The impromptu drinking session ended quickly; the three of them composed themselves and prepared to leave the bar.
However, before leaving, Jill tried to persuade the survivors to come with them, but no one agreed.
The reason given by the survivors was simple: there were man-eating monsters outside, and rather than risk going out, it was better to wait for the army's rescue here.
Jill no longer insisted; after leaving some bullets, she and Shen Ye left the bar.
...
Shortly after leaving the bar, they began to search for a building that was tall enough or sturdy enough, because only buildings meeting these two conditions could support a rescue helicopter landing.
Jill and Brad had been in Raccoon City for many years and were very familiar with the terrain; they quickly identified a target: a large warehouse building not far from the bar, which met all the requirements in terms of both height and sturdiness.
But Jill and Brad obviously hadn't considered that "not far" referred to what they considered a short distance when traveling by car; on foot, it was a considerably long journey.
Especially in the current situation, they would need even more time.
By the time they arrived at the warehouse, several hours had already passed.
Of course, they spent more of their time dodging zombies, and the actual time spent traveling was pitifully small.
Their current position was not the front door of the warehouse, but the back door, where there was only a small iron gate that could only accommodate one person at a time.
The iron gate was locked, but Jill was an expert at picking locks, so it didn't stump her; in less than ten seconds, she had opened the door.
"You have more talent as a thief than as a police officer, Jill," Shen Ye exclaimed.
Jill just smiled and said nothing.
Entering through the iron gate one by one, Shen Ye walked in front; as soon as he entered, before he could even see the situation inside clearly, he heard the sound of a firearm being cocked.
Shen Ye was too familiar with this sound; he immediately dodged to the side and simultaneously shouted, "Take cover, there are armed personnel."
Jill and Brad were both elite police officers; as soon as Shen Ye spoke, they spread out to the left and right, looking for advantageous terrain.
However, after the sound of the gun being cocked, no shots were fired; clearly, the owner of the gun had realized that humans had entered.
"Come out, I won't shoot," a male voice echoed inside the warehouse.
Shen Ye turned and gave Jill a look, then peeked out from behind cover, seeing a short, stout middle-aged white man standing beside a truck, holding a pistol with its muzzle pointed downwards, seemingly to prove he had no ill intentions.
But even so, Shen Ye still didn't stand up; he shouted at the other party, "Can you first decock your pistol's hammer?"
"You should know, facing a cocked pistol at this distance is very dangerous."
"Okay, that's a very reasonable request," the middle-aged man responded loudly, then he raised his pistol and, in front of Shen Ye, decocked the pistol's hammer and engaged the safety.
His actions made Shen Ye feel a bit embarrassed; he immediately stood up from behind cover and said, "I'm very sorry, I was being overly cautious."
"It's normal; if it were me, I'd be worried too," the middle-aged man was surprisingly understanding.
"Are you the only one here?"
While Shen Ye was talking to the middle-aged man, Jill and Brad also emerged from cover; seeing that there was only the middle-aged man, Jill asked.
"If it counts as a person, then there are two," the middle-aged man pointed to one of the trucks inside the warehouse; inside the truck's cab, a zombie was clawing at them, but due to the car window, it looked somewhat comical.
"Well, it seems you're not lonely," Jill shrugged.
Then she added, "Being with zombies is too dangerous; do you want to leave here with us?"
"Leave here?" the middle-aged man asked, "How do you plan to leave?"
"To the top floor," Shen Ye interjected, "Jill said it's surprisingly large, with a flat and sturdy rooftop, enough to accommodate several helicopters."
"And it's high enough, making it easier for rescue helicopters to spot us."
"In fact, it can not only accommodate helicopters but also park trucks, because it's a parking lot," the middle-aged man had probably worked here before and was very familiar with the place.
"That sounds even better," Jill smiled, "So, are you willing to leave with us?"
The middle-aged man shook his head, "I don't want to go."
"Why?" Jill asked, "Are you also waiting for the army's rescue?"
"I've never counted on them," the middle-aged man continued to shake his head, "I just want to stay here, in my car, alone."
At this point, a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes, then he turned and climbed into the cargo compartment of his truck, and as he closed the cargo door, he said to Jill, "Listen, madam, if you really want to go to the top floor, it's best to take the stairs, because the elevator is full of monsters."
After speaking, he completely closed the cargo door.
Hearing the sound of locking from inside the cargo compartment, Jill sighed helplessly and said, "Why do they do that?"
"Not everyone has the courage to face danger; avoiding danger is also a survival instinct," Shen Ye patted her shoulder, then glanced at Brad, who was waving at them in the distance, and continued, "Alright, Jill, let's go; Brad should have found the way to the rooftop parking lot."
Jill could only nod and walked with Shen Ye towards Brad.
There were two paths Brad found: one was the stairs, and the other, naturally, was the elevator.
Shen Ye first checked the elevator; it was still working and showed no damage, which pleasantly surprised him.
He immediately cast the middle-aged man's words to the back of his mind; who would take the stairs when there's an elevator!
Jill thought the same; she was tired enough for one night and didn't want to waste her energy climbing stairs, so she decisively pressed the elevator door open button, then she and Shen Ye and Brad stepped back a few paces.
With a click, the elevator doors opened, and the zombies inside rushed out.
Because they had stepped back a few paces, there was enough distance for all the zombies to rush out of the elevator; only after the last zombie came out did they open fire and shoot them dead, then approached to enter the elevator.
Just as Shen Ye was about to press the floor number for the top floor, suddenly, a loud bang came, accompanied by a man's scream.
Jill rushed out anxiously; she was a bit worried about the civilian, but she only took one look and quickly retreated back into the elevator.
"Close the door quickly!" Jill shouted anxiously.
No explanation was needed; Shen Ye also knew what had happened, because he had already seen the Tracker's silhouette.