67: Chapter 67: The Maid Feeds the Corpse, and the New King of the Owners' Committee is Born

The floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of Villa 18 exploded from the inside.

A tall, dark shadow behind the curtains smashed through the glass, stepping out along with half of the window frame.

Shards pierced its skin and flesh, yet it showed no reaction at all.

The thing was nearly 1.9 meters tall, wearing a torn white shirt, with grayish-blue skin. It was no ordinary infected.

Lin Yuan had already gone downstairs. Watching the surveillance footage, his tone was calm. "D-rank Elite Zombie."

Tang Qiqi hugged her bag of potato chips tightly, her voice dropping an octave. "It's only the second day... and elite monsters are already spawning?"

The next second, another woman walked out from behind the shattered floor-to-ceiling window.

The nightgown she wore was torn to shreds, and she was wearing fishnet stockings. In the room behind her, a man's belt and broken wine glasses were scattered about.

Su Muxue stared at the screen, speaking rapidly: "She isn't attacking the nearest person immediately; she's sniffing and filtering targets." "She still retains some form of judgment."

Lin Yuan nodded. "C-Class Mutant." "She is choosing more valuable prey."

Wang Ya's throat bobbed slightly. That reaction wasn't fear. It was more like the discomfort of having one's territory intruded upon by a low-level creature.

A drop of transparent water seeped from her fingertip. The drop landed on the carpet, actually causing the wool fibers to slightly collapse under its weight.

Lin Motong hugged the violent bear, a faint flash of dark red suddenly crossing her eyes.

Wang Ya's shoulders trembled. In the footage, the C-Class Mutant suddenly looked up, staring toward the mountaintop.

On the plaza, the owner of Villa 17 could no longer run.

In a moment of carelessness, he tripped over the "Resource Sharing" banner on the ground.

Just yesterday, he had been standing at the very front, pointing at Tiangong No. 1 and cursing: "Lin Yuan, can you even eat all those supplies by yourself?"

Now, he was sprawled on the ground, crawling desperately toward Tiangong No. 1. "Mr. Lin! Mr. Lin, save me!"

Mrs. Liu hugged that bag of sprouted potatoes, hiding behind the supply vehicle, muttering "Don't come over."

There were two fresh tomatoes by her feet. She glanced at them, but didn't dare to pick them up.

Villa 3. Zhang Qidong had already run back, his face pale as he looked into the distance.

He had originally intended to rely on the owners' committee to become the master of Cloud Top Palace. Now he discovered that order was collapsing faster than stocks.

The bodyguard lowered his voice. "Chairman Zhang, the zombies are coming this way." "If we don't deal with them, they'll break down the door sooner or later."

Zhang Qidong didn't speak, gripping the shotgun in his hands. He turned his head to look at the nanny in the corner and the maid he kept in captivity. "You two, go out and take a look."

Both women froze. The young maid cried. "Chairman Zhang, my mother is still in the north of the city..."

The bodyguard pressed his pistol against her back. Zhang Qidong's voice was very low. "Just confirming the situation."

The older nanny's face was deathly pale, but she didn't dare look at her, only shivering as she said: "Xiao Li, you're young, you run fast... You go look first, I, I'll support you from behind."

The maid was pushed to the courtyard gate. The door opened. She had only taken three steps when a zombie lunged out from behind a flower bed. A scream rang out.

Two other zombies were attracted by the sound and immediately charged at her.

Zhang Qidong didn't look at her. He raised his phone, aiming the camera outside the door. "Go."

The bodyguard rushed out from the flank. A fire axe severed the first zombie's knee. He pressed the pistol against its head. Bang! Black blood splattered onto the lawn.

The second zombie lunged over but got half its body stuck in the iron gate. The bodyguard smashed its jaw with an axe and fired another shot to finish it off. Then came the third...

Zhang Qidong retreated behind the door, the camera steadily fixed on the fight. The footage showed only the bodyguard fighting. There was no sign of the maid who had been pushed to her death, nor his own trembling hands.

Tiangong No. 1 living room. Qin Yumo's face darkened. "He's using people as bait."

Lin Yuan was not surprised. "That will be very common from now on."

Su Muxue held her clipboard, not speaking. She watched the door on the screen. She watched the group of well-dressed people behind the door. Her knuckles tightened bit by bit.

Suddenly, the D-rank Elite Zombie heard the gunshot and turned to charge toward Villa 3. Its speed was twice as fast as an ordinary zombie.

The older nanny tried to shrink back into the house, but Zhang Qidong kicked her out from behind.

Just yesterday, this nanny had been handing out tomatoes to the owners on Zhang Qidong's behalf, calling him "Chairman Zhang is a good man" with every breath.

