Elsewhere, neither Cheng Zhenyong nor He Fang had the sharp metal claws of Su Han's Four-armed Corpse, which made it a bit more difficult to break through the security door, so they had to use a crowbar to break the lock and then enter.
Cheng Zhenyong first broke into the room on the right, and then the two of them entered. It wasn't long before the sounds of fighting and the Corpse's hissing could be heard.
The noise was considerable, but Cheng Zhenyong handled it calmly, controlling his own Corpse Envoy to fend off the monsters while instructing Zhang Fu and Xia Ning to use their Envoys to restrain the Corpse, creating opportunities for Yang Zhi to kill the Corpse. The battle was resolved in a short time.
The progress on He Fang's side was similar, but due to a lack of synergy and the fact that Xie Hua was a woman, which made her hesitate slightly more when killing the Corpse, their progress was a few minutes slower.
About half an hour later, everyone had finished clearing the 11th floor and gathered in the hallway. The loot was not too abundant, roughly seventy to eighty pounds of rice, along with some noodles, bread, and a few medications.
"Let someone come up and move it down, we continue clearing."
"Okay."
They had to clear ten floors today; it wasn't possible to move everything back after each floor, at most it was just about division of labor.
The group continued upward, and all thirteen people had contracted with Envoys, greatly increasing the safety of searching for supplies.
They directly entered the hallway on the 12th and 13th floors, quickly clearing any Corpses that might lunge out, and then paired up to break down doors in search of supplies.
Like the 11th floor, the 12th floor had no survivors, but the 13th had two survivors who had been hiding in a room without having contracted with an Envoy.
As they cleared upward, survivors became increasingly rare, and the supplies found, such as food, diminished.
When there were survivors, their food had usually run out after three days, and there wasn't much left in terms of supplies on those floors. However, rooms where people were not at home had slightly more supplies.
Mostly, however, survivors would risk coming out, only to be killed by Corpses in the hallways.
On the 17th floor corridor, the number of Corpses suddenly increased. Right as the group stepped out of the safety door, they saw three Corpses charging at them at top speed.
The Four-armed Corpse led the charge without hesitation. Its sharp claws extended from its fingertips and, with a fierce swipe, twisted off the head of a Corpse.
Another Corpse tried to attack its body, but the Rot Skin Rat dashed out, leaping onto the head and biting fiercely into the Corpse's eye sockets, splattering flesh and blood, and soon killed it.
Having cleared so many floors, Yan Meiyu, who controlled the Rot Skin Rat, had gained some insight and her strength had also improved significantly.
The two acted decisively. Although they had seen similar situations in previous floors, it still seemed unbelievable to Cheng Zhenyong and his team, as the difference between the Corpses was starkly apparent.
"It's probably more than just a First Order Inferior."
Someone murmured softly, Su Han heard it, but did not respond at all.
"Gather the Corpses together; there's just the third floor to finish."
He Fang responded immediately, "Quickly, let's get this done for Brother Su."
The team members all knew that a significant condition for Su Han to take action was needing these Corpses' bodies.
Keen to curry favor, He Fang, with Chen Jun and Su Hao helping him, started piling the bodies to one side of the corridor.
He said cheerfully, as if mentioning it casually, "Brother Su, your Envoy is truly formidable, no wonder you need so many Corpses."
Su Han's gaze landed on He Fang's face, dead-on and so calm that it made He Fang feel uneasy, knowing that Su Han had seen through the purpose of his question.
"My Envoy has a special talent that requires some meat, it's not a big deal," said Su Han.
"Can't say that," He Fang squinted, appearing reluctant to give up, "It's so dangerous now, the Corpses inside the building are just the smaller ones, I fear there are even more formidable things in the fog outside. Brother, if you really have a way to make the Corpses evolve, why not share it with everyone? If we can survive, everyone will be grateful, and I've also gathered some valuable things these past few days that I can offer you as compensation."
Although it didn't come to a confrontation, He Fang half-brought the situation to light and involved everyone present, subtly changing the atmosphere.
"Are you pressing me?"
