Suo Tian had already taken care of that small group of walkers, but now a few more had started trickling out of Building 6.
I knew they were being drawn out by the sound of gunfire just moments ago.
For now, it was only a few stragglers, but if we waited any longer and the main horde charged down from the upper floors, we'd really be in trouble.
Suo Tian didn't linger in the fight.
He quickly sheathed his dagger and returned to the vehicle.
At the same time, he picked up the walkie-talkie and began speaking urgently into it while looking upward.
I hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
As I approached, I caught bits of what he was repeating into the radio: "Hurry up."
More and more black-clad figures were nimbly descending.
Watching their swift, efficient movements, I couldn't help but feel a surge of envy.
If all of us could move like them, our team would be unstoppable.
But... thinking that way made me realize — we were probably just a burden to them.
Looking back, it seemed like most of the trouble lately had been caused by our small group.
Suo Tian's team had constantly been dragged down by us.
I glanced at Suo Tian, feeling a little disheartened.
If it weren't for him, for his presence as the leader standing firm in front of us, the rest of his team probably wouldn't have cared whether we lived or died.
Without them, Shen Feng, the others, and I would've likely died in that very first bus where we met Xu Shu.
As I was lost in thought, my eyes happened to catch sight of the outermost rope — tied to the back of one of the black-clad operatives was Zheng Rongrong.
Her limbs hung limp, and she looked completely unconscious.
My heart suddenly clenched — not because I was worried for her safety (Suo Tian's team was reliable), but because I was afraid she might suddenly wake up and go berserk again, trying to bite the man carrying her.
Uncontrollably, images began flashing through my mind — of Xiao Xue being bitten to death, of the student who was mauled by Zhao Qiuting.
The horrifying scenes of their final moments kept replaying over and over in my head, making me even more nervous.
I stared intently at the figure of the black-clad man.
Probably due to having a child strapped to his back, the operative moved more slowly than the others, clearly struggling a bit with balance and mobility.
Still, even at a slower pace, he finally made it safely to the ground after a short while.
I quickly ran forward, wanting to take Rongrong from him now that he had unstrapped her — but before I could reach him, another black-clad man stepped in and carried her off, taking her to the vehicle behind Suo Tian.
I stood there blankly for a moment before remembering that, two days ago during a group meeting, Suo Tian had said that if Rongrong's condition didn't improve, he would be the one to take responsibility for her during travel.
Letting out a slight breath, I stepped back.
Honestly, it made sense — with her condition so unstable right now, it was probably safest for her to stay near someone as cautious and reliable as Suo Tian.
More and more walkers were emerging from Building 6, though still in a scattered formation.
But it was obvious that the vanguard of the main horde had begun spilling out — the rest would soon follow in a swarm.
The first few operatives to reach the ground had already rushed to the front gate and opened it.
The ones who landed afterward quickly loaded their gear onto the various vehicles, then armed with daggers and guns, sprinted forward to fight off the walkers that might block or threaten the safe descent zone for those still above.
The group was working together with such seamless coordination that I couldn't help but feel a little eager myself.
After gripping the iron shovel in my hand and hesitating for a moment, I finally gritted my teeth and rushed forward to join the team fighting off the walkers.
While moving, I accidentally glanced up toward the upper floors and noticed another black-clad operative descending with a child strapped to his back.
I didn't even need to look closely to know who it was — besides Tingyun and Rongrong, there weren't any other children among us.
I ran to the side of Building 6, avoiding the area directly in front of the main hall, and joined several of the black-clad fighters.
I lifted my iron shovel, awkward in my grip, and started hacking at those rotting, foul-smelling heads.
They say "practice makes perfect," and it really wasn't just talk.
After taking down a few walkers, I gradually got the hang of using the shovel in my own way.
The method wasn't all that different from before — the first step was to kick the walker down, forcing it to the ground and reducing its threat level.
Then I'd rush in and, before it could react or get back up, I'd slam the shovel down hard on its skull.
After a few kills, I even started to feel like the iron shovel was better than a short dagger.
For one, it was heavier — which meant I didn't have to crouch or bend down to get enough force when striking downward.
All I had to do was raise the shovel slightly above my head and bring it down with full force — the walker's skull would split clean in two without fail.
With this realization, and the added security of black-clad fighters covering the surrounding area, I grew more and more enthusiastic.
After taking down several walkers in a row, I was a little out of breath — but my energy was still going strong.
Just as I raised my iron shovel again, ready to charge at the next walker, something suddenly hit me on the head with a loud thud.
It didn't hurt much, but it startled the hell out of me.
Before I could even react, a shrill voice shouted down from Building 4:
"You stupid fool! You've killed so many of the evolved ones — you'll be punished for this! When you die, you'll go straight to hell! You'll never get the chance to evolve into an immortal being!"
