After two more days of grueling travel under the scorching sun, Lu Xi and her companions finally reached S City on the fourth day of their departure. The streets here were desolate and horrifying, littered with severed limbs. Hungry zombies, aimless until now, who spotted them immediately and lunged the moment they came into view. Lin Bai’s gaze was calm, cold, and unyielding as he crushed them without mercy, his movements precise and devastating. Strangely, though, there seemed to be fewer zombies here.
On the journey, countless hordes had swarmed them, growing in number as they neared S City. Yet now, inside the city itself, the streets felt almost… eerily empty. It was as if the zombies had vanished. But where had they gone? A gnawing sense of unease prickled at Lu Xi as she think about it further. They weren’t following the original storyline, which had been told from the perspective of the main characters’ team. Those protagonists had never ventured into S City, so Lu Xi had no knowledge of what should or shouldn’t be waiting here.
The laboratory in S City was hidden well, and even with a map, they had wandered for hours without finding it. The roads were treacherous with abandoned vehicles blocked the way, twisted and rusted in the heat, forcing the group to get out and clear the path many times.
The Crimson Flame Squad and Lin Bai’s team fought off the wandering zombies, while Gu Wang’s power conjured lightning that lifted and hurled the vehicles aside effortlessly. Meanwhile, Lu Xi, Xu Yiyi, and Xu Qiaoyun remained vigilant, their eyes scanning for the slightest movement.
Something was definitely wrong here. Lu Xi’s unease grew heavier with every step. Where were all the zombies? Why were there so few?
Her hand unconsciously tightened around Xu Qiaoyun’s. Xu Qiaoyun glanced at her and gave a reassuring squeeze, silently telling her to stay calm. But Lu Xi’s heart pounded faster and faster. Amid the frantic thudding, a strange, chaotic sound began to filter through her awareness.
“Host! It’s a horde of zombies!” 003’s shrill alarm rang in her mind like a siren. She immediately understood and shouted aloud, her voice trembling with urgency: “A horde of zombies are coming ! Get in the car!” No sooner had she finished speaking than countless zombies surged from around the corner ahead. Their grayish-blue faces clustered together, mouths agape in snarls and roars, charging as one relentless wave.
“Gu Wang! Lin Bai! Come back!”
“It’s a horde! Run!”
“Ah! Zombies!” Gu Wang’s eyes darkened instantly. Lightning crackled from his hands as he conjured a wide, crackling field of energy, throwing back the zombies in front of him but it was only temporary. The creatures behind surged forward relentlessly.
He turned, sprinting for the SUVs. The Crimson Flame Squad had already scrambled inside their vehicle, starting the engine. Lin Bai was back at the driver’s seat, his presence steady and commanding. Lu Xi leaned out of the SUV, her delicate, pale hand reaching for him. “Gu Wang, come back!” she called, fear threading through her voice. Almost at the same moment Gu Wang slid into the passenger seat, Lin Bai slammed the gas, and the SUV roared forward, accelerating away from the horde.
A mass of zombies followed closely behind the three SUVs. Smaller groups lurched from intersections ahead, but the SUVs ran them over relentlessly. “Brother Zhao! There are too many zombies!”
“We’re doomed! That’s a horde!”
“We’re finished!” The Crimson Flame Squad cried out in panic. Zhao Gang’s heart also pounded violently, his hands trembling as they gripped the steering wheel. Behind them, the horde’s relentless pursuit pressed ever closer. Ahead, zombies continued to appear, blocking and slowing their path. If this kept up, Zhao Gang knew they would be overtaken in less than five minutes.
“Brother Zhao! Attack Lu Xi and the others! Let them deal with the zombies! Use them to slow us down!”
Cheng Hui, sitting beside him, had already begun to cry. Terror gripped her like a vise. She didn’t want to die she wanted to live! After all, she had fought to climb to the ranks of the strong in this apocalypse. She had survived this long, and now she was on the verge of truly making it. How could she die here, so close? Her mind flashed with the memory of Zhao Gang and his team sneering at Lu Xi and her companions over the past few days, the glances filled with jealousy and disdain. She knew exactly what would happen the moment Lu Xi’s group joined the Crimson Flame Squad—her own position, her status, everything she had fought for, would crumble.
Then let them die now! she thought bitterly, her fingers tightening over the seat beside her as the panic in her chest boiled over.Hearing Cheng Hui’s desperate suggestion, Zhao Gang’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. In the SUV behind him, Lin Bai drove with unnerving calm, while Gu Wang, seated in the passenger seat, occasionally unleashed flashes of his power at the pursuing horde.
Zhao Gang’s face darkened instantly. The journey had already been a constant thorn in his side as Gu Wang and his companions had caused him no end of trouble, and their audacious attack at the base had humiliated him in front of his own squad.
