Chapter 11 Movie Night

Chapter 11: Movie Night

Seeing the three of them clear out the zombies...

Bai Suizhi: "I'll go in first to check the situation. You two wait for my signal back here."

Kahn clutched a handful of Bai Suizhi's clothes but said nothing; this was their pre-arranged plan. Bai Suizhi squeezed Kahn's hand, then turned and entered the stairwell. The other three followed at a distance, ensuring they could retreat immediately if anything happened.

Bai Suizhi moved quietly to the first basement level, hiding behind the fire door and cautiously peering out to assess the situation. Two off-road vehicles were parked close to the fire door, but about a dozen zombies were wandering nearby. There could be even more in unseen areas. The situation looked grim, and his heart sank.

He raised his hand, signaling the number to those behind him, then took out his phone, set a ringtone, and threw it as far as he could. The sound of the phone hitting the ground attracted most of the zombies, and when the ringtone blared, the majority charged toward it.

The others clearly saw Bai Suizhi’s actions. The moment he threw the phone, they moved forward to get to the cars. Zhou Qiqi handed the keys to Wang Yongzhi and Bai Suizhi, and the two rushed out with them.

Wang Yongzhi was closer to the Mercedes G-Class he was to drive. After getting in successfully, he urged Zhou Qiqi and Kahn to hurry inside. Bai Suizhi was a few steps away from his vehicle when the zombies, alerted by the noise behind them, turned their pale, vacant eyes forward and charged at him. In an instant, they were almost upon him.

Seeing this, Bai Suizhi abandoned the idea of getting to the car and instead circled it, evading the zombies. Meanwhile, Wang Yongzhi started the car and honked frantically to draw the zombies' attention. Some zombies were diverted, but three remained focused on Bai Suizhi.

Kahn quietly got out of the car and crept up behind one of the zombies, locking his arm around its neck before neutralizing it. Bai Suizhi, seeing that Kahn had disobeyed the plan to stay in Wang Yongzhi’s car and had instead come to help him, felt both annoyed and touched. He stopped playing cat and mouse with the zombies, confronting one directly. He twisted its body, slammed its head against the car’s trunk, struck it several times with the flat of his blade, then flipped it over and pierced its brain.

The last zombie grappled with Kahn, its hands tightly gripping his neck, nails nearly digging in. Kahn gritted his teeth, resisting the zombie’s advancing face, then kneed it in the groin. Feeling its grip weaken, he immediately drew his knife and stabbed it.

Bai Suizhi shouted, "Kahn, get in the car!" and started the engine. Kahn withdrew his knife from the corpse, opened the passenger door, and got in.

Wang Yongzhi, with Zhou Qiqi, led the zombies to the garage exit, waiting for Bai Suizhi and Kahn to join them. Bai Suizhi honked from behind, signaling they were ready.

The two off-road vehicles then plowed through like tanks, knocking aside any zombies in their path. Blood splattered across the windshields, only to be wiped away by the wipers.

Soon, both vehicles were covered in blood. They quickly exited the underground garage and drove off in different directions. Wang Yongzhi and Zhou Qiqi headed toward the gym to pour gasoline, while Bai Suizhi and Kahn drove in the opposite direction to rendezvous with Yue Shaolin and Wu Feng.

Soon, Kahn spotted the motorcycle. Wu Feng, leaning against Yue Shaolin’s back, wielded a spear against nearby zombies, while Yue Shaolin drove, occasionally checking the rearview mirror. The two coordinated seamlessly, leading a long trail of zombies behind them at a steady distance.

Bai Suizhi honked, diverting some of the zombies toward him and signaling that they had successfully retrieved the vehicle. Wu Feng breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the reinforcements—his arms were nearly numb from holding the spear. Yue Shaolin whistled at the sight of the aggressive off-roader in the rearview mirror, then accelerated and turned to join Bai Suizhi in herding the zombies toward the gym. They even took a detour to attract any visible zombies along the way.

Although the gym was a glass-walled structure—a slight drawback—its main entrance was wide enough for an off-road vehicle. Wang Yongzhi drove in, crashing through the zombies inside. The place was cluttered with equipment, making it difficult to navigate, so he stopped in the middle, and he and Zhou Qiqi quickly poured out the gasoline. Before the zombies could approach, they rolled up the windows and retreated.

Once prepared, they also drove to the buildings behind to attract more zombies. After a while, the two vehicles and the motorcycle met at the gym entrance, followed by about fifty or sixty zombies.

The next step was riskier: someone needed to lure the zombies inside. This task fell to Yue Shaolin, as the motorcycle could maneuver inside the gym. But if Yue Shaolin failed to retreat in time, the consequences would be dire.

Bai Suizhi parked next to the motorcycle and lowered the rear window. Wu Feng seized the moment and leaped inside, landing safely in the back seat. Bai Suizhi and Yue Shaolin exchanged a glance, and Bai Suizhi nodded firmly.

