"Do you know these people?"
Others looked at Tan xinger, who nodded and said, "Met them a couple of days ago."
"Wow, they're quite audacious. By the way, where did the rope come from?"
Jiang Qiqi squirmed to stand up and looked out the window. She could only see Jiang Nan climbing up. If he slipped, it would be the end for him.
"If someone above was lowering a rope for Jiang Nan, it meant there must be members of the Northern Society up there. It seems likely that the person who locked the door was also from the Northern Society."
Thinking this, Tan xinger glanced at Gu Jingyong, who understood her meaning. Gu Jingyong leaned closer, and Tan xinger whispered, "Jiang Nan is from the Northern Society. The people on the rooftop must also be from the Northern Society."
Upon hearing her words, Gu Jingyong's gaze returned to Jiang Nan climbing outside the building, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes as if he had spotted something interesting.
"We should go."
When Gu Jingyong withdrew his gaze, he glanced at Hu San, who was sharpening his knives. He was using one notched knife to sharpen another.
The clashing of the blades reminded Tan xinger of the butchers in the market, who always liked to sharpen their knives before chopping meat.
Understanding the situation, Tan xinger realized that Hu San was from the Northern Society and was ensuring that the people upstairs would open the door.
After exchanging a knowing glance, they prepared for the final push. Tan xinger tightened her straps, tied her hair into a bun, and even untied Jiang Qiqi.
"Not tying me up anymore?"
Jiang Qiqi asked excitedly, moving her numb limbs.
"Since everyone's leaving, even if you turn into a zombie, it's just bringing you back to the family."
Tan xinger joked, earning a roll of the eyes from Jiang Qiqi.
Their lineup was quite formidable. Xiaowu glanced over.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
Gaoxin discarded any unnecessary items from his backpack and armed himself.
"Let's go together."
Xiaowu stood up and nodded subtly at Song Jie before turning.
Hu San threw the notched knife to the ground with a loud clatter, drawing everyone's attention. He sneered, seeming to mock them.
Tan xinger looked up at the rooftop and couldn't help but think sarcastically, "He's just a door knocker."
Time was running out. Even if Hu San didn't want to help Gu Jingyong and the others, he had to bring his only remaining follower out.
The group burst into the building and left in a hurry.
There were nine people in total, and almost as soon as they stepped out, they were swarmed by zombies. The narrow corridor limited their movements, but Hu San's physique occupied most of the space.
Watching Hu San forging ahead, Tan xinger inexplicably felt relieved, but she couldn't relax because the zombies kept coming like a tide. Just as they pushed one away, two more would pounce.
However, they were like immortals, forced to throw the zombies down the stairwell to buy time.
The group moved slowly upstairs, their speed surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, they reached the top floors.
"Go knock on the door."
After flipping over a zombie, Gu Jingyong turned to Tan xinger.
Watching the zombies being blocked by them, Tan xinger nodded and strode heavily towards the iron door.
"Open the door."
Tan xinger knocked heavily on the door, and soon heard footsteps approaching, but there was no sign of the door opening.
"We're from the Northern Society."
Tan xinger said after glancing at Hu San, but she didn't expect the people inside to just knock on the door without any intention of opening it.
"Hey, is there a password?"
Tan xinger looked at Hu San, who was trying to play it cool, but before he could move, he was intercepted by a pouncing zombie and had to continue swinging his steel pipe.
Hearing Tan xinger calling out to him, Hu San sneered and said, "Without me, you won't get in."
"Well, then you can stay here."
Tan xinger chuckled. Her words had just fallen when Gu Jingyong took a big step backward, and with a strong push, he broke a corner of the sturdy door.
Seeing Gu Jingyong's actions, Jiang Qiqi, who was kindly holding her back, also stepped back, while Si Qiao had already retreated to his side when Gu Jingyong made a move.
As the line of defense collapsed, Song Jie, who was still resisting, was pulled back by Xiaowu in an instant, leaving Hu San with several others in the front.
The zombies all rushed towards Hu San, but unexpectedly, he stopped them directly. Hu San was caught off guard and could only use his steel pipe to block them, trying to push the zombies back.
Tan xinger stared at Hu San without blinking, betting that he wouldn't let her die here.
Hu San used all his strength to push away a zombie, his veins bulging on his face, showing that he was reaching his limit.
"Let me through!"
After shouting loudly, Hu San suddenly fell backward.
The zombies, losing their last bit of resistance, surged forward like a floodgate opening. Seeing Hu San about to be overwhelmed, Gu Jingyong and Si Qiao rushed forward to stop the zombies.
The bulging eyes of the zombies seemed like they were about to pop out. Gu Jingyong, with disgust, grabbed one zombie's clothes and smashed it forward.
The undead creatures that couldn't be killed were particularly annoying. Xiaowu gritted his teeth and pushed away one zombie, narrowly avoiding being dragged in by another.
In a critical moment, a hand grabbed Xiaowu and pulled her back, making her heart skip a beat. When she recovered, she saw Gu Jingyong coldly turning away.
