After the first zombie appeared, nearly a hundred more zombies emerged one after another from the surrounding residential buildings. No wonder they hadn’t seen anything unusual at the gas station earlier—it turned out the buildings were the zombies’ hideout.
The first zombie that appeared in front of Ning’s car was once a young boy, around four or five years old. His clothes were torn to shreds, revealing dark, purplish skin. His limbs were twisted, and his eyes, mostly whites, glared at the people inside the car with a malevolent intensity.
When the zombie realized it couldn’t break through the windshield, it clung to the glass, scratching it with its long, black nails, making an ear-piercing screech that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Since no one inside the car could reach the zombie to attack it directly, Jiang Jingchao, who was driving, quickly spun the steering wheel, making a sharp left turn in an attempt to throw the zombie off. The young zombie was flung to the ground but rolled away just in time to dodge a bolt of lightning from Gu Yicheng, who had struck out at it.
The childlike zombie twisted its head, snarled at them, and then darted back into the swarm of zombies.
Around a hundred zombies had now appeared, all looking more or less similar except for differences in their clothing and size. Once the child zombie blended into the group, it became impossible to spot.
Lin Yang quickly raised a two-meter-high earth wall to block some of the zombies trying to approach from the side.
Meanwhile, Gu Yicheng’s lightning abilities were even more powerful. Each strike sent several zombies crashing to the ground, their bodies turning into charred corpses.
Ruan Ning didn’t stay idle either, firing her gun at the zombies. After her recent training, her shooting accuracy had improved significantly. Although she couldn’t hit their heads every time, she was now capable of stopping a few isolated zombies from getting too close.
However, these small zombies were particularly tricky. Unlike adult zombies, their smaller size made them faster and more agile. Whenever they were attacked, they would immediately dart away, only to reappear from another corner, making it extremely difficult to keep track of them.
Fortunately, with three powerful ability users on Ning’s side, the pressure wasn’t overwhelming, but things weren’t looking good for Su Chen’s group.
They had run into trouble.
“Mr. Gu, our car won’t start, and we’re completely surrounded by zombies. We can’t get out!” Su Chen’s urgent voice came through the walkie-talkie, mixed with the crackle of static.
Ruan Ning, hearing his distress call, quickly glanced toward the right, where Su Chen’s vehicle was located.
Dozens of small zombies had surrounded the car, clustering so thickly around it that several had already climbed onto the roof and windows, blocking any chance of escape.
If they didn’t deal with those zombies quickly, Su Chen’s group would be trapped inside and eventually torn apart by the horde.
“Lin Yang, Chaozi, you two get out of the car and go help them. I’ll clear a path for you,” Gu Yicheng commanded decisively.
With so many zombies outside, staying in the car only hindered their movement. These small zombies were erratic, constantly darting around. If they weren’t careful, some might slip under the car or climb onto the roof, scratching and damaging everything they touched. If this continued, not only would they be trapped, but the car itself would be destroyed.
Jiang Jingchao hit the brakes, and Lin Yang quickly jumped out, swinging his machete and swiftly beheading a zombie that had been drawn by the scent of humans.
After Lin Yang got out, Jiang Jingchao followed him to assist Su Chen’s team.
Gu Yicheng stayed behind, unleashing bolt after bolt of lightning, quickly filling the area around their car with charred zombie corpses.
Ruan Ning watched from the side, unable to suppress her anxiety. She knew that abilities weren’t limitless and could be exhausted. Even though Gu Yicheng’s power level was far higher than most, she couldn’t help but worry. In the novel, this was where Gu Yicheng had sustained serious injuries, and she feared he might run out of energy and become vulnerable to a counterattack.
Gu Yicheng was the core of their team. He absolutely couldn’t be allowed to fall.
Fighting against these small, fast zombies, bullets might not be as effective as melee weapons. Gu Yicheng grabbed the Tang sword he had used before from the backseat, opened the door, and got out, calling for Ruan Ning to follow him.
Ruan Ning didn’t hesitate and quickly followed. She realized that these child zombies had fixated on their car, swarming it like it was a toy, relentlessly attacking it.
Staying in the car might actually get them killed faster than being outside.
“Stay close to me,” Gu Yicheng said, looking down at her, before swiftly striking down a zombie that tried to ambush them with his ability.
