Chapter 87: Chapter 87: The Ajar Door
Almost at the same moment, Hu Xiaodong swiftly pressed against the wall and cautiously glanced back at Wu Chao, signaling him to be ready.
Both of them held their weapons across their chests. Hu Xiaodong, holding his breath, listened intently for a while, and after confirming there were no unusual sounds in the corridor, he quickly darted out, grabbed the door handle, and swiftly closed it.
"Click~" With the faint sound of the lock engaging, Hu Xiaodong slumped back against the wall and slid down.
Undoubtedly, the actions Hu Xiaodong just performed were nothing more than a series of simple basic movements, but the pressure embedded within them was unimaginable to ordinary people.
After all, having survived numerous life-and-death trials, the exhausted survivors had no extra energy to run for their lives, and with the hordes of zombies outside the walls, they had been driven into a corner.
Therefore, naturally, the current room had become the survivors’ last straw.
And Hu Xiaodong’s exploration was the key to determining whether this straw could continue to exist.
"Phew~" Tang Xiaoquan let out a long sigh of relief, and as he saw the security door close, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
He waved at Wang Du and the others outside the door, and finally, a knowing smile appeared on Tang Xiaoquan’s serious face.
Escape from death, this was the most genuine feeling of the survivors at the moment, perhaps only at this time could they truly understand the preciousness of life.
The zombies outside continued to howl frantically, enraged by the escape of their prey.
However, even so, they could only watch helplessly as their prey disappeared in front of them, as their deteriorated limbs could no longer support them in climbing walls or overcoming obstacles in pursuit.
Wu Chao reached out and shut all the windows and doors at the back, although this would cause the room temperature to rise again, but compared to the disturbance of the "fans" along the way, he preferred it to be a little warmer.
The group gradually gathered in the living room, and the once spacious fabric sofa was quickly overcrowded, forcing the white long-haired teddy bear that had been sitting there for days to the ground.
No one spoke, and they lay sprawled haphazardly on the sofa, their heavy breathing filling the air.
After resting in this manner for about half an hour, Tang Xiaoquan broke the silence first.
"Um~ Brother Hu, for safety’s sake, I suggest we should check the ground floor, I think..."
"What? Go to the ground floor again? Are you out of your mind?" Wang Qiang leapt up from the sofa, his eyes wide like saucers.
"Hehe, Qiang, don’t get worked up! Sit down first! Listen to me, OK?" With a smile and a wave, Tang Xiaoquan gestured for Wang Qiang to sit down, and then he continued: "You remember earlier when zombies were banging on the door, right? Do you want a repeat of that?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang immediately recalled the terrifying scene of zombies breaking down the door, and he involuntarily shuddered: "So you mean..."
"It’s simple, usually, modern buildings have security doors installed on the ground floor for anti-theft, so my idea is we should have someone go down to check, as long as we’re sure it’s securely locked, we can live here without worrying."
"Snap!" With a crisp snap of his fingers, Wang Qiang, a man with big nerves, quickly shifted his attitude 360 degrees after hearing Tang Xiaoquan’s detailed explanation and immediately volunteered to take on the task eagerly.
"Alright, alright, alright!" Knowing his brother’s temper, Tang Xiaoquan realized if he refused Wang Qiang’s request to join the action, they might end up in a row.
However...
Turning his head slightly, Tang Xiaoquan naturally looked towards Hu Xiaodong, who was resting with his eyes closed in the corner.
Without a doubt, when it comes to combat strength, this robust man was the most formidable presence in the team.
"Um...Brother Hu, we need you..."
His eyes suddenly brightened, Hu Xiaodong stood up from the sofa with a "huh," stretching his well-built arms, then gave a solid stretch.
"Alright! Been itching from all this resting, perfect time to get moving!"
The playful words dissolved all of Tang Xiaoquan’s concerns.
Inserting his cleaver and quiver in place, Hu Xiaodong shook his sore limbs a couple of times, then grabbed the black compound bow. Under the watchful eyes of the others, he stepped into the empty corridor with Wang Qiang.
In the corridor, silence reigned, with a few beams of harsh sunlight piercing through the windows in the wall, providing some illumination for Hu and Wang as they walked through.
Although no signs of zombies could be heard, Hu and Wang did not dare let their guard down as they advanced cautiously.
The two of them moved slowly against the wall; this greatest advantage was that it allowed them to assess the situation at corridor corners immediately and respond accordingly.
In their eyes, the white walls were stained with blood, with several downward-pointing bloody handprints revealing their owners’ despair and fear at the time.
Presumably, these were left by the owner escaping, Hu Xiaodong surmised inwardly, while his compound bow was already aimed toward the next flight of stairs.
"Brother Hu! Wait!" Tension written all over his face, Wang Qiang tugged on Hu Xiaodong’s sleeve, pointing silently with his mouth, indicating he should pay attention to what was ahead.
It turned out that at the corner of the corridor, a seemingly closed security door had a barely visible narrow gap at the door seam, indicating...
In a swift motion, Hu Xiaodong leaned forward and quickly scanned the situation at the bottom of the stairs.
"How’s it looking?" Wang Qiang frowned and asked since if the door at the bottom wasn’t shut, they would have to risk going down, and once they did, the ajar door in front would become a concern they could not ignore.
After all, with the zombies outside being as twitchy as startled birds right now, even the slightest noise could draw their attention.
So, Wang Qiang hoped not to have unexpected zombies blocking their retreat or stir up the beasts outside by engaging them.
Hu Xiaodong shook his head indifferently. Although he knew the problems an open door could pose, the reality was the reality; it couldn’t be changed, only accepted.