Chapter 6 Children’s Reading Room

Chapter 6: The Children’s Reading Room

“I just noticed your fangs and couldn’t resist…”

Early that morning, as Bai Suizhi habitually checked his phone, he saw dozens of urgent pleas in the property management group chat. Since the initial zombie outbreak, when a few bewildered residents had posted, the group had been quiet. Most discussions revolved around when and where the government would deliver supplies, and when the community lockdown would end.

Today, however, a resident, identified as “Unit 103” with a cartoon couple as their profile picture, flooded the chat: “My wife is in labor! Is there a doctor in the group?!”

Some asked why she wasn’t at the hospital. The man explained that her due date was two months away, but she’d woken up with severe abdominal pain—likely due to the stress of the past few days, causing early labor.

103: “Everyone, can anyone help? My wife is in unbearable pain. Money is no object.”

104: “Forget money now—it’s useless. Who’d dare take that responsibility? @103, can’t your wife hold on? Didn’t they say rescue might come in a few days?”

103: “We have no other choice. She’s in so much pain she’s about to pass out.”

Unit 103 knew his request was unreasonable, but who could have predicted a zombie apocalypse? They had prepared everything for the birth well in advance, read the manuals countless times, and even rehearsed emergency scenarios at home. But fate had other plans.

303: “I’m a doctor. You can bring your wife to my place.”

Cui Qishan’s husband was furious when he saw her message: “Are you out of your mind? Can you handle that responsibility? Have you thought about how dangerous it is?”

Cui Qishan replied while sterilizing her tools, “There are two lives at stake. I can’t just stand by.”

103 was stunned that someone had actually stepped up, and quickly typed in the group: “Thank you, Doctor, thank you…”

104: “But how will you get her there? The streets are full of zombies.”

207: “I have a motorcycle downstairs. I can take your wife. Let’s figure out how to lure the zombies away.”

104: “Easier said than done. Who would dare go out now?”

103 understood 104’s concerns—most residents had families and couldn’t risk leaving them. But he was desperate and had no choice but to swallow his pride and beg for help.

103: “Is there anyone who can help?”

207: “If you can help, speak up. If not, please keep unhelpful comments to yourselves.”

107: “We can lure the zombies to the children’s reading room.” Bai Suizhi remembered a children’s reading room on the west side of the building. If they could draw the zombies there, they could safely transport the pregnant woman from the east side to Building 3.

Others in the group quickly grasped Bai Suizhi’s idea. Someone asked how they would lure the zombies—surely they couldn’t use a human as bait.

107: “The notice said zombies locate by sound and smell. We can use a loudspeaker or something similar to attract them.”

A resident with a water lily profile picture sent a voice message: “I have a speaker! The kind used for square dancing—will that work?”

The group, recalling the evenings dominated by square-dancing aunties, unanimously agreed, “That’ll work perfectly!”

The auntie in the floral dress hurried to retrieve her speaker. She had thought it would be out of commission for a while, but it was needed sooner than expected.

107: “That alone isn’t enough. There will still be stray zombies—we need people to deal with them.”

207: “I can handle the area around Building 2.”

A few others also volunteered to help clear out the stray zombies.

202: “But who will set up the speaker?”

107: “I’ll do it.”

After sending the message, Bai Suizhi looked at Kahn, who was engrossed in his studies, and said gravely, “Kahn.”

Kahn looked up at the sound of his voice. “Hmm?”

“I might need to go out for a bit. Can you stay home alone?”

Kahn put down his pen, his tone urgent. “Why? Didn’t we agree to stay together?” His mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

“It’s nothing like that, don’t worry. Someone in the complex is going into labor. I want to help.”

Kahn realized he was overreacting and calmed down, honing in on the key detail. “Going into labor? Having a baby?”

Bai Suizhi: “Yes, so I want to help.”

Kahn: “I’m coming with you.”

Bai Suizhi instinctively refused: “No, your wounds haven’t healed yet.”

Kahn: “They don't hurt anymore. I’m going with you!”

Bai Suizhi fell silent. Usually, Kahn would recognize this as a sign that Bai Suizhi was angry, but this time, Kahn wasn’t backing down.

The two stood in a tense standoff, the silence between them suffocating.

Finally, Bai Suizhi relented and spoke first: “Fine, we’ll go together. But you have to promise me you won’t get hurt again.”

Kahn broke into a smile, his clear eyes sparkling with tiny lights. It was a completely relaxed, happy smile, as if he’d received the best news imaginable.

Bai Suizhi sighed inwardly, thinking, *How can someone be this naive?* He picked up his phone and typed in the group: “107, two people.”

103 thanked them repeatedly, his words tumbling out: “Truly, truly, thank you all so much for your help!”

Considering that taking the stairs down from the seventh floor was too risky with unpredictable dangers, Bai Suizhi and Kahn decided to descend from the balcony. Bai Suizhi first went to the storage room to retrieve his climbing backpack, then took out the climbing rope. After checking it for wear, he tied a bowline knot around the balcony railing.

Kahn found the knee pads and helmet they’d prepared earlier, then brought two sharpened short knives to the balcony to check out the situation below.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Suizhi—wearing a sleek motorcycle helmet, a short knife at his waist, and gloves on his hands—gripped the rough rope and descended effortlessly from the seventh floor. Residents in Buildings 1 and 2 who witnessed the scene watched, holding their breath.

