However, instead of the expected pursuit, she heard a dull thud as the zombie fell, its head smashing onto the ground.
Gu Jingyong pulled Tan Xinger up, made sure she was unharmed, and placed her aside before stepping forward to look down.
Dozens of zombies crawled up the walls of the building like spiders, their limbs evolving to resemble those of animals, curving in such a way that it seemed as if their limbs had been broken and reassembled.
In the darkness, countless dangers no longer lurked hidden but revealed themselves quietly.
The commotion also attracted Hu San and the others. After they glanced outside, their faces changed drastically, and they became noisy.
"Xing Zi, those zombies have completely turned into monsters."
Jiang Qiqi, with a frightened expression, pulled her along, and Tan Xinger had to turn around and comfort her.
"Tomorrow is the last day. We'll take turns keeping watch tonight. Notify us immediately if anything happens."
After tearing off a railing, Gu Jingyong aimed it at a climbing zombie and threw it. The zombie quickly fell off, disappearing from sight.
Seeing this, others followed suit, tearing off what they could and throwing it down. Soon, the zombies climbing the walls around them were cleared away.
"I'll guard the first half of the night, and you guys take over later."
After preparing some things, Gu Jingyong walked to the edge of the wall to keep watch. Tan Xinger, still feeling a bit shaky, sat with Jiang Qiqi in the middle of the rooftop, not daring to go near the wall, silently praying for time to pass quickly.
No one slept well throughout the night. The zombies climbed up several times, and one even climbed up from Hu San's side, causing quite a commotion and seemingly resulting in the loss of a henchman.
"Ugh."
Tan Xinger yawned wearily, looking at the few people across from her and feeling that their abilities were somewhat lacking. Hu San's expression also looked grim and fierce.
Taking the bread and milk handed to her by Gu Jingyong, Tan Xinger quickly finished eating because they were preparing to leave this building.
In survival scenarios, the escape door would open 24 hours in advance. Unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong building, so now they had to seize the last chance to find the right one.
"There are four buildings in the financial center, two in the Economic Development Zone and two near the Central Park. We didn't see an escape door in the building opposite, so we can only go there."
Gao Xin traced the route on the ground with the tip of his knife, and Tan Xinger, as the "native," couldn't help but sigh deeply after seeing it.
It wasn't far from the Economic Development Zone to Central Park, usually taking only ten minutes by car, but with zombies roaming around, the ten-minute journey was anything but easy.
"The underground parking lot should have a car, but the problem is there are too many zombies. It's highly likely that we'll be blocked halfway, leaving us with no way out."
After Tan Xinger finished speaking, she shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a car with no escape and torn apart by a horde of zombies.
"We can still find a car, but we need to plan our route and try to avoid the areas with the most zombies."
Gao Xin thought for a moment and said.
"I know about this."
Tan Xinger said without hesitation, prompting Gao Xin and Jiang Qiqi to look at her strangely.
"Uh, Qinsu and I came from the middle route, so we know which path is closer."
Tan Xinger explained calmly, though she felt extremely nervous inside.
"Oh."
Jiang Qiqi nodded without further questioning, squatting beside Gao Xin to continue studying the layout of the buildings.
Tan Xinger breathed a sigh of relief and glanced casually to the side, locking eyes with Gu Jingyong. She raised her eyebrows triumphantly, a smile playing on her lips.
Gu Jingyong smiled slightly, as if he had noticed something, and then he picked up a steel pipe and threw it to the right.
His movements were so swift that people couldn't react in time. The zombie had just poked its head out when Gu Jingyong smashed its head, causing it to fall off the wall.
Tan Xinger touched her heart, still feeling the lingering effects of Gu Jingyong's sudden change in aura. The contrast between his demeanor before and after was too stark, reminding her of Gu Jingyong's power and the bloody events not long ago.
"I almost forgot he's the boss with that gutsy move!"
Tan Xinger mentally scolded herself and resolved to remain vigilant, treating Gu Jingyong with the utmost respect.
"What do you think?"
Clearing her throat, Tan Xinger asked, as Gu Jingyong hadn't interjected during the previous conversation. It was hard to tell if he had any other thoughts. A qualified henchman pendant needed to always complement the presence of the boss.
Tan Xinger listened attentively, but to her surprise, Gu Jingyong shook his head and said, "Let's go with Gao Xin's plan."
"Oh."
Tan Xinger shut her mouth at the appropriate time, then Gao Xin pulled her aside to discuss the specific route.
An hour later, Tan Xinger and the other four were ready to go, carrying their backpacks, weapons, and wearing warm clothes, their expressions solemn as they stared at the rooftop iron door.
As Tan Xinger raised her head, she met Song Qing's gaze, which was complex. Tan Xinger couldn't understand it and didn't bother to investigate.
"Let's go."
Seeing Tan Xinger lagging behind, Jiang Qiqi ran over to join her. She noticed Tan Xinger's actions and followed suit, kicking her feet against the ground.
With a rustling sound, they finally erased the traces on the ground. Satisfied, they walked away hand in hand.
Tan Xinger threw a disdainful glance at Song Qing, proudly puffing out her chest. But as she approached the door, she instantly recoiled, shrinking her head like a quail, displaying extreme fear.
Gu Jingyong had been paying attention to her movements all along. Seeing her trying to intimidate Song Qing, he couldn't help but find it amusing. His laughter dispelled the cold aura surrounding him.
Tan Xinger noticed him laughing at her but decided to ignore it, lowering her head and blending in with the others, pretending she hadn't seen it.
The group held their breath as the rooftop door opened again, and the zombies almost instantly lunged at them.
Following the predetermined formation, Gu Jingyong and Si Qiao raised the steel pipes in their hands simultaneously, blocking the zombies at arm's length.
Tan Xinger and Jiang Qiqi followed their instructions, focusing on speed over accuracy, swinging the steel pipes at the zombies' chests.
Their strength was far less than that of the men, but it was enough to hurt the zombies. Gu Jingyong and Si Qiao kicked the zombies aside in unison, quickly clearing a path.
Gao Xin was responsible for guarding the rear, and the group cooperated in an orderly manner, soon reaching the next floor.
At this moment, the rooftop door that had been closed silently opened again, but Hu San and the others didn't notice.
"Hurry inside."
Si Qiao opened the door to the 30th floor hallway and pushed Jiang Qiqi and Tan Xinger in. There weren't many zombies inside, but they were all formidable.
Si Qiao was caught by two zombies, leaving Tan Xinger and Jiang Qiqi to fend for themselves.
One attacked from the front while the other held the zombie's clothes from behind. Jiang Qiqi gritted her teeth and forcefully drove her dagger into the zombie's chest.
"Over here."
After dealing with the remaining zombies, Gu Jingyong cleared a path and led the group towards a dimly lit corner.