The axe man ordered someone to add an extra lock and assign special guards to watch over Song Jinhe.
Before leaving, they personally watched Cheng Yan recheck Song Jinhe’s temperature, confirming she truly had a high fever. They also confiscated their backpacks, travel bags, and the crowbar.
Everyone was gathered in the lobby. A woman who had been dragged across the floor let out a piercing scream, while a man gripped her neck, forcing her to produce only painful, hoarse sounds.
The crowd watched helplessly as she was dragged into a room. Their faces showed anger and fear, but no one dared to resist.
Nearby, the burly man whistled twice, his gaze drifting over the remaining women.
“Remember this,” Fang Qinghe lowered his voice. “When the moment comes, try to run. They only have one gun, escape however many you can.”
“You’ll die!” Qiu Ling’s eyes filled with tears.
Fang Qinghe looked at her with an unusually calm expression. “I can’t let you go through something like this.”
With that, he pulled out a utility knife hidden in his sleeve and rushed forward. He was no match for them, before his blade could even make contact, he was struck hard in the abdomen.
“Run…” he spat out blood, using all his strength to shout, “Don’t look back!”
“Shit! Catch them!”
Gunfire rang out, and one of their companions was shot and fell. Qiu Ling cried as she ran faster to escape. In the chaos, they scattered. The long-haired girl was eventually cornered on the terrace, with nowhere left to retreat.
“Run? Keep running. Let’s see where you can go. You ungrateful bitch, still trying to escape? I’ll show you what I’m capable of soon enough,” the burly man spat on the ground.
The girl, eyes red, gave a desperate smile. Then she turned, climbed over the railing, and jumped without hesitation.
Hearing the heavy thud of impact, the burly man cursed with a dark expression. Out of five people, three were dead and two had escaped. The place was large, and searching every corner would take time and effort.
“No need to make it that complicated,” Qiu Xiang said as he walked out of the room. “They can’t get far. Just kill a few people every now and then. Didn’t Wu Dayong say those people are kind-hearted? Then let’s see if they’ll show themselves.”
“As for that other group, the woman and the doctor can’t be touched for now. That still leaves one person. If they really intend to join us, they won’t care whether that person lives or dies.”
He said the last sentence while looking directly at Peng Zhixue, his expression unreadable.
Sitting on the ground, Peng Zhixue clenched his fingers tightly. Zhang Yi’s location was definitely known by Song Jinhe. If he told these people, he might have a chance to survive. These people really did kill, they were absolutely not bluffing.
But if Zhang Yi fell into those people’s hands, she would surely suffer a fate worse than death. He couldn’t say it…
“Boss, considering I brought you here and provided information, how about letting me join your group?” Wu Dayong quickly expressed his loyalty when he heard they were about to start killing, afraid he would be the next one chosen.
“Who do you think you are?” the burly leader sneered at him. “You won’t even dare to kill zombies. We don’t need trash in our team. Since you did lead us here, we can let you be at the back of the line.”
Hearing this, Wu Dayong’s face darkened as he sat back down. If looks could kill, he would have already been torn apart by the resentful stares around him eight hundred times over.
“It’s all your fault, you brought these demons here!”
“Wu Dayong, you damn bastard! What did we ever do to you for you to harm us like this? And Fang Qinghe, your people ran away and left us to die!”
“What was I supposed to do!” Wu Dayong shouted back, eyes wide with rage. “They killed Old Jiang without saying a word. If I didn’t lead them, they would have tortured me to death! If it were you, you wouldn’t have been able to handle it either!”
“If you want to blame someone, blame them. It was Cheng-surnamed guy who said there were supplies outside, that’s why we went. Who knows what he and that woman told those people? Think about it, all the ones who died are ours, while they’re completely fine. Maybe they’re the ones who led those killers here in the first place!”
“You’re shameless! Did you even go out because of us?” Peng Zhixue glared at him. “You went out yourself looking for food! And you think you can join them? Do you think they’d even take you?”
“Enough! What’s the point of arguing like this?” Yang Minghao said in a low voice. “That tattooed guy, I’ve seen his photo from work in the neighborhood. He’s a wanted criminal. He was already killing people before the apocalypse. And you still think these people will let us live?”
“Then what are we supposed to do? They have guns!”
Thinking of their brutal methods, those who had just been considering cooperation lowered their heads again. As the saying goes, the first bird to stick its head out gets shot, who would dare step forward and risk their life?
On the other side.
Zhang Yi took a deep breath and pushed aside the blanket, crawling out of the cabinet. Her face pale, she looked toward the door. “Who are those people… what should we do…”
Song Jinhe handed her a knife. “Can you kill?”
“I… I haven’t… never killed anyone…” Zhang Yi stammered as she took the kitchen knife, her hands still trembling.
“If they don’t die, we’re the ones who will.”
Song Jinhe then took out two Molotov cocktails and a mousetrap. “If you want to survive in this world, there are things you have to do. Don’t hesitate when it’s time to act.”
Zhang Yi nodded seriously, still not noticing where Song Jinhe had suddenly taken so many things from.
“The car keys and supplies are in their hands. Take advantage of the chaos and prioritize getting the supplies.”
“But your condition…” Zhang Yi looked at Song Jinhe with concern.
“I’m a bit better than before.” During the worst moments, she had almost not made it through.
Although she couldn’t see what was happening outside the door, Song Jinhe could vaguely sense it, the guard standing on her left was smoking, and there were faint screams further down the corridor. Beyond that, her perception could not reach.
“They’re having quite the easy time, making me guard a half-dead female zombie,” the man outside the door said impatiently. He crushed his cigarette under his foot and kept glancing toward the room where the sounds were coming from.
Song Jinhe took out two pieces of bread and a bottle of milk from her space. Even though she had no appetite, she forced herself to eat a little. She needed time to wait for the right moment, and her body also needed a bit more recovery.
“How do you still have food? Didn’t they take all our supplies…” Zhang Yi asked.
“I hid it.” Song Jinhe handed her a spare key to the iron door leading to the unloading warehouse. “These people are firing guns so recklessly, it’s easy to attract zombies. Go find Cheng Yan and the others first. If anything feels wrong, retreat to the unloading warehouse.”
“Mm, I understand.” Zhang Yi’s gaze gradually grew firmer.
In the dark, eerie corridor, low, hoarse growls were drawing closer. Light filtering through broken windows cast shifting shadows over the concrete stairs.
The axe man’s group had already ransacked the bathhouse.
“These trash actually had quite a lot of supplies, better than the place we hit before,” the burly man said, picking up a slightly wrinkled apple and biting into it.
“Those idiots even sprayed ‘SOS’ on the walls with paint, thinking someone would come save them,” he said, unable to stop himself from laughing a couple of times.