Chapter 109: Encountering the Horde (Today

"Vehicle assignments remain unchanged—Xiao Xue and Lü Zi, you ride with Tan Hua!"

Zhang Su stood beside the van and gave the order, silently calculating the combat strength of each vehicle to ensure balance before feeling reassured.

He added: "We’ll take the route past Yileiwen Convenience Store and fill every empty space on the vehicles! No puff snacks—load up on high-calorie food and water. Those bastards won’t eat much, so pack it full!"

"Got it!"

Everyone responded in unison.

The consumption of over a dozen people was substantial; when they arrived yesterday, the vehicles were packed to the brim, but after two meals, many spaces had emptied—just water alone had been consumed by over twenty liters!

Resource depletion caused anxiety; whenever there was a chance to replenish, it must not be missed.

After preparations were complete, the convoy set out again. Zhang Su touched the burst airbag in the center of the steering wheel and thought: It was time for this war vehicle to retire in glory.

Overnight, a few zombies had emerged sporadically on the streets where the horde had passed—no one knew where they’d been hiding in some corner, causing them to fall behind the group and get left alone.

Three or five zombies posed no threat to the group; after eliminating them one by one, the convoy arrived at the entrance of Yileiwen.

As they neared Yileiwen Convenience Store, Tan Huajun clearly sensed Zhao Xue’s breathing quicken in the backseat. She glanced in the rearview mirror and said gently: "Lü Zi, you stay in the vehicle and look after Xiao Xue—don’t get out."

"Exactly!"

Chen Hanzhou expressed his agreement succinctly.

"Alright, sorry for the trouble..."

Zhao Xue pressed her hand to her chest, her face pale; at twenty-something, her experience at Yileiwen Convenience Store had been the darkest of her life.

Zhang Su slammed the van to a stop at the store’s entrance, stepped out, glanced left and right, and sighed: "The night the disaster broke out, I loaded up here—Lü Zi even helped me then. Now..."

He shook his head, pulled out his keys, and unlocked the roller shutter, gesturing to those behind him: "Hurry up!"

No reminder was needed—everyone rushed into the store swiftly.

Aaooouuu...

Suddenly, a zombie leapt out from a corner.

"Holy shit!"

Lu Yubo jumped in fright; in the darkness, he instinctively thrust the food sampler, but in panic, missed completely—punching a hole through the zombie’s chest cavity. Yet this attack did nothing to halt its advance.

Thud.

Fortunately, at that moment, Zheng Xinyu stepped up from behind and smashed the zombie’s head with a baseball bat, giving Lu Yubo time to yank out the food sampler and deliver a precise blow to its skull.

"Damn it, who didn’t finish off the damn thing last night? Fuck, almost got me killed!"

Looking at the zombie slowly collapsing to the ground, Lu Yubo’s face flushed with rage.

"We missed one—don’t you remember how chaotic it was last night? Just hurry up and focus on the task!"

Zheng Xinyu urged.

The group began scavenging supplies, stepping over and around the corpses on the floor as if they weren’t there.

The store’s inventory was extensive and rich—far beyond what a gas station convenience store could offer. Even after a few people from the big iron stove crew had taken some, there was still more than enough to carry away.

Yet, just as everyone had barely entered the store, a group of shambling zombies appeared at a nearby intersection—and, inexplicably, turned toward Yileiwen!

Zhang Su, on lookout, leaned against the door with a cigarette in his mouth. He’d just finished chatting with Zhao Dechu, who was emerging with over a dozen packs of cigarettes, when he looked up—and froze. A large horde of zombies was already within forty to fifty meters!

That distance seemed far, but it was not far at all.

The zombies were currently in a dazed, wandering state, moving slowly—but once they spotted a feast at Yileiwen’s entrance, their sprinting speed would be terrifying, easily four to five meters per second!

"Hurry! Zombies coming!"

Zhang Su broke into a cold sweat and shouted to those inside the store, keeping his voice low.

"Shit!"

Zhao Dechu, about to toss his cigarettes into the vehicle, looked toward the intersection and leapt back in shock—dozens of zombies, at least a hundred, loomed darkly ahead. With cover, they might stand a chance—but out in the open, this was deadly!

He sprinted back to the vehicle for weapons.

Those inside the store didn’t hesitate—they knew if it were just a few zombies, Zhang Su would’ve dealt with them silently. His urgent call meant a large horde was approaching.

Everyone rushed out. The timid dropped their supplies—survival came first.

With ten people moving about, the noise was loud. Zombies had poor eyesight and hearing, but they weren’t deaf or blind. The dozen at the front quickly sensed something amiss; one let out a shriek and bolted toward Yileiwen.

The zombies behind them, as if sensing their companion’s call, began to run!

"Shit! They’ve spotted us!"

Zhang Su was about to sprint for the van when he saw the zombies surge forward—and several people still emerging from the store, including Zheng Xinyu.

Judging by timing, by the time the zombies reached the parked vehicles, some might still be unboarded.

Even if everyone made it aboard, there wouldn’t be enough time to start the engines. Even under ideal conditions, only a few vehicles might barely escape—likely at least two would be overrun.

If trapped by this horde, the glass windows offered no real protection—the outcome was obvious.

"Everyone except drivers and the injured, follow me! Xinyu, take the van—drive it to the intersection by the dry cleaner!"

Zhang Su roared to the group. There was no point hiding his voice now. He grabbed his axe-hammer and dog-leg sword and charged forward, buying time for his comrades to start the vehicles.

Only two choices remained: abandon all vehicles and flee on foot—or have someone hold off the zombies.

Zhang Su chose the latter. The four vehicles carried food, water, tools, weapons, generators—too vital to lose. They had to fight. If they lost, they could still run later.

The situation was dire, but everyone was no longer greenhorns—they stayed calm and moved according to Zhang Su’s orders.

Drivers sprinted to their respective vehicles. Chen Hanzhou, Zhao Dechu, and Yu Wen grabbed weapons and joined the line to block the horde—even frail Yu Qing followed her father, lending aid.

These few could charge without hesitation beside Zhang Su because they understood why.

Aside from Chen Hanzhou, the others had noticed something.

Zhang Su had assigned his four most trusted people as drivers—and kept himself behind to delay the zombies.

The intent was clear: to reassure those fighting with him that the vehicles wouldn’t flee and leave them stranded...

Today’s outing is a major shopping trip, so update volume is light—relax, it’s the New Year~~~

(End of Chapter)