A single gunshot blew open the door lock of Room 301.
With eagle-sharp eyes, Su Jin stood motionless with his gun raised.
Before long, the door was pushed open. The moment a completely lifeless face peeked out from behind it, it collapsed.
Two consecutive shots. Two zombies inside took bullets to the heart and dropped to the floor.
Though he had little experience with firearms, within five meters he believed he could accurately hit the heart.
After waiting for a while with no reaction, Su Jin stepped forward and crouched down, preparing to cut open their hearts.
Yet the moment he crouched, a child about 1.3 meters tall shot out from the side, stark naked.
In the dim environment, Su Jin's agility was noticeably heightened.
Sensing an incoming attack, he rolled backward straight into the hallway.
While still in a crouch, he instantly kicked off the floor and jammed the door shut with his shoulder.
With a dull thud, the child's head was crushed in the doorframe, an eyeball popping out.
Simultaneously, the muzzle poked through the gap in the door, planting a follow-up shot into its back.
That made the whole family of three.
Su Jin opened the door and gazed at the corpses on the floor, a wry grimace forming on his face...
Wait, he had overlooked a problem.
The flesh bulb was located behind the heart. If he kept shooting the heart, wouldn't it be a shame if the bulb was blown to pieces?
A zombie's vital point and its hidden treasure were in the exact same spot; obtaining the flesh bulb was simply too difficult.
Using a knife was safer.
Still, what was done was done, and there was no helping it now.
Su Jin crouched down to cut open their hearts, but unfortunately, there was still no trace of a flesh bulb in any of the three zombies.
He shook his head helplessly and took off his gloves.
Better rescue the people first; he could come back later to collect the supplies in this apartment.
Turning toward Room 302, Su Jin knocked on the door. He knocked for half a minute and shouted a few times, but got no response.
Once again, he shot the lock open.
Standing in the corridor, he waited three minutes, but there was still no movement from the door. Su Jin pushed it open and stepped inside slowly.
There was no one in the living room. Not until he entered the master bedroom did Su Jin lower his gun with a helpless look on his face.
Inside were three young people. A woman was on the bed, her upper clothes in disarray as if torn, with a sock on only one foot.
In opposite corners of the room sat two men slumped in only their boxer shorts, both wearing half-dead expressions.
Judging by their chests, both seemed to have just vomited.
The two men glanced at him. One curled into a ball where he was, while the other remained zoned out.
Su Jin turned his gaze back to the bed... The sheets were littered with rolls of grime...
Taking a deep breath, Su Jin wiped a hand over his face and asked blankly, "Did the three of you scrub each other down on the bed?"
"Waaah!" Li Fang wailed.
"Just do it! What's the point of all this useless talk!" Cao Chengping squeezed his eyes shut, his voice reeking of fear.
The homicidal maniac had entered the apartment... To think that before he died, he still hadn't managed to become a man.
Then again, it wasn't his fault. It had reeked so badly that he simply couldn't get it up.
Su Jin scratched between his eyebrows with his pinky finger, at a loss for words.
He couldn't quite wrap his head around what was going on, and the trio's reactions were completely abnormal.
Even if they mistook him for a killer, how was one supposed to explain this scene? And their reactions were far too detached.
Looking at the woman, Su Jin said coldly, "Hey, what happened? Explain it. Cry any more and I'll shoot you dead!"
Li Fang didn't speak, only continuing to howl dry tears.
Irritated, Su Jin made his voice even colder and harsher. "Answer me! Keep quiet and I'll rape you first, kill you second!"
"Tch." Cao Chengping scoffed, turning his head away disdainfully.
Su Jin looked over at Cao Chengping, his brow knotting tight.
It felt even more of a mess now. He needed to sort this out... What the fuck was going on?
Just as Su Jin was frantically trying to analyze the situation, Li Fang finally stopped howling. She turned around, glaring with venom at Cao Chengping and Li Kai.
Pointing at the two of them, she spat with hatred, "Them! They tried to assault me! Kill them! Kill them and you can do whatever you want to me!"
