Chapter 49 - 48: Seeking Allies

"Shh, keep it down!"

Qin Ya gestured Liu Xuanyu to be quiet and continued, "Now Xiaoyu, you have to obediently eat your noodles. Uncle Qin is going out for a bit, and when I come back, I must see that you’ve finished all your noodles, understand?"

"Uncle, where are you going?"

Liu Xuanyu nervously grabbed Qin Ya’s sleeve.

Qin Ya smiled and patted Liu Xuanyu’s head, chuckling, "To rescue the brother and aunt you mentioned who ran to the rooftop."

"Oh, Brother Tian Fan and Aunt Yu!"

Liu Xuanyu’s eyes brightened, and he immediately picked up his chopsticks, saying, "Then, Uncle, you go ahead. I’ll eat my noodles right away, so I can play with Brother Tian Fan soon, right?"

"Yes."

Qin Ya nodded, said nothing more, and his figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Qin Ya gently closed the main door. The numbers on the elevator screen had long since gone dark, leaving only the emergency lights, casting a ghostly green glow over the corridor, making it appear exceptionally eerie!

Several days had passed, and even though the temperature gradually dropped, it couldn’t stop the decay of the bodies. A faint stench pervaded everywhere, nauseating and uncomfortable.

Qin Ya slowly took a deep breath, touched the gun at his waist, tightened his grip on the fire axe in his hand, and cautiously approached the safety door.

He knew full well that venturing out might not lead to survival, but staying in Sheng Qin Home with water, electricity, and gas cut off could only lead to certain death.

Escaping from Sheng Qin Home wasn’t difficult for Qin Ya, who had a special forces background, but doing it with an eight-year-old child made him realize the near impossibility.

Qin Ya needed help. His first thought was the two people in building 3 who helped divert the zombies, but since contacting them was inconvenient, he had to temporarily put it aside and then focus on the two people on the rooftop!

The sky was pitch black, and the wind on the rooftop howled, mercilessly stripping away the warmth from anyone’s body.

Seated against the smokestack to avoid the wind, Tian Fan and Yu Nuo were silent. As their energy gradually waned over time, fear crept into their hearts. The prolonged lack of supplies added to their despair.

A quick death wasn’t terrifying; it was the prolonged torment that was dreadful.

"Tian Fan..."

In the night breeze, Yu Nuo struggled to speak, her voice slightly hoarse, her lips—once supposed to be rosy—chapped and cracked, "I don’t think I’ll make it till tomorrow. Can I ask you for one thing?"

Tian Fan, his head buried between his knees, listened to Yu Nuo’s words, inhaled sharply, lifted his head to look at her, and forced a smile, "Sister Yu, look at me now, what can I possibly do for you..."

Yu Nuo smiled bitterly, brushed her messy hair, looked at the faintly visible moon in the sky, and said, "I heard from the elders in the village that people who die at midnight turn into vengeful ghosts. Could you push me down when it’s almost twelve?"

"I want to become a ghost and see why this world has become like this!"

Tian Fan looked at Yu Nuo as if he had seen a ghost, shaking his head vigorously, "Sister Yu, that’s too much to ask. You want me to become a murderer? I can’t do that. Besides, what’s with the ghost talk? Don’t be superstitious, okay!"

Yu Nuo suddenly showed a relieved smile.

"In this world now, who cares about being a murderer, haven’t you seen an entire SWAT team wiped out? Alas... if not superstition, what can we believe in now? Believe in Buddha, God, or Shiva, who can save us?"

Tian Fan pressed his lips tightly, still carrying a trace of determination on his face, "I think... Sister Yu, do you remember the three people in the opposite building today? They were all armed, maybe we’re overestimating the zombies’ abilities. If we fight back, we might be able to carve out a path!"

Yu Nuo furrowed her brow, thought of the zombies’ horrific appearance and foul odor, shivered involuntarily, perhaps she would only stop fearing zombies if she became a ghost.

Woosh!

Tian Fan suddenly stood up, moving his limbs as he said, "Sister Yu, we can’t just sit here and wait for death. I’ve decided that if I’m going to die, I’ll die fighting gloriously. It’s just a few zombies blocking the door, let’s fight our way out!"

"Fight our way out, as long as we make it downstairs, we’ll have food and drink, and we won’t die!"

Fired up, Tian Fan picked up a thumb-thick hollow stainless steel pipe and swung it, determined to fight to death.

Yu Nuo also wanted to stand up, but as she struggled to get up supporting herself against the wall, a low growl not far away frightened her back to the ground.

Howl!

"Tian, Tian, Tian Fan, did you hear that? It sounds like a zombie from unit one is roaring. My God, did it hear us? Will it rush up here?"

Yu Nuo was extremely nervous, her legs weak as she struggled to crawl behind the smokestack, trying to hide.

"Don’t, don’t be afraid. Zombies can’t open doors; they won’t get in. If, if they do, I’ll kill them!"

Tian Fan swallowed hard, the bravado he had earlier mostly faded, but he didn’t back down. He still held the steel pipe in his hand, but the hollow stainless steel pipe was of such poor quality that it slightly deformed when he squeezed it hard...

The steel pipe couldn’t even deal with a fierce dog, let alone kill a zombie.

The low, bloodthirsty howls didn’t last long, subsiding after about ten seconds, followed closely by the sound of a door opening, which made their hearts tremble even more.

"Oh God, they’re really coming up. We..."

Bam!

Before Yu Nuo could finish her sentence, there was a sound of hacking, and then the door was pulled open.

Cowering like a chick behind the smokestack, Yu Nuo was trembling, while Tian Fan, gripping the steel pipe too tightly, bit his lip until it bled.

"Ah!"

With a roar, Tian Fan charged towards the door with the steel pipe, unwilling to die silently, deciding to explode in silence.

"Ah, my eyes."

However, before he could see clearly, a bright light flashed, blinding him instantly.

"What are you shouting for? Aren’t you a college student? Can’t you be a bit more steady?"

A slightly reproachful voice sounded.

The tone wasn’t great, but to Tian Fan and Yu Nuo, it was like heavenly music.

"A living person? A living person..."

Yu Nuo, unable to believe it, peeked out to see the man holding the flashlight, and instantly cried with joy.

"Who... who are you, brother, are you here to save us? Are you from building three, brother?"

Tian Fan’s heart steadied; unable to see, he waved his hands wildly, turning around in agitation.

Qin Ya sighed, frowned, and said, "Stand still! Let me ask you, are you surnamed Tian and Yu?"

"Yes, yes, I’m Yu Nuo. Oh my God, you’re... a SWAT officer, thank goodness, we’re saved."

Yu Nuo finally saw the person clearly, the letters "SWAT" on his back seemed to shine with a holy light, illuminating her grim future.

"SWAT?"

Tian Fan’s vision was slowly recovering, and hearing Yu Nuo’s words filled his heart with joy, he quickly said, "Brother SWAT, my surname is Tian, how did you know we were here?"