So don’t blame him for being ruthless, he thought; blame Gu Wang and his group for being so reckless, so brazen as to provoke him.
It was a pity, though… about those three beauties. Originally, he had planned to eliminate Gu Wang and Lin Bai right here, then take the women for himself. In this apocalypse, only the strong survived, and these women were intelligent and capable enough to know the advantages of aligning with power. But they were women, and his brothers—his brothers couldn’t die!
A cold smirk curled Zhao Gang’s lips as malice glinting in his eyes. “Liangzi, release your ability behind us!”
“Brother Zhao!”
“Do you want your brothers to die? Someone has to hold off the horde!” Li Liang hesitated for barely a heartbeat, then opened the rear window. Covered by his teammates, he unleashed a fireball into the chaos behind them. He was a fire-type ability user. Though only in the late stage of the first tier, his fireball still carried enough power to be dangerous.
“Watch out!”
Lin Bai, focused on driving and shaking off the relentless horde behind them, barely had time to register the incoming threat. A fireball was hurtling toward them from the front. Dodge? Too late. It was about to collide with there windshield! Lin Bai’s chest tightened with fear. Just as the fireball struck the glass, it was ensnared in a net of crackling purple lightning.
Gu Wang leaned his right hand out of the window, amplifying the lightning with his ability. The net grew larger, wrapping around the fist-sized fireball multiple times. Then, with a deliberate twist of his wrist, Gu Wang compressed the lightning net into a massive ball, roughly the size of a washbasin. He hurled it forward with a crackling shockwave, sending it flying toward Zhao Gang’s vehicle.
Zhao Gang swerved desperately, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. The ball of lightning barely grazed the side of his SUV before crashing into the car ahead, striking four of his own squad members. Tires burst; the vehicle skidded uncontrollably and slammed into a streetlight with a screech of metal and shattering glass.
But Zhao Gang couldn’t stop. He slammed the accelerator, speeding past the wreck, with Lin Bai and the others close behind. The zombie horde swarmed around them. Within moments, screams were drowned in the chaos, then silence fell—terrifying, absolute silence. Zhao Gang’s eyes widened in horror as he stared into the rearview mirror. There, amidst the throng of undead, his brothers were being dragged from the wrecked vehicle, their screams and the tearing of flesh echoing in his mind.
His brothers… the men who had risked their lives for him, holding the line against the relentless horde… were being devoured. And yet, looking back at the calm expression on Lin Bai’s face and Gu Wang’s cold, unflinching gaze in the SUV behind him, Zhao Gang’s shock twisted into a burning, vicious rage.
Gu Wang! Lin Bai! I’ll kill you both! he seethed.
Thanks to the selfless sacrifice of the four fallen members of the Crimson Flame Squad, the number of zombies chasing them had decreased significantly. Still Lin Bai remained locked in focus behind the wheel, while Lu Xi and Gu Wang leaned out of the SUV, weaving their powers into the fray. Lu Xi, now at the mid-stage of the second tier, conjured thick, arm-sized ice spikes, her precision and destructive power growing with every attack.
The two worked in seamless coordination: Gu Wang used his lightning to ensnare and restrain the advancing zombies, while Lu Xi capitalized on their frozen movements, thrusting her ice spikes with lethal precision to pierce their heads. Lin Bai, however, remained fully occupied with driving. Xu Qiaoyun’s healing abilities were invaluable, but she had little offensive power. Xu Yiyi, skilled with her Tang sword [a traditional Chinese straight double-edged sword, used primarily for dueling and ceremonial purposes], was limited to close combat—powerful, yes, but insufficient against the onslaught of zombies from a distance.
Every second counted. Every motion of their combined abilities was a delicate balance between survival and chaos. As the streets of S City had become a battlefield, and the three SUVs were the fragile line between life and the ravenous horde closing in from all sides.At this moment, only Gu Wang and Lu Xi had offensive capabilities in there group that can be used fully.
Lu Xi could feel her power waning, her mind hazy and fogged with fatigue. She wanted to collapse into sleep, but there was no time—rest was a luxury they couldn’t afford now. 003’s shrill voice kept echoing in her mind, urging her to awaken her will. Gripping the moment, she absorbed several crystal cores [small crystalline energy sources used to replenish supernatural power], replenishing her strength bit by bit.
After countless cores were absorbed, the SUV finally broke free from the tangled streets of S City and entered the wide, open national highway.
Lin Bai exhaled and let go of his worry about the abandoned vehicles blocking the city streets. He stomped on the accelerator, pushing the vehicle to its maximum speed.
Behind them, the relentless horde of zombies was gradually pushed back by the combined efforts of Gu Wang and Lu Xi. Together, they carved a widening distance between themselves and the chasing undead.
Twenty minutes later, the horde was finally out of sight and Lu Xi’s vision went black. She sagged helplessly into Xu Yiyi’s arms, utterly drained.
“Lu Xi!” Xu Yiyi wrapped her protectively, while Xu Qiaoyun rushed to transfer supernatural energy [a method to heal or restore energy internally] into her, mending the internal damage caused by Lu Xi’s exhaustion. Gu Wang leaned back in the passenger seat, glancing at her with a gaze that was cold but restrained. Lu Xi’s face was ashen, her delicate features strained, a sheen of sweat glimmering across her forehead. Her lips were chapped, white, and dry, her brows furrowed in fatigue.
He recalled that panicked moment when Lu Xi had peeked out the car, calling his name with desperation, her tiny hands flailing to reach him. A flicker of violent protectiveness surged through him, almost tipping him into outright rage. His attention shifted forward, to Zhao Gang’s SUV, and his face darkened instantly. Than purple lightning crackled over his knuckles, sparks dancing ominously.
The other vehicle crested a small hill in a secluded village. Gu Wang gathered a ball of lightning and hurled it at Zhao Gang’s car. With a screech of brakes, Zhao Gang’s SUV finally skidded to a stop.
Gu Wang and Lin Bai stepped out, icy expressions etched on their faces, their eyes glittering with lethal intent.
Gu Wang casually approached the driver’s side, peering in at Zhao Gang with an unsettling, cold smile. The members of the Crimson Flame Squad froze, unsure of his intent, too fearful to exit their vehicle.
“Brother Zhao…”
“Bang!”
Before Li Liang could even speak, Gu Wang’s right fist, crackling with thick lightning, slammed against the window facing Zhao Gang. Twice, then the glass shattered, with shards flying and cutting Zhao Gang’s face, leaving fresh streaks of blood across his cheeks.
“Gu Wang! What are you doing?!”
Zhao Gang hastily summoned a golden shield [a defensive energy barrier], but the next instant, a lightning ball shattered it, coiling around him like an unyielding serpent. Gu Wang tugged him out of the jagged, broken window. Shards of glass cut across his chest and thighs, and he was nearly drenched in his own blood.
Lin Bai quickly swung open the back door, pulling Li Liang and the other two men huddled inside to safety.
“Ah! Don’t pull me! This has nothing to do with me!”
Xu Yiyi opened the passenger side and yanked Cheng Hui from the car, but the woman screamed in sheer terror, helpless against the chaos around her.
Zhao Gang, restrained by the lightning coils, writhed in pain. Sharp shards embedded in his body, blood seeping from every cut. He whimpered, his voice cracking, “Gu Wang! Gu Wang! It was that woman’s idea! I didn’t want to do this! Please… don’t kill me!”
“Ah! It wasn’t me! It was him! He said at the base he wanted you dead! They wanted the three women, so they sent us on this mission!”
“You bitch, shut up!” Zhao Gang’s bloodshot eyes snapped toward Cheng Hui, now a blur of tears and snot. His rage was palpable; he wanted to kill her too.
A deep, soft laugh echoed, and then the sole of a boot pressed down hard onto Zhao Gang’s face. The damp earth squelched under the pressure. Dirt filled his nostrils, the air choking him, and he could barely breathe.
“Didn’t I warn you before we left? Don’t cross lines you shouldn’t,” Gu Wang said, his voice calm yet laced with threat, pressing down harder, burying half of Zhao Gang’s face in the mud.
“I’m… I’m sorry… I was out of my mind! I’ll never do it again! Please… don’t kill me!”
The captain of the Crimson Flame Squad, second-ranked at the base, had completely lost his composure. Tears streaked his face, mingled with blood and snot, mirroring Cheng Hui’s terrified wails.
Regret consumed him. How had he dared to provoke Gu Wang?
Gu Wang had shattered the golden shield Zhao Gang had painstakingly formed with a single bolt of lightning. He had been ensnared and dragged helplessly, utterly powerless against this force. He and Gu Wang were like a stream struggling against a raging river.
But it was already too late.
Unbeknownst to them, the hillside below had become a feeding ground. Drawn by the scent of blood, twenty or thirty zombies had gathered, their bloodshot eyes and grayish-blue faces fixed on Gu Wang and his companions as they climbed.
There was enough of them to devour the entire squad.
“No! No! Don’t!”
“Please… spare us!”
“Gu Wang, I’m your junior sister! I’m Cheng Hui! Please… you can’t kill me!”
Panic and despair overtook them. Tears streamed down their faces as they kowtowed, begging for mercy. The depth of their regret was undeniable—they had erred grievously in following Zhao Gang.