radicalducati Chapter 31 They Came to the Door
Chapter 31 They Came to the Door
After his mental strength was enhanced, Lu Chen's perception became extremely sharp. His eyesight and hearing were greatly improved, and he could even perceive things at the energy level.
Lu Chen has now discovered that mental power has another advantage: it can instinctively issue warnings before danger arrives.
Although he didn't know exactly what the danger was, it didn't stop him from reacting immediately. He sat up from his cot and, as he walked out, used his superpower to possess the zombie guarding the fire escape.
Viewpoint switch!
The stairwell was quiet both above and below, the steps were empty, the fire doors were closed, and there was no unusual activity.
This zombie had been on guard duty for a while, and it was in a stable state, showing no signs of being disturbed.
Fire exits are safe!
But Lu Chen didn't relax and went straight to Shen Qingci's room.
Since we don't know exactly what happened, the best thing to do is to have Shen Qingci use her special abilities to investigate.
But before he even got close to the door of room 506, he saw that the door had opened on its own.
Shen Qingci came out from inside. She was wearing a tracksuit, her hair was loose, and her face was pale from being startled awake. She had clearly sensed the danger.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Shen Qingci's sensory ability is best suited for detecting danger. If even he can sense danger approaching, how could the other party not sense it?
Their eyes met in the dimly lit corridor.
Shen Qingci's expression was solemn, and her voice was very low, but every word could be heard clearly in the quiet corridor.
"I sensed danger and just checked." She paused. "A special kind of zombie came downstairs."
"It's very likely the elite zombies mentioned on the radio."
Upon hearing the words "elite zombies," Lu Chen immediately recalled the scene from this morning.
The robust zombie, over 2 meters tall, smashed open the stainless steel door, ripped open the person's stomach with a single claw, and chewed out their heart.
"Where is it now?" Lu Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the unease surging in his heart, and asked immediately.
"Come to my balcony, you can see it there," Shen Qingci said, and quickly walked into the house.
The curtains on the balcony of apartment 506 were tightly drawn. Shen Qingci walked to the curtains, gently pinched the edge of the curtains with her fingers, and pulled them open by less than 2 centimeters.
Lu Chen leaned closer and peered out through the gap.
In the small garden in the middle of the community, which is usually full of residents taking a walk and elderly people walking their dogs in the evening, there is now only one lonely figure standing by the fountain.
A robust zombie that is over 2 meters tall.
It was a size larger than the iron pillar, with shoulders as wide as a door panel, and muscles bulging on its arms, which gleamed with a grayish-blue luster under the dark red moonlight.
It stood there upright beside the fountain, its head slightly tilted back, looking towards the residential buildings.
It wasn't a aimless scan, but a search that went up layer by layer.
It's looking for something, or rather, for someone.
Lu Chen's pupils contracted slightly. Although he couldn't see the other person's face clearly because of the distance, he recognized the clothes the zombie was wearing. They were exactly the same as the ones he had seen across the street that morning.
"Damn it, they really came knocking on our door," Lu Chen muttered under his breath.
"What should we do?" Shen Qingci stood beside him, her voice extremely low.
Lu Chen glanced at her sideways, and a rare look of tension appeared on her usually expressionless, refined face.
"Let's wait and see!" Lu Chen shifted his gaze back to the window, watching the elite zombie's movements. "It might not be able to pinpoint our location accurately."
"This morning, I was across the street from it, and it just glanced in this direction. It's not necessarily able to pinpoint which building it was."
Despite saying that, he knew in his heart that since this zombie could find its way to Xiangyang Community, it meant that its search capabilities were stronger than he had expected.
"What's more!" Lu Chen withdrew his gaze and, at the same time, through the invisible connections between himself and the zombies in his mind, issued a command to all the zombies to assemble.
"We may not be without a fighting chance."
Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Tie Zhu was the first to descend from the connecting bridge, his cleaver held in his right hand, his greyish-white eyes beneath his helmet gleaming eerily in the darkness.
Next came Erzhu, Dazhuang, Erzhuang, Sanzhuang, Sizhuang, Wuzhuang, and several other zombies. They stopped absorbing the red moon and quickly gathered at the fire door from the balcony, the connecting bridge, and the windows.
