Chapter 10 Strike

Chapter 10: Taking the Initiative

Rather than passively awaiting support, Bai Suizhi preferred to seize the initiative.

Due to the community's stringent property management, few residents had installed security bars. Now, this oversight presented a significant safety hazard. Even though the zombies had been temporarily repelled, no one could guarantee they wouldn't return. Should they reappear, the residents lacked sufficient firecrackers; it wasn't New Year's, and their previous use had exhausted their entire stock.

Soon, a question popped up in the community group chat: "What do we do now?" The second-floor residents, in particular, felt as if the first-floor tragedy was about to repeat itself on their level.

Yue Shaolin was the first to speak: "Those on the second floor can come to my place. I highly doubt they can climb up to the seventh floor."

Gradually, residents from higher floors also offered shelter to those on the second floor, believing it not only saved lives but also fostered strength in numbers for future challenges. Of course, some remained silent, offering an unspoken refusal. Their reasoning was simpler: safe on their high floors, why meddle?

Bai Suizhi picked up his phone and added, "Only the fourth floor and above are truly safe. Their climbing skills aren't refined yet—most of those who reached the second floor did so by stepping on other zombies below. The higher they climb, the more difficult it becomes. Even if they reach the fourth floor or higher, pushing them off would kill them. Otherwise, they'll just keep climbing. The alert mentioned that zombies react more violently to non-fatal attacks."

Hearing this, the third-floor residents grew even more anxious. They dreaded the thought of how formidable injured, retaliating zombies could be, and worried it might even trigger new abilities—after all, they were already climbing.

Those not welcomed by higher-floor residents cautiously asked, "Is there any other way?" Some even harbored a faint hope that the scared-off zombies wouldn't dare return.

Bai Suizhi replied, "Anything flammable can be used to burn the zombies. However, with so many zombies in the community, this method isn't very efficient. The best approach would be to lure them all to one spot and incinerate them. That way, any stragglers would be easier to deal with."

Yue Shaolin chimed in, "Like how we lured them into the reading room before?"

Bai Suizhi said, "Yes, or trapping them somewhere. But our community doesn't seem to have a fully enclosed space like the reading room to contain them."

Wang Yongzhi suggested, "What about the gym?" The community gym was indeed enclosed, but it had a fatal flaw: it was a panoramic glass room. If zombies were locked inside, the only outcome would be waiting for them to smash through the glass.

Everyone knew the gym couldn't hold the zombies back, and for the umpteenth time, they silently cursed the designers who had prioritized aesthetics over safety.

Bai Suizhi, however, didn't immediately dismiss the idea: "It's not impossible. If we can burn them all while they're locked inside, they won't break out."

Others in the group chat couldn't help but wince at his understated remark. Was burning zombies truly that easy? With what—the leftover firecrackers, if any remained? Yet, they didn't object. They still largely trusted Bai Suizhi, as his previous suggestions had all proven effective.

Someone then asked, "Does anyone still have firecrackers at home?"

"No, we used them all earlier. They were just leftovers from the New Year—having one or two strings was already a lot."

"Firecrackers probably can't kill them anyway—at most, they'd burn one or two."

"What about alcohol or something similar?"

"Who has that much alcohol at home?"

Yue Shaolin asked, "What about gasoline?"

Others perked up: "Do you have gasoline at home?"

"No."

"Then why mention it?"

"There's gasoline in the parking lot."

Yue Shaolin added, "And we could drive a few cars up. It would make getting supplies easier later."

After some deliberation, everyone agreed the plan was feasible. Previously, they saw no need to risk going down, but now, staying put meant certain death once the zombies climbed up.

The question now was: who was willing to go?

Previously, the supply missions were mostly made up of people from higher floors, such as Bai Suizhi, Kahn, and Yue Shaolin from the seventh floor, or the family in 102 and Wu Feng’s family on the third floor.

When Wu Feng and Guo Mengting learned they were expecting a child, they sealed their balcony windows and installed security bars on other windows to prevent accidents. Some had initially thought the bars looked out of place, but now they envied their foresight.

This mission was far riskier than the previous two. First, they had to retrieve gasoline from the parking lot, an area of unknown conditions. Second, luring the evolved zombies into a glass room required perfect timing—any misstep could lead to disaster.

Everyone in the group chat hesitated, waiting for someone to foolishly step forward and take the lead.

Bai Suizhi put down his phone and asked Kahn, "Are you willing to go?"

Kahn replied without hesitation, "If you go, I go."

No one knew how much further the zombies would evolve. Bai Suizhi felt they needed to "evolve" alongside the zombies—to face them up close, understand them, and gain experience fighting them. Only then could they stay proactive when even greater dangers arose. Compared to passively waiting for help, Bai Suizhi preferred taking the lead.

