Chapter 036 There is no right or wrong for survival


    "Listen… what’s that sound?"


    The three of them were happily packing their bags when Zhang Su suddenly raised a hand, signaling the two women to stop. He tilted his head slightly, listening in the direction of the front door.


    "Su-ge, I think… I think it’s the elevator?"


    Zhong Xiaoshan’s expression tightened as she glanced toward the door.


    Zhang Su’s face darkened. Grabbing a pack of bottled water that hadn’t been stuffed into the backpack yet, he rushed across the bloodstained entryway. After peeking through the peephole to confirm there was nothing unusual in the hallway, he yanked open the door.


    In the silence of the residential unit, the sound of the elevator moving was eerily distinct.


    The red digital display blinked: 7, 8, 9…


    "Someone below is using the elevator!"


    Based on the timing, Zhang Su was certain that the elevator wasn’t coming up from the sixth floor—otherwise, it wouldn’t have taken this long to move just one level!


    "? Forgive my life of reckless freedom, never fearing… Ah-woo! Ah-ahh!"


    As the elevator ascended, muffled music drifted from the shaft, quickly followed by the unmistakable growls and thuds of zombies.


    "Is that…?"


    Zhang Su’s brain felt like it exploded. His face twisted as he urgently turned back toward 1101, waving his arm.


    "Move! Zombies are coming up the elevator—run!" Sёarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "On it! Coming!"


    Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan hurriedly slung their backpacks over their shoulders and bolted after Zhang Su, dashing through the emergency exit.


    "Go, Su-ge! What are you doing?!"


    Seeing Zhang Su lingering near the emergency door, craning his neck to watch the elevator display, Zheng Xinyu anxiously tugged at his arm.


    "It’s passing eleven—it’s not stopping. Good, good. Let’s go!"


    Zhang Su finally darted out the door, but instead of rushing downstairs, he paused to listen.


    "Awooo! Ahhh!"


    The elevator stopped at the twelfth floor. As the doors slid open, a chorus of guttural roars erupted, and the music abruptly cut off—likely because the zombies had destroyed the speaker.


    Zhang Su signaled to the two women and without another word, the three of them quietly retreated back to the eighth floor.


    Back inside 801, Zhang Su exhaled, finally letting some tension slip away. Even though he hadn’t engaged in any fighting this time, the constant vigilance had still drained him.


    "Someone downstairs lured the zombies up to the twelfth floor!"


    "Probably trying to escape the neighborhood," Zheng Xinyu speculated as she began unpacking supplies onto the coffee table.


    Zhang Su nodded. "That’s likely it. Otherwise, no one would be messing around with zombies for fun. The question is, what floor are those survivors on? My guess is they herded the zombies into the elevator from within the unit…"


    "But how did they get the zombies to press the floor button?" Zheng Xinyu asked, puzzled.


    Zhang Su thought for a moment. "They probably pre-selected the floor before making noise to attract the zombies inside. Once inside, the zombies would naturally be drawn to the sound, preventing them from blocking the doors. As soon as the doors shut, it was set."


    Simple in theory—but Zhang Su knew that executing this maneuver must have been incredibly difficult.


    Zhong Xiaoshan grumbled as she rubbed her sore arms. "We worked so hard to clear out the upper floors, and now there’s a whole new horde up there. Seriously?!"


    Today had been her first time facing zombies head-on. With the help of her teammates, she had managed to kill a few, which gave her some confidence. Combined with the supplies they had scavenged, she had been feeling pretty good—until now. All their hard work securing an escape route was wasted.


    "Yeah! Damn those selfish bastards!"


    Zheng Xinyu, recalling the risks and exhaustion from fighting the zombies, was just as furious.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Su seemed completely unfazed. He calmly counted their supplies, as if none of this bothered him at all.


    "Su-ge, you’re way too chill. This isn’t like you!" Zheng Xinyu pouted.


    Zhang Su smirked. "Not like me? And what kind of person am I, huh? Since when did a little brat like you start analyzing my personality?"


    "With your black-hearted, petty, vengeful, scheming nature—you went through all that trouble to clear the floors, and now they’re swarming with zombies again. You’re really not mad?" Zheng Xinyu crossed her arms, tilting her head as she watched Zhang Su munch on a Snickers bar with a smug expression.


    "Wow, such high praise. I’m flattered," Zhang Su replied sarcastically before continuing, "First of all, whoever used the elevator to transport the zombies didn’t actually do anything wrong—it’s their right to try to survive. And besides, they might not even know there were people upstairs."


    "If you look at it from a third-party perspective, sacrificing some people to protect a larger group is a morally complex issue. But if it’s about sacrificing irrelevant strangers just to ensure your own survival? From any angle, that’s completely justifiable—even if we were the ones being sacrificed."


    His voice turned serious. "Likewise, if a time comes when you have to sacrifice others to protect yourselves, you can feel guilty, you can feel conflicted—but do not hesitate."


    Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan fell silent. His words clashed with everything they had grown up believing, but… looking at this world now…


    The values of the old world were built on stability and order. But that world was gone. Trying to uphold those values now? It wouldn’t work.


    "This world has turned so cruel…" Zheng Xinyu murmured.


    "And this is only the beginning," Zhang Su replied, his eyes narrowing.


    He had spent ten years navigating the apocalypse. He had seen deception, betrayal, and people turning on each other. He knew how dark the human heart could be.


    "If order is restored soon, great. But if this lawless chaos drags on, you need to throw away all your old beliefs. Nothing should surprise you anymore."


    "Understood, Su-ge," Zhong Xiaoshan nodded seriously.


    Zheng Xinyu didn’t speak, but she pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.


    Zhang Su suddenly grinned. "Actually, I was just worrying about how to train you both, and now, someone’s gone and delivered a batch of zombies right to us! How considerate!"


    "Wait, what?!" Zheng Xinyu’s face twitched. "You’re not seriously thinking about taking down that entire horde, are you?!"


    Zhang Su lazily ripped open another Snickers, biting off a chunk. Propping his feet up on the edge of the coffee table, he said casually,


    "Judging by the situation, this disaster isn’t going to be controlled anytime soon. This place is just a temporary shelter. Eventually, we have to leave—not just this unit, not just Shengqin Garden, but even the city itself."


    Of the three, the one who least wanted to leave was Zhang Su—because this was his home.


    "This apartment is like a newbie village. But we can’t stay in the newbie village forever. Remember those five people who left yesterday? The moment they stepped out, one of them died immediately. What about us? When will we face our first casualty? Who here wants to be the first to die?"


    His voice was calm, but the weight of his words pressed down like a suffocating force. The growls of the undead, the looming presence of death—it was overwhelming.


    "No one!"


    Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan shook their heads furiously. The memory of that man being devoured was still fresh in their minds.


    "Then we train. Hard. From today on, food and water won’t be restricted, but training intensity will double!"


    Zhang Su had already checked several apartments. As long as they had the strength to venture out, with the population drastically reduced, there would be no shortage of supplies.