You can never imagine how loud a woman can scream when she is frightened.
Tang Xiaoquan instinctively covered his ears, but even so, he couldn’t block out Huang Yali’s high-pitched voice, comparable to the "Haydn Symphonies".
"Miss Huang, calm down! Calm down!" He desperately tried to stabilize Huang Yali’s emotions, but she, in a state of collapse, couldn’t hear a word he said.
"Damn it!" Wang Qiang cursed under his breath, simultaneously raising the "Long Spear" in his hand because, just as Tang Xiaoquan was advising Huang Yaru to calm down, the beasts downstairs had already started climbing over their fallen companions, surging upward relentlessly.
Upon spotting the prey that had momentarily disappeared, the zombies immediately howled in excitement. Nothing could incite their bloodlust more than fresh human flesh.
However, their howling only served to drive the already terrified Huang Yaru even more into a frenzy of helplessness.
Her pitch rose again, and Huang Yaru’s seductive red lips opened to the fullest, producing tones that could only be described as "devastating".
No exaggeration, if a glass were placed beside her at that moment, it might shatter to powder instantly.
Tang Xiaoquan only felt his eardrums about to shatter, but compared to the damage to his eardrums, he was more concerned about the zombies attracted by Huang Yaru’s screams.
Bear in mind, the number of these beasts was already enough to overwhelm them, and if there were more, then...
"Hey, Miss Huang, calm down! Stop screaming! Hey, hey!"
He pleaded several times, but Huang Yaru continued her ghostly wailing as if she couldn’t hear him at all.
Tang Xiaoquan was also driven mad by her howling, an unexplainable fury rising uncontrollably to his brain. Without thinking further, he raised his hand and slapped her.
"Slap!" The crisp sound resounded as five bright red fingerprints appeared on Huang Yaru’s cheek, instantly spreading a scorching, burning sensation.
Momentarily stunned, Huang Yaru looked at Tang Xiaoquan in shock, seemingly not understanding why the man in front of her had hit her.
Seeing her stop screaming, Tang Xiaoquan finally let out a long exhale. He had no choice just now; otherwise, he wouldn’t have hit her, especially since she was a woman.
After all, as a man, hitting a woman is always despised, no matter the situation.
"Miss Huang, are you clear-headed now?" Supporting her shoulders, Tang Xiaoquan asked with a frown.
She nodded instinctively, then shook her head, still with a confused look.
"Sigh!" With a sigh of helplessness, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t know whether deciding to bring this woman along was the right decision.
But right now, he couldn’t afford to think any more about it because Wang Qiang’s shout brought him back to reality: "Qianzi, don’t waste time, those beasts are coming up, find a room and open the door, I’ll hold them off here!"
Glancing back at the situation behind him, Tang Xiaoquan gritted his teeth and slapped Huang Yaru again:
"Hey, Huang Yaru, do you want to live or die?"
"Uh~" She sobbed, but Huang Yaru still responded: "I want to live!"
"Good!" Tang Xiaoquan patiently continued: "If you want to live, do as I say! Now, Qiangzi is holding them off downstairs, I’ll handle the door, and as for you, I need you to keep an eye on the upstairs. If you see zombies, shout to me! Understand?"
There was no response as his voice faded.
With no choice, Tang Xiaoquan shook Huang Yaru’s shoulders vigorously, then shouted in her face, "Do you get what I’m saying or not?"
"Yes, yes!" Whether she truly understood or was simply terrified, Huang Yaru nodded her head like a drum.
"Great! I believe in you; you can do it!"
With that said, Tang Xiaoquan ignored Huang Yaru because he knew their time was running out. Tang Qiang alone couldn’t hold the zombies off for long at the corridor.
He pulled out a key, chose one he believed would work, inserted it into the lock, and twisted forcefully, but... failure!
A drop of sweat fell from his cheek to the ground, immediately forming a puddle.
He switched to another key, inserting and twisting it the same way, but... failed again!
Trying a third... failure!
With three successive tries, nobody could know Tang Xiaoquan’s mood right now, but his trembling hands clearly showed how anxious and nervous he was.
The keys weren’t for this first door, yet the time left for Tang Xiaoquan to try was rapidly dwindling.
"Damn it, Qianzi! Are you done yet? There are too many of these beasts!" Wang Qiang roared furiously. Google seaʀᴄh N()velFire.net
Tang Xiaoquan didn’t respond, not out of unwillingness, but because his frazzled nerves had thrown him into chaos.
His every move was now purely mechanical, driven by his brain.
Quietly, he approached the next room, again retrieving his keys to attempt unlocking.
But sometimes that’s how it goes—the more anxious and nervous you are, the easier it is to make mistakes.
Like Tang Xiaoquan now, who knew better than anyone the urgency of time, but at this life-and-death critical moment, his uncooperative right hand trembled so much, it couldn’t fit the key into the lock.
Retreating two more steps, Wang Qiang forcefully withdrew the "Eight-footed Snake Spear". Due to frequent stabbings, the tightly bound iron wire at the spearhead showed signs of loosening.
Two floors to go, Wang Qiang silently counted to himself. In two floors, he would have no retreat, and at that point, their annihilation would only be a matter of time.
So... no matter what, he had to hold this position, he had to buy time for Qianzi to unlock the door!
As the saying goes, belief can drive people to accomplish the impossible.
Like Rocky, who, driven by belief, could stand up no matter how many times knocked down, and eventually KO his opponents to win.
Forrest Gump, driven by belief, never compromised despite disdain, ultimately reaching the pinnacle of life through effort.
And now, Wang Qiang’s only belief was to stand firmly here: To live; or to die!