The Elite Zombie slammed into her. Her chest collapsed on the spot, and she flew sideways. The Elite Zombie also stumbled toward the iron gate due to its momentum.

Zhang Qidong's legs went weak, and he nearly sat on the ground. The shotgun also slammed to the floor. He immediately roared: "Hurry... hurry and block him!"

The bodyguard cursed him for a loser and quickly picked up the shotgun Zhang Qidong had dropped.

The Elite Zombie slammed half its body into the iron gate. The gate deformed. The bodyguard seized the opportunity, pressing the muzzle against its head. Boom! The first shot blew away half its face.

The Elite Zombie was still moving. Boom! The second shot shattered its skull. The grayish-blue body slammed onto the threshold.

Zhang Qidong panted for a dozen seconds, then suddenly looked down at the phone that was still recording. He raised his hand to straighten his sweat-soaked collar, his eyes lighting up bit by bit.

The C-Class Mutant had originally turned toward Villa 3. She had smelled the blood and the heat of the living.

But the next second, a low whine squeezed out of her throat, and she turned to look toward the city. It was as if she had been summoned by something.

Inside Tiangong No. 1. Wang Ya stood before the screen, her fingers clutching her hem. The water level in the pool quietly rose by one centimeter.

A low, hoarse sound came from the Mutant's throat. It took a step back. Then, it turned and leaped over the wall, charging toward the city below the mountain. It did not look back.

Wang Ya's breathing faltered. "Mr. Lin... why did she..."

Lin Yuan walked behind her, placing his hand on her lower back. Wang Ya's body stiffened. Lin Yuan's voice was steady. "What are you afraid of?" "They are the ones who should be afraid of you."

Wang Ya looked up. For the first time, she did not hunch her shoulders because of the power within her. [Ding! Target Wang Ya (Beauty 88), Favorability +2%, Current Favorability: 71%.]

Su Xiaonuan glanced at Wang Ya, then lowered her head to continue recording. [External Mutants possess utility value.] [Allowing them to go down the mountain: May accelerate the contraction of the official defense line, reducing the probability of Cloud Top Palace being continuously monitored.]

Lin Yuan looked at her notes. "Not bad."

Su Xiaonuan pressed down the corners of her mouth. She lowered her head and typed a line in the remarks column. [Mr. Lin praised my judgment as correct.] After typing it, her ear tips turned red. She silently deleted it. But before deleting, she had already taken a screenshot to back it up.

At the intersection down the mountain. Several cars trying to rush out of Cloud Top Palace collided with each other. Ahead were abandoned vehicles, temporary roadblocks, and wandering infected.

Some people were honking their horns frantically. Some were calling 110. The line was busy. The municipal bureau, busy. The hospital, no answer. The fire department, no answer.

A wealthy man roared into his phone: "I am the Vice President of the Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce!" There was only a busy signal on the line.

On the plaza. Zhang Qidong walked out, covered in blood. He stepped on the corpse of the Elite Zombie and raised his shotgun. "Everyone!" "Cloud Top Palace must not fall into chaos!" "Just now, I led the men to hold this place!"

He did not mention the maid. He did not mention the bodyguard. And he certainly didn't mention that he had been hiding behind the door the whole time.

The owners who had fled earlier slowly gathered around. Someone shouted: "Chairman Zhang, what do we do next?" Someone else was more direct. "From now on, we'll listen to you."

Zhang Qidong straightened his back even further.

Tiangong No. 1 living room. Qin Yumo frowned. "Let him win over the hearts of the people like this?"

Lin Yuan sat back on the sofa. "The more he acts like a king now, the better he will look when he dies."

Qin Yumo stopped talking. Tang Qiqi muttered softly. "The Great Demon King is raising an experience pack for a villain."

Su Xiaonuan tapped her tablet. "Zhang Qidong can help us filter the survivors."

Lin Yuan glanced at her. Su Xiaonuan immediately lowered her head. "I was just supplementing based on Mr. Lin's train of thought."

Just then, the walkie-talkie suddenly rang. It wasn't Lu Yan's usual steady tone. The voice carried uncontrollable panic. "Boss!" "Come to Villa 13 quickly!" "Xixi... Xixi is failing!"

In the background, the alarm sound of the equipment was shrill and ear-piercing. Beep— Beep— Beep—

Su Muxue stood up abruptly. Lin Yuan's gaze darkened. In the bottom right corner of the screen, the medical monitoring feed for Villa 13 popped up automatically.

Inside the mobile monitoring pod, Lu Xixi's thin, small body was suspended in the white light. Her eyes were closed. Faint traces of blood were flowing from her nasal cavity and ear canals. On the monitoring pod screen, the three data points—heart rate, blood oxygen, and intracranial pressure—were all flashing red.