Chapter 6
A military truck roared out of the town government compound, violently smashing aside the zombies blocking its path. Their bodies were sent spinning several meters away. The front bumper was smeared with their sticky, viscous blood. Some were dragged under the wheels, and after the wide tires rolled over them, a layer of bloody paste was left on the ground.
However, zombies from all directions, already drawn by the sound of gunfire, now heard the tremendous commotion the truck was making. They began to charge from all sides at a sprinting pace, crashing their bodies against the truck's exterior and high guardrails, trying to force their way into the rear compartment. Listening to the incessant thump, thump, thump sound of impacts, everyone's face turned pale.
Before tonight, the walking corpses An Tianhe had seen in the city were nothing like this. At most, they would extend their diseased arms and stumble forward sluggishly. Neither their speed nor strength had been so explosive beore; it was hard to believe they were the same kind of monsters.
The walking corpses behind the truck converged like a tide, filling the entire street in less than a minute. They shrieked and crashed against the rear of the truck like a wave.
"Boom! Boom!!" "Da-da-da-da-da—"
The armed police and airborne brigade soldiers at the rear of the truck continuously fired their shotguns and assault rifles into the horde of walking corpses swarming up. The flickering gun flashes illuminated their hideous, ashen faces and their sharp, blood-stained fangs.
A mutated walking corpse suddenly leaped up, its hands gripping the truck's rear guardrail with steady precision. Just as it was about to climb in, a shotgun blast blew away half its face. But even as its head snapped back from the blast, its hands remained clamped on, refusing to let go. The shot had been fired at such close range that red and gray brain matter sprayed out, splattering all over the rear compartment. A thick, foul stench assaulted their nostrils, making everyone cry out in horror.
The other walking corpses seemed to learn by example, following suit and leaping onto the truck. But there were only a few armed police officers on board; the rest were rescued survivors. The situation quickly became perilous.
At that moment, An Tianhe hurried forward. Wearing a pair of military boots given to him by Captain Gao and holding a newly issued anti-riot baton, he rushed forward and stabbed several times, shoving the remains of the corpse still clinging to the guardrail down, taking with it another corpse that had been hanging on it.
The walking corpses kept coming, but the magazines were quickly emptied. There was almost no time to reload. A soldier quickly pulled out several grenades and threw them in succession, buying the others time to change magazines.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!" The successive explosions instantly cleared a large area behind the truck. The accelerator was already floored, and the truck began to pull away from the horde.
However, a few walking corpses had already climbed onto the truck. They were hanging on both sides of the cab, scratching and pounding with their hands. They were even using their heads to continuously slam against the glass, desperately trying to get in and devour the fresh meat inside. One of them used too much force, cracking its own skull. Inky black blood instantly splattered all over the window, dripping down, but the attacks did not stop.
Fortunately, the glass on a military truck was bulletproof. The rampaging walking corpses could not yet cause direct damage. The rear compartment, however, was not so well protected. Although it had high metal guardrails on all four sides, the top was only covered with a rain tarp. Several agile walking corpses could be seen crawling on the roof, their weight causing the tarp to visibly sag and rise.
One anxious soldier raised his weapon and fired a burst at the top. Although he hit the walking corpses, the tarp was also riddled with several bullet holes. Suddenly, a bloodied arm tore through the canvas and reached down. Then, the shrieking corpse tore the hole wider. The armed police and soldiers fired back, but this only expanded the damaged area. The tarp could no longer bear the weight of the corpses and tore open, causing them all to fall inside.
The rear compartment instantly descended into screams and panic. The leading corpse was almost blown to pieces, but with it acting as a meat shield and drawing attention, the other less-injured corpses immediately pounced, lunging at the nearest soldier. Their mutated claws plunged directly into his chest, and then they bit down on his neck. Thick, dark blood gushed from the severed artery, spraying the armed policeman next to him. The smell only seemed to further incite the other corpses, making their attacks even more frenzied.
The rear compartment was lost. Captain Gao who was sitting in the cab, aimed his pistol through a small connecting window, but he couldn't pull the trigger. They were all mixed together, and the light was dim; it was too easy to hit one of their own. In his desperation, he had the driver slow down while shouting into the rear compartment, "Jump!! Pull the tarpaulin back, jump now!!"
An Tianhe, who had often ridden in these trucks for missions in the city, was already panicking. This shout was undoubtedly a timely lifeline. He shoved a nearby walking corpse back with his anti-riot baton, then turned and grabbed the tarpaulin on the right wall of the compartment, pulling it up and then back. This opened a gap big enough for a person to escape.
"This way!!" Driven by the instinct to survive, he shouted and was the first to climb over the guardrail and jump. The truck was moving slowly now, and he managed to roll forward and get to his feet. Before he could even steady himself, a warm body, accompanied by a scream, knocked him back to the ground.
