Zhou Chenghai heard it first.
He was halfway through suggesting another film when his head turned toward the window, his expression shifting from relaxed to alert in the space of a heartbeat. The kind of shift that came from years of training, from instincts that didn't turn off even when you wanted them to.
"What?" Zhenlan asked, already moving toward the front windows.
"Movement," Chenghai said, standing. "Outside. And they don't seem to be zombies."
That got everyone's attention.
Jian Yuche was on his feet immediately, crossing to the window with Wei Lingyun following quickly behind him, his expression tense. Zhenlan moved to the other side, pulling the curtain back just enough to see without exposing their position.
I stayed on the couch, the wasabi peas forgotten in my lap.
"How many?" Zhenlan asked, narrowing his eyes.
Chenghai counted silently, his eyes tracking figures in the distance. "Fifteen. Maybe twenty. Hard to tell—they're spread out."