Still, she managed to thank him, then rushed back to the fight. The smell of blood grew stronger as the battle intensified. Tan xinger watched as Hu San approached, quickly moving aside to ensure he wouldn't attack suddenly.
With blood on his face, Hu San looked like he had emerged from hell. Tan xinger felt his gaze on her, sending shivers down her spine like a ghostly presence.
Bravely, she stared back, urging, "Hurry up."
Hu San, seemingly itching to devour her flesh, shifted his gaze away like a knife scraping across her skin, finally allowing Tan xinger to breathe a sigh of relief.
Hu San took out a card from his pocket and slid it into the door crack. Soon, the sound of a latch being unlocked followed.
Before Tan xinger could rejoice, she saw Hu San's face change drastically as he lunged towards her.
"Gu Jingyong!"
Tan xinger screamed, watching as a blood-stained knife headed straight for Hu San's neck.
Sensing the knife behind him, Hu San had no choice but to dodge at the last moment, crashing into the wall.
The knife struck the iron door, and Tan xinger immediately ran towards Gu Jingyong. Coincidentally, the iron door slowly opened, and the others rushed over.
Hu San gritted his teeth and pushed past, knocking Jiang Qiqi aside and quickly squeezing through the door crack.
As Hu San entered, Tan xinger realized his intentions and hurriedly reached out to hold the door. But the strength difference was too great, and the iron door was almost closed in an instant.
Fortunately, Gaoxin reacted quickly, using a steel pipe to prop open the door, preventing it from closing completely.
Seeing the standoff, Gu Jingyong gave Si Qiao a glance before rushing forward. Hu San was about to reach the door when he suddenly felt his wrist weighed down as if by hundreds of pounds.
His hands instantly weakened, and by the time he tried to block the door, he was already pushed aside by Gaoxin.
"Quick, let's go."
Gu Jingyong grabbed Tan xinger's hand and headed inside.
The zombies followed, exerting so much force that they almost pushed the iron door open. Gaoxin and Xiaowu, with others, finally managed to close the door, breathing a sigh of relief when the latch clicked into place.
"Hu Ge."
The little brother who had been guarding the door supported Hu San, watching them warily.
Tan xinger then remembered to assess the situation here. As she looked up, she met several scrutinizing gazes, including one from Jiang Nan in the corner.
Seeing Tan xinger, Jiang Nan seemed surprised and smiled at her, but Tan xinger couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.
"Wait for me."
Hu San glared at them with clenched teeth. Behind him stood six or seven members of the Northern Society, their tattoos too conspicuous to be ignored, especially the one with a tattoo on his face, which Tan xinger couldn't help but notice.
Initially worried that Hu San would stubbornly oppose them, the anticipated battle didn't happen, and Tan xinger gradually breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she knew they had thoroughly offended Hu San and his group, likely putting themselves on the Northern Society's blacklist.
With one last venomous glare, Hu San, followed by a few henchmen, headed towards the escape door.
Only then did Tan xinger notice the legendary escape door.
She saw a arched light curtain appear at the edge of the rooftop, a pale blue light mixed with purple speckles, alluring in color.
There were only their group on the rooftop, unsure if the others hadn't arrived yet or had already left.
Watching Hu San and his group enter the light curtain, their figures quickly disappeared.
Looking at the gleaming blue light, she couldn't shake off a bad feeling, feeling strangely affected by the flickering of the light curtain.
Tan xinger didn't know if she was the only one feeling this way. Just as she was about to turn around and ask Gu Jingyong, she felt his hand holding hers, leading her to the side.
"What's wrong?"
Tan xinger looked at Gu Jingyong with some confusion. Before Gu Jingyong could react, the quiet surroundings were suddenly shattered by a scream.
Instinctively, Tan xinger looked up and from her angle, she could see several figures appearing in the air, then plummeting down straight into the midst of the zombie horde.
"What's happening?" Jiang Qiqi stood at the railing, terrified. The fleeting shadows didn't allow her to see clearly, but Tan xinger caught a glimpse of those people's faces.
She could only say in a fragmented voice, "It seems, it's Hu San and his group."
Everyone looked towards that spot, only to see the incessantly wriggling zombies. Something seemed to be struggling inside, but soon it was engulfed, and no distinction could be made between friend or foe.
"How could this happen?"
Jiang Qiqi stepped back in shock, looking at the archway of light, suddenly feeling hesitant.
Apart from them, there was another member of the Northern Society on the rooftop. Jiang Nan picked up a wooden stick and threw it into the archway of light, then everyone looked to the right.
As time passed, just when everyone thought nothing would happen, inexplicably, a stick appeared in the air and smashed into the zombie horde.
Everyone present was shocked into silence, gazing at the archway in contemplation.
Tan xinger hadn't experienced other instances, but looking at the undisguised shock on their faces, she realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Is this escape door fake?" Tan xinger asked uncertainly. Gu Jingyong remained silent for a few seconds before responding, "This should be the hidden point in the instance."
Hidden point? What was that? Tan xinger felt like she was gradually understanding the true nature of the instance.