Chapter 80

Shu Fu and Chen Fa rushed out of the off-road vehicle at almost the same time and ran toward the front of the bus. The bus’s front end had been deformed by the explosion, and the tail of the pickup truck was also affected.

Jiang Dai and the others in the pickup truck were slapping their heads to ease the ringing in their ears, while pushing open the car doors and running toward the back.

“What happened?” Chen Fa asked.

“It seems like a landmine!” Jiang Dai, who had been driving at the front, had seen the whole explosion of the bus’s front end through the rearview mirror. The pickup truck likely avoided the landmine because its wheels didn’t hit it, or perhaps the explosion device was triggered by a vehicle of a certain weight.

Judging by the number of gray scab patients in the area, the latter seemed more likely. After all, there were patients everywhere in the city at night, and no one could control their movements. If anything could trigger the explosion by running over it, then all those patients would have been useless!

Anyway, the pickup truck had narrowly escaped.

Otherwise, given the intensity of the explosion, if the pickup truck’s wheels had hit the mine, she would have been dead by now. “Have those people gone mad? They’ve even planted landmines in the city center!”

The bus’s front and doors were already on fire, and they wanted to approach, but couldn’t get close to the doors.

Jiang Dai anxiously called out her husband’s name toward the bus, but when the incident occurred, Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng were on the roof of the bus, and now neither of them could be seen.

At the same time, the sound of a car window shattering came from the back of the bus. It was Lu Zheng, who had been at the rear of the bus with Lu Ce and had luckily avoided the explosion. He used a safety hammer to smash the car window and was the first to pull the injured Xu Jiechu out, followed by Lu Ce, who was still holding two cats in his arms.

Shu Fu rushed over to help Lu Ce, signaling him to quickly support Xu Jiechu and take him to the off-road vehicle behind. The streets behind the fork were full of gray scab patients, and they were all coming toward them after being disturbed. They had to rescue everyone and leave as soon as possible!

The bus, now deformed and burning, was still a mess. Braid Head and Big Guy had also made it to the back, where Lu Zheng was tossing out their supply bags from the window. Seeing only two people approaching, he hurried a few steps forward. “Where’s Xu Tingfeng, and where are Bald guy and Yue Dong?”

“Brother Xu and Yue Dong are on the roof. They should be fine!” Braid Head said, holding onto a seat with one hand and pressing his other hand to his abdomen, blood seeping through his fingers.

“Bald guy is dead. The driver’s seat was too close to the explosion, and Yue Dong’s teammate is also gone! Damn it! Those animals are crazy!” Big Guy’s face was slashed by broken glass, his head was injured, and half his face was covered in blood. Despite that, he kept cursing, and his angry expression made his face look even more terrifying.

He suddenly turned his head and saw the empty upper and lower bunks nearby. He froze in shock. “Where’s the skinny guy? Why is he gone?”

Just moments before, when the bus exploded, the long-faced skinny man, who had been tied up inside, sensed the heavy rain outside, screamed, and crawled out into the rain. Before anyone could react, he ran into the dark night, heading toward the other end of the fork. Within a few moments, he disappeared from sight.

The three of them, who had just gotten out of the bus, only saw his figure disappear into the rain.

Big Guy wanted to chase him, but Braid Head held him back and shook his head. “We’ve already done our best…”

“Quick, get the injured onto the vehicles!” Shu Fu tossed the supply bags they had thrown out back to them.

Chen Yuezhen had already driven the off-road vehicle around the exploded bus and pulled up next to the pickup truck, where Lu Ce and Xu Jiechu were already on the vehicle. Xu Jiechu, peering through the open window, noticed that his older brother was missing and tried to get out. However, Lu Ce stopped him, pressing him back down. “You’re injured. What can you do by getting out? Don’t cause trouble for them. Stay put. As long as your brother’s still alive, they’ll find him!”

Chen Yuezhen gave Lu Ce an approving glance in the rearview mirror. This kid was more reliable than many adults.

