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The two of them burst out of the store almost simultaneously. While Song Jiu squinted to assess the situation, Luo Yu's small-caliber shotgun had already fired.
A rusty truck dragged a long trail across the ground, swaying precariously as its cabin trembled slightly. The pungent exhaust fumes rolled out, filling the air with a burnt odor.
Jiao Ziqian jumped down from the driver's seat, looking quite disheveled. He collided with the middle-aged man leading the way and Song Jiu. The middle-aged man screamed in agony, his shoulder missing and the wound wrapped in blood-soaked clothing. A young man who had accompanied them lay slumped in the passenger seat, his head having crashed through the windshield, blood pouring from his injuries in a gruesome sight. The young men who had been on guard inside the store rushed out, a dozen of them standing at the entrance, their eyes drawn to the approaching truck without bothering to ask what had happened.
In the thick fog at the intersection, shadows slowly approached, illuminated by the silver light of the moon, casting a mysterious aura over these unwelcome guests.
Song Jiu's face turned pale; his ominous premonition was confirmed. He didn't ask further questions; Jiao Ziqian's heavy stench of blood said it all.
"Jiu, let's retreat," Luo Yu said as he reloaded his weapon, feeling a chill deep within as he watched the figures emerge from the fog.
Song Jiu shook his head lightly, glancing at Jiao Ziqian, who was gasping for breath. "Is he dead?"
Jiao Ziqian gritted his teeth, unsure how to respond. He knew Song Jiu was asking about their other teammate.
"Is he dead?" Song Jiu raised his voice slightly, anger seeping through.
"I don't know," Jiao Ziqian replied, lowering his head in frustration, clenching his fists tightly. The slender steel knife in his hand was smeared with blood plasma—he didn't know whose it was.
"Damn it," Song Jiu cursed under his breath, piecing together what had happened as the figures in the fog drew closer. By their outlines, there were more than just a few. "Luo Yu, you take Dream Fan and the others and retreat to the riverbank."
"We're leaving together," Luo Yu insisted firmly, his finger trembling on the trigger. "Ziqian, hurry and call Dream Fan and the others."
"It's over! It's over! Zombies!" The middle-aged man collapsed onto the ground, whether from pain or fear. His remaining arm flailed wildly despite Jiao Ziqian's attempts to pull him up.
"Zombies?" Song Jiu's pupils constricted as he strode toward the approaching crowd in the fog with his knife drawn. "Can we kill them with a stab?"
Luo Yu's urgency was evident on his face; knowing he couldn't dissuade Song Jiu, he reluctantly followed with his gun raised while reminding Jiao Ziqian behind him, "Stop dawdling and move!"
The ladies on the second floor were a bit slow to react. Just as they rushed out of the store, they were met with the gruesome sight of the middle-aged man, causing their stomachs to churn.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Xin Mengfan asked, breaking into a cold sweat. Ignoring the murderous aura from Song Jiu and the others, she circled around Jiao Ziqian a couple of times.
"Damn it, I was careless and got ambushed," Jiao Ziqian said, along with another young man, as they helped load supplies onto the truck. He called for the ladies to get in one by one. Seeing that Xin Mengfan still wanted to ask questions, he quickly interrupted her, "You can drive, right? Take the old man to the riverbank; I can't leave."
"You're in this condition; what good will you be left behind?" Xin Mengfan pointed at his injuries and urged, "Talk some sense into Brother Jiu! What kind of zombies are these?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it," Jiao Ziqian cursed. "I was too careless; I thought it was just that group of Railway Guerrillas ambushing us. Damn it, they look just like living people."
"Give me the gun." Song Jiu stopped in his tracks and looked at the crowd emerging from the fog. He snatched the shotgun from Luo Yu's hands and fired a shot.
Song Jiu had never received formal shooting training, but that didn't matter. The newcomers were walking in formation, and his poorly aimed shot hit one of them, splattering blood everywhere. However, the person merely leaned back slightly, paused for a moment, then continued to advance.
"We're done for; it's zombies." Song Jiu gritted his teeth and returned the gun to Luo Yu before grabbing his dual blades with a furious shout: "Chop them up!" Before he could finish speaking, a group of young men had already charged forward with loud cries. They had heard plenty of rumors about zombies along their journey; although they felt uneasy, they were not afraid. Jiao Ziqian couldn't shake them off while driving; if he and his group tried to escape now after losing two companions, it wasn't in their nature to retreat quietly.
The moon silently hid behind the clouds as the mist dissipated, revealing a dark mass of people behind the unexpected guests.
As Song Jiu and his group sprinted forward, they suddenly slammed on the brakes in shock at the sight of the horde before them.
"What on earth..." Luo Yu was also stunned. His attention had been focused on those few strange individuals in front, not realizing that they had brought a whole team with them.
The numbers were overwhelmingly in favor of one side; victory was already decided.