The impact made him dazed for a moment. As he came to his senses, he was about to curse, but a faint, sweet scent reached his nose, and his face was covered by something large, soft, and full, blocking his mouth. But there was no room for any improper thoughts now. He subconsciously pushed the person away, and they helped each other up. The softness he felt in his hand confirmed his judgment: it was a woman.
In the dim light, he couldn't make out her features. He only saw her hugging her own arms, trembling and sobbing, unable to even say a thank you or sorry. She was clearly terrified but this was no place to linger. An Tianhe picked up his anti-riot baton with his left hand and, for some reason, grabbed the woman's arm with his right, dragging her towards the woods by the river, with no thought for the other survivors.
Just as they reached the woods, they heard the truck's engine roar again. An Tianhe's heart leaped. He looked back and saw the truck's headlights suddenly swerve to the right, followed by several gunshots. The horde of corpses that had been catching up, smelling the blood in the rear compartment and drawn by the gunfire, surged towards the truck.
Captain Gao was still buying time for the survivors even at this moment! Otherwise, he could have just accelerated and left Longtan Town, lightening his load.
An Tianhe's eyes suddenly burned, and his lips trembled. The image of that dark-skinned, stern-faced man with determined eyes flashed through his mind, and his heart ached. From that moment on, the image of that soldier was seared into his memory like a brand.
He didn't have time to be sentimental, as a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods behind them.
"Who's there?" An Tianhe held his breath and observed for a moment before daring to ask, hoping it was a living person.
But immediately, the nightmarish roar made him jump.
"Damn it, what's going on? How did they follow us here?!" An Tianhe increased his pace, pulling the woman forward. It had just rained, and the woods were wet and slippery. The ground was soft, and it was easy to step in a patch of mud, which slowed them down even more.
The woman was wearing a skirt over a pair of pants, and the skirt kept getting caught on bushes, severely hampering their progress. Hearing the sound of the walking corpses getting closer, An Tianhe grew desperate. He glanced down at her skirt and said, "I'm sorry!". Then he grabbed the hem of the skirt with both hands and tore it with a "riiip" sound, revealing her two long, legs in trousers.
The woman recoiled and shrieked, her hands continuously beating on An Tianhe's arm. "What are you doing!!"
He clamped a hand over her mouth and put on a fierce expression. "Shut up!! Do you want to die here? If not, do as I say!" Seeing she had stopped struggling, he let go and quickly finished tearing the skirt, leaving only the part around her waist and a band that wrapped diagonally above her knees, throwing the rest away. Then he continued to pull her along again. Their speed was indeed much faster now.
They were almost at the river, but Captain Gao had said that the sudden outbreak of the virus tonight was likely related to the rain. The river was now full of rainwater, and he didn't dare to touch it, otherwise he would have just waded across.
The two of them were panting as they walked along the river when suddenly, a walking corpse leaped out of the nearby bushes, knocking An Tianhe to the ground. Its gaping maw lunged for his throat…
…
"Aah!!" An Tianhe jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. He stared blankly for a moment before looking around. He wasn't by the river; he was in a room. It was strange, yet somewhat familiar. He wiped the sweat from his brow and ran his hands over his body. No injuries, no bite wounds! He felt a slight relief at this.
So, where was this...
As his memory gradually returned, he finally remembered. It had been nine days since that night of escape. Feeling tired, he lay back down. His whole body felt sticky and uncomfortable from sweat, and his mouth was dry. He desperately wanted a drink of water and a shower.
He got out of bed and habitually walked into the small adjacent room. It used to be a bathroom, but when he turned the tap, not a single drop of water came out. This only made him even thirstier.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of dripping water from upstairs. He ran two stairs at a time and saw cases of bottled water stacked in a corner. His face lit up with joy. He grabbed a bottle, twisted the cap, and gulped it down. More than half the bottle was gone in seconds. He paused for a breath, then tilted his head back and drank the rest.
Just then, the dripping sound from the bathroom stopped and a young woman in her prime emerged. She only had an old towel wrapped around her body, clearly something she she had found here. As she walked, she dried her hair with another towel. She had been in a good mood, but when she suddenly saw someone else in the upstairs living room, her body froze.
Hearing the soft footsteps, An Tianhe turned and saw a curvaceous, half-naked woman standing behind him. Her delicate collarbones, her fair glowing skin, and a deep cleavage that seemed to magnetically lock his gaze there. The small old towel barely ocvered her full, firm breasts, sending his blood rushing to his head.
"Stop staring!!"
The woman hastily tried to cover herself. A wedding ring glinted on the slender, fair ring finger of her left hand, jolting him back to his senses. His face burned, and he quickly averted his eyes. Just as his gaze swept over her damp hair and her angry, almond-shaped eyes, a slightly wet towel was thrown, landing over his face.
"Pervert~!!" The woman clutched her towel and scurried back to her room in small, quick steps, slamming the door shut.
This left An Tianhe standing in the living room, his face flushed red with utter embarrassment.