I stood there, stunned for a moment.
Behind me, two black-clad operatives sprang into action — one rushed forward to handle the incoming walkers, and the other grabbed me and began pulling me back.
At the same time, he pressed the walkie-talkie clipped to his chest and called out, "Building 4, loose fish. Building 4, we've got a loose fish."
Immediately, Suo Tian's voice came through the other end: "Eliminate them."
Hearing that, I was shocked and instinctively reached for the walkie-talkie on the operative's chest, trying to stop Suo Tian's order.
Everyone in Building 4 were just regular people.
Sure, their beliefs were ignorant — but that's all it was: ignorance.
Deep down, they weren't truly evil.
Like just now — when they saw me attacking what they believed were "evolved beings," they only threw a water bottle at me.
It wasn't like they came at me with a kitchen knife!
But the black-clad man reacted quickly.
He dodged my hand and stepped to the other side, grabbing my arm firmly while saying in a low voice, "Madam, please go back. It's too dangerous here. You're not armed or equipped — leave this to us."
Just as he finished speaking, a loud bang rang out.
I immediately looked toward the window on Building 4 where the voice had come from earlier — another spray of blood exploded near the window, accompanied by terrified screams from inside the room.
My heart clenched — there were others in that room.
The screams echoed loudly across the nearby floors.
Clearly, others heard it too.
The walkie-talkie on the black-clad operative who was holding onto me crackled again with an emotionless voice:
"Commander, should we eliminate them all?"
This time, I didn't wait for Suo Tian to answer.
I suddenly turned, reached out, and snatched the walkie-talkie off the operative's chest.
He instinctively tried to take it back, but I shot him such a fierce glare that he froze.
Without thinking, I slammed the talk button and practically screamed,
"They're just regular people — stop shooting, please!"
I'm no saint.
After everything I've witnessed — the twisted, selfish sides of human nature — I could never be so gracious or noble as to play some kind of dawn goddess, trying to save everyone's lives.
All I could think in that moment was this: their distorted beliefs, as absurd as they seemed to us, were just their way of avoiding a life like ours — one lived in constant fear and panic.
Being afraid of things — even ghosts or deities — isn't the worst part.
The kind of fear they were trying to avoid is something only those who've truly lived through it can understand.
When the very world you live in turns hostile, when everything around you seems determined to kill you, the helplessness and despair you feel can drive anyone insane.
They just wanted a way out of that fear — they didn't realize they were only driving themselves mad sooner in the process.
Foolish people doing foolish things — it's not something to hate.
We don't need to personally wipe them out.
If they believe in the "evolved ones" and their so-called immortality, why bother crushing that hope for them?
Let them stay here and wait for their "evolution."
In the end, I realized — while I found their beliefs absurd and twisted, maybe my own sudden pity for them was even more ridiculous.
After a brief pause on the other end of the walkie-talkie, Suo Tian's calm voice came through:
"As long as no one's armed, ignore them. Focus on getting everyone down, fast."
The earlier gunshots had clearly agitated the walkers pouring out of Building 6 — their jaws now gaped so wide it made my skin crawl.
If these things still had functioning salivary glands, I was sure they'd be drooling all over the place just looking at us.
After taking the walkie-talkie back, the black-clad operative tugged me along at a noticeably quicker pace.
It was clear he didn't have much patience left for me.
I gave him a sheepish glance, tugged at the corner of my mouth in apology.
When we got back to the car, I saw little Wang Tingyun standing beside Suo Tian, clutching his leg with one arm while tilting her head up, anxiously watching Uncle Gazi descend the rope alongside Chen Pu.
She didn't seem the least bit afraid of the surrounding walkers — just furrowed her tiny brows, face full of worry.
After dropping me off beside Suo Tian, the black-clad man immediately turned and sprinted back toward Building 6.
Their team needed to at least keep the number of walkers under control, making sure they didn't block the road for the vehicles — not to mention keeping an eye on when the main horde might come charging out, so they could respond instantly.
Suo Tian remained standing there, frowning as he watched the people still on the upper floors, occasionally speaking into his walkie-talkie to coordinate with those still on the rooftop.
I stepped up beside him and glanced at Tingyun, then said,
"Let me take the kid back to the car. You've already got Rongrong in yours — we don't want her getting hurt."
Hearing that, Suo Tian glanced at me, then lowered his head to look at Tingyun.
After a moment, he gave me a nod and turned his gaze back toward the front of Building 6.
I knew now definitely wasn't the time for unnecessary words.
Since Suo Tian had given the nod, I simply picked Tingyun up and walked toward the car where Shen Feng and the others were.
Tingyun was very well-behaved.
Even though she was clearly worried about her grandfather still hanging in midair, she stayed quietly nestled in my arms without making a sound.
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