Lu Chen quickly made an assessment in his mind.
The elite zombies are indeed a level stronger than the ordinary zombies under his command, but the gap should not be as large as imagined.
Especially Tiezhu and Erzhu, their foundations were already close to the threshold of elite zombies, and they were probably just one step away from being promoted to the elite level.
More importantly, he equipped them with full weaponry, which further narrowed the gap in individual combat capabilities.
In addition, he had a total of 10 zombies on his side.
With a 10-to-1 numerical advantage, they could easily win if they all rushed in.
Lu Chen was multitasking. While his main body continued to observe the elite zombies, he had also used his special ability to possess Tie Zhu's body.
All 10 zombies had assembled and were standing quietly in the stairwell, waiting for his order.
He controlled the iron pillar and quickly untied the nylon rope tied to the fire door handle. Ten zombies filed into the fire escape, lining up in two rows along the stair landing, awaiting his next command.
The commotion caused by the horde of corpses undoubtedly alerted everyone sleeping on the fifth floor.
Although it is safe here, after the apocalypse of the past few days, who can truly sleep soundly? Everyone is in a light sleep, and the slightest sound or disturbance can wake them instantly.
The commotion of the assembled horde of corpses was enough to pull everyone out of their sleep.
The survivors emerged from their respective rooms. Xu Wan stood at the door of room 502, holding Yingying in her arms, her hand instinctively cupping the baby's lips.
Sister Sun stood at the door of 503 wearing a coat, holding a spatula in her hand, probably grabbing it for self-defense after hearing the noise.
Zhao Yongqiang and several other men who were out on fieldwork gathered in the middle of the corridor. Their faces were not very good, but no one ran around in a panic or shouted loudly.
Those who survived to the third day already understood the importance of remaining quiet in the apocalypse.
They had simply gathered spontaneously in the corridor, exchanging uneasy glances.
Soon it was discovered that both superhumans were in room 506.
No one dared to approach and disturb them. After a brief exchange of whispers, the crowd elected Gao Yuan.
Gao Yuan took a deep breath, strode to the door of 506, gently knocked on the doorframe, then pushed the door open and went inside. Shen Qingci took two steps back from beside the curtains, lowered her voice, and briefly explained the situation regarding the elite zombies.
"Keep everyone in order and don't make a fuss," Shen Qingci instructed. "Maybe we can get away with this."
Just as Gao Yuan was about to nod, Lu Chen, who was standing by the gap in the curtains, suddenly spoke up.
"I'm afraid that won't work!"
He closed the curtains slightly, turned around, and said in a calm but rapid voice, "It seems they've already locked onto our building. Prepare for battle!"
"Then... what should we do?" Gao Yuan's voice tightened involuntarily.
"You don't need to do anything," Lu Chen said, starting to walk out. "Everyone stay quiet and wait for the results."
"Where are you going?" Shen Qingci asked subconsciously.
"Of course, I'll personally take command."
Lu Chen had already reached the door when he said this. He was truly grateful that he had chosen to strengthen his mental power tonight.
Now he can multitask, and this dual-threaded control ability may be the key to victory or defeat in the upcoming battle.
"I'll go with you too!" Shen Qingci said through gritted teeth.
Lu Chen thought for a moment and didn't refuse, but he still reminded him, "Okay, but don't get too close to the battlefield."
"I understand," Shen Qingci nodded. "I won't hold you back."
Her purpose in going there was very clear: not to join the battle, but to conduct reconnaissance on the periphery.
The battlefield is ever-changing. If any unexpected situation occurs, such as a horde of corpses being attracted by the fighting, she can inform Lu Chen immediately so that he can make a decision in advance.
The two walked out of 506 one after the other.
In the corridor, all the survivors' eyes were fixed on them.
Twenty pairs of eyes, some terrified, some nervous, and some still bewildered from just being awakened.
Lu Chen glanced at the faces around him and said something.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine!"
The sound was very soft, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.
The unease in everyone's hearts finally eased a little.