Chapter 65: Leaving the Starting Village

“Keep up, okay?”

Zhang Su was observing Haranda in the rearview mirror when he noticed another vehicle following behind Haranda—he could tell from the shape of its headlights that it was an Audi Q5.

“Fuck, I’ve been set up too!”

The Audi Q5 was clever—it hadn’t reacted when Ai Cha Sanwu left, clearly guessing there was another group behind that phone, and sure enough, he’d waited them out!

No time to care about what was behind; zombies still surged from both sides toward the van. Zhang Su maneuvered the van awkwardly to dodge them, refusing to ram the zombies charging at the vehicle—he feared the aging van couldn’t take the impact.

“Fuck, wait till I get my hands on an armored vehicle—I’ll run you all over!”

As he dodged the lunging zombies, Zhang Su seethed inside.

Soon, the van reached the bottom of the exit ramp—but the scene atop the slope made Zhang Su’s hair stand on end!

Dozens of zombies were scattered across the roughly forty- to fifty-meter-long slope; avoiding them wasn’t impossible—just slightly harder than a driving test.

But zombies move—and they move fast!

Hearing the engine’s approach, some zombies near the ramp’s base lunged toward the van, their fearless charge almost touching.

“Fuck it, let’s go!”

Zhang Su’s eyes burned with madness—the dawn was right ahead; he refused to fall before sunrise. He slammed his foot down, crushing the accelerator pedal nearly into the engine bay.

Vrrrrm!!

The engine roared in defiance, the tachometer needle shooting past the redline to over six thousand RPM—the van unleashed its most furious burst of power ever.

Thud. Thud-thud-thud.

Crashing through the three closest zombies, Zhang Su jerked the wheel slightly and slipped through the gap. The sudden speed gave him endless possibilities—he tore a path straight through the horde!

“Go! Go! Push it!”

Zhang Su kept his foot glued to the pedal; the van shot out of the underground parking lot, launching high off the final ramp—driving with the raw intensity of a rally race!

In just one or two seconds, the van slammed back onto the ground, landing awkwardly and swaying left and right—but it stayed upright, no rollover!

“Ha! Yeah!”

As the street scene came into view, Zhang Su let out a cheer—he’d finally left that damned darkness behind.

He knew this was only the first step of a hard journey; after the cheer, he snapped back into focus.

A quick scan revealed the southern street of the compound was better than he’d feared—nowhere near as brutal as the western street with its explosions, nor as chaotic as the eastern street where SWAT had clashed with zombies.

Still, over a dozen vehicles lay scattered across the road; a food cart across the street was drenched in blood, half a corpse dangling from its display window—someone had tried hiding there from zombies, but failed.

Debris littered the road, some hindering driving—but as long as the path wasn’t blocked, even if the tires were gone, he’d drive on with just the rims!

Following his plan, Zhang Su turned right onto the main road and saw zombies ahead were denser than behind—he guessed the vehicle that’d left the compound earlier had gone the opposite direction.

Though zombies were numerous, the open road was far easier than the underground lot—plenty of room to dodge, no real obstacle.

As Zhang Su turned onto the main road, he caught sight of Haranda emerging from the underground parking lot—the windshield was covered by a zombie flailing its arms…

A bump jolted the zombie off the hood, flinging it onto the roadside.

“We’re clear…”

Zhang Su had barely sighed when the black Audi Q5 followed Haranda out of the parking lot!

“Don’t follow me, damn it, you fucking—”

As he muttered, he watched the Q5 turn right without hesitation behind Haranda—its intent was crystal clear.

“Shit!”

A moment’s distraction nearly sent him crashing into a tilted car ahead—he snapped back to focus, fully committing to leading the way.

The street no longer resembled its former self—the apocalypse movie scenes had bled into reality. Zombies wandered the corners, green belts, sidewalks, and storefronts—not dense, but far from scarce.

He rolled down his window slightly; a cold wind carrying a strange odor blew into the cabin.

“It’s really the end of the world.”

Trapped inside the compound, he hadn’t truly felt it—but now, standing in the midst of it, the desolation was crushing.

In moments, Zhang Su’s van turned onto Qingbin Road, leading to the gas station.

Qingbin Road was one of Qincheng’s busier streets; now, its condition was far worse than the road outside Sheng Qin Jiayuan. Vehicles blocking the center of the road had nearly sealed it shut; zombies of all shapes wandered through the wreckage—horrifying beyond words.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out.

“Help! Save me!”

Zhang Su turned his head—on the adjacent lane at the intersection, a woman leaned out of her sunroof, frantically waving her arms toward him.

“No choice…”

Zhang Su didn’t hesitate—he swerved onto the non-motorized lane, riding the curb on the right, tilting the van as it sped forward—no intention of stopping to help.

He relied entirely on speed to escape the zombies; if he stopped to rescue anyone, he’d be surrounded—no doubt.

“Zhong Xiaoshanjian, don’t you dare turn into a bleeding heart!”

As Zhang Su thought this, the rearview mirror showed Haranda approaching—its speed matched his own, and the zombies couldn’t even brush its body before losing track.

From its maneuvering, Zhang Su could tell Zhong Xiaoshanjian had turned without hesitation—proof she wasn’t a pushover.

“Decisive. Good.”

Zhang Su was wrong—Zhong Xiaoshanjian and the others hadn’t noticed the plea for help. Zheng Xinyu’s face was pale, eyes tightly shut; in the backseat, Wang Guang’s face was sallow, eyes also closed.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Following closely behind the van, Haranda and the Q5 copied the same maneuver—tilting their bodies as they raced forward.

After leaving the compound, Zhong Xiaoshanjian had fully unleashed herself—no slowing, no yielding. When zombies charged her, she drove straight into them. It might damage the car, but at least it prevented a catastrophic rollover.

Her eyes locked onto the van’s rear, bloodshot from straining—she wouldn’t even glance at a cry for help, or a collapsing building beside her.

The Audi Q5’s driver was equally skilled, appearing ready to overtake Haranda at any moment.

The three vehicles sped through the zombie-choked street; blocked by wrecked cars and greenery, many zombies couldn’t keep up, soon halting and slipping back into their vacant daze.

Soon, Zhang Su’s gaze sharpened—the gas station’s sign appeared ahead!

Studied some interesting things: when your nose is blocked, lie on the side that’s clear—it’ll unblock the clogged side; not everyone gets blocked. Never cough while draining water… and if your throat itches but you don’t want to cough, try singing high notes—it’ll scratch the itch~

(End of Chapter)