Chapter 013: The First Drop of Blood


    “Opportunities are fleeting. Get ready!”


    Zhang Su glanced out through the peephole, his hand gripping the doorknob, ready to act.


    “Wait, wait…”


    Zheng Xinyu’s voice quivered as she saw Zhang Su preparing to open the door after just one instruction. Her words came out stammered, turning a simple “wait” into a string of hesitant repetitions.


    “What now?”


    Zhang Su looked at her impatiently.


    Zheng Xinyu clenched her fist and patted her chest to calm her racing heart. “Just… mentally prepare yourself!”


    “Come on, we’ve got this!” Zhang Su encouraged her while silently steeling himself.


    He’d been in countless fights, even sparring in an octagon, but this was his first encounter with a zombie. Failure meant death. Though the odds of failure were slim, his fear and nervousness were palpable.


    His mouth was dry, and despite the cold temperature, beads of sweat formed on his back. His hand gripping the axe handle felt damp, but thankfully, the non-slip design kept it steady.


    Taking a deep breath, Zhang Su held up three fingers, then two, then one.


    As the zombie’s pounding echoed outside, Zhang Su silently unlocked and eased open the door.


    Behind him, Zheng Xinyu, holding a baseball bat, felt her heart leap into her throat.


    “Oh my god, I’m terrified of cockroaches, let alone zombies. This is insane, utterly insane!” Her thoughts spiraled as the door creaked open. The sound of the zombie striking the neighboring door became louder, reverberating in her chest. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the bat tightly.


    A pungent, metallic scent of blood wafted in, a smell that seemed to trigger a primal discomfort. It was as if her DNA recognized this as the harbinger of injury or death.


    Zhang Su’s face was deadly serious as he crouched low, signaling Zheng Xinyu to follow. He advanced toward the zombie.


    The cries from inside apartment 802 had ceased, but the relentless zombie continued pounding on the door. The felt like war drums hammering against their nerves.


    The distance from 801 to 802 was only five or six meters, but to Zhang Su, it felt like an eternity. When he finally got within a meter of the zombie, his heart raced at what felt like 150 beats per minute.


    The zombie’s beast-like growls accompanied its relentless pounding. Its right arm swung with exaggerated force, moving its entire body. In its left hand dangled an arm—its pale bone stumps glaringly visible through shredded flesh.


    Zhang Su didn’t look back at Zheng Xinyu; his focus stayed locked on the zombie. He gestured a chopping motion with his left hand before raising his axe.


    The black axe blade gleamed coldly, sharp enough to slice through hair.


    Imagining the moment the axe cleaved into the zombie’s skull, Zhang Su’s fear didn’t stop him from pressing forward.


    Just as Zhang Su swung the axe, a metallic crash echoed. His axe collided with the baseball bat.


    The zombie halted its pounding and jerkily turned its head with surprising speed.


    For a moment, six eyes met.


    The zombie appeared momentarily confused, as if it hadn’t expected two reckless humans to emerge behind it. Its mutated nostrils flared as though gathering scents.


    The air seemed to freeze.


    In the blood-red depths of the zombie’s eyes, there was nothing but a feral hunger—no trace of reason or humanity.


    “Kill it!”


    Zhang Su growled, his muscles bulging as he swung the axe. The blade arced toward the zombie without hesitation or mercy.


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    The sickening sound of impact resonated. The sharp axe embedded itself in the zombie’s skull. Even the hard bone yielded under Zhang Su’s powerful swing, splitting open from the center of its forehead to the left corner of its mouth. Dark blood splattered against the wooden utility room door.


    “D*** it! It’s stuck!”


    Zhang Su cursed as the axe lodged in the zombie’s skull. Pulling hard only caused the creature to lurch toward him.


    “Get off me!”


    The zombie roared in fury, its mutated body unfeeling but reacting instinctively to the attack. Just as it raised an arm to retaliate, another blow landed.


    Zheng Xinyu’s baseball bat struck the zombie’s right temple with surprising force. Designed for ease of handling, the bat allowed her to deliver a solid hit even in her panic.


    The impact knocked the zombie backward.


    “Nice shot!”


    Zhang Su praised her, using the moment to yank the axe free. A slimy string of viscous fluid trailed behind it.


    Zhang Su’s powerful kick sent the zombie sprawling against the door of 802. Its body slumped, jaws opening and closing as it howled in frustration, unable to rise.


    Without giving it a chance to recover, Zhang Su flipped the axe to its hammer side and brought it crashing down on the zombie’s head.


    The hammer smashed into its skull with brutal force.


    “Take this! And this! You son of a b***h!”


    Zhang Su gritted his teeth as his bulging arm muscles pounded relentlessly. Flesh, blood, and bone fragments sprayed across the walls, ceiling, and even the light fixture.


    “Hah… hah… is it dead?”


    After more than ten strikes, Zhang Su finally stopped, leaning against the wall as he warily observed the mangled zombie.


    “Urgh!”


    Zheng Xinyu’s stomach churned. Unable to hold back, she vomited a mix of rice, spicy pork, and peas onto the zombie.


    Under the onslaught, its head was reduced to a grotesque mess. The jagged remnants of flesh and bone looked like a cracked bowl with its contents spilling out.


    With no answer from Zheng Xinyu, Zhang Su nudged the zombie’s limp ankle with his foot. Seeing no response, he finally exhaled in relief.