Yue Shaolin laughed, then without a word, rode straight into the gym. The zombies, attracted by the loud engine noise, swarmed in. Countless hands nearly grabbed Yue Shaolin’s back, and he could even feel the zombies’ breath on his neck, sending a chill down his spine.

Gripping the handlebars, Yue Shaolin focused, blocking out all distractions. This was a meditation method Lin Jiajia had taught him to use when he felt unstable. Though meditating in such an environment seemed absurd, Yue Shaolin truly felt a sense of calm. All sounds and scenes faded from his senses, leaving only the small window ahead.

Zhou Qiqi watched intently through the car window, his small eyes filled with fear but no hesitation. Once all the zombies had entered, he lowered the window and threw in a burning cloth bundle. Instantly, flames erupted, reflecting in everyone’s eyes as they watched the zombies become engulfed in fire, screeching and crawling outward.

To Zhou Qiqi, the struggling figures in the fire gradually overlapped with the images of his parents. Zhou Qiqi had always been timid, relying on his parents or teachers whenever trouble arose. He was used to hiding behind others. When his parents were being devoured by zombies, he hid under the bed, watching their faces become increasingly mangled. He wanted to scream, to run out, but his feet felt leaden. In the end, he simply lay there silently, watching the zombies consume his parents.

The moment the fire ignited, Yue Shaolin used the motorcycle to crash through the zombies ahead, climbed onto the open windowsill, and leaped out just before the flames reached him. Bai Suizhi, waiting nearby, caught him firmly. Yue Shaolin grinned and laughed heartily, "We did it again!"

They got into their vehicles and headed home. Wang Yongzhi first took Zhou Qiqi back to Building 5. He even suggested Zhou Qiqi come stay with them in Building 1, but Zhou Qiqi refused, saying his parents were waiting for him at home. Wang Yongzhi patted his head, unsure how to comfort him.

Everyone in the group chat breathed a sigh of relief upon their safe return. This operation not only cleared most of the zombies in the complex but also brought back two vehicles—a considerable gain. Those who benefited were naturally thrilled.

After returning home, Bai Suizhi and Kahn followed their usual routine: tidying up and taking turns showering. Once they sat down after bathing, Bai Suizhi realized something was wrong—their only phone in 107 was gone... Thankfully, the tablet and computer were still intact, so they wouldn’t lose contact with the outside world.

It was already 6 p.m. Bai Suizhi got up to cook, and Kahn, now accustomed to being fed, picked up the tablet to continue studying. Over the days, the two had developed a seamless rhythm.

Bai Suizhi often found it strange yet wonderful how two people who had known each other for less than a month could live together so closely. Initially, his desire for Kahn to stay might have been out of pity, but now he genuinely considered Kahn a friend. Yet, their dynamic was different from his relationship with Shi Mingshan. Bai Suizhi couldn’t quite pinpoint how, but he couldn’t imagine himself braiding Shi Mingshan’s hair.

After a simple dinner, they curled up on the living room sofa, each doing their own thing. Two hours later, Bai Suizhi put down his book and stretched his shoulders and neck. Seeing Kahn still diligently writing, he thought the kid was working too hard and asked, "How about we watch a movie?"

Kahn looked up at Bai Suizhi, confusion in his eyes. He had never watched a movie before, so he repeated curiously, "A movie?"

Bai Suizhi patiently explained, "Yeah, do you want to?"

Kahn nodded eagerly, "Yes."

Bai Suizhi browsed a list of highly-rated recommendations—many of which he had already seen—and let Kahn randomly pick one. They sat side by side on the carpet against the sofa, shoulders touching as they watched.

Kahn was fully absorbed in the screen, the chaotic scenes reflected in his light blue eyes, making them resemble two shimmering, translucent glass marbles.

Bai Suizhi had seen the movie before, so he occasionally glanced at Kahn. They were so close that Bai Suizhi could see the fine hairs on Kahn’s cheek and his lips, pressed together in concentration, then relaxing into a faint blush.

Bai Suizhi took a few gulps of water from the glass beside him, trying to refocus on the screen. But his sense of smell suddenly became acute—he could detect the scent of their shared body wash, warmed by their skin.

Amid this faint aroma, Bai Suizhi’s mind wandered again. He thought to himself that he was a rather lousy movie-watching partner.

After the movie ended, Kahn thoughtfully pondered the final line and asked, "Was our meeting driven by predetermined fate, or was it merely a coincidence?"

"What do you think?"

Kahn thought for a moment and said earnestly, "I believe in fate, because it brought me to you." Everything between them had been too coincidental, to the point where Kahn felt it was destined.

The somewhat cheesy line made Bai Suizhi’s ears turn red. He ambiguously replied, "Mhm."

Author's Note:

The last part is adapted from a line in the movie Forrest Gump: "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidentally—like on a breeze."

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