Chapter 15: Ambushed

Wang Zhi saw that the other party understood his intentions, so he put down the binoculars and checked his watch. It was 3 PM. Wang Zhi planned to get there before dark.

That meant they had less than four hours. After dark, even with night-vision goggles, visibility would be greatly reduced, and the danger level would increase significantly.

Wang Zhi now faced his first decision: How should they descend? One option was to rappel down from the rooftop with ropes, while the other was to take the stairs.

Wang Zhi called the Fatty over, and after a brief discussion, they decided it would be safer to take the stairs together.

At this moment, Lao He had a sudden idea. He removed the silencer from his pistol, intending to fire a shot into the air to see if there were any survivors in the office building.

Wang Zhi immediately grabbed Lao He’s arm, signaling him not to fire.

“Don’t shoot! That shot would attract all the zombies around here! If that happens, we won’t be able to go anywhere!” Wang Zhi urged.

Lao He thought for a moment and realized it wasn’t a good idea, so he reattached the silencer.

After their discussion, the four of them began to descend from the rooftop. Just as they were about to open the door, they discovered that the iron gate to the rooftop was locked from the inside and couldn’t be opened!

“Damn it, Wang, I’ll break it open,” Fatty said, preparing to kick the door.

“No! Are you trying to get us killed? A loud noise like that will draw all the zombies here!” Wang Zhi quickly stopped him.

“Then let’s use the grappling hook and rope to descend into a room first, and then we can regroup and charge out together,” Ying suggested.

“That’s the only choice. We’ll land on the second-floor window and enter the room,” Wang Zhi agreed.

Ying lowered the rope to the window, hooked the grappling hook onto a solid object, and gave it a strong tug to check its sturdiness.

“Alright, I’ll go down first,” Ying said, grabbing the rope and climbing over the edge. Before long, she reached the second floor, opened the window, and jumped inside.

Just as Ying’s feet touched the ground, a zombie suddenly lunged at her from the right. Ying was shocked. She had checked outside the window carefully before entering, confirming there were no zombies, but there was one hiding in a blind spot.

Seeing the zombie’s claws getting closer, Ying instinctively blocked it with her arm, but the zombie quickly grabbed her arm and sank its teeth into her.

Luckily, Ying reacted swiftly. With her other hand, she drew the knife from her leg and drove it into the zombie’s skull.

Thud!

The knife was incredibly sharp, and the zombie’s head didn’t even spray blood before it collapsed lifelessly on the ground.

After Ying entered the room, the three of them quickly followed suit. When Wang Zhi saw the scene inside, he was also startled. Although he had mentally prepared himself days ago, seeing it in person still made him feel disgusted and afraid.

Finally, Lao He was the last to come down. After entering the room, he pressed a button on the rope’s mechanism. The hook on the roof transformed from a bent hook into a straight hook. He pulled it gently, and the grappling hook was reeled back.

“Wow! Did we just kill one as soon as we landed?” Fatty exclaimed, surprised as it was his first time seeing a dead body.

“Thanks for your help, Ying. Are you hurt?” Wang Zhi asked, walking over to her.

“That thing was hiding in a blind spot, but luckily, the bio-suit protected me. I wasn’t scratched,” Ying replied with a smile.

“The bio-suit can protect against scratches, but if a zombie bites you, it will still pierce through! Everyone, don’t let your guard down!” Wang Zhi said, noticing a scratch mark on Ying’s bio-suit.

“Fatty, also, no matter what happens, don’t speak loudly.”

Wang Zhi wasn’t too worried about Ying and Lao He, but he knew that if Fatty wasn’t reminded, he’d likely make a noise soon.

After speaking, Wang Zhi moved to open the room door. He immediately stepped back to prevent any zombies outside from ambushing them.

He found there were no zombies outside the door, so he carefully peeked out to check the situation in the hallway. There were six zombies blocking the corridor, and the rooms on either side were unknown.

After observing, Wang Zhi pulled his head back and described the situation.

“I have decent aim. Let me take them out with the gun,” Lao He offered.

Lao He stepped out and fired. Bang, bang, bang! Six muffled shots rang out, and all six zombies fell. One shot hit a zombie’s neck, and when the zombie turned around to charge, Lao He finished it off with another shot.

Lao He stepped back, removed the magazine, and reloaded it. Fatty peeked out.

“Wow, Lao He, your shooting is great!” Fatty whispered excitedly.

“Let’s go. Fatty, you and Lao He take the wall on the opposite side. Ying and I will cover this side. We’ll watch each other’s backs and shoot if any zombies appear!” Wang Zhi instructed.

The four of them carefully moved along the walls, approaching the safe passage. They had to pass through eight rooms along the way. Most of the doors were closed, but three zombies emerged from two rooms with open doors and were quickly shot by Ying and Lao He.

When they reached the safe passage, Wang Zhi realized there weren’t many zombies here. The building’s staff wasn’t large, and the safe passage was seldom used since people usually took the elevator.

Once they reached the first floor, just as they were near the door to the safe passage, a zombie suddenly lunged at Wang Zhi. Before he could react, the zombie slammed him against the iron door.

Crash! The iron door collided with the wall, making a loud noise that echoed painfully in the empty building.

The zombies on the upper floors heard the noise and went berserk, charging toward the sound.

At this moment, Wang Zhi was knocked down by the zombie. Lao He saw the sudden attack and immediately rushed over, stabbing the zombie in the head with a knife. Blood splattered onto Wang Zhi’s gas mask.

Wang Zhi quickly scrambled to his feet. Hearing the countless growls echoing from the floors above, his first thought was to run!

“Run! Quickly, go to the window and jump out through the ventilation window!” Wang Zhi shouted, slamming the first-floor safe passage door shut before turning to climb up to the ventilation window.

The four of them didn’t hesitate, jumping out the window. The ventilation window was between the first and second floors, not very high, so they easily landed on the ground.

The zombies outside heard the noise and gathered toward them. Zombies from the upper floors followed them out of the window, and soon more zombies surrounded them.

“Keep running!” Lao He urged, looking around.