Chapter 168 Separation, Confusing the Situation

Xu Feng looked at the silent glass skyscraper, his brows tightly furrowed.

"No alliance."

"Please leave."

The electronic synthetic voice from the loudspeaker carried no emotion, like two cold stones crashing into his heart.

A brother behind him couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "What the hell! So arrogant? Do they really think they're the King of Heaven?"

"Shut up," Xu Feng growled, stopping his subordinate's complaints.

He cupped his fists again, his voice still resonant: "Friends, we mean no harm. Now that the new world has arrived, there are crises everywhere, and it's hard to survive alone. Although our Jinghai University's strength is ordinary, we have a large number of people. It's always better for everyone to unite than to fight individually."

He specifically emphasized "ordinary strength," which was a strategy of weakness Su Ze had instructed.

However, there was no further response from the skyscraper.

It was as if that last sentence had exhausted all their patience.

They waited for another full five minutes, hearing nothing but the wind.

Xu Feng sighed, knowing that no results would come from negotiations today.

He waved his hand and led his subordinates away.

...

Meanwhile, at Taoyuan Residential Area.

Liao Long's search operation was in full swing.

Thousands of bodyguards and ordinary players, lured by bounties, swarmed through like locusts, conducting a carpet search building by building.

"Search carefully, every single one of you! Don't miss a single corner!"

"Brother Long said whoever finds those women first gets a fine-grade weapon and ten thousand copper coins!"

"Hurry! Go to Building 12! They haven't searched there yet!"

Shouts, kicking doors, women's screams, and children's cries mixed together, turning the entire high-end residential area into a living hell.

On the 17th floor of a 23-story high-rise residential building, in an inconspicuous room, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Several women and children huddled in the dim living room, not daring to breathe loudly.

The curtains were tightly drawn, allowing only a sliver of light to penetrate through the gaps.

"This won't work, they'll find us here eventually."

A woman in a professional suit walked anxiously back and forth, her high heels treading lightly, making no sound.

Zhuang Xiaoxin hugged her knees tightly, her small face filled with fear. She looked at her mother, a charming middle-aged beauty who still retained her allure.

"Mom..."

The woman pulled her daughter into her embrace, gently patting her back to comfort her, but her own pale face also revealed her inner unease.

"They... they will definitely search floor by floor. Hiding here is just waiting for death."

Another young woman's face was ashen, her voice trembling.

"How about... we go find my brother?"

Zhuang Xiaoxin suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope in her watery eyes, "He's at Jinghai University! He'll definitely have a way!"

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Zhuang Xiaoxin's mother, Madam Zhuang, showed a hint of hesitation.

It wasn't that she didn't trust her nephew, but... how would they get there?

"Xiaoxin, every intersection in the residential area is guarded by Liao Long's men, and the small roads at the entrance are definitely patrolled. We can't even leave this building, how can we go to the university?"

The last woman explained helplessly.

"That's right, they must have thought we'd run towards the university, and they've probably already set up a net there."

A desperate atmosphere once again enveloped everyone.

Suddenly, the woman in the professional suit stopped, gritting her teeth and saying, "How about... we mess up the situation?"

Everyone looked at her in unison.

"Wake up those zombies...?"

She hesitated as she voiced this crazy idea, "As long as it's chaotic outside, Liao Long's men will be too busy to deal with us, and we might have a chance to escape!"

This suggestion startled everyone.

"But... then it would be hard for us to escape too!"

"That's right, zombies don't distinguish between people. We'll still die then!"

"No!"

A young girl who had been silent suddenly shook her head, "Anyway, cousin is at Jinghai University. When he hears about Taoyuan Residential Area's integration, he'll definitely find a way to come look for us! The most important thing for us now is to buy time and not be caught by Liao Long!"

She looked at Zhuang Xiaoxin and added, "Of course, the premise is... cousin is still alive."

"Brother will definitely be fine!" Zhuang Xiaoxin immediately retorted, her small face flushed red, "He's the best fighter in our family!"

Madam Zhuang gently stroked her daughter's head, her eyes becoming resolute.

She knew this was the only way.

Rather than sit and wait for death, it was better to go all out!

"Then that's what we'll do!" she said in a deep voice.

"But... how can we wake up a large group of zombies?" one of the women raised a crucial question, "If we just throw things down from here, it's convenient, but it also makes it easy for them to pinpoint our floor and location..."

"Unless... someone goes to another floor to create a disturbance."

As her voice fell, the room once again plunged into dead silence.

Who would go?

The person who went would be a living target, bait.

While igniting the zombie tide, they would instantly be targeted by Liao Long's men and the awakened zombies simultaneously.

Nine deaths, one life.

No, it was ten deaths, no life.

Madam Zhuang took a deep breath and stood up.

Under everyone's complicated gaze, she spoke calmly.

"I'll go."

"Mom!" Zhuang Xiaoxin suddenly clutched her sleeve, tears instantly welling up.

"Sister-in-law, no! It's too dangerous!"

"That's right, Auntie, let us go, we're younger..."

Madam Zhuang shook her head, stopping them.

She gently stroked her daughter's head and softly removed her small hand from her sleeve.

"Be good, hide here. I am the eldest sister-in-law, and as the eldest sister-in-law, I am like a mother, so I should go."

She looked at everyone in the room and solemnly instructed: "If I can return, I will knock on the door three times, two short, one long. Remember this secret signal."

Her voice paused, a tragic look flashing in her eyes.

"If... I don't come back, no matter what happens, you must all stay hidden here."

With that, she steeled her heart, pushed her daughter away, and did not look back.

She pulled open the door, her figure disappearing without hesitation into the dim, silent corridor outside.

The door closed softly, emitting a barely audible "click."

The atmosphere was oppressive, with only Zhuang Xiaoxin's suppressed sobs.