Luo Xiaole's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the sound of the steel pipe.
If there were still living people outside making such a racket, wasn't that just inviting the zombies to a free meal?
"Awooo!!"
As expected, the zombies in the corridor eagerly surged towards the source of the sound like a flood.
Luo Xiaole tiptoed, nervously pressed against the peephole, desperately trying to observe the situation outside.
But the distance was too great; she couldn't see what was happening at the far end of the corridor.
The other three people also shook their heads helplessly. The sound had indeed seemed to come from a living person, but with those terrifying zombies swarming over, that person was likely beyond saving...
Luo Xiaole had no choice but to press her slender body against the door, her ear tilted outwards, carefully listening to the commotion outside.
However, the expected horrific chewing sounds of the zombies never came.
Instead, several sounds of fierce fighting erupted!
They sounded like a steel pipe rapidly colliding with a hard shell.
Luo Xiaole seemed to understand; someone was fighting zombies with a steel pipe?
But hadn't Luo Shu and the others said that even a knife was difficult to deal with against these zombies?
Luo Xiaole's eyebrows shot up. She didn't know martial arts and had never even been in a fight, but she could tell that every time this person struck a zombie with the steel pipe, the sound produced was remarkably even.
Could he control the force of his blows so precisely?
This was clearly an expert!
A full five minutes passed, and the fighting outside gradually subsided. The terrifying roars of the zombies, miraculously, slowly faded away...
Even the sound of the steel pipe suddenly fell silent...
Was that person still alive?
Luo Xiaole's eyes widened in tension, but unsure of the situation outside, she still didn't dare to open the door.
It wasn't until the sound of human footsteps, steady and strong, with an even pace, quick but not hurried, echoed from the stairwell again.
Luo Xiaole was incredibly curious. After confirming there were no zombies roaming outside, she abruptly pulled open the door and peered in that direction.
She only saw a flash of fluttering white cloth disappear rapidly into the pitch-black stairwell from the end of the corridor.
The edges of that white clothing seemed stained with different kinds of blood, resembling a lycoris radiating from the underworld, exuding a chilling aura.
Thinking of this, Luo Xiaole shivered inexplicably. The zombies' blood was a dark blue, and there was fresh red blood on it. Could that highly skilled person have also taken the lives of others...
She instantly felt that the skilled person was full of danger.
Her gaze retracted from the end of the corridor, and she suddenly saw the clothes hanger she had thrown out earlier to save someone.
She quickly fumbled for it, pulled the hanger from the zombie's head, and retrieved her weapon.
This time, she was closer to the stairwell. Luo Xiaole was incredibly scared, but she still widened her eyes and glanced towards the stairwell.
This glance brought a hint of surprise.
Perhaps it was because that person had cleared the stairwell, but the stairwells on their 5th floor and the 6th floor above seemed to be free of zombies!
"Luo Shu!" She turned and softly called to the people in the room.
"There are no zombies at the stairwell. Should we seize this opportunity to go up and trade supplies with that neighbor?" Luo Xiaole was also a little unsure.
After all, the risk was too great.
Luo Shu rubbed his chin and glanced at the clothes hanger in Luo Xiaole's hand.
He recognized this item; it was this very hanger that had instantly pierced the zombie's skull just moments ago.
With this weapon, perhaps they could make a gamble!
"I... I won't go... I'm not fast at running, and I might drag everyone down..." Zhu Hui said with a hint of grievance.
"Me too, I'll stay here and look after Zhu Hui," Wang Hao's eyes also darted away.
Luo Xiaole looked to Luo Shu for an answer.
"Classmate Luo, I'll go up with you! Don't worry, with Old Luo here, I'll definitely protect you!" The chubby guy thumped his chest.
There was no more time to consider. The zombies downstairs could surge up at any moment, and this was their only chance to go upstairs.
Luo Xiaole nervously clenched her clothes, her right hand gripping the clothes hanger like a lifeline, and with great effort, she followed Luo Shu, who was carrying the medicine box, up to the sixth floor.
That neighbor's house was right by the stairwell!
"We've arrived at your doorstep. Please come out quickly to exchange supplies."
...
This trade turned out to be exceptionally smooth.
Luo Xiaole exchanged half of her medicine box for a full box of instant noodles, some fruit, half a box of biscuits, and ten chocolate bars.
It was quite a substantial haul of supplies.
As the two were about to turn, they heard the expected roars of zombies from downstairs again!
More zombies were climbing up!
Luo Xiaole shoved the clothes hanger into Luo Shu's hand. If, as she suspected, she froze upon seeing zombies again, at least Luo Shu, holding the hanger, would have some fighting capability.
She had no other choice!
Luo Shu, carrying most of the supplies, and Luo Xiaole, using all their might, quickly descended the stairs, rushing madly downwards!
As they passed the stairwell, zombies had already appeared from the floor below.
Luo Xiaole ran forward like a madwoman, seeing their apartment door within reach.
However, a very fast zombie chased after them, closing to within ten paces!
Luo Xiaole's heart suddenly turned cold!
And then a chill spread through her body.
It was over! She really couldn't move when she encountered zombies!
Holding half a box of biscuits, she stood frozen on the spot.
The chubby Luo Shu broke out in a cold sweat.
Why was this sack-like girl having an episode at this moment again!
Fortunately, he had asked Zhu Hui and the others to open the door in advance. Now, he quickly tossed the supplies into the room, turned around, and rushed over to lift both Luo Xiaole and the half-box of biscuits.
He charged into Luo Xiaole's apartment without looking back.
...
Another long five minutes passed.
"Hoo..." Luo Xiaole took a deep breath, as if coming back to life. She had finally "thawed" out.
Beside her, Luo Shu had collapsed onto the floor like a puddle of mud.
"I'm sorry, I think I had another episode just now," Luo Xiaole said with great frustration.
"It's okay. If it weren't for your suggestion, we wouldn't have gotten so much food back," Luo Shu wiped the sweat from his brow, revealing a mouthful of big white teeth.
Luo Xiaole clenched her fists. Once the system recharged, she would definitely ask what was going on.
"Bzzz"
The survival group's messages suddenly vibrated rapidly.
"Quick, look! Someone's streaming!"
Luo Xiaole clicked on the link and placed her phone where all four of them could see. Someone was actually live-streaming in the apocalypse!
"I don't care anymore. Staying home is death, and going out is a gamble! There are only 3 zombies on our 9th floor. The three of us strong men, what can we not defeat!"
"Cowards who don't dare to go out, get lost!"
"We've watched so many zombie movies, the early zombies are all weaklings. Watch us demonstrate for you."
In the camera, three burly men were holding the camera and spouting fierce words.
"Now we're fully geared up and ready to go out." The man seemed to have strapped the phone to his head, sharing his perspective with everyone.
This unusually brave live stream was quickly discovered, and countless people flooded in, watching with curiosity.
"Someone's live-streaming fighting zombies?"
"So brave, brother, good luck."
"Don't go, big brother. Those zombies have incredibly tough exteriors, you can't hurt them!"
The man with the camera ignored the advice, turned his head, and showed them their equipment.
The other three burly men had hard steel plates strapped to their chests, backs, arms, and legs. Each held a cleaver, had several fruit knives tied to their waists, and even brandished two steel shields.
Their equipment seemed quite good.
"This shield is self-welded and very sturdy," the man said confidently.
Amidst their confident smiles, the four men abruptly pulled open the door.
The three zombies in the corridor turned their heads in unison.
The zombies' dark blue skin was magnified into a close-up shot on the live stream screen.
The atmosphere instantly reached its peak.