Chapter 3 The Fall of the First Floor

Chapter 3: The First Floor of the Community Is Overrun

After they ate, Bai Suizhi collected their empty bowls and loaded them into the dishwasher. He then went to his room, retrieved a set of clothes for Kahn, and told him to take a shower. Kahn was still in his hospital gown, layered with the coat Bai Suizhi had wrapped him in when taking him to the hospital. The earlier scuffle had left the clothes somewhat dirty.

Bai Suizhi had no idea how Kahn had managed to wander around in such attire, but recalling the man’s original clothes, which had been reduced to mere rags, he conceded that the hospital gown wasn’t so bad after all.

It was only then that Kahn noticed what he was wearing. He knew the coat belonged to Bai Suizhi and had intended to keep it carefully, waiting for a chance to wash and return it. However, the hospital gown was too conspicuous, so he had simply put the coat on over it.

Sheepishly, Kahn took off the coat. "Sorry, I’ve dirtied it. I… I’ll wash it clean."

Bai Suizhi took the coat with an indifferent shrug. "It’s fine, I’ll just toss it in the washing machine. You go take a shower first, but be careful not to get the wound wet. I’ve only worn these clothes once, and the underwear is new. There are fresh towels and a toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet."

Kahn thanked him and took the clothes to shower. He felt as though he had said "thank you" more in the past two days than in his entire life before. Nothing much in his previous existence had given him reason to be grateful, and no one had ever extended a helping hand to him repeatedly like Bai Suizhi had.

When Kahn emerged from the shower, his hair was still damp, and his wound had split open slightly, with a faint bloodstain showing through the white bandage. Bai Suizhi frowned at him, finding the bloodstain unbearably glaring. Why couldn’t this guy ever take proper care of himself?

With a soft sigh, Bai Suizhi turned to fetch the hairdryer from the bathroom and called Kahn over. He motioned for Kahn to stand in front of him, looking as though he intended to dry Kahn’s hair himself. Kahn hurriedly reached for the hairdryer. "No need, I can do it myself…"

Bai Suizhi deftly avoided his hand. "Stay still. None of that—your wound has reopened."

Kahn was about to protest further when a pair of large hands gently pressed down on his head. The warm air from the hairdryer enveloped him instantly, making him relax subconsciously.

Bai Suizhi ruffled the silvery-white long hair as if petting a cat. His movements were unpracticed but deliberately gentle.

The noisy hum of the hairdryer vibrated against Kahn’s eardrums. The comfortable pressure and warm air made him unconsciously narrow his eyes. Kahn felt as if he were wrapped in a vast ocean, so comfortable he didn’t want to move.

When Bai Suizhi felt the hair was mostly dry, he asked, "Is there any part that’s still wet?"

Kahn was reluctant for it to end but replied, "No, it’s all dry. Thank you, Bai Suizhi."

Bai Suizhi found Kahn’s stiff, formal thanks somewhat amusing. "You’re welcome, Comrade Kahn."

Kahn didn’t understand why Bai Suizhi suddenly laughed, but seeing him smile made his slight disappointment vanish instantly, and he felt happy too.

Bai Suizhi put away the hairdryer and led Kahn to the guest room. It was almost 4 a.m. Bai Suizhi glanced downstairs again and, finding nothing unusual, they both went to sleep.

Kahn lay on the soft bed, burying his face in the blanket. He smelled a faint scent of detergent and felt lighter than ever before. There were no whips to worry about, no bitter insults from researchers after failed experiments. For once, Kahn slept soundly.

Around 10 a.m., Bai Suizhi woke up first. After washing up, he went to the window to check. The man in the suit was still loitering below, a cup stuffed in his mouth, looking eerily like a Peashooter from Plants vs. Zombies.

Several hours had passed—why hadn’t the police arrived yet? Had the situation still not been brought under control? The thought weighed heavily on Bai Suizhi.

There were no further updates from the authorities. Posts about casualties and missing persons continued to flood in, and fear and unease slowly fermented in everyone’s hearts.

"Hey, buddy, you doing okay?" a deep voice suddenly called out.

Only then did Bai Suizhi notice that the man with the flashlight across the way was still holding his ground. "Yeah, big bro, you’ve been standing guard all night?"

