Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Deadly Lug Nuts
"How is it?"
Acheng shook his head helplessly and spread his palm, with four rusty nuts lying horizontally there.
"Hu Ge has removed four, but there are two more that are too rusty, really cannot be..."
Before Acheng could finish his sentence, the newly closed wooden door suddenly jerked violently, its huge impact directly shaking away the two barber tables blocking it.
"Quick, Wu Chao, Xiao Wen!" Tang Xiaoquan shouted frantically, calling out to Wu Wen, the duo barely catching their breath, to join the new battle.
The four of them, grouped in pairs, relying on the power from their bent backs, pushed hard against the barber table.
One zombie after another swarmed in through the shattered glass door, now facing no obstacles, they indeed entered as if unchallenged, advancing freely without any hesitation.
As they kept crowding in, the zombies following behind couldn’t help but crash into those who had entered first, turning the entire horde into a natural ram, aimed straight at the survivors’ final defense line: the wooden door.
Behind him, Hu Xiaodong heard everything, but couldn’t spare a hand to aid his brothers.
Sweat trickled down, seeping into his eyes, stinging and irritating. He blinked twice reflexively, again exerting force on the jammed wrench, yet the stubborn rusty nuts seemed determined to entangle him to the end.
Still motionless, Hu Xiaodong felt the frustration welling up, wanting to yell, knowing his arms were already nearing exhaustion after hacking, climbing, and a series of high-intensity activities.
If he couldn’t deal with these two nuts and remove the iron grille, their lives would likely be forfeited here...
The zombies’ strikes were becoming increasingly fierce, the excited beasts caused the wooden door to tremble with every hit.
This sensation was quite unpleasant for those resisting behind it, Tang Xiaoquan felt his spine being repeatedly hammered by a heavy mallet, yet even so, he dared not retreat half a step since the wooden door was their last line of defense.
The door failing would undoubtedly mean the demise of the people within, a harsh conclusion, yet an undeniable fact.
The pressure on Hu Xiaodong was undeniably immense now, unfortunately, this tremendous pressure didn’t convert into any trace of motivation for him.
On the contrary, owing to the continuous exertion, the strength he could muster in his arms was getting weaker and weaker.
Wen Quanxin gasped roughly, glancing at Hu Xiaodong, who was working on the high platform with his back facing them, devoid of his usual jovial appearance. His pale face, devoid of any color, was tinged with fear and fatigue.
Wu Chao, likewise was tense to death, the unrelenting zombie impacts made him realize the severity of the situation, convinced the door would break in mere seconds.
Undoubtedly, this tormented waiting before darkness was tremendously grueling for the survivors, especially when they deemed it unavoidable. The biting sense of fear festered like a bitter, fermenting fruit eroding their hearts.
Ultimately, Acheng couldn’t resist this baptism in an endless abyss, uncharacteristically shouting: "Hey, Hu Ge, haven’t you fixed it yet? We can’t hold the door for much longer on our side!"
"I damn well know!" Hu Xiaodong snapped back harshly without a second thought, the dual pressure of his psyche and body turning the sturdy man somewhat hysterical.
This was certainly not a good sign, if someone as experienced as Hu Xiaodong showed signs of irritability and confusion, the remaining group’s mental state was imaginable.
Tang Xiaoquan knitted his brow tightly, as someone who frequently dabbles in psychological books, he was aware of the abnormal state people display under despair.
At this moment, he absolutely did not wish to see those states, therefore...
His eyes quickly scanned over Hu Xiaodong’s actions, the latter still laboriously struggling with the wrench.
Through the bulging veins on his arm, Tang Xiaoquan knew the latter was exerting all his strength.
Thus he immediately dismissed the thought of having someone replace Hu Xiaodong.
After all, if even Hu Xiaodong couldn’t open those two nuts, the remaining few would be even less capable.
A sharp shiver ran through his back again, and distracted by the impact, Tang Xiaoquan nearly got knocked over.
Stumbling, he righted himself, returned to his position, and just as he was about to look at Hu Xiaodong again, something in the tool bag flashed across his taut nerves.
"Right, Hu Ge, try using the hammer!"
Suspended mid-air, Hu Xiaodong’s raised right hand paused slightly for two seconds, then with a clarity of realization, he clapped his forehead and exhaled heavily into the sky:
"I damn am such a fool! How could I forget such a simple method!"
Wang Qiang struggled to stand, after a brief rest, his exhausted strength finally recovered slightly, although his legs were still numb, it was much improved compared to before.
Strenuously, he extracted an iron hammer from the tool bag and handed it to Hu Xiaodong, who took it without another word, proceeding directly with the operation.
The wrench lodged once more onto the nut, Hu Xiaodong wiped the sweat from his forehead, then raised the hammer and slammed it down angrily.
"Bang!"
Chunks of wood mixed with shattered splinters flew out, Wen Quanxin, failing to dodge in time, had his right arm torn open, causing crimson blood to spurt forth immediately.
"Xiao Wen! You..."
"It’s nothing! Watch your back!" Wen Quanxin couldn’t bother with the cut on his arm, wielding the cleaver, he hacked at the zombie hand menacing Tang Xiaoquan.
Unfortunately, due to the exhaustion from the journey and the wound’s impact, Wen Quanxin’s cleaver merely altered the zombie’s hand direction, without severing it entirely.
And spurred by the blood from his arm, the zombie’s owner went berserk, raising its hand again, its five claws akin to five sharp steel blades, danced threateningly before the survivors.
"Damn it! If only the long spear were still here!" Tang Xiaoquan regretted abandoning the long spear earlier, realizing that if he had it now, those zombies outside could be dealt with through the broken openings individually.
Regrettably, reality does not entertain hypotheticals, and just as Tang Xiaoquan silently rued his choice, yet another wooden plank was successfully dismantled by the zombies!
Suddenly, more and more zombie hands started to surge in...