Chương 18: A Wise Man Knows When to Yield

"These stitches aren't load-bearing. See? If we pick them all out, this just becomes one long rope..."

"Can this... really hold that much weight?" Claire took the dog leash and gave it a suspicious tug, though with her strength, it was impossible to damage the heavy-duty nylon.

"It can... Don't let the thickness fool you. Nylon like this can easily hold hundreds of pounds without snapping."

"..." Claire remained noncommittal, but she sat down next to Vince and started helping him dismantle the leashes. Four hands working together were vastly faster than two. Before long, all ten leashes had been successfully dismantled into long nylon straps.

"Uh... Su, why don't you take a break? I can handle the rest..." Considering she had been hauling supplies all morning and then cooked a massive meal, Vince figured she must be exhausted. But Claire's focus was caught on something else entirely.

"Vince, just call me Claire. I'm really not that much older than you..." She'd been holding her tongue, but honestly, every time he addressed her by her last name, it made her feel like she had aged ten years on the spot. Vince didn't care either way; it was just a habit.

"Claire?... Uh, sure, that works. So Claire? Do you want to rest a bit while I splice these together?" But Claire showed no intention of leaving. She sat right beside him, staring curiously at the pile of straps.

"Vince, I've been meaning to ask... how exactly are you going to join all these together? Just tie regular knots? Will that actually be secure?" Vince picked up two nylon straps to demonstrate.

"Look. You overlap the two lines like this, fold them into two identical loops, and then thread the working ends through here..." He explained the process step-by-step as his hands moved deftly.

"This is called a sheet bend. It's specifically used for joining two ropes together. Once tension is applied, unless the rope itself physically snaps, the knot will absolutely never come undone." Vince gripped the two ends of the joined rope and pulled outward with all his might. Creaaak— The nylon let out a teeth-aching groan of friction. Under the immense force, the previously loose knot instantly cinched tight, biting down on itself until it formed a rock-hard lump.

"See? The more tension it takes, the tighter it locks."

"Wow! Vince, how do you even know how to do this..." Claire watched in amazement as Vince performed his rope magic. The two straps were now fused flawlessly. No matter how hard she tried to pull them apart, the knot only tightened further. There was zero slippage!

"Saw it on a short video once and memorized it. Never thought it'd actually save my life one day..." Satisfied with his handiwork, Vince used the same knot to splice all ten straps together, eventually doubling the line back on itself. He was left with a heavy-duty, double-stranded nylon rope roughly seven meters long. Forget dropping from the sixth floor to the fifth; this was long enough to rappel straight down to the fourth. Vince coiled the rope, scooped it up, and prepared to head out.

But one glance out the window made him step right back inside. It was a clear, cloudless day, and the midday sun—sitting at one or two o'clock—was at its absolute most punishing. Yes, daylight hours were precious, but they weren't that precious. With the sun beating down like a furnace, Vince decided it was wiser to avoid its wrath. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

He decided to rest for a bit and wait for the heat to pass before heading up to the sixth floor.

"Claire, I'm going to take a quick nap. You should rest too. I'll head out when it cools down a bit." Between the morning's exertion and last night's insomnia, Vince was genuinely exhausted.

"You must be tired, Vince..." Seeing his drowsy state, a spark of inspiration hit Claire. This is the perfect opportunity to prove my worth!

"Lie down here. Let me give you a massage to relieve the fatigue..." As she spoke, she kicked off her slippers and kneeled on the sofa beside him. Her movements were so natural, she looked as though she were in her own home. When Vince didn't immediately react, she gently patted her lap, looking at him with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Uh..." Hard CC'd once again... Vince just wanted to catch some shut-eye. How the hell am I supposed to sleep while Claire massages me? But as the old saying goes: A wise man knows when to yield to circumstances...

"Alright, I'll be in your care then, Claire..." Offering only half-hearted resistance, Vince surrendered to her arrangement and laid his head back onto her lap. Because she was wearing short shorts underneath her slip dress, the bare skin of her thighs was cool, firm yet soft, making for an incredibly comfortable pillow. Her two small hands gently pressed and rubbed his temples.

Her fingers were refreshingly cool, and that subtle, intoxicating fragrance mixed with the chill of the AC continuously drifted into his nose. It was pure bliss. Vince opened his eyes, wanting to see what kind of expression Claire was making. Unfortunately, his upward line of sight was overwhelmingly obstructed by... certain generous features. He couldn't see her face at all.... Beep-beep-beep-beep... Beep-beep-beep-beep... A shrill phone alarm pierced the silence, jolting the two sleeping figures awake.

Vince felt the "pillow" beneath his head twitch, immediately followed by the sensation of an immense, generous softness shifting away from his forehead. He hadn't expected to actually fall asleep. And he definitely hadn't expected Claire to fall asleep while hugging his head... Vince sat up, shaking his head to clear the grogginess.

"I'm so sorry, Vince... I was massaging you and ended up dozing off myself..." Claire slumped sideways onto the sofa. Because she had fallen asleep kneeling, her legs had completely lost circulation. Now that she had shifted her posture and the blood was rushing back, her legs felt like they were being stabbed by a thousand blazing needles.

"Ahhh... pins and needles... it's so numb... ah, it hurts..." She whimpered softly, frantically rubbing her thighs. Vince also felt a strange numbness on his forehead. He walked over to the bathroom mirror and took a look. Whether it was from Claire's slip dress or her underwear, a distinct, intricate lace pattern had been firmly imprinted right onto his forehead... Still, it had been a fantastic nap. He had managed to claw back a lot of the sleep he missed last night....

Stretching lazily, Vince washed his face and rubbed the lace imprint off his forehead. He wondered what the deal was with these zombies. Were they nocturnal? As soon as night fell, they howled like banshees, but during the day, they were surprisingly quiet. He thought about how Claire had massaged his head. Maybe I should return the favor and rub her legs for her...? But when he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw the living room was empty.

His front door and the door to 302 were both open; she must have gone back to her apartment. His plan foiled, he felt a twinge of disappointment, but getting back to business was the priority. Vince waited a bit until Claire returned. Grabbing the rope, the two of them headed up to the 601 balcony. After eating her fill and taking a nap, Claire's HP had recovered to [73/100]. She was healing remarkably fast; at this rate, she'd be back to full health by tomorrow.

He hadn't brought her upstairs to fight monsters, but rather to spot him and keep an eye on the rope. This was Vince's first time attempting something this risky; having someone to assist made things exponentially safer. He grabbed a few pieces of clothing from the delivery rider's wardrobe and padded the windowsill and the edges of the external AC unit to prevent friction wear on the nylon.

He took one end of the spliced double-strand rope, threaded it completely through the wall via the AC drainage hole, and used a wire hanger to hook the end back inside through the open window. Then, he tied the two ends of the rope securely together using a surgeon's tension knot, creating one massive, continuous loop. By rigging it this way, the entire balcony wall became his anchor point. These old residential buildings had incredibly thick walls, constructed entirely of solid brick and mortar.

Vince pulled hard on the rope to test the tension; it was more than sturdy enough to bear a single person's weight. Finally, he stuffed some extra clothes into the AC pipe hole to ensure the sharp edges of the masonry wouldn't fray the line. Furthermore, once tension was applied, the thick copper AC pipes inside the hole would help distribute the pressure, completely eliminating the risk of the rope snapping from friction.