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Jamal also leaned closer to the door to listen, a hint of joy appearing on his face. "Looks like all the zombies here have been cleared out? Or maybe not many even came in?"
"Maybe so. The girls' dormitory is strictly managed, and the gate is not easy to break down."
Brad guessed, his tone much lighter, "We were lucky to find a safe place."
Chad grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but his eyes darted to the spear in Su Hui's hand before quickly looking away. (The last two lines appear to be random characters and do not translate directly.)
Su Hui ignored their optimism.
He pushed open the door and went out first.
The corridor outside was equally dark, with the emergency lights flickering on and off due to insufficient power, casting a dim glow.
There were some drag marks and scattered debris on the ground, but there was no corpse or wandering zombies.
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A faint smell of disinfectant permeated the air, attempting to mask the deeper stench of blood.
“Let’s find a room to rest first, then split up and find some food and water,” Brad suggested as he followed them out.
Su Hui did not object.
They do need a temporary place to stay.
The girls' dormitory building has a total of six floors.
The group cautiously advanced down the corridor, checking several rooms, most of which were empty or contained only some insignificant clutter.
Finally, they found a room in a relatively advantageous location on the second-floor corridor near the corner of the stairs.
The room door is intact and it's close to the emergency exit stairs, making evacuation relatively convenient in case of danger.
The room was similar to the previous one, equally messy, but without any bloodstains.
“Here it is.” Brad pushed open the door and went in. “Stacey, Harley, you two girls stay here and rest. We men will go out and find some food and water.”
He looked at Chad and Jamal, then at Su Hui, and added, "This way it's more efficient."
Stacy nodded immediately upon hearing this, wishing she could stay put.
Harley, however, instinctively looked at Su Hui.
"No."
Su Hui refused outright, his voice cold and leaving no room for argument.
Brad's smile froze for a moment.
"It's more dangerous to stay here."
Su Hui's cold gaze swept over Brad, Chad, and Jamal. "Nobody knows what's in this building. Leaving them here is like sending them to their deaths."
Su Hui's words were not alarmist; on the contrary, they were a sincere reminder.
Even if he didn't care about Brad and his group who were hostile to him, he couldn't possibly ignore Harley.
Given Harley's value, he couldn't possibly let her out of his sight.
Chad frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but when he met Su Hui's firm gaze, he swallowed his words.
The standoff in the library restroom earlier still haunts him.
Jamal remained silent.
"Then what do you think we should do?"
Brad took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and asked.
"Let's act together," Su Hui said succinctly. "We'll split into two groups."
He pointed to himself and Harley: "We'll work in pairs to take care of the upstairs."
Then he looked at Brad and the other three: "You four are in charge of this floor and the first-floor lobby."
"It's too dangerous tonight, so let's keep things simple and eliminate the danger first. We'll search the dormitory building carefully again tomorrow during the day."
Su Hui said.
Brad glanced at Chad and Jamal, who both nodded slightly.
Although Su Hui's arrangement was forceful, it was indeed more prudent than leaving the two girls behind.
They were unarmed, and given Su Hui's performance in killing zombies, they were no match for him.
Unless it's a sneak attack,
Or get a pistol!
"Okay, let's do it."
Brad nodded in agreement.
"Let's go."
Su Hui stopped talking nonsense, gestured to Harley, and turned to walk towards the stairwell.
Harley followed immediately, glancing at Stacy before leaving; Stacy's eyes were filled with fear and unease.
But Harley didn't stop and quickly followed Su Hui's retreating figure.
She knew that her only chance of survival was to stick close to this cold-hearted man.
As he watched Su Hui and Harley disappear around the corner of the stairs, Brad's smile vanished instantly, and his eyes turned gloomy.
"Damn, this Asian kid really thinks he's the boss?"
Chad cursed under his breath, gripping the crowbar tightly.
"Don't worry."
Brad patted Chad on the shoulder, a cold smile playing on his lips. "It's good to let him scout ahead. This building is eerily quiet; it might be even more dangerous upstairs."
Jamal nodded: "That's right, let's look on the first and second floors first, especially the dormitory manager's room or the vending machines, there must be food there."
"After finding the supplies..."