Lu Zheng, holding Braid Head and Big Guy, rushed toward them with the supply bags. He opened the car door, threw the supply bags inside, and was about to head back to find Xu Tingfeng and Yue Dong with Jiang Dai.

At this moment, however, gray scab patients appeared not only behind the fork but also from the front. With such a large commotion, even if those in the organization followed their rules and stayed hidden, the nearby gray scab patients would be attracted by the noise. They would block every exit!

Fortunately, there weren’t many buildings on this side road, and all the windows and doors were tightly closed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to get the vehicles out.

In this critical moment, Chen Fa gave an order. “Jiang Dai, get in the vehicle and lead the others out! I’ll find Yue Dong! The weight of the pickup and off-road vehicle should be fine, but remember to cautiously scout ahead!”

Meanwhile, Lu Zheng also instructed Braid Head and Big Guy to get in the car and take Lu Ce and Xu Jiechu to the riverbank. The two of them were reluctant, but Braid Head was badly injured and having trouble walking. After a brief “lesson” from Lu Ce, they finally got in the car.

Lu Zheng quickly turned around to leave, but after taking only a few steps, Shu Fu stopped him with a hand. She urged him to get in the car. “You have to go!” She gestured to the back of the pickup truck, where the rubber boat that had originally been in the truck bed had fallen out, half of it burned away by the flames.

The boat that could cross the river was gone. The inflatable boat on the off-road vehicle could only carry three people, and it was impossible to take everyone across.

So, Lu Zheng had to go. Using whatever means necessary, he had to “find” a raft at the riverbank and lead people across first.

His raft was a size larger than hers, with a small cabin that could fit others and accommodate everyone else.

She approached Lu Zheng and quickly whispered in a low voice, “If the raft doesn’t move on its own, use the boat’s outboard motor. Hook it up to the off-road vehicle, and drain the fuel from both vehicles. It should be enough to get us across.”

She wanted to leave after speaking, but Lu Zheng grabbed her hand, which she had previously pushed forward in front of him. “What about you?”

In the heavy rain of the night, he looked down at her, slowly tightening his grip on her hand.

Shu Fu smiled at him. “Did you forget? You have something that I also have.” She tried to pull away, but the next second, she was tightly embraced by Lu Zheng.

“Don’t die…” His voice echoed in her ear. “…I still have a lot to say to you.”

Just in that brief moment, more fragments of memories related to her surfaced in his mind.

Whether in this world or the other, she was very important to him.

Shu Fu reached out and patted his back firmly, saying, “I won’t die. Hurry up and go. Wait for me on the other side of the river! Make sure to look after Grandma Chen Fa!”

“Okay!”

The pickup truck took the lead and drove away, with Jiang Dai at the wheel. Another team member in the passenger seat rolled down the window, leaning out despite the heavy rain to help Jiang Dai check the road ahead. Meanwhile, Chen Yuezhen drove the off-road vehicle, quickly following behind, as per Chen Fa’s instructions.

After Shu Fu and Chen Fa turned around, the back window of the off-road vehicle opened, and the tabby cat swiftly leapt out into the rain.

Inside the vehicle, Lu Ce watched the tabby cat follow Shu Fu’s footsteps, silently letting out a breath of relief in his heart.

With Lan Lan’s protection, everyone would be safe.

**

Shu Fu and Chen Fa rushed back as fast as they could, with the fire around the front of the bus already mostly put out by the heavy rain, but the thick smoke still made it hard to approach.

The two of them quickly checked around the bus, but they still couldn’t find anyone.

“Where are they?” Shu Fu had been sitting in the back during the explosion and hadn’t seen what happened to the front of the bus.

Chen Fa recalled carefully. Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng had been in the middle section of the bus roof. When the front wheels of the bus hit the landmine, the explosion caused the front end to lift. In that situation, the roof should have been a relatively safe place since it wouldn’t have been directly impacted by the explosion.

