Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: The Worst Case

She glanced around. Good. There was only one zombie nearby.

’If I can take it out silently, I can press the button.’

After steadying herself, Chen Xing made a tiny sound, just loud enough for that single zombie to hear.

The witless zombie was drawn in. It ambled slowly down the slope, then, upon spotting Chen Xing standing ahead, it charged forward in a frenzy.

Chen Xing was already prepared. Her knife flew out and struck it right in the forehead.

The momentum sent the zombie tumbling rapidly down the slope. Chen Xing sprinted forward and slammed the button as fast as she could.

As the button was pressed, the roller shutter door began its slow descent.

Chen Xing: ”...” ’Unbelievable. This speed is a joke.’

It was so loud, too. Countless zombies would be able to get in.

Sure enough, the zombies heard the noise and began to swarm in her direction.

She didn’t hide. Standing at the entrance, she killed them one by one as they came. The moment she saw the shutter door finally close, she turned and ran toward her target vehicle without a second glance.

’I have to be quick. Get the car keys before Xuan Yabing finishes his task.’

As she ran, she collected the three cars she had her eye on and made a beeline for the management office.

She grabbed the keys corresponding to the car models, then entered her space to confirm they were the right ones.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching from a distance. She quickly ran over and saw Xuan Yabing returning, looking like he’d been through hell.

The knife in his hand was caked with blood, and his once-clean white shirt was stained crimson. His bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat. It was probably his first time killing ”people,” and his entire body was still trembling slightly.

Seeing that Chen Xing wasn’t the least bit panicked, he felt that his own reaction was rather pathetic. ”You’re okay?” He couldn’t shake the feeling that this girl was anything but ordinary.

Most people in a sudden situation like this would be considered strong if they didn’t break down crying. But this young woman wasn’t just unafraid; she was completely calm. It made him, a grown man, feel inadequate in comparison.

”The exit is sealed,” Chen Xing replied simply.

Without another word, they both started walking toward the elevators.

Before they could reach it, the stairwell door was suddenly thrown open. A zombie with half its face missing charged at them, its dislocated arm flailing wildly.

Xuan Yabing flinched. He instinctively moved to step in front, only to see a knife fly past his ear and embed itself in the center of the zombie’s forehead.

As he stared in astonishment, Chen Xing walked over and deftly pulled her knife from the zombie’s head.

She retrieved the Crystal Core with a movement so quick and precise that Xuan Yabing didn’t even see it.

”Have you trained with throwing knives?” Xuan Yabing was now more than just curious about Chen Xing; he was filled with admiration.

’Those reflexes, that speed, and her calm demeanor... there’s no way this is her first time facing danger.’

The elevator doors opened. Chen Xing stepped inside, taking her silence as a confirmation.

Worried about the lobby, Xuan Yabing pressed the button for the first floor.

Before the elevator doors even opened, they could hear wailing and crashing sounds from outside.

The wailing came from Xu Mengyao, who was crying as if someone had just died.

’What a liability! With all that racket, it’d be a miracle if the zombies *didn’t* swarm them!’

Hearing the elevator doors open, Xu Mengyao’s crying stopped abruptly. She made a mad dash for it, hoping to use the elevator to escape.

But when she saw Chen Xing inside, having returned completely unharmed, a look of disgust flashed across her face, and she stopped dead at the elevator entrance.

At that moment, Xu Anguo and the security guard, who were standing by the glass doors, sensed something was wrong. They immediately turned and ran for the elevator.

The glass doors shattered, and the zombies poured in.

Chen Xing’s first instinct was to charge out of the elevator, and she collided squarely with Xu Mengyao, who was frantically trying to shove her way in.

The impact sent Xu Mengyao flying several meters. Her head nearly slammed into the floor, but Xu Anguo and the security guard, who had just caught up, grabbed her and dragged her toward the elevator.

Xu Mengyao felt a searing pain in her backside, but she didn’t dare struggle, terrified they would let her go. She could only endure the humiliating treatment.

She glanced over and saw Chen Xing, completely unscathed, already running for the stairwell. ”Lock down the elevator once you’re up!” With that, she shut the door and was gone.

The others had no time to process this. Focused only on survival, they piled into the elevator, managing to shut the doors and ascend just before the zombies reached them.

The people in the elevator didn’t dare to breathe, as if the sound itself would draw the zombies after them.

The disheveled Xu Mengyao was still on the floor. She looked pitiable, panicked from her near-death experience, but her expression was filled more with hatred for Chen Xing.

’That woman pushed me on purpose,’ she thought. ’I’ll get my revenge for this.’

Inside the stairwell, Chen Xing quickly locked the door, preventing the zombies from following her up.

’But wait,’ she suddenly remembered, ’there’s a spiral staircase that goes straight to the second-floor restaurant.’

She immediately raced up the stairs to the second floor. By the time she reached the restaurant, she could already hear the chaotic shuffling of feet on the spiral staircase.

’The second floor is a lost cause.’

She quickly ducked back into the stairwell and locked the door, cutting off the zombies’ pursuit.

’At least the floors above are secure. Barring any surprises, I should be able to get a good night’s sleep.’

By the time she reached the fifth floor, Xuan Yabing was standing alone in the hallway. A chair was wedged against the elevator doors to keep them from opening.

’No surprise there. The others are probably hiding in the conference room, terrified the zombies will get up here.’

”Are you okay?” Xuan Yabing realized that in the short time he’d known her, these three words were all he ever seemed to ask.

”The second floor is compromised. Don’t go down there.”

Only then did Xuan Yabing realize that she had immediately identified the security flaw and run off to block the other stairwell. It wasn’t at all like Xu Mengyao claimed—that she’d gotten scared and abandoned them to save herself.

Chen Xing felt she’d said all that needed to be said and headed for the stairwell.

’I don’t care what they think. As long as I can get a decent night’s sleep, that’s all that matters.’

”Where are you going?” Xuan Yabing asked, worried about her being on her own.

’She’s still just a young woman, after all. She must be scared being by herself, right?’

”To sleep.” Chen Xing ignored him and reached for the stairwell door.

’The elevator is out, so it’s going to be a long climb to the top floor.’

But just then, the lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire area into darkness.

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the conference room, echoing throughout the building.

’That jinx really has what it takes to get everyone killed.’

Chen Xing’s hearing had become incredibly sensitive as her space leveled up. She could hear, with unnerving clarity, the roars of the frenzied zombies on the first floor as they practically threw themselves against the doors, desperate to break through.

If the doors weren’t so sturdy, they would have been torn down long ago.

”Brother Xuan...” The security guard was the first to run out, using his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the two people in the hallway.

Xuan Yabing had clearly become their pillar of support; it was as if they couldn’t function without him.

”Why did the power suddenly go out?” Xuan Yabing was a little panicked himself.

’With the lights on, at least you could see. It provided a sense of security.’

”I don’t know. It looks like the whole city lost power. We have a backup generator, but it must have malfunctioned or there’s a problem with the connection, so it didn’t kick in.”

”Where’s the generator?” Xuan Yabing asked as he looked out the conference room window. Everything outside was pitch-black; the entire city had indeed lost power.

’This is the worst-case scenario.’