Chapter 017: The Woman Next Door


    “It was my first time; of course I was nervous! Missing is totally normal. I’ll just practice more!”


    Pouting, Zheng Xinyu moved to the living room and began swinging the baseball bat, following the techniques Zhang Su had taught her earlier.


    The light knocking on the door persisted, accompanied occasionally by the woman’s pleas.


    Unbothered, Zheng Xinyu continued practicing her swings in the living room.


    After about four or five minutes, the knocking finally stopped.


    “She’s finally gone.”


    Zheng Xinyu breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her practice.


    Although she wasn’t the type to go out of her way to help others, hearing someone beg for help tugged at her heartstrings. However, she also understood that being soft-hearted now was pointless—she simply didn’t have the ability to help others.


    Even looking out for herself was a challenge. For instance, after only ten minutes of practice, her arms already felt sore.


    Zhang Su walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, his thoughts elsewhere. “A few vehicles are heading toward the outskirts. Also, I think zombies might have some basic instincts!”


    “Huh? What do you mean? Are you saying zombies are intelligent?”


    Zheng Xinyu was startled. Based on her limited encounters, she didn’t have much of an advantage over zombies. Intelligence and critical thinking were some of the few edges she had. If zombies had those too, what was the point of even trying to survive? Why not just join them already?


    Zhang Su shook his head. “Not intelligence. It’s more like instinctive behavior. I noticed that when zombies don’t have a target, their movements are very mechanical—almost energy-efficient. In other words, they conserve energy.”


    “I’m guessing that in this state, most of their energy is directed toward sensory organs, enhancing their ability to detect prey. Once they locate a target, their movement speed drastically increases. Doesn’t this remind you of how many wild predators behave?”


    Zheng Xinyu nodded vaguely, still unsure how this information was immediately helpful. Before she could figure it out, a deafening explosion shattered the stillness.


    The massive noise pierced even the soundproof windows. Zhang Su’s head buzzed, and the apartment shook slightly. A souvenir basketball toppled from the bookshelf, rolling onto the floor.


    Zheng Xinyu clutched her ears and crouched on the ground, eyes wide with terror as she stared in the direction of the sound.


    “Over there!”


    Zhang Su pointed toward Zheng Xinyu’s room and quickly pulled back the curtains.


    The residential area’s perimeter wall had been blown apart as if it were a set of dominoes. Vehicles lay overturned and burning across the street. The source of the explosion was a shop across the road, though its exact cause was unclear.


    Over a dozen connected storefronts were engulfed in flames, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The street was unrecognizable, littered with rubble, collapsed walls, and shattered concrete. Some debris had even flown into the residential area.


    The most hair-raising sight, however, was the zombies. Some were engulfed in flames as they wandered aimlessly among the cars, while others, trapped in burning vehicles, thrashed and waved their arms. The scene was like something out of hell.


    “Oh my god…”


    Zheng Xinyu pressed her face to the window next to Zhang Su, staring at the cracked pavement and the scene of utter devastation. If the zombies had terrified her, this explosion sent a chill straight to her soul.


    “Thank goodness we’re on a high floor. Lower levels probably had their windows blown out!”


    Zhang Su glanced nervously downward, though the angle didn’t allow him to see much.


    “Brother Su… I… I’m starting to feel like staying in the building isn’t that safe either. Look, half of Building 8’s unit is burning. What if there’s an explosion below us? What do we do if the fire spreads upstairs?”


    Zheng Xinyu asked worriedly.


    Zhang Su’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately slapped her on the butt and said sternly, “Stop jinxing us!” Sёarch* The N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Considering Zheng Xinyu’s 【Good Fortune】 tag, he didn’t want to take any chances. If her luck influenced both good and bad outcomes, they couldn’t afford reckless speculation.


    “Hey, what’s with the touching?!”


    Perhaps because she had been through a fight with zombies, Zheng Xinyu’s nerves were steadier than before. Zhang Su’s unexpected action quickly distracted her from the fear of the explosion.


    At that moment, rapid and urgent knocking sounded, much louder than before. A voice called out through the crack in the door:


    “I’m from 802! Hello? What was that explosion? I’m so scared. Can I come in to talk? Please, I’m begging you…”


    Due to the layout of the building, the occupant of 802 could only see a portion of the collapsed wall and couldn’t directly observe the explosion site, making the situation even more unsettling.


    Zhang Su frowned and strode toward the door.


    This time, the woman didn’t wear a mask or sunglasses, perhaps too frightened by the explosion to think about covering her face. Her pretty features were twisted with fear, her eyes filled with panic.


    “Please, good person, I mean no harm. I’m just a woman. Please, help me out a little. I’ll pay you—I’ll give you all the money I have. And my gold jewelry too. You can have it all.”


    Thinking her cash wasn’t enough, she quickly added her jewelry as leverage. Without hesitation, she started removing her earrings and necklace. Just as she was doing so, the door suddenly opened.


    She flinched, expecting to be struck, but instead, a large hand yanked her inside.


    Her head bumped against the doorframe.


    “Ah… mmph!”


    Before her hoarse cry could fully escape, her mouth was covered.


    Curious, Zheng Xinyu followed closely behind Zhang Su and shut the door as soon as the woman was pulled inside.


    “Why do you scream so much?! Are you a reincarnated loudspeaker?”


    Zhang Su pinned the woman against the wall, one hand over her mouth, his eyes fierce and unrelenting. He showed no mercy just because she was a woman.


    The woman trembled, her tears flowing freely. She raised a hand to rub the sore spot on her head but froze under Zhang Su’s intimidating glare.


    “Uh… miss, you can’t just yell like that. It’ll attract the zombies,” Zheng Xinyu explained gently, unable to stand the sight of the woman so scared she’d practically lost her soul.


    The woman hadn’t even noticed Zheng Xinyu until she spoke. Zheng’s calm and kind demeanor helped soothe her nerves, and she nodded quickly to show she understood.


    “Are you going to scream again?”


    Zhang Su asked harshly.


    The woman, who had been nodding, quickly changed to shaking her head, but her eyes darted to Zheng Xinyu instead of meeting Zhang Su’s gaze.


    Zhang Su released her and, with a scowl, wiped his hand on her chest. “You’re disgusting—got snot all over my hand!”


    “Uh…”


    The woman noticed the rough motion of his hand on her clothes but didn’t dare resist. After all, her face was indeed covered in tears and mucus.


    “Alright, enough with the groping…”


    Zheng Xinyu leaned toward Zhang Su and whispered near his ear without moving her lips, clearly teasing him.