011 The Opportunity Has Arrived (Signed, Please Continue Reading, Seeking All Kinds of Support)

“You’re a good girl, hey...”
Without much thought, Zhang Su casually sent Zheng Xinyu a ‘nice guy’ card.

“I’ll go to hell with you!”
Zheng Xinyu never expected to be handed a ‘nice guy’ card in her life. Angry, she puffed out her cheeks and glared fiercely at Zhang Su.

“Don’t say useless stuff... let’s focus on figuring out how to take down the zombies at the door.”
Zhang Su immediately regretted his flirtatious teasing just now and quickly turned serious to discuss the matter at hand.

“If you want to do it, go ahead. I’m not going!”
Zheng Xinyu grumbled unhappily, then turned toward the window to pull back the curtain for some fresh air. But after a moment’s thought, she withdrew her hand and finally squatted on the windowsill, burying her head low, lost in thought.

Zhang Su knew that coaxing or forcing her now would be futile.

Checking his watch, it was already past noon after all the fuss. Rubbing his stomach, he said, “You’ve been up for a while, aren’t you hungry?”

“Hungry...”
Zheng Xinyu didn’t lift her head, her voice low and tinged with tears.

Zhang Su was experienced in handling such situations. He approached her and gently patted the top of her head. “I’ll cook.”

Watching Zhang Su’s footsteps slowly recede, Zheng Xinyu looked up, pouting and feeling wronged.

Cooking a full meal was somewhat difficult for Zhang Su, but self-heating meals and instant foods were easy enough.

“Which do you want, Sichuan-style cured pork or mushroom beef?”

Ten minutes later, Zhang Su returned to the living room with two boxes of self-heating claypot rice in hand, presenting them to Zheng Xinyu who had resumed sitting on the sofa.

Though still aggrieved and angry, those emotions couldn’t fill an empty stomach. They had to eat.

“I’ll have the Sichuan cured pork...”

The aroma of mushroom beef and Sichuan cured pork wafted through the air.

After about fifteen minutes, the self-heating meals were ready, and Zhang Su finished his in five minutes. The rest of the time he spent beside Zheng Xinyu, patiently persuading her with reason and emotion to join him in taking down the zombies.

“Blah blah blah, blah blah blah... Zhang Su, I really didn’t know you could nag so much. You’ve completely killed my appetite!”
Saying this, Zheng Xinyu pushed the remaining two-fifths of her claypot rice toward Zhang Su. “I can’t eat anymore. If you don’t mind, don’t let it go to waste.”

Zhang Su hadn’t expected her to keep her promise so quickly and felt genuinely touched. He took a bite, then pushed the box back toward her. “Don’t eat too little. I’m serious. Get ready—we’re going to take care of the zombies at the door together!”

“Brother, Su brother, my dear brother, can you stop forcing me? Name any other request and I’ll agree, really, anything—but just don’t make me kill zombies...”
When she said “anything,” Zheng Xinyu emphasized the words clearly. It was no longer a hint but a blatant plea, even clearer than Zhuge Liang’s strategies.

Zhang Su grinned thoughtfully, wondering if post-battle celebrations counted as having ‘helped kill’ the zombies.

“Xinyu, this situation is beyond what we imagined. Qin City alone has hundreds of thousands of people. Not to mention other counties, the port district has over 800,000. Even if those helicopters really brought reinforcements, how many can they save?”

“You have to realize, this disaster affects the entire world, not just one city or one province! We have to face this reality. Don’t resist. We are a thousand times luckier than those who died mysteriously. Gather your courage and face the challenge!”

After the meal, a bowl of chicken soup to nourish and soothe the stomach...

Zheng Xinyu closed her eyes in pain, her mind replaying the details of the zombies at the door. No matter what, she resisted. When she opened her eyes again to say something, she saw Zhang Su scooping a mouthful of fragrant food and offering it to her.

“Oh, time to eat.”

Obediently, Zheng Xinyu finished what remained, then set the empty container aside. Hesitating a moment, she said, “Su brother, what you said is all true. I see the harsh reality too. But can you let me have a few more days? What if... what if the zombies at the door just leave?”

“Sigh.”

Zhang Su sighed and beckoned her to come to the window.

He opened a small crack in the curtain and whispered in her ear, “See outside? Count how many zombies are wandering downstairs.”

Zheng Xinyu looked out and roughly counted at least twenty or thirty zombies roaming within her line of sight. This limited view could serve as a reference to imagine the whole neighborhood’s situation—there were easily a hundred or more zombies wandering around.

“Do you realize how bad the situation is now? Passive waiting for rescue is one option, but like I said, instead of pinning our hopes on others, we should rely on ourselves!”

Having struggled through life and dealt with many people, Zhang Su’s eloquence surpassed even Zheng Xinyu’s as a former livestream host. Whether bluffing or motivating, he had a set of tactics.

“Alright, Su brother, you... huh? Su brother, look at the top floor of Building 4, Unit 2!”

Just as Zheng Xinyu was about to agree, she suddenly noticed someone waving in their direction...

“Just one small crack and we’ve already been seen? They’ve been watching us for a long time!”

Zhang Su muttered deliberately, following the direction Zheng Xinyu pointed. They saw a young man kneeling on the windowsill, frantically waving both arms, clearly trying to get their attention...

“Don’t bother with him.”

Zhang Su said coolly, pulling the curtain back down. The heavy drapes closed tightly, not letting in a sliver of light.

They had no time to deal with irrelevant people now.

Zheng Xinyu didn’t object. Not only was the internet cut off, but they couldn’t even leave the apartment. Though the two households were less than a hundred meters apart in a straight line, cooperation for survival or any effective communication was impossible.

“Su brother, we don’t even have weapons. How can we kill zombies?”

Zheng Xinyu pointed toward the main door, ready to push through her resolve in one go.

A roar!

As if sensing someone was about to attack, the zombies in the corridor suddenly screamed, a wild and bloodthirsty fury shaking their very souls.

Before Zhang Su could react, pounding sounds came from a door. But it wasn’t their door.

Without hesitation, Zhang Su dashed to the door and looked through the peephole. He saw the enraged zombies pounding on the door of apartment 802, their blows seemingly stronger than before!

“No, please, help me, don’t kill me...”

A series of piercing screams for help came from behind the opposite door. Though muffled by multiple layers of obstruction, the desperate cries were unmistakably pleas for rescue.

The content didn’t matter as much as the fact that there was someone else out there!

“Opportunity!”

Zhang Su didn’t have time to dwell on what was happening opposite. All he knew was this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!