"Did I actually do it?! Did I?!" Cao Chengping craned his neck and roared back, "You stinking bitch! You rotten slut! Whore! How dare you secretly drink piss behind our backs?!"
After that barrage of abuse, Cao Chengping turned to Su Jin and sneered, "Go on, do it! A bitch deserves a dog, and dogs eat shit—the two of you make a perfect match!"
Su Jin stood frozen, his expression shifting through several phases.
He understood now. Who would have thought such a simple thing could play out in such a convoluted manner?
He had come to rescue them, only to get cursed out for no reason at all. He didn't even have the temper left to be angry.
Resting his hands on his hips, he sighed and stepped toward the nearest one, Li Kai.
Just as he was about to question him, his eyes fell upon two crumpled balls of used tissue on the floor, and his gaze plunged into confusion once more.
Nudging Li Kai with his foot, Su Jin asked, "You took part in it too, didn't you?"
Li Kai didn't answer. He simply sat up straight as if resigned to death, leaning against the wall in a posture of awaiting execution.
"I'm asking you, what's with the tissues on the floor?"
"Heh, he jerked off by himself. Useless piece of trash," Cao Chengping sneered.
"I really don't get it. You were already making a move—couldn't you just hold your breath? Why are you such a wimp? Do you have some kind of weird fetish?" Su Jin craned his neck to ask.
Granted, it was utterly tactless, petty, and devoid of morals—and the victim was right there.
But he genuinely couldn't help asking... It carried the irresistible allure of exploring UFOs.
Li Kai's eyes wavered as he looked toward Li Fang. With Cao Chengping's mocking laughter blaring in his ears, his heart felt like it was being sliced by knives.
In that situation, there was no way in hell anyone could hold their breath... But he had genuinely lost his head back then, and on top of that, he hadn't wanted to die with regrets.
Looking back on it now, he felt only remorse. He couldn't hurt Li Fang anymore; she was, after all, a woman he had once loved!
Still, before he died, he couldn't lose his dignity as a man...
Li Kai averted his eyes and said deadpan, "I get motion sickness in 3D. Can't play first-person."
"Ha, fuck, you're pretty damn funny," Su Jin scoffed, amused despite his anger, and kicked Li Kai flat on his back.
Turning around, he barked at Cao Chengping, "You two scumbags are already reduced to this pathetic state, yet you still have the leisure to talk shit. Neither of you has a brain."
Then he took two steps back and said in a heavy voice, "I'm not in the mood to listen to your bullshit anymore! You might have some misunderstandings about me, but let me make one thing clear: I came to rescue you this time, not to harm you!"
At those words, all three stared at Su Jin in shock.
Su Jin continued, "Originally, I was supposed to help relocate you to a safe place. But given your recent conduct, I've decided it's best to put that on hold. In a bit, I'll bring you some food and water. You will stay obediently in this apartment for now and await further handling!"
These three really were in a dreadful state: uncultured, immoral, unhygienic, and utterly dispirited!
Bringing them back in haste would likely have a negative impact on the existing group.
As for how to deal with them, he would need to discuss it with Elder Sun and Elder Wei. In any case, there was definitely no place for these three in the core team.
Turning toward the door, Su Jin said as he walked, "I'm warning you: if anyone dares take a single step out that door, I'll chop them to pieces!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Cao Chengping dropped to his knees before Su Jin in the blink of an eye and pleaded tearfully, "Brother, I was wrong! I'm truly sorry for cursing at you just now... From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!"
"Do as I say and you won't suffer. Get back in there!"
Kicking Cao Chengping aside, Su Jin walked straight out the door.
Just as he was about to head upstairs, he glanced back at the unlocked door, changed course, and headed straight into the apartment across the hall.
Only after dragging out a sofa to wedge their door firmly and completely shut did he head upstairs with peace of mind.
He seemed to have forgotten to ask if the three of them had come into contact with rainwater... Better safe than sorry.
Chapter 37