Chapter Eleven: Return to the Town

Not until they had finally dealt with the two mutant black dogs that had been chasing them did the minibus and its passengers truly find a moment’s respite. Everyone inside collapsed, drained and spent, after the harrowing ordeal. The fight had been perilous, especially when the wild dogs lunged at them from behind; if the three of them hadn’t unleashed a torrent of bullets at the same time, the beasts would already have been upon them. Even so, a large section at the rear of the minibus was torn apart by the mutant dogs’ claws, leaving the vehicle battered and more dilapidated than ever.

Now they had reached the outskirts, fields stretching wide and open around them. Only the occasional zombie wandered the roadside, but these posed no threat to the minibus as it roared past, outpacing anything that might give chase. When a zombie blocked their path, Xie Han simply floored the accelerator and sent it flying.

Soon, the minibus rolled to a stop not far from the small town ahead. Xie Han shut off the engine and said, “That’s the town up ahead. This area is open and far from any human settlement. As long as we stay alert, there shouldn’t be any trouble.” Qi Feiwu surveyed the surroundings and saw no sign of zombies nearby. As Xie Han had said, it seemed safe enough, so she decided they would disembark here.

Only four people in the group were capable of fighting: Qi Feiwu, Xu Qiang, Chu Tianhe, and Xie Han. After parking, Qi Feiwu gathered them together and said, “We’ve been without food for three days. The elderly and children in our group are faint with hunger. If we can’t find food soon, we’ll starve to death right here. This town is our only hope. No matter what, we must find something to eat. We don’t have much time. Chu Tianhe, your leg is injured, so you’ll stay behind with the minibus. The rest of you, come with me to the town to search for supplies.”

Xu Qiang and Chu Tianhe had no objections to her decision, but Xie Han was less certain. Yesterday, he’d encountered several zombies here, and although he didn’t know where they had wandered off to, he was sure their range wasn’t large—they must still be nearby. With just Chu Tianhe left behind, it would be difficult for him to handle any threat that appeared, especially if noise drew more zombies their way. What they needed was enough firepower to eliminate threats quickly.

Xie Han’s concerns were not unfounded. Qi Feiwu hesitated, then said, “In that case, Xu Qiang, you stay with Chu Tianhe and guard the minibus. I’ll go with Xie Han to the town to search for food.”

Xu Qiang shook his head. “Feiwu, you’d better stay and guard the minibus yourself. There will be plenty of zombies in town, and you haven’t eaten for three days. You don’t have the stamina—it’s too dangerous.”

Qi Feiwu protested, “But Xu Qiang, you haven’t eaten for three days either…”

Xu Qiang interrupted her with a confident smile, patting his solid chest. “Don’t worry. Back in the army, I could go three days without food or water during field training and still be full of energy.”

Xie Han didn’t want to see a woman risk her life searching for food, either. The dangers in the town were far greater than those in the village they’d just left. He said, “Captain, don’t worry. We’ll find food. Just wait for us here. In fact,” he joked, “it’d be best if you boiled some water in the pot now. When we get back, we can cook rice straight away.”

Qi Feiwu smiled faintly and tried to hand her assault rifle to Xie Han, but he refused. He raised his pistol and said, “This is all I need for emergencies. With so many zombies in town, giving me the rifle would be a waste. You keep it—you’ll need the firepower to protect the minibus.”

In truth, Xie Han had several packets of instant noodles stashed in his spatial storage, but that was a secret he could tell no one. If he produced them now, suspicion would be inevitable, especially since he appeared to be carrying nothing at all. More importantly, the instant noodles in his storage were all from a later production date, which would be impossible to explain. He decided that if he absolutely had to, he would only fetch them after returning from the town, and tear off the packaging to avoid questions.

Xie Han had fled from the town in a panic just yesterday, so he hadn’t been able to scout the area thoroughly. With no means of transport, he and Xu Qiang could only proceed on foot toward the town. The thought of tens of thousands of zombies lurking there made Xie Han uneasy. He said to Xu Qiang, “If only we had a motorcycle, our chances of success would be seventy or eighty percent at least.”

Xu Qiang’s face was grim, his cold eyes radiating a deadly aura. He gripped his assault rifle tightly and scanned the surroundings warily. “This apocalypse is as if the world stopped three years ago. Supplies are desperately scarce. In more than three years, most vehicles have broken down. Finding a working motorcycle is nearly impossible.”

On the outskirts of the small town, scattered houses stood here and there, with the occasional zombie wandering between them. Xie Han and Xu Qiang made every effort to avoid them, so their progress was slow.

Xie Han said, “Let’s see if we can find a vehicle later. It’d be best to check the repair shop in town—maybe there’s something we can get running again.” Xu Qiang understood the consequences of lacking transportation, so he didn’t object but expressed his concern: “The zombies won’t give us that much time.”

Eventually, the two of them reached the edge of the town. Xie Han realized that this was the very entrance where he’d escaped yesterday. The streets were crawling with zombies—thousands of them, at the very least. Some were even tearing each other apart, the losers quickly devoured by the victors, who tore at the decaying flesh with ravenous hunger. This street was impassable.

Xie Han signaled to Xu Qiang, and together they carefully circled around the entrance. Keeping his voice low, Xie Han said, “Yesterday, I drew most of the zombies to this entrance. By now, there should be fewer zombies in other parts of town.” Xu Qiang nodded. “Zombies’ sense of smell and hearing are extremely sharp. We’ve got less than five minutes to get in and out. Any longer, and they’ll surround us.”

They reached a quieter side of town, where rows of apartment buildings rose above them. Xie Han activated the map on his timepiece and quickly located the town’s layout. After memorizing it, he pointed to one of the residential buildings and said, “There are too many zombies in the streets—it’s too dangerous. But there’s a good chance we’ll find food in these buildings. It’s worth a shot.”

Xu Qiang hesitated. “Isn’t that too risky? The XR virus hit so suddenly—there must be a lot of zombies inside, and the layout is complicated and dangerous.”

Xie Han licked his lips. “I checked out the town’s marketplace yesterday—anything that could be taken is long gone. Even if we make it there, it’ll likely be empty, and we’ll just end up drawing attention. You draw away the zombies downstairs, while I go inside to search for food.”

Xu Qiang wasn’t one to dilly-dally. “All right. Hurry, though. I can only hold them off for five or six minutes at most. The more noise we make, the more zombies will come.”

Xie Han gave him an OK sign, and Xu Qiang darted off, firing a shot at a cluster of a dozen or so wandering zombies. One went down with a shot to the head, and the rest surged toward him. Xu Qiang fired as he moved, circling around to the other side, successfully drawing the zombies away. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Han gathered his strength and sprinted toward the nearest apartment building.

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Second update delivered... Hope everyone enjoys!