However, the shockwave from the blast had rocked the whole bus, and if the people on the roof were unprepared…

As soon as he thought of this, Chen Fa immediately spoke up, “When the explosion happened, both of them were probably thrown off. They may have fallen behind the off-road vehicle!”

Everyone’s attention had been focused on the area around the bus, so if they had fallen behind the off-road vehicle, it would explain why no one had noticed them.

Chen Fa and Shu Fu immediately began searching along the road behind the bus. They couldn’t estimate exactly where the two of them might have landed, so they each checked one side of the road, carefully examining the corners of the buildings.

The streetlights on the side road were dim, and with the bus still burning in the front, the other areas were even darker. Shu Fu took out a flashlight, ran a few steps forward, but found nothing.

At the intersection of the side road, a large group of gray scab patients had gathered. It was still raining, and their pain had subsided. Most of them didn’t show aggression, and except for a few, most looked like soulless human shells wandering in the rain. The air already carried the stench emanating from their bodies.

Shu Fu knew they had to act quickly because once the gray scab patients occupied the whole side road, it would be hard to find anyone.

However, there was no sign of the two people on this side of the road. She looked up at Chen Fa, who had already reached the corner on the other side. Just as she was about to bump into a gray scab patient, she turned back, having found nothing either.

Where could they be?!

Shu Fu looked at the bus and began mentally recreating the scene of the explosion when the shockwave lifted the bus. Then, she noticed the height of the bus, about four meters. With such height and the force of the blast…

Her flashlight quickly moved upward, shining on the rooftops of the buildings on both sides of the street. The buildings were of varying heights, with a few one- or two-story houses.

“Chen Fa!” she called out, shining the flashlight on the roofs.

Since they hadn’t found anyone on the ground, it was likely the two had fallen onto a nearby rooftop.

Chen Fa understood immediately and also pointed his flashlight upwards. After a moment, Shu Fu spotted a hand hanging down from the eaves of a house. She immediately called out to Chen Fa. When he came over, he tossed her his backpack and flashlight, grabbed the exterior drainage pipe, and began climbing.

She climbed skillfully, as though she had practiced rock climbing or something similar, and quickly reached the eaves. Then she shouted to Shu Fu, “It’s them, they’re both here!” She flipped onto the roof, quickly checking the unconscious pair. After confirming they weren’t seriously injured, she extended both hands and began slapping their faces.

In such an urgent situation, she could only use such a method to wake them up.

From below, Shu Fu heard the crisp “slap, slap, slap” sounds above, almost thinking the strange fish had appeared again. Thankfully, she quickly realized it was Chen Fa waking them up.

Chen Fa wasn’t gentle, and the two unconscious individuals quickly woke up. Aside from the pain from the impact all over their bodies, the most painful sensation was their faces, which felt like they had been swollen from the sharp sting.

“Is there any broken bone? Can you walk?” Chen Fa asked immediately.

Both of them checked their bodies. Their heads were a bit dizzy, and their stomachs felt heavy and nauseous. They couldn’t pinpoint the injuries but confirmed they were able to walk.

“What about the others?”

“What about Xiao Dai and Gang Zi?”

“Bald guy and Old Gu are gone. Jiang Dai and the others are fine. The others on the bus have minor injuries, and I told them to head to the riverbank first.” Chen Fa explained the situation briefly and then added, “Are you two awake now? If so, hurry up and move! If we don’t leave now, those patients will surround us!”

After saying this, she climbed back down from the eaves and quickly descended along the drainage pipe.

Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng also climbed down one after the other. As soon as they landed, they were startled by the gray-scale patients just one or two meters away from them. The patients were walking toward the front of the bus, which was making burning noises and emitting thick smoke. Some of the patients, whose hair had fallen out, noticed them. Their bloodshot eyes fell on them, and a cold, aggressive look appeared in their eyes.

“Quick, go!” Without needing any further prompting from Shu Fu and Chen Fa, the two men immediately pushed them forward, and all four of them quickly started running.