Once he made up his mind, Bai Suizhi didn't hesitate. He replied in the group chat: "107, two people."

The others were stunned. In their eyes, Bai Suizhi and Kahn, living on the top floor, had the least reason to take such risks. After some thought, they concluded it was just youthful recklessness—a naive desire to save everyone. As adults, they secretly disdained such foolish bravery, yet they couldn't help but be moved by such courage. Perhaps, twenty years younger, they would have made the same choice.

Yue Shaolin tiptoed over to his wife and whispered, "Honey…"

Lin Jiajia said, "Go ahead. Letting those two kids take the lead—what kind of example is that?"

Yue Shaolin immediately hugged her and kissed her cheek. "That's my wife!"

Lin Jiajia wiped her face in pretended disgust. She wasn't unconcerned, but she knew Yue Shaolin wanted to go. He had always been the type to stand up for others—it was one of the qualities she had fallen for. So she agreed, but added, "If you turn into a zombie, I'll find a twenty-something to remarry…"

Yue Shaolin pounced on her, tickling her stomach. "You! Lin Jiajia! I knew it—you can't wait for me not to come back, can you?"

Lin Jiajia laughed as she tried to get away. "Yue Shaolin, stop it! Hahaha…"

In 103, silence lingered. After a long pause, Wu Feng said, "I have to go."

Guo Mengting looked at Wu Feng, then at their son Guo Nianan, sleeping with rosy cheeks, and nodded gently.

The twin brothers spoke in unison: "We'll go too!"

Tao Yanhong snapped, "Quiet! It's not your turn to go."

Wang Yongzhi added, "As the head of the household, I'll represent 102."

Five people had confirmed their participation. Then, someone with the username 502 suddenly said, "I want to go too."

506 replied, "Zhou Qiqi, didn't I tell you to come upstairs? Your parents are gone—don't do anything reckless now. I'll throw a rope down; come up quickly."

502, whose profile picture showed a family of three, responded, "Thank you, Uncle, but I'm not going up."

Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, 506 gave up and simply asked others to look out for him. Zhou Qiqi was only in middle school, usually timid and introverted. Perhaps witnessing his parents’ deaths had traumatized him, making him stubbornly determined to join the dangerous mission.

The six participants began discussing their plan. Time was tight, so they decided to act that same day. The parking garage was on the first basement level. They ruled out taking the elevator and instead focused on which staircase to use.

Yue Shaolin said, "The gym is near Building 5, and Xiao Zhou is there too. Let's use that exit. But does anyone in Building 5 have an SUV? We'll need to borrow it."

Many were willing to contribute without risking their lives. Soon, 506 offered a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, parked near the stairwell entrance with two tanks of gasoline in the trunk. 505 also contributed a Jeep Wrangler. Although six people could squeeze into one car, they figured since they were going down anyway, bringing up extra vehicles would be useful for future supply runs.

After finalizing the details, they decided to set off in twenty minutes. Those from Buildings 1 and 2 would meet first, then head to Building 5 to join Zhou Qiqi.

Bai Suizhi and Kahn quickly prepared their weapons and protective gear. Bai Suizhi even neatly braided Kahn’s hair. After a careful look, he asked, "How does it feel? Too tight?"

Kahn replied, "No."

Bai Suizhi’s gaze shifted to Kahn’s waist. "We can remove the bandage when we return tonight." He had been changing Kahn’s bandage daily, watching the wound gradually heal until it began to scab.

Bai Suizhi hadn't expected Kahn, who seemed bookish and frail, to possess such formidable physical resilience. Such a wound would normally take one or two months to heal, yet Kahn had almost fully recovered in less than half a month.

Kahn gave a dutiful nod, "Alright."

Twenty minutes later, the group skillfully gathered at the spot where Yue Shaolin kept his motorcycle parked. With zombies now surrounding the area, Yue Shaolin planned to ride with Wu Feng to lure the zombies away, covering for Bai Suizhi and Kahn as they made their way to Building Five.

Yue Shaolin said with a laugh, "Let's do this, brothers! Once more with gusto!"

Bai Suizhi said in a low voice, "We will."

Kahn nodded, while Wu Feng and Wang Yongzhi responded with noticeably less conviction.

Yue Shaolin patted Wu Feng on the shoulder, "Let's go, brother. Cheer up, don't chicken out."

Wu Feng, gripping his spear, replied in a still-trembling voice, "Yeah!"

Yue Shaolin and Wu Feng roared off on the motorcycle in the opposite direction of Building Five, immediately drawing a pack of zombies behind them. Without hesitation, Bai Suizhi, Kahn, and Wang Yongzhi seized the opportunity and sprinted toward Building Five.

