Chapter 21: Heart-Stopping

The bald man’s hand jerked, nearly dropping the person he was holding; he hastily pulled them back in.

Lin Wanmei could hear the hushed, tense conversation from above.

"Who is it?!"

"I-it must have come from downstairs. Could someone be near the window?"

The bald man gritted his teeth. "Let’s go! Get them back inside first, we’ll deal with this later!"

Another series of muffled footsteps followed, and two minutes later, the rooftop fell completely silent.

Lin Wanmei let out a small sigh of relief. The two men were guilty of their own villainy, terrified of being overheard. Yet, it was only the lingering remnants of their legal consciousness restraining them; if civilization were to collapse and laws were to vanish, they would surely stop at nothing. Even though they had saved the master of 702 this time, they would inevitably claim his life sooner or later.

Her father’s expression was grim. "I knew that bald man wasn't a good person." He could never have guessed that the master of 702 was at home and had been captured by them. This explained why the woman from 702 hadn't gone to pick up her child before the zombie outbreak yesterday—she had been busy at home.

Lin Wanmei pursed her lips, her voice strained. "In the end, it’s someone else’s family business." Whether she was trying to convince her father or herself, she didn't know. Her sense of justice made it hard to watch, but in this apocalypse, meddling brought no benefits.

The father and daughter silently flew onto the rooftop and carefully carried the freezer through the open door. The stairwell was pitch black, but they didn't need to turn on their phones for light; since they were flying, they didn't need to worry about tripping.

Just as they turned a corner, they suddenly came face-to-face with a pair of cold, vicious, dead-fish eyes.

Lin Wanmei’s heart skipped a beat, and she almost cried out, but fortunately, she covered her mouth just in time. In the darkness, only that bald, round head shone pale, and combined with his gaze, it looked all the more wicked and menacing.

She froze. Her father seemed to sense something; he didn't ask, but kept his eyes fixed on her movements. The standoff lasted only a few seconds, but for Lin Wanmei, the psychological torture felt agonizingly long. Her heart hammered against her chest, threatening to leap out.

Soon, the bald man looked away, clearly having discovered nothing. After standing there for a few more minutes, he finally stepped down the stairs. Lin Wanmei realized her back was drenched in cold sweat, and her limbs felt weak.

He must have been hiding there to see who had made the sound earlier. If anyone had appeared at that moment, they would undoubtedly have been targeted by him. Even with her magical talisman, she couldn't help but feel an instinctive, uncontrollable fear when facing such a brutal man.

Her father reached out and patted her in silent comfort. Lin Wanmei didn't speak; she activated the talisman and continued on. She was even more cautious this time, but she didn't encounter the man again and quickly returned to the second floor.

Her father had already messaged her mother and grandmother to open the lock, and they entered without delay. Once the freezer was set down, Lin Wanmei immediately turned to relock the door, securing the chains tightly before pulling her family back inside.

Seeing her nervous expression, her mother, grandmother, and Sheng Anyu were filled with confusion. Her father said in a deep voice, "Meibao, what did you see? Was it that man?"

"Yes..." Lin Wanmei nodded, her face still pale. "I have a feeling he’s a desperate criminal... that look in his eyes was like he was staring at a dead person."

The rest of the family was bewildered. "What man?"

Since the danger was confirmed, she could no longer keep it from them. Lin Wanmei recounted the whole story, leaving her family horrified.

"Heavens, has someone like that really gotten into our building?"

"Yes, we must be much more vigilant from now on."

Seeing that everyone had taken it to heart, Lin Wanmei felt a little more at ease. Regardless, they had the talismans; even if that man was ruthless, he would be no match for them. There was no need to panic excessively. With that thought, she finally returned to her normal state.

The apartment was now so full of supplies that only a narrow path remained to walk through. Looking at the mountain of resources, Lin Wanmei felt a sense of security. Her mother and grandmother had spent the better part of the day organizing and tallying the items, using the cardboard boxes they had brought back to categorize everything. Items from the supermarket with long shelf lives were set aside for later, while perishables were stuffed into the refrigerator and the new freezer. As for the pork, there was simply no room left, so her grandmother prepared to cure it; it would keep for a long time even without refrigeration. Her mother and grandmother took full charge of this, sparing Lin Wanmei and the others from worry.

Sheng Anyu brought food out for Lin Wanmei and her father. By the dim candlelight, the family went about their tasks in silence, the atmosphere heavy for a moment. In this world, who didn't have heavy thoughts? There were so many people she was worried about—her fourth and fifth brothers, her third uncle’s family, her best friend An Xiaofu, and all the teachers and classmates she held dear... How could she be happy?

Seeing Sheng Anyu hesitant to speak, Lin Wanmei asked, "Second brother, what’s wrong?"

"Meibao, has Gu Chenyi contacted you?"

Lin Wanmei suddenly realized that her second brother was worried about Chenyi. She hurriedly took out her phone, but the result surprised her. "Huh? No..."

Sheng Anyu’s eyes darkened, worry evident in his expression. They had agreed to contact Lin Wanmei as soon as they reached home, but Gu Chenyi hadn't kept his word. Had he not had the time? Had he failed to find his phone? Or... had something happened?

Lin Wanmei thought of this too, but could only offer weak comfort: "Chenyi is a good person, he’ll be fine. Let’s wait a little longer; he’ll contact us eventually!"

Sheng Anyu replied, but still seemed unable to lift his spirits.

It was nine-thirty by the time they finished eating, and the family retired to their rooms. Her father had set a schedule at dinner, demanding that everyone wake up and go to sleep early to exercise and improve their stamina, endurance, and strength. They all understood that they couldn't hide in their home forever; sooner or later, they would have to face the outside world, and they would need robust bodies to do so.

Lin Wanmei had originally intended to use the Sheep Talisman to look for her fourth brother that night, but she overestimated her physical strength. She didn't expect that as soon as she showered and lay down, her eyelids would begin to droop. She forced herself to exchange "all is well" messages with An Xiaofu and a few other friends before finally succumbing to sleep.

She didn't sleep soundly; she was plagued by nightmares. She dreamt of the "people" she had shot in the head, and of that bald man, his cold, sinister eyes watching her from every corner of her dreams.

She didn't know what time it was when she woke up drenched in sweat, the sky outside still pitch black. Early sleep surely made for a long night. She buried her head in her quilt, trying to find a sense of safety.

Just then, she heard a knock at the door.

She paused, thinking she was hallucinating, and poked her head out from under the covers, holding her breath to listen.

Someone was actually knocking on the security door!

*Thump, thump, thump... Thump, thump, thump...*

The sound was steady and rhythmic, echoing in the quiet, and it continued for a long time.