The eighteenth-floor elevator had a rod stuck in the door, preventing it from closing completely.

The rod was naturally placed by Li Xuan. Initially, it was to prevent zombies from randomly pressing buttons - if they happened to press the eighteenth floor, that would be trouble. Now it had become the final step in Auntie Yun's demise.

The zombie horde surged like a gray-black tidal wave, instantly flooding the residential complex. Looking down from above, no green remained visible - only a seething mass of dead human heads.

The mob that had come to confront Li Xuan had long since scattered. Some, like Auntie Yun, had fled recklessly to nearby building units. While waiting for elevators, the zombie horde caught up with them, tearing at flesh amidst constant screams of agony. When elevator doors opened, some zombies were pushed inside by the pressing crowd behind them, accidentally pressing floor buttons...

Others ran up the staircases. At first, they moved quickly, shaking off the zombies. But after reaching the fifth floor, those unaccustomed to exercise began gasping for air, their stamina plummeting and speed dropping dramatically. Zombies, however, knew no fatigue - their pace never slowed. As long as their heads remained attached and they had limbs, they could keep moving relentlessly.

By the ninth floor, the zombie swarm caught up with the survivors. Their dull nails left only shallow scratches on the survivors' bodies, yet even these minor wounds proved fatal, transmitting the zombie virus.

Those scratched screamed in terror, grabbing at people around them until both were swallowed by the zombie tide, their screams cut short after just two cries.

Old Li and the middle-aged woman trembled violently. They had witnessed the horde devouring people firsthand, the savage slaughter reflected in their eyes. Even though both had mentally prepared for zombies eating humans, they still felt nauseous and revolted.

Fear made their bodies quiver slightly. Though the weather was hot, they felt an icy chill running through them.

"He knew the horde would break out all along," Old Li thought, experiencing the relief of surviving a disaster, grateful he hadn't joined the mob.

Otherwise, the horrific scene below would have been his fate.

The middle-aged woman whispered, "Thank goodness you didn't go."

Bang bang bang~

Violent, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

The middle-aged woman jumped in fright. "Could zombies have gotten in?"

Old Li hurried to the door and demanded in a low voice, "Who's there?"

A familiar voice came from outside. "It's me! Open up quickly! Save me! The zombies are coming up!"

"They're coming! Open the door! Open it now!"

Old Li and the middle-aged woman exchanged glances, recognizing the voice's owner - Old Li's coworker, someone he got along with quite well.

The middle-aged woman pressed firmly against the door, accidentally pushing aside the metal cover of the peephole. She shook her head frantically at Old Li. "We can't open it! What if zombies rush in when we open the door?"

"But that's a human life!"

"What if he's been bitten? I won't allow it! Last time I listened to you and didn't let you go out - this time you must listen to me!" the middle-aged woman insisted.

The knocking outside grew increasingly frantic, the force behind it strengthening. The voice shifted from pleading to outright cursing, spewing countless vulgarities.

Just as Old Li hesitated, his coworker's agonized scream echoed through the hallway, piercing into their room.

If he listened carefully, he could even hear the horrifying sound of chewing.

Crack~

A breaking sound followed as the coworker outside stabbed through the peephole with a screwdriver. He could no longer make sounds, but his lips clearly formed the words: 'Die together.'

A zombie's finger reached through the peephole, pricking the back of the middle-aged woman's head, leaving a small mark.

The woman shuddered violently, her pupils contracting sharply as if realizing something, yet refusing to believe it.

She leaned her head forward slightly, away from the peephole.

Old Li thought his wife was just scared and said softly, "I'll move the sofa to block the door."

The middle-aged woman hummed in agreement, watching Old Li's retreating back. She couldn't muster the courage to tell him she might have been infected.

The complex's survivors spent two days living in fear before the zombie horde gradually receded. The ground was no longer packed wall-to-wall with zombies, though many remained - more than before the horde arrived.

The horde's impact range was extremely wide. Since phones still had network connectivity, Li Xuan learned online that the horde had reached its peak scale on the second day of outbreak, swallowing all life in its path like an ocean. Then official military forces intervened to clear zombies, preventing further expansion of the horde.

Against thermal weapons, zombies actually weren't much threat. Movies intentionally weakened firearms to emphasize despair and zombie strength, where the most powerful weapons in protagonist teams were merely rocket launchers, with conventional weapons being pistols and rifles - forcing them to flee when encountering massive hordes.

In reality, military firearms were ridiculously powerful, as evidenced by the video Li Xuan was watching.

The military organized formations with precision, creating shooting ranges without blind spots. Machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers were just the basic firearms. Heavy machine guns on armored vehicles spat fire snakes, wildly spraying bullets in torrents that collided with the zombie horde, cutting down zombies like wheat.

Rocket launch vehicles and heavy mortars displayed even more terrifying destructive power. Rocket trails with flaming tails landed among zombie groups, the powerful explosions clearing large empty spaces where struck zombies had completely vanished.

Without supernatural abilities, carbon-based lifeforms could hardly withstand firearms. Even powerful creatures like African elephants would drop instantly if shot in the head with rifles.

Zombies feared neither death nor pain, able to move as long as their heads remained intact, making them somewhat resistant to ordinary firearms. But when bullets came in sufficient quantity, they could literally shred zombies to pieces.

Like the naval gun on the armored vehicle in the video - it could fire over ten thousand rounds per minute, averaging three hundred rounds per second. Each bullet could penetrate two or three zombies, making concrete walls seem like laughable toys before them.

There was no need to aim for headshots - one second was enough to turn any zombie into a sieve!

This video was intentionally released by authorities, its purpose self-evident. Most comments expressed amazement at the firearms' power, along with desperate pleas for rescue.

"Before supernatural powers emerge, firearms remain humanity's most effective means against the apocalypse," Li Xuan murmured softly.

He casually picked up a packet of biscuits, bit off half, then remembered the pigeon in its cage. Taking the remaining half biscuit, he began teasing the pigeon.

Perhaps Yun Xiuzhi had exceptionally strong nerves - after being caged for several days, she showed no signs of exposure, doing her best to maintain the disguise of a pigeon that could barely understand human speech.

The pigeon hopped several times within the cage, approaching the biscuit and nodding as it pecked at the food.

Li Xuan took the opportunity to stroke the pigeon's head. It didn't resist, obediently eating the biscuit. "You're becoming increasingly well-behaved."

If survivors had witnessed this scene, they would have cried out about wasted food.

Having food but not storing it properly for when starvation struck, instead using it to feed a pigeon?

Such extravagance!

Any survivor outside would never share food with a pigeon!