"Yep, couldn’t sleep. That your friend from yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"He alright?"

"He’s fine."

"Your friend really cares about you—visiting you even while sick." As a front-row spectator, the man had clearly seen Kahn wearing a hospital gown and bandages.

Bai Suizhi paused, "Yeah," he said, a bit awkwardly.

Afraid the guy would keep asking, Bai Suizhi said he was going to eat and ended the cross-street conversation.

When Bai Suizhi stepped out of his room, he realized Kahn was already up. He was sitting on the living room sofa, spine ramrod straight, hands resting obediently on his knees, eyes initially downcast. At the sound of the door opening, his head snapped toward Bai Suizhi, his hair swishing in a graceful arc, like a wagging tail.

Bai Suizhi smiled and said, "Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"

Kahn replied earnestly, "Good morning. It was the best sleep I’ve ever had."

Bai Suizhi’s smile deepened. "Really?"

Kahn nodded vigorously. "Mhm!"

After teasing him, Bai Suizhi asked, "It’s getting late. What would you like to eat?"

Kahn stood up. "I’ll cook."

Bai Suizhi looked at him in surprise. "You know how to cook?"

Kahn actually didn’t. He had always survived on cheap nutrient solutions, but this planet had none, requiring manual food preparation.

Feeling guilty, Kahn nodded. He had secretly watched through the semi-transparent glass when Bai Suizhi cooked noodles yesterday, memorizing the main steps.

Curious about what Kahn would make, Bai Suizhi agreed. He explained the basic kitchen appliances, their usage, and the location of ingredients before handing over the kitchen entirely to Kahn.

Kahn first filled a pot with water, added the noodles before it boiled, then covered the pot to wait. He then tried frying an egg in a pan, imitating Bai Suizhi. When he poured oil into the pan and added the egg, hot oil splattered and burned him. He jerked his hand back, and the eggshell mixed with the egg as it fell into the pan. Kahn hurriedly used chopsticks to fish out the shell, but by the time he finished, the egg had burned on one side from not being flipped in time.

In the end, Kahn brought out two bowls of watery noodles with a few black, unidentifiable objects floating on top, placing them on the coffee table just like the day before.

Looking at the two "noodle" bowls, Bai Suizhi forced a compliment: "It’s... quite layered."

Kahn slumped, muttering dejectedly, "Sorry, I messed up."

Bai Suizhi ruffled his hair. "It’s no big deal. My first attempt wasn’t much better. You’ll improve with practice. Come on, smile." He poked Kahn’s cheek, thinking how endearingly silly this guy was—getting upset over cooking noodles.

Kahn forced a fake smile and unhappily poked the blackened egg with his chopsticks.

Bai Suizhi picked up both bowls. "Alright, stop torturing that egg—it’s suffered enough. I’ll cook us a proper meal."

Kahn followed Bai Suizhi to the kitchen, determined to learn properly this time so he wouldn’t mess up again!

But fate didn’t give Kahn that chance, because they suddenly heard a commotion of footsteps downstairs.

Bai Suizhi and Kahn stopped and exchanged a glance, sensing trouble. They went to the window, joining many others who had come out to see what was happening.

"Holy shit—"

"What is that…"

"It’s… zombies."

Swears and gasps erupted one after another.

A group of "people" with eerie expressions and abnormal movements had flooded into the community entrance.

After witnessing the suited man devouring a woman early that morning and scrolling through countless online videos and posts, everyone had already accepted these things as zombies.

"But I thought… they said protective measures were in place?"

"What do you think? They lost control. If they had it under control, why haven't the police come by now?"

In this situation, the last remnants of hope from the early morning were shattered, and the already fragile hope collapsed in an instant.

Only one thought echoed in everyone's minds: The end of the world is really here!

Bai Suizhi thought of something and shouted to the people still frozen in fear, "Everyone on the first floor, check your patio doors!"

The first-floor apartments had courtyards. For aesthetic reasons, most residents had only installed glass doors to separate the courtyard from the interior. If the zombies swarmed in, those doors would surely be breached.

Sure enough, the horde of zombies pressed against the glass doors. The faces of those in front were grotesquely distorted by the pressure from the door and the zombies pushing from behind, making them look even more monstrous. Their long nails scraped across the glass, leaving behind a series of screeching noises. The blood from their torn flesh smeared the once-clean glass doors, leaving them stained and filthy.