Ruan Ning nodded quickly. In such a chaotic situation, she knew well enough that staying by Gu Yicheng’s side was the safest option.
Seeing the Tang sword in Gu Yicheng’s hand gave Ruan Ning an idea. She pulled out a golf club from her space, something she had stored earlier. While it wasn’t much of a weapon and couldn’t kill zombies, she found it easier to handle than a machete.
Her plan was simple: stick close to Gu Yicheng and swing the golf club at any approaching zombies. If one got too close, she’d shoot. She wasn’t expecting to kill many zombies herself; she just wanted to make sure she didn’t slow the group down and prevent the zombies from getting too close.
Meanwhile, Lin Yang and Jiang Jingchao managed to rescue Su Chen’s group from their vehicle, which had been surrounded by zombies. With the added manpower, they all worked together to reduce the number of zombies around them. However, there were still dozens of them circling, watching their every move.
Among the group, Ruan Ning had it the easiest. Gu Yicheng was absorbing most of the attacks, keeping her well-protected. Thanks to this, Ruan Ning could still focus on keeping an eye on the situation around them while fighting off zombies.
At that moment, she spotted the young boy zombie from earlier. It had reappeared, preparing to jump down from a tree and ambush Gu Yicheng. Its eyes were locked onto him.
Gu Yicheng, however, was fully occupied with several zombies at the moment, unable to respond.
“Brother, watch out!” Ruan Ning shouted, acting on pure instinct. Without thinking, she pulled an ashtray out of her space and hurled it at the boy zombie.
Unlike other zombies that acted purely on instinct, this one seemed to possess a certain degree of intelligence. Having barely dodged Gu Yicheng’s lightning strike earlier, it had been lurking nearby, waiting for the right moment to attack Gu Yicheng again. It was targeting him specifically, waiting for him to show a moment of weakness to strike.
When Ruan Ning threw the ashtray, she felt bold and determined, solely focused on saving Gu Yicheng. But after it hit the zombie, she started to regret her actions. She suddenly remembered just how vengeful this child zombie was.
Gu Yicheng had strength, abilities, and the protagonist’s luck on his side. Even if he got hurt, he would still be far stronger than her.
But what about her? The original character she replaced had only been a minor supporting role, destined to die early in the story. Even though she had survived so far, who knew if that looming “death buff” would one day catch up with her? She had no abilities and little strength. If she was unlucky enough to get infected, it would be just as disastrous as being killed by the zombie outright.
In the worst case, she could end up like Xu Chi, bound and helpless in the car, waiting in fear and uncertainty to see if she could survive the zombie virus.
But there was no time for regret. The child zombie, after being hit by the ashtray, abandoned its attempt to attack Gu Yicheng. It turned sharply and charged directly at Ruan Ning instead, leaving her with no time to think.
Ruan Ning ‘s face went pale as she saw the child zombie charging at her. She instinctively took several steps back, her mind racing to figure out a way to fend it off. The boy zombie was incredibly fast, though its agility was different from that of a mutated speed zombie. It moved fluidly on all fours, quickly closing the distance between them.
When Ruan Ning swung her club, the zombie nimbly dodged, avoiding her strike. In that moment of opportunity, it got dangerously close. Though Ruan Ning managed to sidestep its direct attack, its long, black claws still grazed her hand, leaving two deep, bloody scratches on her pale skin.
“Ah!” Ruan Ning gasped in pain, the sudden sharpness of the wound slowing her movements.
Without realizing it, she had moved several meters away from Gu Yicheng in her panic.
Meanwhile, Gu Yicheng, noticing her situation, swiftly finished off the zombies surrounding him. Every zombie in his path was turned to charred remains by his lightning attacks. With his Tang sword, he intercepted the boy zombie just as it tried to lunge at Ruan Ning again.
His expression was cold and severe as he confronted the child zombie, his gaze chilling.
“Brother, I’m so scared… Will I die here?” Ning clung to Gu Yicheng as if he were her lifeline, her face filled with fear. Blood trickled from the scratches on her hand, staining his black clothes—though the dark fabric made it impossible to see the red stains.
Gu Yicheng glanced down at her, his gaze softening. In a gentle, reassuring voice, he said, “No, you won’t. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
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