" Brother Jiu!" Jiao Ziqian arrived late and stared at the horde in a daze. His lips moved for a long time without forming a complete sentence.
The massive horde was even larger than that at the train station. The few people in front maintained a distance of over ten meters from the horde before stopping right in front of Song Jiu and his companions.
Song Jiu tightened his grip on the steel knife in his hand, ultimately unable to bring it down. It wasn't just because of the unfamiliar faces before him; more importantly, they were holding someone captive—his companion who had been with Jiao Ziqian.
Luo Yu, usually calm and collected, was now at a loss, completely losing his sense of judgment in this situation. They had never directly encountered the Zombies that Survivors spoke of; this was their first face-to-face confrontation, and things were unfolding entirely differently than expected. The companion appeared to still be alive, his young face smeared with blood, his skull hanging low as he was dragged along by two burly men who seemed no different from Living Persons.
Neither side made a move, and no one broke the silence. Behind them, a Horde surged forward, the hoarse roars rolling in like a tide, shattering the tranquility of the street.
"You guys—"
"Your people." The Robust Man holding the companion gave a rough shove, pushing the nearly lifeless Young Man forward and interrupting Song Jiu's question.
Jiao Ziqian hurried to support the Young Man, checking for signs of life. A hint of relief crossed his face as he said, " Brother Jiu is still alive."
"You just shot me," a slightly shorter man pointed at Song Jiu and then at his own bloodied abdomen, a strange smile creeping onto his pale face. "I'll let you off this time; there won't be a next."
"And you." The man pointed at Jiao Ziqian, his voice hoarse. "You're ruthless, but not very bright."
Jiao Ziqian's face twisted in anger; he gritted his teeth but remained silent.
"Your friend's arm can't be reattached; it became Zombie bait." The man gestured toward the approaching dark cloud behind him. "You better run; if you don't hurry, it will be too late."
After saying this, the strange men turned and walked toward the Zombie horde, pushing through the chaotic mass like unruly passengers before disappearing into the Zombie Tide, leaving a group of young people stunned in place.
"Let's go," Jiao Ziqian finally managed to stammer out as he carried his unconscious companion on his back.
"Run!" Song Jiu suddenly snapped back to reality as the stench of the Horde hit him like a wave. If they didn't run now, they truly wouldn't escape. The group of young people shook off their daze, shouldering their woozy heads as they shouted and rushed back toward the truck.
The truck had not yet left when, seeing that his companions had safely returned, he hurriedly opened the cargo area to let everyone climb aboard. Sitting in the driver's seat, Xin Mengfan finally started the engine in a flurry after everyone was on the truck. With a sputter, he managed to drive off just before the horde of Zombies could swarm onto the cargo area.
"What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming?" Jiao Ziqian exclaimed, slapping his face vigorously as he watched the Horde recede into the night, still unable to process what had just happened.
"This isn't a dream." Song Jiu replied, taking the towel handed to him by a girl and wiping the blood from the face of the Young Man lying in the cargo area. He spoke softly, "Little Black is dead." Little Black was the young man who had died in the driver's seat, his youthful face marred by horrific gashes from shattered glass, blood still oozing from his neck.
"Nine, A Hai should be fine." Luo Yu said after tending to the Young Man who had fortunately returned. He glanced at the now unconscious Middle-Aged Man and sighed, "He probably won't make it."
"Wake him up; he can't die until we reach the riverbank." Song Jiu leaned back against the cargo area, pulled out half a cigarette from his pocket, struck a match to light it, and took a deep drag, trying to calm his racing thoughts.
The night wind tousled his hair and plunged him into chaos. What had just happened was too bizarre; if it weren't for Little Black's cold body still lying in the truck, Song Jiu might have thought it all unreal. The frantic return of Jiao Ziqian, the Zombies that had sent them back, and the horde that followed them—all of it felt like it had lasted much longer than just over ten minutes.
The truck had already left the danger zone, its speed gradually stabilizing. The shaken group huddled silently in the cargo area, none feeling sleepy; their eyes were fixed on Song Jiu and Jiao Ziqian, hoping for an explanation.
"Ziqian, tell us what happened," Song Jiu said as he flicked away the cigarette butt and beckoned Jiao Ziqian closer. "From start to finish—give us all the details. How did things turn out like this in less than half an hour?"
Jiao Ziqian sighed heavily. Though he was in disarray, his injuries were minor and self-inflicted from driving. Lowering his head to think about what had transpired earlier, he slowly began to speak: "That old guy took us to a wild area near the train station exit; we parked in the woods. Little Black and A Hai went in first—there were no Zombies inside, really none."
"I figured there shouldn't be any problems, so I got that guy onto the truck. He said all the gas he got was filled into the tank; I checked—it was full." Jiao Ziqian paused to gather himself before continuing, "The truck was a bit old but drivable. I looked around and saw nothing else of interest, so I called them to get on board and prepare to leave. Then suddenly a few people just came out of nowhere..."
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