Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Wall of Hell
Given the narrow width of the top of the wall, Hu Xiaodong had to abandon the idea of switching positions. Thus, Wang Qiang, situated at the northernmost end of the team, naturally took up the heavy task of being the "pathfinder".
He placed one hand on the left side of the wall, holding Wenquan Xin’s cleaver in the other, moving forward slowly in a highly awkward and bizarre posture.
This was destined to be a long and thrilling journey, with the constant roars and the tremors from the walls being pounded, continuously gripping the survivors’ hearts.
Falling meant death, so Wang Qiang walked with extreme caution. Yet despite this, the tremors occasionally felt underfoot still terrified him, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.
The zombies were rapidly gathering at a speed visible to the naked eye. It’s hard to imagine the enthusiasm these beasts have for "joining the fun".
In just a few minutes, the number of zombies under the wall had doubled!
What a spectacular scene it was! Describing it as a dance of the undead wouldn’t be exaggerated, but for the survivors painstakingly treading along the top of the wall, this "explosive" scene was nothing short of a nightmare seeping into their bones...
Every step Wang Qiang took required him to probe several times before daring to set his foot down.
For someone as impatient as him, this was an ordeal comparable to purgatory.
However, Wang Qiang didn’t show any resentment or irritation, because compared to falling off the wall and becoming a feast for the horde of zombies below, advancing at a snail’s pace seemed trivial.
"Damn it, I hope this wall is solid. If it’s shoddy construction, then the joke’s on us!" Wenquan Xin mumbled to himself, and it was a truly genuine thought from the depths of his heart, not meant as a joke.
Tang Xiaoquan closely followed at the end of the line, having enough time to contemplate his next move due to Wang Qiang’s intermittent way of progressing.
Obviously, the wall was not a path. Although it stretched nearly a hundred meters, for the survivors at this moment, this path was practically pointless and insufficient to guide them to safety.
So, undoubtedly, at the end of the wall, descending to the ground would become an unavoidable problem for the survivors, which was precisely what Tang Xiaoquan was perplexed about.
The zombies were like shadows trailing closely along the side of the team, moving when they did, and pounding when they didn’t, making them the world’s most fanatical and persistent "fans".
Even more frightening to Tang Xiaoquan than these "fans" was the realization that these beasts had seemingly extended their "welcoming" line several meters away.
So inevitably, by the time they reached the end of the stone wall, hundreds of zombies would have already positioned themselves there, well prepared for a "celebration".
The phrase "a turtle in a jar" suddenly flashed in his mind, although Tang Xiaoquan was reluctant to accept it, the fact that they were besieged on both sides was undeniable.
The scorching sun continued its relentless assault overhead, and the rising temperature was steadily evaporating the survivors’ dwindling hydration.
Hu Xiaodong felt as if he were in the unbearably hot Sahara Desert, though in reality, he had never been to such a distant place. Yet his dire physical condition made him deeply experience the hardship of so-called "desert survival".
A way must be found to escape the pursuit of these horrifying "fans". Due to the halt in the team’s movement, Tang Xiaoquan stopped once more.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and flung it away carelessly.
This utterly mundane gesture, however, triggered a cacophony of wailing from the zombies below the wall, startling A Cheng, who was in the middle of the queue, to the point where he nearly lost his balance and fell off the wall.
"Be careful!" timely extending a hand to stabilize A Cheng’s wavering body, Wu Chao squeezed a slightly awkward smile on his flushed face.
"Thank you!"
His heart pounding violently, A Cheng apparently had not yet recovered from the recent fright.
There was no doubt, had Wu Chao’s intervention been delayed even a little longer, A Cheng’s life would have...
Involuntarily trembling, A Cheng suddenly realized that he was standing not on a mere stone wall, but on a "Wall of Hell" that held all their lives in the balance.
Above the wall was life, below it was death, any mistake could cast you into the abyss of no return.
Tang Xiaoquan was still racking his brain, as he realized that trying to shake off the pursuing zombies before reaching the end of the wall was simply unfeasible, unless, of course, you had superpowers, could become invisible, or fly away...
Suddenly halting in his tracks, a thought dawned on Tang Xiaoquan. He quickly turned his head, and his eyes lit up.
"Wait a minute! Everyone! Stop for a second!"
With a sharp yell, the survivors halted their steps, instinctively turning their faces with bewilderment toward the origin of the shout: Tang Xiaoquan.
The zombies were also stirred by the strange call from their prey. To drown out their noise, Tang Xiaoquan had to raise his voice once more: "Hu, do you see that balcony on the second floor? If we use the protruding air conditioner unit next to it, we should be able to climb into the building!"
Hu Xiaodong easily spotted the balcony Tang Xiaoquan was pointing at and indeed, noticed an air conditioner unit fixed on an iron frame to its right.
Not only that, but he also saw that the windows on the balcony were all wide open outward, and none seemed to have any grills or other devices to secure room safety.
Therefore, if they could successfully climb onto the balcony, this horrifying nightmare would immediately come to an end.
"Go! Go! Let’s head there!" Hu Xiaodong immediately echoed, though in his excitement, his speech was slightly stammered.
The team made a 180-degree turn, and summoned by hope, the survivors, who had been cautiously advancing, seemed to have lighter steps.
They swiftly arrived beneath the balcony and came to a halt.
Who goes up first? For the survivor team at the moment, this did not need any discussion. Hu Xiaodong naturally took off his backpack and bow, handing them to Tang Xiaoquan beside him, then placed the only cleaver remaining in the team back into its sheath.
After completing all the preparations, Hu Xiaodong habitually spat into his hands a few times, then rubbed them together forcefully.
Perhaps sensing the anomaly in their prey, the gathered zombies at the base of the wall raised their growls a notch.
Unaware of any of this, Hu Xiaodong took a deep breath, then exerted his legs and leaped up...
```