Chapter 014: Looting the Body


    “Ugh... I wasn’t feeling too disgusted at first, but after you threw up, now I feel like gagging too!”


    The metallic stench of blood mixed with the sour smell of vomit, combined with the gory scene in front of them, was a true assault on the senses.


    Suppressing the nausea welling up in his stomach, Zhang Su patted Zheng Xinyu’s back as she leaned against the wall, dry heaving. “Let’s go back inside first!”


    When faced with gore, Zhang Su had his coping mechanisms. Thinking about how one bite from this creature could turn him into a zombie made him so angry that he wished he could hit it a few more times. That thought alone helped diminish his disgust.


    Zheng Xinyu turned to face Zhang Su, her chin still smeared with remnants of stomach acid and rice. She opened her mouth to speak, but another wave of nausea surged, forcing her to gag again against the wall.


    “I feel so sick... I can’t take it...”


    Her voice came out distorted, half-gasping as she struggled with the urge to vomit while trying to talk. It was as if her stomach was ready to expel everything inside.


    “Good grief, at this rate, you’ll need an endless buffet to keep up with how much you’re throwing up!”


    Zhang Su kept patting her back as he glanced toward apartment 802’s door. The noise from earlier had been so loud that the occupants must have heard it. But now that the zombie was dead, they still hadn’t come out?


    As far as he knew, 802 was unoccupied. The last time he’d seen the owner—a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties—was two years ago during a chance encounter in the elevator. They hadn’t even spoken.


    The sudden appearance of someone inside 802 puzzled him, but he wasn’t curious enough to investigate further.


    Suddenly, the mechanical hum of the elevator interrupted his thoughts. Zhang Su took a couple of steps toward the elevator area and saw that it was moving—coming up from the third floor.


    “The elevator’s moving. Let’s go, back inside, now!”


    Without waiting for a response, Zhang Su grabbed Zheng Xinyu by the waist and half-dragged her back into the apartment.


    He had no idea what was causing the elevator to move. Maybe someone was coming up, maybe a zombie inside the elevator had accidentally pressed a button, or maybe someone had called it. Whatever the case, staying exposed in the hallway was unsafe.


    After helping Zheng Xinyu back into the room, she collapsed onto the floor as soon as the door was shut. The baseball bat clattered to the ground beside her, leaving behind a bloody smear.


    “Waaah…”


    Zheng Xinyu burst into tears, her voice filled with a mixture of grievance and fear. She looked at Zhang Su with tearful eyes, her expression so pitiful it might have made a stranger think Zhang Su had bullied her.


    Zhang Su, who had been peeking out at the elevator, turned back upon hearing her sobs. He nudged her lightly with his foot, signaling for her to stop crying.


    “The elevator stopped on the sixth floor. Xinyu, do you think it’s a person or a zombie?”


    Shifting her attention proved to be the best way to calm her down. sea??h thё N??elFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sure enough, Zheng Xinyu’s sobs quieted, replaced by sniffles. “It… it has to be a person. Zombies… zombies wouldn’t know how to use an elevator!”


    “But what if there’s a zombie trapped inside, and it accidentally pressed a button? That’s not impossible.”


    Zhang Su’s tone was serious as he analyzed the situation. After speaking, he gently pushed the door open and stepped out.


    “Where are you going?!”


    Zheng Xinyu seemed to spring to life, grabbing Zhang Su’s arm in panic.


    “I’m going to the stairwell to listen for movement and lock the safety door while I’m at it.”


    Zhang Su patted her trembling hand reassuringly.


    Now that the immediate threat was dealt with, he felt a bit more secure and wanted to expand their safe area.


    From inside the apartment, Zheng Xinyu watched Zhang Su intently as he walked toward the safety door. Her mind conjured terrifying images of zombies bursting out of the stairwell to attack him. Realizing she was unarmed, she quickly grabbed the baseball bat, finding some solace in its weight.


    As Zhang Su approached the stairwell, he glanced back at the earlier battleground. The zombie still lay limply against 802’s door.


    He briefly considered dragging the body away but then remembered the lack of help from whoever was inside 802. That irritation alone made him decide to leave it be.


    Reaching the stairwell, Zhang Su looked up and down, only to be greeted by eerie silence. The quiet was unsettling, amplifying the faint cries coming through a distant window—whether they were pleas for help or death throes, he couldn’t tell.


    Broken jars of pickled vegetables from a lower floor had spilled, mingling with the faint scent of blood in a bizarrely unpleasant combination.


    The silence was oppressive.


    The stairwell was usually deserted, only occasionally used by cleaning staff. But now, under the shadow of the zombie outbreak, the empty space felt ominous.


    “No movement. Doesn’t seem like it’s a person…”


    Frowning, Zhang Su tried to reason it out. If someone had called the elevator from the sixth floor, there would have been noise. The utter silence didn’t sit right with him.


    Peering down through the central gap, he spotted two flailing arms on the lower levels. Judging by their erratic movements, it was clear they belonged to zombies.


    “Nowhere is safe out there.”


    Zhang Su retreated cautiously, closing the safety door behind him. To his frustration, the lock was broken. He cursed the property management under his breath and left the door ajar, planning to secure it later with something.


    “Did you find anything?”


    Zheng Xinyu quickly asked when he returned, locking the apartment door behind him.


    “No sounds, no movement,” Zhang Su replied grimly, shaking his head.


    “Well, no movement is better than something…” Zheng Xinyu whispered, her lips pale as she swallowed nervously.


    “Let’s go inside and rest.”


    Zhang Su carried the axe with him, instinctively keeping his voice low. As he led the way, he suddenly turned to her. “Is there something on my face?”


    “There’s a bit on your chin and neck… will it be a problem?” she asked, her voice laced with anxiety.


    “I don’t know. Probably not. But it’s best to wash it off quickly…” Zhang Su muttered, frowning slightly at the thought of using precious water.


    “Right!”


    Something clicked in his mind, and he abandoned the idea of cleaning up for now, heading back to the door.


    “Now where are you going?” Zheng Xinyu asked, jogging after him with the baseball bat gripped tightly in her hands—a habit she was quickly developing.


    Zhang Su peered out through the peephole before opening the door carefully. “Loot the body!”


    “Loot…?”


    Her thoughts stalled for a moment before realization struck. She watched as Zhang Su approached the lifeless zombie and deftly retrieved a keychain from its body.