Nearby, the tabby cat, hidden in the darkness of a street corner, immediately followed them. Its paws landed silently on the ground, and its brown fur blended almost invisibly in the rainy night, but its speed was quick, keeping up effortlessly.

They were now very close to the riverbank and knew the general direction. After running through the junction, they turned and continued heading south.

After passing another intersection, they encountered more gray-scale patients ahead. The number wasn’t as large as before, but it was still a lot. What was even more alarming was that the buildings on both sides of the road had open gates, looking like a pedestrian street with street-side shops. At this moment, new gray-scale patients were constantly rushing out from these buildings.

Gray-scale patients who hadn’t been exposed to the rain were extremely aggressive. They screamed and howled, constantly tearing at their cracked scabs. Upon seeing them pass by, they immediately reached out with their blood-and-pus-covered hands and lunged at them.

Yue Dong kicked away a patient whose hand was nearly grabbing Shu Fu’s clothes. The patient fell to the ground but didn’t lie still in the rain to ease the pain. Instead, he immediately got up and charged at Yue Dong.

This time, Yue Dong had no choice but to strike him hard on the head with his baton. Only after knocking him unconscious did he break free from the struggle.

“These sick people can’t even speak anymore, but they still hold grudges! Hurry up, don’t let them latch onto us! Otherwise, we’ll never be free!” He said, then quickly caught up with the others.

The four of them began running and dodging quickly on the long street full of gray-scale patients. However, the heavy rain reduced their visibility, and the noisy rain also dulled their senses, so new patients occasionally rushed out from the buildings.

Even though they kept avoiding, collisions with the gray-scale patients were inevitable during the run.

Once they collided, the patients would latch onto them completely. If more patients appeared at the same time, it would be impossible to escape in a short time.

Fortunately, there were four of them. If anyone got stuck, the other three would immediately stop, swing their weapons, take the patient down as quickly as possible, and then run away.

But running and fighting like this consumed a lot of energy. By the time they reached the next intersection, all four of them were panting heavily.

They had to slow down. Xu Tingfeng and Yue Dong both had varying degrees of concussions, and now they were exhausted, with a strong urge to vomit.

“If you feel like vomiting, just do it! After you throw up, we’ll run again!” Chen Fa glanced at them and, with a few steps, jumped onto the roof of a damaged car by the side of the road. She wiped the rainwater from her face and, holding the binoculars that Shu Fu handed her, began to scan the area ahead.

Xu Tingfeng and Yue Dong had lost their binoculars and walkie-talkies when they were knocked over by the shockwave earlier. Now, they couldn’t contact anyone else and had to make their way to the riverbank on their own.

After hearing Chen Fa’s words, Yue Dong took a few steps away and vomited. Afterward, he rinsed his mouth with rainwater, feeling a bit better.

Xu Tingfeng, however, held it in, not wanting to vomit in front of the two women. He stubbornly endured it. He had done the same when he was injured earlier—when his calf was torn off, he didn’t say a word throughout the entire ordeal.

“I can see the remains of the suspension bridge; it’s probably one of the ones that got destroyed. The riverbank is just ahead! There are two more intersections! Going straight is the closest, but the road’s a bit ‘blocked.’ You can go around, but if you do, you’ll have to run through the entire commercial area on the right. The good news is there’s no more fire or thick smoke in the upcoming area. Based on the remaining distance, unless something else happens, everyone else should have already made it to the riverbank by now.” Chen Fa jumped down from the car and switched her baton for the fire axe that Chen Yuezhen had given her before leaving.

Shu Fu immediately understood and took the nail gun out of her backpack.

It was late at night, so what could possibly be blocking the road?

Xu Tingfeng and Yue Dong also understood. If they had a car, they might choose to take the detour. The car would be faster, and they could just head toward where the patients were fewer.

But they didn’t have a car, and after the running and fighting, their energy was almost exhausted. They didn’t have the strength to detour, plus they couldn’t be sure that the detour would be clear.