Su Han's gaze hardened, and the Four-armed Corpse stepped forward behind him. He Fang's face changed, a flash of panic crossing his features. Cheng Zhenyong furrowed his brows, stepped in front of He Fang, and scolded, "What are you trying to do, He Fang?"
"Captain Cheng, you're a security guard who meddles too much," Cheng Zhenyong's interruption had given He Fang the leverage he needed, but he transformed his mingled annoyance and fear entirely into anger targeted at Cheng Zhenyong, sarcastically saying, "Who doesn't want to save their own life now? Don't you? I was just asking."
Having said that, he quietly created distance from Su Han, snorted, and said, "If you're unwilling, then forget it, just pretend I never asked."
He Fang led his people away to search the rooms on the 17th floor ahead of Su Han's group, avoiding them. But the moment he turned around, his face was completely darkened by the realization that Cheng Zhenyong had supported Su Han instead of being secretly seduced; this was something he hadn't expected.
"Brother Su, the things we need to clear out now are important; don't bother with that guy."
Cheng Zhenyong was worried about a real internal conflict, which, at that time, wouldn't just be a fight but could be the last straw overwhelming the order.
Currently, it was still possible to organize and secure safe floors, not because he was particularly capable or had strong organizational skills.
Rather, it was because such a catastrophe had just occurred, and everyone was still willing to maintain the original order.
But, this was only temporary.
Su Han cracked a smile and said, "Let's focus on the work first; three more floors to go."
Cheng Zhenyong breathed a sigh of relief, then gradually arranged for people to search the rooms, and soon everyone had dispersed again.
"Su Han, that He Fang probably won't let things go easily."
Within the room they were searching, Yan Meiyu seriously voiced her concern. She could see that He Fang was merely wary of the Four-armed Corpse.
Four-armed Corpses are strong, but being a powerful Apostle doesn't necessarily mean the Contractor is also that strong.
Su Han slightly shook his head, his gaze firm, and spoke in a steady tone, "He's not important, now the focus is on enhancing our own strength. As for him, let's sideline that concern now."
Seeing Su Han's demeanor, Yan Meiyu knew he wasn't taking it lightly and nodded, "I understand, but we still need to beware of their sabotage."
Cleaning the floors, the slain corpses would turn into resources to enhance Su Han's Apostle, while for the time being, He Fang was just like a temporary worker.
....
"Brother Fang, you, you actually plan to provoke that Su Han?"
After He Fang's group had killed a corpse in the room, Su Hao hesitantly spoke to He Fang.
He Fang's face remained stern, "Do you think I want to do this? That kid doesn't know how to act right, and Cheng Zhenyong isn't getting with the program, damn fools."
"But we've offended him, I'm afraid..."
"What are you afraid of? With so many people around, does he dare to kill someone?" He Fang had his own calculations; a fierce look flashed briefly in his eyes, "His Apostle is strong; it's not him who's strong. The opportunity is here. If you don't take a risk now, you'll always just be an unsuccessful kebab vendor. Are you content with that?"
Su Hao's face slightly shifted, "I don't want to be."
He Fang's expression softened slightly, "That's right, the apocalypse is our chance. As long as we become strong, we can all be above others. If he doesn't want to share, then we have to find a way."
Ambition thrived in the apocalypse. From the day the large event started, when He Fang personally killed a corpse with a fire extinguisher, he realized his chance to turn things around had arrived.
Off to the side, Chen Jun asked, "Brother Fang, what do we do next then? Are we going after that Su Han?"
He Fang shook his head, his eyes subtly moving, "No rush, let's get a clear picture first. And besides, I'm close to a breakthrough. Soon, I won't just be First-level Intermediate."
Without proper preparation, how could one dare to ascend Mount Liang? In his heart, He Fang had a scale -- his ambition blooming as he felt he was close to reaching First-level Intermediate.
From the day he contracted with an Apostle, he had been pushing his Apostle, and later on, continued to clear the floors and control the fights; his advancement and reinforcing feedback naturally sped up compared to others.
However, before meeting Su Han, he had never imagined encountering such a towering Four-Armed Apostle.
In that moment, he felt jealous.