The first-floor residents were frozen in place, terrified, unable to move. Some scrambled to find anything they could use to barricade the doors, others hid in their rooms under their beds, too afraid to come out. A few reacted quickly and bolted upstairs, shouting as they ran, "Let me in, please! Open the door, hurry!"

The zombies soon smashed through the flimsy glass doors. Those who had barricaded their doors only managed to delay the horde for a moment. In an instant, the building echoed with nothing but screams, chewing sounds, and footsteps.

The residents on higher floors watched the bloody scene unfold in silence. They felt a sense of relief but also a shared sorrow, a sense of 'there but for the grace of God go I'.

Some of those who had fled upstairs seeking refuge were lucky enough to be taken in, while others were unfortunate and caught by the pursuing zombies.

Bai Suizhi lived on a high floor, so no one made it up there, but zombies did. The people who had rushed out earlier were too panicked to lock the doors behind them, and the zombies followed the open doors upward. The stairwell echoed with chilling footsteps, and the air reeked of rot and blood.

The sounds, the smell, and the horrific scene below all were fraying the survivors' nerves. The silence was thick with tension, a bigger storm brewing.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back and spoke up, "Why didn't you guys lock the door behind you...?" Their voice was weak but tinged with complaint.

"Yeah, now we're all screwed because of you."

The 'we're in this together' feeling vanished, replaced by 'you' versus 'us.' When faced with immense threats, humans often become more terrifying than the monsters that hunt them.

Bai Suizhi suddenly thought of his parents—they were just like this, always blaming each other whenever a problem arose. It was so tiresome.

Some people spoke without thinking, "They should've just fed you to the zombies..."

Hearing this, Bai Suizhi felt a surge of anger. He was about to retort when the man with the flashlight spoke first, "Enough arguing. We were just lucky we didn't live on the first floor. And those people are just infected—they're still roaming the hallways. You wanna attract them?"

The man looked resentful but didn't dare say more, afraid the zombies might actually hear him.

Flashlight Guy sneered, "Look at you, shaking in your boots."

"Ah, forget it. No point worrying. We'll deal with tomorrow, tomorrow. Let's just focus on getting through today." Bai Suizhi pushed these distracting thoughts aside and started thinking about today's lunch menu. After all, there was no telling how many meals they had left.

Kahn had been staying close to Bai Suizhi and roughly understood what was happening. It seemed this planet had been invaded by "zombies," and the thing that tried to bite him yesterday was probably one too. In Kahn's eyes, zombies were just like the researchers in white coats—nothing but trouble.

Bai Suizhi went to the kitchen to see what ingredients they had. He ruled out meat first and decided on sour and spicy shredded potatoes and scrambled eggs with tomatoes for lunch.

Kahn's interrupted cooking lesson officially began. To accommodate Kahn, Bai Suizhi deliberately slowed down his movements and thoughtfully explained each step in detail.

Kahn was full of confidence, itching to give it a try. Seeing his enthusiasm, Bai Suizhi handed him an egg to practice frying in the pan.

Heat the pan, add oil, crack the egg—he moved with surprising confidence!

And yet!

Dejected, Kahn scraped the burnt egg into the trash. Still not good enough...

Bai Suizhi's annoyance gave way to amusement. "Haha, you... you really... hahaha..."

Kahn gave Bai Suizhi a light shove and whispered, "Stop laughing."

Bai Suizhi forced his smile down. "You are honestly the most hopeless cook I've ever met. Even Shi Mingshan can fry an egg."

Kahn burned with embarrassment, wondering if he was truly an idiot. But the people at the research institute hadn't done any modifications to his brain.

Bai Suizhi put an arm around Kahn's shoulder and sat down to eat. "Don't bother learning to cook. You'll just waste all our eggs. I'll just cook for you from now on..."

Only after he said it did Bai Suizhi realize what he'd implied. He awkwardly pulled his arm back. "Ahem... let's eat."

Unaware of Bai Suizhi's inner turmoil, Kahn just pinned a few more mental 'good guy' badges on him. He thought these were probably the cheapest badges in the world, but it was all he had to offer.

The two of them finished their meal, each lost in their own thoughts.