Seeing Shu Fu and Chen Fa switching their weapons, they also opened their backpacks and switched from blunt objects to sharper ones.

Xu Tingfeng grabbed a bone-cutting knife, and Yue Dong picked up a dagger. They had made up their minds not to hold back anymore—if any infected person came at them again, they would deal with them with a single strike.

Shu Fu’s protective shield had been active since they entered Youcheng. She knew tonight was dangerous, and only temporarily deactivated it for a few seconds when absolutely necessary, like when she needed to re-wet her raincoat or when persuading Lu Zheng to leave first…

Relying on the shield, she checked her dart gun and immediately ran to the front.

Chen Fa followed closely behind her, while Xu Tingfeng and Yue Dong stayed two steps behind, running on either side of the two women.

If Shu Fuhad turned back at this moment, she would have seen the white progress bar on Chen Fa’s head briefly appear again for a few seconds, and this time, the white progress bar was almost full.

---

As they approached the last two sections of the road, more than half of the infected people had lost their hair, with thick, gray scabs covering their bodies. From a distance, they looked like fish scales, and they resembled mermen—some standing, some crouching, some lying down. Blood and pus mixed with the rainwater, making them look sticky and wet, ugly and revolting.

Some were tearing at the scabs on their bodies, howling as they tore. When they saw the group, they immediately reached out their hands and rushed towards them.

Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng immediately rushed ahead to handle the infected people who nearly grabbed Shu Fu’s clothes.

Chen Fa also took a few steps forward with the fire axe in hand. Unlike Shu Fu, who carried a ranged weapon, the three of them carried close combat weapons, which were much more effective at close range.

They didn’t know why there were so many infected people in Youcheng, nor did they understand why the organization in the north of the city had accelerated the progression of these people’s condition. At that moment, as they faced the infected, a chill spread from deep within their bodies.

They suddenly realized that the organization had blown up the bridge over the central river in Youcheng, spread rumors, and cut off the internet—likely to prevent the infected in the northern part of the city from seeking medical help in the southern part.

Shu Fu and Chen Fa even considered another possibility: If a small team could set up a makeshift lab and conduct various experiments on the infected, then the large organization controlling the northern part of Youcheng would certainly have access to the necessary experimental personnel and equipment. In fact, the entire northern part of the city might be their testing ground!

They had established a rule of not going out at night and adhered to it strictly. On the surface, it seemed like it offered a slim chance for those brave enough to cross the northern part of the city at night, but in reality, those attempting to pass through the city had to face not only hidden landmines but also the entirety of the infected in the northern part.

Rather than a glimmer of hope, it was more like a massive trap.

The temptation placed in the trap was the southern part of the city, where there were troops. Although the number of troops wasn’t large, reaching the southern bank meant safety. After that, they could perhaps find a way to reach Xiangzhou Province or even the Fengshang Plateau.

How many people could resist such temptation?

But in the end, how many would actually succeed in crossing the northern part of the city?

They had to understand the current situation in Youcheng, be clear about the roadblocks and traps set up when entering the city, have vehicles to traverse the city, avoid landmines, face the omnipresent infected, and finally, find a way to cross the river. When you put all these conditions together, it was clear that the intention wasn’t for anyone to safely pass through the northern part of the city.

Sure enough, as they neared the last stretch, halfway through, something unexpected happened again!

Shu Fu, who was running at the back on the right, suddenly felt something nudge her right shoulder. The force was harmless to her due to the protective shield, but it was clear that whatever had nudged her didn’t mean to harm her.

In the darkness, she only saw a small figure leap forward, using the nudge on her shoulder to propel itself toward Chen Fa ahead. At the same time, there was a soft sound, like something from a distance had attacked, and it struck the small figure jumping at Chen Fa.

The small body exploded in a spray of blood, hitting the ground instantly, silent and lifeless.

Both Chen Fa and Shu Fuimmediately reacted.

“Sniper rifle!” Chen Fa shouted as she grabbed Shu Fuand pushed Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng, who were running beside her, into a shop awning by the side of the road.