Meanwhile, the floral-dress auntie in Building 2 lowered her speaker using a rope. Four or five zombies wandered nearby. Bai Suizhi first descended to a second-floor balcony to wait for Kahn.

Seeing that Bai Suizhi had landed safely, Kahn began his descent from the seventh-floor balcony. His legs were long and straight, his silver hair flowing in the air—it looked like a scene straight out of an anime. Bai Suizhi couldn’t help but think, *He really has a great figure.*

Once Bai Suizhi and Kahn reunited, they assessed the zombies below and, together with residents on the second floor, used homemade spears to stab downward.

The second-floor apartment housed a family of four. Twin boys, who appeared to be in high school, stabbed at the zombies with an excited gleam in their eyes. They had wanted to do this ever since the zombies surrounded the first floor, but their parents had ordered them to stay hidden in their rooms. Now, with the opportunity, they threw themselves into the task.

But when they actually pierced a zombie and watched brain matter and blood spray out, fear and horror washed over them.

They suddenly realized these weren’t video game characters—they were real, actual beings. Hesitation began to creep in.

But their parents wouldn’t let them quit now. They had initially hidden the children because the scene was too brutal and bloody, but this was a crucial chance for them to understand the terrifying reality they faced—to extinguish any naive sparks of excitement.

After clearing the zombies below, Bai Suizhi and Kahn jumped down using the outdoor AC units as stepping stones. They left the rope on the second floor, worried that if they lowered it all the way, zombies might climb up.

The two quietly made their way to Building 2, picked up the speaker, and ran toward the children’s reading room. Surprisingly, they encountered no zombies on the way—it was almost suspiciously smooth.

When they reached the reading room, two zombies were still outside. Kahn and Bai Suizhi exchanged a glance, and Kahn signaled for Bai Suizhi to take the speaker inside first. Bai Suizhi initially wanted to hand the speaker to Kahn, but Kahn’s stubborn streak flared up again. With no time to argue, Bai Suizhi carried the speaker inside with Kahn covering him.

Just as Bai Suizhi was looking for a place to set down the speaker, a chill ran down his spine.

"Watch out!"

Without turning his head, Bai Suizhi swiftly stabbed backward with his knife into the attacker's gut. After restraining the zombie's movement, he turned around, pulled the knife out, and plunged it forcefully into the zombie's temple. Blood splattered onto his goggles, blurring his vision.

Bai Suizhi removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair, making his already messy hair look even more like a rat's nest. Kahn rushed in anxiously, his steps hurried as he asked, "Are you hurt?" After quickly taking out the two zombies outside, he had turned to find Bai Suizhi only to see a zombie about to attack him from behind. His heart nearly stopped from fear, and he could only manage to shout a warning.

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay too."

"That zombie must have been hiding in the blind spot behind the door. I didn’t notice it."

Kahn threw Bai Suizhi’s own words back at him: "Watch yourself, don’t get bitten by the zombies."

Bai Suizhi nodded, and a cowlick sticking up on his head wobbled along with the motion. Kahn reached out and pressed the stray hair down. Bai Suizhi froze for a moment—the sensation was unfamiliar, leaving him feeling thrown off.

After a pause, he coughed lightly and said, "Let’s go find a spot to set up the speaker."

They eventually found a spot further inside to place the speaker, then climbed out through the library window onto the roof. After getting into position and lying flat, Bai Suizhi took out his phone and started playing music...

*Shuang shuang shuang shuang~ Ha yi yo oh oh, Ha yi yo oh oh~ Ha yi yo oh oh~ Zou ni~ Wa oh oh oh~ Jiu zhe ge feel, bei'er shuang bei'er shuang~ Zhe ge feel bei'er shuang, feel feel bei'er shuang!*

Deafening music suddenly blared, making every resident in the complex jump in shock. People in the nearby streets must've been confused—wasn’t it the apocalypse? Were they really having a square dance now?!

Kahn was also stunned by the blasting music, his eyes going wide. Wh-what... what kind of weapon is this... such devastating power??!

Bai Suizhi found Kahn’s dazed expression amusing and bumped his shoulder. "So, what do you think?"

Kahn snapped out of it and looked at Bai Suizhi, finally managing to utter, "Wow..."

Bai Suizhi laughed even more heartily, his small fangs faintly visible. It was only then that Kahn noticed Bai Suizhi actually had two small fangs. Amid the deafening music, he couldn’t help but reach out and touch one of Bai Suizhi’s fangs.

The action was sudden. Feeling a foreign object in his mouth, Bai Suizhi instinctively bit down. Kahn winced in pain and quickly pulled his hand back, finally realizing what he had done. Bai Suizhi licked his fang, his expression inscrutable, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Kahn avoided his gaze. "I saw you had fangs and couldn’t resist touching one."

Bai Suizhi: "Why?"

Kahn answered honestly: "I don’t know."

Bai Suizhi: "Oh."

The two fell silent, quietly watching the zombies rushing toward them from all directions. Their hearts pounded wildly—whether from the sight of the ferocious zombies or something else, it was hard to say.