"Brother Su, can I take this bankbook with me?"
Zhong Xiaoshan asked hesitantly.
Zhang Su looked at Zhong Xiaoshan in confusion: "You don't want the money in the bankbook, do you? Gold is useless now, and besides, you don't even know the password."
"No..." Zhong Xiaoshan shook her head and said, "They reminded me of my grandparents. When I was little, my grandparents were also thrifty to save up a dowry for me..."
"Okay, okay, you can keep it!"
Zhang Su waved his hand to quickly interrupt Zhong Xiaoshan, as continuing would make both women cry. He hastily said, "Let's go, let's check the apartment across the hall."
Peeking through the peephole to check the situation outside, Zhang Su opened the door and stepped out of 1102.
"1101 is locked, how are we supposed to get in..."
Zhong Xiaoshan caught up with Zhang Su, her emotions still lingering in sadness, and asked with a sniffle.
"Let's start by looking outside; many people like to hide a key!"
Zhang Su said as he opened a narrow wooden door beside them.
The locks were becoming more complex and sophisticated, making it increasingly difficult to pick them. Oftentimes, you had to force your way in, and considering the cost of changing a lock, it would set you back a few hundred bucks. Many homeowners simply hid a spare key outside, which could save a lot during critical moments.
Zhang Su had a habit of hiding a key, though his was stashed at the Yileiwen Convenience Store.
The two women didn't question it and began searching in the stairwell.
The seemingly spacious and tidy stairwell actually had many places to hide a key. Aside from the traditional spots above the door frame or under the doormat, the complex, dark meter rooms and radiator pipes were also great places.
If you're worried about someone finding the key and burgling your place, you might hide it on another floor or even another unit.
"Found it!"
Zheng Xinyu's voice had a hint of joy as she held up a complex fourth-generation anti-theft lock key.
Rummaging through the radiator pipes, Zhang Su pulled back and nodded silently. "Good Fortune" really lived up to its name; no wonder it had to be specifically highlighted—it made sense.
"Where did you find it?"
Zhang Su took the key from Zheng Xinyu and examined it, then looked at the lock of 1101, confirming with almost no doubt.
Zheng Xinyu turned her head, pointing next to the elevator door, "On top of the fire safety cabinet. I climbed up on the radiator pipes and found it, even with a bunch of promotional ads covering it. Aren't I great?"
Feeling like she had accomplished something remarkable, Zheng Xinyu proudly lifted her head, as if awaiting praise.
"Great, great, lucky you, keep it up in the future,"
Zhang Su said absentmindedly, holding the key as he walked grimly to the door of 1101.
The doormat beneath was crusted with dried blood, turning hard. Stepping on it was like cracking thin ice, mixing with a strange eerie sound and the scent of blood, making one feel deeply uncomfortable, as if walking through Asura Hell.
Not opening the door rashly, Zhang Su pressed his ear against the door, quietly listening for sounds inside. The room was silent, but that didn't necessarily reflect reality!
Knock, knock, knock.
As usual, Zhang Su knocked on the door of 1101 with his axe.
A howl, sticky and gooey, sounded from behind the door, slightly ethereal as it passed through the wood.
Zhang Su raised an eyebrow and quickly stepped back.
Bam!
A tremendous force hit the door, causing the door frame to tremble, giving off a strong sense of oppression.
Bam, bam, bam.
The familiar banging made Zhong Xiaoshan's face twitch unconsciously, but this time, she remained silent, much more composed.
"See, creating noise works; never forget this procedure in the future!"
Zhang Su seized the opportunity for an on-site lesson with the two beside him.
Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan both nodded, firmly embedding this simple method in their minds.
"So what do we do now? It's guarding the door like this; can we get in?"
Zheng Xinyu asked with a hint of concern.
Zhang Su rubbed the key in his hand thoughtfully for a moment, "There's a way: lure it to the stairwell, trip it on the stairs. But there's no need to risk it; let's go upstairs and wait until it settles down!"
With the erratic banging of the zombie in the background, they retreated to the stairwell, slowly ascending to the twelfth floor, the top floor. Further up was a set of stairs leading to the rooftop, guarded by a solid door.
Twisting the handle of the security door, Zhang Su frowned slightly, "Locked!"
"Someone must be living here!"
Zheng Xinyu said with a complicated expression, hoping to see survivors but worried that they might pose a threat. She felt conflicted.
On the other hand, Zhong Xiaoshan had a more optimistic outlook, with a hint of surprise, "Living people are definitely better than zombies, right, Brother Su?"
Zhang Su didn't confirm or deny it, pulling a key from Brother Li's house out of his bag. He found one that roughly matched the security door lock, inserted it, and fiddled with it for just over ten seconds before a click sounded from the lock cylinder.
"Damn, Brother Su, no wonder you could buy a house outright at a young age; you've got skills like this. Makes sense!"
Zheng Xinyu looked at Zhang Su with a peculiar gaze, offering an odd compliment.
Zhong Xiaoshan didn't speak, but also looked at Zhang Su with an embarrassed expression, probably thinking the same as Zheng Xinyu.
"Are you two brainless? If I really knew how to pick locks, why did I laboriously look for the key to 1101 earlier? The security door's junk lock, to be frank, is just perfunctory work from the developer. You could open it with just about any scrap of metal!"
Zhang Su explained softly, gradually pulling open a crack in the door. He found the entire hallway very clean, though there were distinct signs of use at the 1201 doorstep, indicating someone lived there.
Walking around the wall to look at 1202, he noticed the project-grade door had a worn-out plastic cover, appearing as if no one had been there in ages.
Even though it appeared quite safe, Zhang Su nonetheless tested it. Only after confirming that there were indeed no reactions from 1202 did he relax.
"Xinyu, go check it out."
Zhang Su pointed his axe towards 1201.
Zheng Xinyu complied without hesitation, nodding as she approached the door of 1201, and mimicked Zhang Su's actions by pressing her ear against the door. It was quiet, so she proceeded to knock with a baseball bat.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ping, pong...
With the knocking, there wasn't the unique low growl of a zombie but the sound of stainless steel falling to the floor!
The three exchanged glances, their eyes changing simultaneously.
Zhang Su explained to an excited-looking Zheng Xinyu, "If the environment is complex, continue knocking rhythmically to let those inside know we're not zombies. Now, you can talk quietly through the door gap to communicate."
"Okay!" Zheng Xinyu replied, then leaned into the door gap and said to the inside: "Hello, we're neighbors from downstairs. Could you open the door so we can talk?"
"There's nothing to talk about. You should leave,"
Soon after, a man's voice came from inside. He sounded like he was in his forties or fifties, not too far from the door, perhaps two or three meters away.
Then, he added, "Lock the security door when you leave, thank you!"
Outside, the three exchanged looks. They had thought that encountering a survivor would at least lead to a conversation but hadn't expected the person wouldn't even open the door.