A glint of greed and ruthlessness flashed in Brad's eyes. "Let's talk about the rest."
The three exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a tacit understanding.
6. Monsters and Guns
The stairwell was even darker than the corridor, with only the remaining emergency lights in the corners emitting a faint green glow, barely outlining the contours of the steps.
Su Hui walked in front, the tip of his [simple spear] slightly lowered, his steps very light, making sure each step was firm before shifting his center of gravity.
His gaze was like radar, constantly scanning the stair railings, the shadows at the corners, and the ceiling.
Besides the smell of dust, the stench of blood seemed even stronger in the air, mixed with an indescribable fishy odor.
Harley followed half a step behind Su Hui, clutching the fire axe she had taken from the fire hydrant box tightly in her hand; the cold metallic touch was her only solace.
Dark red handprints can be seen on the stair railing, and there are splattered bloodstains on the wall, which have dried and turned black.
"Su Hui."
Harley's voice was low and tinged with worry.
"Just now down there, Chad looked at you strangely."
She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts.
"And Brad and Jamal, they...they seem to be in cahoots."
“I have a feeling they might want to harm you, especially after seeing your weapons.”
Su Hui didn't stop walking, but only made a single syllable from his nose to indicate that he had heard it.
Seeing that he didn't react, Harley bit her lower lip, her voice even lower, but unusually clear.
Whatever decision you make, I will support you.
"I will stand by your side."
Harley's voice was soft, yet unusually firm.
Su Hui paused almost imperceptibly.
He turned his head, and in the dim light, his deep black eyes looked seriously at the girl behind him for the first time.
Harley met his gaze without flinching. Her blue eyes, reflecting the faint light of the emergency lamp, held a resolute quality she herself was unaware of.
She is indeed very smart; she knows how to assess the situation and express her stance.
"Ah."
It's just a simple word again.
Su Hui nodded slightly, accepting her statement, then turned back and continued walking upwards.
Trust is not built on words, especially in this kind of environment.
Harley felt a little disappointed when she saw that Su Hui's attitude remained indifferent, but she quickly suppressed it with her will to survive.
She took a breath and changed the subject.
"My dorm is on the fourth floor, room 407. I had some food and bottled water that I had stocked up on before, and they should still be there."
"Should we go up and take a look?"
Food and water are hard currency, especially in the early stages of the apocalypse.
Su Hui stopped and looked up at the dark stairwell leading to the fourth floor.
Fourth floor?
He quickly weighed the options in his mind.
The higher the floor, the farther away from the ground, and the fewer escape routes there are in the event of an accident.
Unknown dangers may lurk in any corner.
Most importantly, he had a feeling that something more troublesome than ordinary zombies was lurking in this building.
The lingering fishy smell and the overly quiet environment both exuded an eeriness.
"Need not."
Su Hui refused decisively, "Check the third floor first to confirm it's safe, then we'll wait until dawn."
His decision was devoid of any emotional bias and was based entirely on a calm assessment of the current situation.
"it is good."
Although Harley was somewhat disappointed, she nodded immediately.
Although their time together was short, Harley trusted Su Hui's reliability and completely obeyed his arrangements.
The two continued upwards and reached the platform on the third floor.
The situation in the third-floor corridor was worse than on the second floor.
Bloodstains covered almost the entire floor and the lower half of the walls. Several dormitory doors were violently damaged, with wood chips and door fragments scattered all over the place.
The fishy, pungent smell in the air was even stronger and more irritating.
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Su Hui's brows furrowed even more.
He walked to a broken door, but instead of going in immediately, he squatted down and carefully examined the edge of the door frame and the ground.
His eyes were sharp, not missing a single detail.
Soon, his gaze settled on the ventilation grille near the ceiling.
Su Hui's gaze finally settled on a vent near the ceiling at the end of the corridor.
It was a square metal grille, and one of the screws in one corner seemed a little loose.
More importantly, near the corner of the wall below the vent, on the dusty floor, there were several extremely fine, but unusually clear... scratches.
The scratches were shallow, like those left by some creature with sharp claws while climbing or moving.
Su Hui's pupils contracted slightly, and the feeling of unease in his heart instantly intensified.
Something... is moving through the ventilation ducts in this building.