"You're a good girl, hey..."
Zhang Su casually handed Zheng Xinyu a good person card.
"Screw you!"
Zheng Xinyu couldn't believe she would ever receive a good person card and was so furious her cheeks puffed up as she glared at Zhang Su.
"Enough with the nonsense... Let's focus on figuring out how to deal with the zombie at the door."
Zhang Su regretted his previous teasing and quickly got serious about the matter.
"If you want to do it, you go ahead! I'm not going!"
Zheng Xinyu grumbled irritably and turned to walk to the window to open the curtains for some air. But after reconsidering, she withdrew her hand, squatting under the windowsill with her head down, lost in thought.
Zhang Su knew that coaxing or forcing wouldn't have much effect at this moment.
He glanced at his watch and realized it was past noon after all the hustle. He touched his stomach and asked, "Been up for so long. Aren't you hungry?"
"Hungry..."
Zheng Xinyu replied in a low voice without looking up, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears.
Zhang Su was experienced in handling such situations. He walked up to Zheng Xinyu and gently patted her head, saying, "I'll go make some food."
Watching Zhang Su's retreating figure, Zheng Xinyu looked up with a pout, feeling aggrieved.
Cooking a full meal was challenging for Zhang Su, but self-heating pots and instant foods just needed a pair of hands to manage.
"Szechuan-style bacon or mushroom beef, which do you want?"
After ten minutes, Zhang Su returned to the living room, showing Zheng Xinyu two boxes of self-heating clay pot rice while she sat back on the sofa.
The sense of grievance and anger was still there, but those emotions couldn't fill her stomach. She had to eat.
"I want the Szechuan bacon..."
The aroma of mushroom beef and Szechuan bacon quickly filled the air.
The self-heating pot took about fifteen minutes to heat the food, but Zhang Su devoured his in just five and spent the rest of the time reasoning with Zheng Xinyu, slowly convincing her to help deal with the zombie...
"Yak yak yak... Zhang Su, I never knew you could talk so much. You've talked away all my appetite!"
With that, Zheng Xinyu pushed her 3/5 unfinished clay pot rice towards Zhang Su, saying, "I can't eat anymore. If you don't mind, don't waste it."
Zhang Su was a bit touched that Zheng Xinyu fulfilled her promise so quickly. After taking a bite, he put it back in front of her, saying, "Don't eat too little. I'm serious. Get ready, and let's deal with the zombie at the door together!"
"Brother, Brother Su, my dear brother, can you stop pressuring me? Make another request. No matter what it is, I'll agree to it, really... anything but killing zombies..."
When she emphasized "anything," Zheng Xinyu's tone intensified, making it clear and unmistakable.
Zhang Su smirked, pondering if post-battle rewards counted as eliminating together?
"Xinyu, this situation exceeds our expectations. Qin City has so many people, not counting other counties, Port District alone has over 800,000. Even if those helicopters are indeed rescue personnel, how many can they save?"
"Think about it, the whole world is hit by disaster now, not just one city or province, but globally! It's something we must face, so don't resist. We're a hundred times luckier than those who died without reason. Gather your courage and face the challenges!"
A cup of chicken soup after the meal, nourishing and comforting...
Zheng Xinyu painfully closed her eyes, her mind echoing with details of the zombies at the door. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't accept it. When she opened her eyes to speak, she saw Zhang Su offering her a spoonful of fragrant food.
"Ah, eat up."
Munch!
Zheng Xinyu obediently ate the rest, placing the empty container aside. After hesitating, she said, "Brother Su, you're right. I've seen the harsh reality, but can you let me take a few more days? What if... what if the zombies at the door leave?"
"Ugh."
Zhang Su sighed and motioned for Zheng Xinyu to join him by the window.
He opened a small slit, and the two peered outside. Zhang Su whispered in her ear, "See the situation out there? Count how many zombies are wandering below!"
Zheng Xinyu looked down and roughly estimated at least twenty or thirty zombies were roaming around. She could only see one area, enough to imagine the situation throughout the neighborhood—likely over a hundred zombies were wandering about.
"Realize how bad it is? This time, waiting passively for rescue is one method, but still, relying on ourselves is better than hoping on others to survive!"
Having dealt with many people after years in society, Zhang Su's eloquence surpassed that of broadcaster Zheng Xinyu's. Whether coaxing or encouraging, he had it all down to an art.
"Alright, Brother Su, you... Huh? Brother Su, look at building four, unit two's top floor!"
Zheng Xinyu was about to agree but suddenly noticed someone waving in their direction...
"Even with such a small gap, they noticed us? They've been watching us for a while!"
Zhang Su mumbled deliberately as he followed the direction Zheng Xinyu indicated, and sure enough, he saw a young man kneeling at the window, waving frantically, clearly greeting them...
"Ignore him."
Zhang Su said blandly, pulling back the curtain fully, not letting out a speck of light.
Now was not the time to tend to irrelevant matters.
Zheng Xinyu didn't object either. With the internet down and almost trapped indoors, they were less than a hundred meters apart in a straight line. Forget about cooperative survival. They couldn't even effectively communicate with each other!
"Um, Brother Su, we don't even have weapons. How do we deal with the zombies?"
Zheng Xinyu pointed towards the door, having finally made up her mind. She was ready to push through.
Ah howl!
As if knowing someone intended to kill it, a violent zombie suddenly shrieked, the primal and bloodthirsty frenzy shaking their spirits.
Zhang Su hadn't realized what was happening when he heard banging on a door, yet it wasn't theirs.
Without delay, Zhang Su dashed to the door, peering through the peephole. The frantic zombie was pounding on the door to apartment 802, its blows seemingly more forceful than before!
"No, don't, help, help, help, don't kill me..."
Series of sharp cries for help came from the door opposite them, but they were faint after passing into Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu's ears due to multiple layers of barriers. The exact words weren't clear, but it was definitely a plea for help.
The content wasn't the key point; the critical part was there was someone on the other side!
"Opportunity!"
Zhang Su didn't have time to care about what exactly was happening on the other side. He only knew this was a rare opportunity!