Building Five was a bit farther out. If they tried to run there in one go and encountered zombies along the way, their rhythm could easily be disrupted, putting them in a dangerous situation.

Moreover, Zhou Qiqi had reported in the group chat that while there were temporarily no zombies at the entrance of Building Five, there were zombies in the stairwell—at least four, judging by the footsteps. Their plan was to first run to the playground area between Buildings Four and Five, assess the situation and adjust their state, then continue on to Building Five.

The three of them successfully reached the playground area. Its plenty of structures were the reason they chose to stop here—more structures meant more cover. They climbed into the slide's cubbyholes, each taking one, and carefully surveyed their surroundings.

No zombies were immediately visible, but to get down to the underground level, the zombies in Building Five's stairwell had to be cleared. Charging directly into a fight against four zombies—or possibly more—was too risky. They decided to lure the zombies out and take them down one by one using the structures for cover.

Once they had decided, Wang Yongzhi took out his phone and tossed it near the entrance of Building Five, then clicked play. Why his phone? Because the two from 107 only had one phone between them.

"Forgive me for this life of unrestrained freedom-loving… / Also afraid that one day I might fall… / Anyone can abandon their ideals… / Who fears one day it’s only you and me… / Today I watch the snow drift by in the cold night—"

As the music played, the zombies in the stairwell emerged as expected, quickly moving to the front.

"One, two, three… damn, there are six zombies," Wang Yongzhi, the freedom-loving unrestrained one, cursed angrily. The feeling was like deliberately lowering expectations while checking your secret stash, only to find it even smaller than you thought. Though the situation was reversed now, the psychological damage was just as severe.

But what could they do? A true warrior dares to face the bleakness of life. If Wang Yongzhi could face an empty wallet, he could certainly face mindless zombies.

Bai Suizhi glanced at Wang Yongzhi’s grim expression and reassured him, "It's alright, we can do this." As he finished speaking, he turned to look at Kahn and realized Kahn had been staring at him all along.

Under the gaze of those sapphire-blue eyes, Bai Suizhi felt a stir, as if a whirlpool within them was pulling him in.

Steadying himself, he met Kahn’s eyes directly and said, "Let's do this. Don't get hurt."

Kahn replied, "Mm. You too, don’t get hurt."

The three of them proceeded with the plan. Bai Suizhi stepped out of the small house first, standing still until the zombies noticed him, then broke into a run. The zombies frantically chased after him in the direction he was running.

At that moment, Kahn and Wang Yongzhi also emerged from the small houses. They followed behind the zombies chasing Bai Suizhi, maintaining a certain distance.

Once Bai Suizhi entered the climbing frame, they quickly moved forward and subdued the two zombies at the rear. Wang Yongzhi’s spear pierced a zombie’s brain, killing it instantly, while Kahn’s knife simultaneously struck another zombie’s temple. The two efficiently dispatched the zombies.

The remaining four zombies had followed Bai Suizhi into the winding climbing frame. Bai Suizhi moved as agilely as a leopard, his explosive strength carrying him through the structure. When one zombie nearly grabbed him, Bai Suizhi reached up, gripped the netting of the frame, and used his arm strength to swing his body up and backward. Using the momentum, he kicked out mid-air, striking the zombie in the chest. As the zombie fell, Bai Suizhi drew his knife and finished it off.

Bai Suizhi exited the climbing frame from the other side and rejoined Kahn and Wang Yongzhi outside. The zombies inside hadn’t emerged yet. Wang Yongzhi took aim at one zombie and thrust his spear, accidentally stabbing a zombie in the chest but failing to deliver a fatal blow.

The three zombies quickly emerged. The three men ran in different directions, resulting in two zombies chasing Bai Suizhi and one going after Wang Yongzhi. Seeing no zombies following him, Kahn went to support Bai Suizhi.

Noticing Kahn catching up, Bai Suizhi slowed his pace. The two in sync each tackled a zombie. Kahn pressed down on the back of a zombie’s neck and swiftly ended it with his knife. Bai Suizhi turned and struck a zombie with the hilt of his knife, creating some distance before decisively reversing the blade and plunging it into the zombie’s eye.

On the other side, Wang Yongzhi, being chased too closely by the zombie, found his spear ineffective. He quickly detached the knife from the mop handle, turned, and stabbed at the zombie, but his aim was off, and the zombie pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

He held the knife against the zombie’s mouth as its face drew closer and closer. Just then, Bai Suizhi and Kahn finally arrived. Bai Suizhi grabbed the zombie by the collar and flung it aside, while Kahn immediately stepped in to deliver the finishing blow, taking out the last zombie.

Wang Yongzhi lay on the ground and let out a long, deep exhale.

Author's Note: