Chapter Eleven: Crisis in the Small Town

The members of the Green Dragon Gang stood there, their eyes glazed over as they silently watched our retreating figures.

“Boss, they… they were carried by the zombies and ran away?!” one of the younger members gasped, his mouth forming an ‘O’ of astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

Another stammered, “Not only did the zombies not attack them, but… they actually carried them?”

The leader’s jaw had practically dropped; he slapped his cheeks with both hands. “Seems like that’s exactly what happened.”

“Boss, so… are we still going after them?” one of the men asked in disbelief.

The leader turned and smacked him hard across the face, scolding, “Are you crazy? This… this has to be some kind of evil spirit. Why chase after them? You go if you want!” Then he turned and ran.

The rest of the men stood dumbfounded, watching their boss run like a madman through the crowd and away. Only after he had run some distance did he shout back, “Brothers, retreat! If that evil spirit comes back, none of us will get out alive!”

Panic instantly erupted. The men fled back, moving even faster than their leader.

“Damn it, you bunch of cowards! Running faster than rabbits! Wait for your boss!” he yelled.

I crouched on the zombie’s back, the wind whistling past my ears, carrying a faint chill that couldn’t cool the burning anxiety in my heart. Behind me, Jiang Hanchuan and Luo Yucheng followed closely. Our silhouettes darted through the forests like desperate fugitives, seeking a glimmer of hope amid the apocalypse’s wasteland.

…

After shaking off the marauders, though puzzled why they didn’t pursue us further, we pressed on without pause.

I gave up having the zombies carry us and resumed walking southward. Though I controlled only a few zombies, maintaining control drained my mental energy greatly. I couldn’t afford to collapse from nervous exhaustion before reaching the laboratory base.

Along the way, guided by my special ability, it was like having a built-in navigation system. I skillfully avoided all known zombie-infested areas, sidestepping needless battles and bloodshed.

Weeks passed. Xu Hanfeng’s wounds had mostly healed. The four of us moved in single file through this desolate world.

Nanyang Province, Anqing City.

After a long and arduous journey, we finally crossed into Nanyang Province.

Xu Hanfeng pulled out a map, scrutinizing it carefully, then pointed toward a dilapidated city ahead. “Look, that should be Anqing City. But it’s probably a zombie haven by now. We must tread carefully.”

The four of us cautiously entered Anqing City. The sight before us was nothing short of hell on earth, shocking and grim.

On both sides of the street, shops were shuttered, their windows shattered, glass shards strewn everywhere. Once bustling streets had become roaming grounds for zombies. They snarled and prowled; some wore tattered clothes, exposing rotting flesh that emitted a nauseating stench. Others even tore at each other, blood spraying like rain, as if the entire world had sunk into a quagmire of death.

“This… this is Anqing City?” Luo Yucheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never seen anything so terrifying. “So many zombies… what do we do?”

Her voice trembled. Clutching her weapon tightly, fear shone clearly in her eyes.

“We have to avoid them. If we try to fight directly, we’ll alert the surrounding zombies and get surrounded ourselves. Then we’ll be trapped, like fish in a barrel with no chance of escape,” Xu Hanfeng said steadily, his gaze calm yet resolute, as if weighing strategies.

We nodded, stepping even more cautiously among the zombies. We hugged the walls, making as little noise as possible, afraid to provoke these dreadful creatures. Yet, the zombies seemed oblivious to our presence, wandering aimlessly as if searching for their next prey.

Suddenly, sharp howls pierced the air. Several figures shot out like lightning.

We focused, realizing they were zombified animals. Once the city’s pets, strays, or even zoo favorites, they had now turned into rabid zombie beasts.

Their speed far outmatched the humanoid zombies — like arrows unleashed, they swiftly reached us.

“Z-zombie animals!” I exclaimed, quickly adopting a defensive stance.

Madness and bloodlust burned in their eyes. Their claws were razor-sharp, capable of tearing flesh with ease.

Xu Hanfeng reacted swiftly, swinging his iron rod at the lead zombie dog. The rod cut through the air and struck the creature’s head hard. The dog howled pitifully and collapsed, motionless. But the others did not retreat; instead, they attacked us with even greater frenzy.

I was stunned — I couldn’t sense these zombie animals mentally at all.

Still, I instinctively tried to control them, but my efforts were met with silence, as if thrown into a void. These zombie beasts seemed to have lost all reason, driven only to attack and maul.

“Hanchuan, watch your back!” I called anxiously toward Jiang Hanchuan.

He gripped a thick spiked club tightly. Spinning around, he swung hard at a charging zombie cat. The club struck with a heavy thud, sending the creature flying into a wall. It got up again, though.

Seeing this, Jiang Hanchuan turned to flee but was caught by a protruding steel rebar. He stumbled forward, his knee slamming into the ground, teeth gritting in pain.

Xu Hanfeng arrived just in time, delivering a precise blow that crushed the zombie cat’s skull before it could attack again.

Luo Yucheng stood next to me, holding a shovel firmly. Her eyes radiated determination and bravery, though her body trembled slightly.

When a zombie rat lunged at us, she swung the shovel fiercely, but the rat darted like a ghost, and the shovel struck only its tail. The rat screeched but intensified its attack.

I retreated hastily, accidentally smashing into a crumbling wall behind me. Bricks fell, hitting my head and shoulder, pain stinging so sharply tears pricked my eyes.

Once again, Xu Hanfeng rushed over, pulling me out of danger.

Back to back, the four of us fought desperately against the frenzied zombie animals. They kept attacking relentlessly, while our rods and clubs swung fiercely in defense. Yet, with such overwhelming numbers, exhaustion slowly crept in.

“Quick! There’s a museum over there—let’s take cover inside!” Xu Hanfeng suddenly shouted.

Relieved, we sprinted toward the museum. The zombie animals pursued relentlessly, their howls and claws scraping the ground nearly deafening. We ran with every ounce of strength, swinging our weapons to fend them off.

At last, we burst through the museum’s front doors. Xu Hanfeng turned quickly, slamming the doors shut. But the beasts didn’t give up, clawing madly at the wood, their howls deafening.

We leaned against the door, gasping for breath, hearts pounding from the close call.

Our bodies were battered and bruised, pain sharp and unyielding, but we knew we couldn’t collapse now.

Looking around, the museum was dilapidated but still offered relative safety. We found a secluded corner and sat down to discuss our next move.

“This place feels relatively safe. I don’t sense any zombies inside, but…” I hesitated.

Xu Hanfeng glanced at me and immediately understood. “But you can’t sense whether there are zombie animals, right, Linyu?”

I felt as if I were talking to a close sister, nodding firmly. “Boss, how did you know? You’re amazing!” Then I pouted, “Maybe my ability is still too weak. I can’t help this time.”

Luo Yucheng looked at me with gentle encouragement. “Linyu, it’s really okay. You’ve done incredibly well. Several times, it’s thanks to you that we got out alive.”

She smiled sweetly, like the warmest spring sunshine, instantly brightening the shadows in my heart.

Jiang Hanchuan scowled beside us. “You two are unbearable,” jealousy and frustration mingling in his gaze. “Boss, you were injured and during that time, those two kept showing off their lovey-dovey stuff right in front of me. You gotta put a stop to that!”

Luo Yucheng and I spoke in unison, “Shut up!”

“Fine, fine. I’m the odd one out here! I’m leaving, alright?!” Jiang Hanchuan’s face dark as stormy water, he stalked deeper into the museum alone.

—————

The museum we took refuge in displayed Ming Dynasty artifacts. We were at a loss for what to do next, our minds blank, so we decided to search for anything useful inside.

The museum had three floors. We divided the work: Xu Hanfeng took the first floor, Jiang Hanchuan the second, and Luo Yucheng and I the third.

Taking a deep breath, I warned, “Be careful, everyone. We don’t know if there’s any danger inside.”

With that, we scattered to begin our search.

Luo Yucheng and I cautiously explored the third floor, our eyes scanning every corner like searchlights. Most exhibits were paintings and poetry collections, breathtakingly beautiful but practically useless to us.

After a thorough search, we found only some worn scrolls and poetry books, leaving us somewhat disappointed.