Chapter Ten: The Perilous Village

The first ten minutes after the minibus set off went relatively smoothly. Though a dozen zombies burst out from a small village they passed, the minibus quickly left them behind. At a speed of fifty kilometers per hour, the zombies, sluggish as they were, had no hope of catching up. At the rear of the vehicle, Chu Tianhe showed no mercy, his pistol cracking out sharp shots, blowing the heads off one zombie after another. His marksmanship astonished Xie Han.

Yet this streak of luck seemed to run dry five minutes later. The road the minibus had to take led straight through a village of over a hundred households, the path cutting right through its center. As they reached the entrance, several zombies could already be seen wandering about. When Xie Han had come this way yesterday, he had skirted the village from afar via the fields, but that tactic was impossible now.

Xu Qiang climbed up from the floorboards, grabbed the automatic rifle nearby, and made his way to the front. Clearly, they had faced such situations before. Qi Feiwu asked, “Should we charge through?” Xu Qiang nodded, his eyes flashing with savage determination as he gritted his teeth and said, “We have to force our way through.” He turned, his voice cold: “Everyone, sit tight. If anyone gets thrown out, you’ll be eaten alive by zombies.”

Xu Qiang radiated a fierce, fearless aura—a battle-hardened warrior, no doubt. Yet Xie Han could not fathom why someone of his caliber remained with such a weak group. Then he caught Xu Qiang’s glance toward Qi Feiwu and understood: Xu Qiang was her pursuer. In this apocalypse, who would linger otherwise? That this feeble team had survived so far was nothing short of miraculous.

While Xie Han was lost in these thoughts, Xu Qiang fixed him with a cold stare and barked, “Xie Han, you drive.” Stunned, Xie Han recalled that he had never owned a car in his former life, let alone driven a minibus. Yet, inexplicably, he felt a strange familiarity with the vehicle. He opened his mouth, hesitated, but finally slid into Qi Feiwu’s seat.

“Should I just charge straight through?” Xie Han asked nervously, his first time driving such a vehicle. Xu Qiang nodded fiercely. With his answer, Xie Han floored the accelerator and released the clutch; the minibus thundered forward like an arrow.

The roaring engine quickly attracted the zombies at the village entrance. Their keen noses caught the scent of fresh meat on board, and they lunged at the minibus. The engine’s din also drew out zombies from within the village—emerging from grass and homes, converging at the roadside.

Xu Qiang’s face remained impassive as he shouted to Xie Han, “Don’t let the vehicle stop, or we’re all doomed.” He didn’t need to say it; Xie Han understood. There were at least a thousand zombies in the village. If surrounded, even with two rifles and two pistols, they stood no chance. Sweat poured from Xie Han’s palms as he gripped the steering wheel, pedal pressed to the floor, racing toward the village entrance.

Bang, bang, bang—the sounds rang out in quick succession. At the front, Xu Qiang fired his automatic rifle, crisp shots echoing as bullets tore through the zombies blocking their path. Each one fell, their heads blasted open; with their nervous systems destroyed, they lost all mobility, collapsing into heaps of sludge.

Staring at the corpses ahead, Xie Han gritted his teeth, refusing to slow. The minibus crushed them under its wheels. The sound of splintering bones chilled Xie Han, whose sharp hearing picked up every crack. Once a zombie’s nervous system was destroyed, its previously steel-hard bones reverted to normal human fragility. Xie Han had no doubt that the bodies crushed by the minibus would be reduced to flattened pulp.

As the minibus barreled into the village, hundreds of zombies emerged on both sides. Fortunately, they hadn’t yet formed a complete encirclement, but time was running out. The gunfire from Xu Qiang and his companions never ceased, mowing down zombies with bursts from their rifles. As their numbers grew, accuracy gave way to volume; a barrage of bullets was fired simply to block their advance.

“Damn it…” Xie Han cursed fiercely. The road ahead was completely blocked by more than a dozen zombies. If they didn’t break through before more surrounded them, things would become very complicated.

Xu Qiang noticed the situation. He said coldly, “Crash through.” Xie Han could only smile bitterly—what other choice did they have? The minibus didn’t slow, even as Xie Han hesitated, maintaining its speed as it roared forward.

Bang—

A violent collision shook the minibus’s front. Several zombies were struck and sent flying, foul black blood spraying like droplets. The bodies crashed to the road and were promptly run over. One zombie, its lower half severed by the wheels, still clawed at the road, mouth agape, desperately trying to catch up.

Xu Qiang’s rifle never paused; he changed magazines with astonishing speed, swapping one in less than three seconds. Facing splattered gore, he didn’t even blink, his shots precisely killing any zombie that tried to jump aboard. Though ferocious, the zombies stood no chance against the minibus at seventy kilometers per hour—those ahead were soon cleared.

Xie Han’s heart raced wildly. The experience was far more intense than anything in the movies. He relaxed just a fraction, seeing the village exit nearing, when suddenly two shadows darted from the roadside. In a blink, they caught up with the minibus. In the rearview mirror, Xie Han clearly saw two tall black dogs chasing the vehicle, their speed nearly allowing them to bite the rear bumper.

Chu Tianhe, stationed at the back, had already started shooting when the mutated dogs pounced. But these creatures were nothing like ordinary zombies; their agility allowed them to dodge most bullets, and even when hit, they merely slowed momentarily. These mutated black dogs felt no pain; unless their nervous systems were destroyed, they were nearly impossible to kill.

“Damn—” Xu Qiang cursed, rushing from the front to the rear. Mutated animals like these were even more troublesome than zombified humans, their agility making it hard to land a shot to the head. If they managed to leap into the vehicle, everyone aboard would become their prey.

Qi Feiwu, who had been guarding the side, grew anxious. She shouted, “Xie Han, go faster!” Ignoring her post, the three of them crowded at the rear, frantically shooting at the pursuing dogs, the gunfire erupting in a furious barrage.

Despite their incredible agility, under the combined firepower of three guns, one dog attempting to leap onto the vehicle was struck midair in the head. The automatic rifle’s caliber was formidable; the bullet instantly tore away most of the dog’s skull. Headless, the creature dropped to the road and was quickly left far behind.

The other dog, taking advantage of the focus on its companion, sprang up unexpectedly. Its claws tore through the minibus’s rear metal, hooking its body onto the bumper. Its powerful forelegs pulled it up again, jaws open, lunging at Chu Tianhe.

“You damn beast—!” A sharp machete flashed, severing the dog’s head as it lunged, black blood splattering over Chu Tianhe. The blade belonged to Xu Qiang, who had swung with such force he was nearly spent, but quickly kicked the twitching body and gnashing head off the vehicle. He then collapsed onto the pile of gear, breathing heavily.

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