At the same time, Shu Fulunged toward Chen Fa, using her own body to shield her from the next incoming shot. There were two sharp, muffled sounds—precise hits on the protective shield at the back of Shu Fu’s head. If she hadn’t reacted to shield Chen Fa, the latter would have already been dead.

Chen Fa seemed to realize something, turning in panic to check on Shu Fu. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Shu Fupointed to the other nearby shops. The whole street had awnings.

The group wiped the rain off their faces and, without thinking deeply, continued running fast under the protection of the awnings. Any infected they encountered were either kicked or shoved aside. Even if one grabbed their raincoats, they quickly used their sharp weapons to cut the raincoats open and escape without wasting time fighting.

Shu Fu made a point to stay at the back, trying to use her body to shield the three ahead of her.

As they were about to finish the last stretch of road, Shu Fu glanced back. Far in the distance, the small body lay motionless in the rainwater. The sniper rifle’s power had exploded its body, and it didn’t even make a sound before quietly dying.

Shu Fu knew what that was—it was the tabby cat, Lan Lan.

She didn’t know why it was here, when it had caught up with them, or why it had appeared at the crucial moment to save them.

But if it hadn’t been for it, the first surprise attack would have already taken Chen Fa’s life.

They finally finished running down the road. On the opposite side of the street, the northern riverbank of the city was just within sight. The long-continued heavy rain had raised the water level of the river, and the water had already flooded the street alongside the riverbank. The waves continued to surge, crashing against the guardrails along the river.

“You wait here, don’t come out yet!” After turning off the street where they had been ambushed, Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng looked to the sides. “I think I see their cars! Over there!”

They quickly dashed toward the riverbank across the street, using the cover of a tall building’s corner. Indeed, their vehicles were there—two cars—but there was no one inside.

Chen Fa didn’t rush across the street. Instead, she stopped and turned to look at Shu Fu. “Was it Lan Lan that saved me just now?” Yue Dong and Xu Tingfeng might not have known, but she was very clear—since she had been nudged by that small body. If it hadn’t been for it, she would already be dead.

That cat… She had never looked at it properly before. Like Shu Fu, she didn’t like keeping such small animals, thinking they were too troublesome. In the apocalypse, it was already very difficult to take care of herself and her family, and she didn’t have the energy to care for a pet.

She didn’t understand how the cat had sensed her danger, or why it had chosen to save her…

“Yes,” Shu Fureplied without hiding anything, while staring slightly in shock at the small white light bar above Chen Fa’s head. It reappeared, and like Lu Zheng’s, it had now completed its progress and stabilized, no longer flashing.

Behind the white light bar, a number appeared—100.

She didn’t know what this number represented, but it was clear that Chen Fa’s number was higher than Lu Zheng’s. If nothing unusual happened, she had awakened her “golden finger.”

Indeed, Chen Fa first stared blankly at the air in front of her for a few seconds, then smiled and said, “Just in time.”

As she spoke, she flipped her hand, and a finely crafted black handgun appeared in her palm. Compared to a real handgun, this one had a more futuristic design, with two buttons in addition to the trigger.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiao Fu,” she said, looking at her friend in the heavy rain. “Wait for me here. I’ll deal with that guy, then I’ll bring you across the river!”

Shu Fu wasn’t afraid. She could tell what Chen Fa was planning as she saw her walking back toward the road they had just come from, under the eaves.

As Chen Fa gripped the gun, its usage method instantly appeared in her mind. She pressed one of the buttons on the gun, and a small scope appeared above it. She raised the gun, and through the scope, everything around her became extraordinarily clear.

The scope seemed to be able to penetrate the heavy rain, the night, and the buildings, allowing her to locate the enemy.

But even with this advantage, she was still at a disadvantage, as she could only roughly guess the sniper’s position based on the angle of the previous attack. Additionally, she had to stay under the eaves to avoid the sniper’s bullets, which limited her ability to search for the enemy in all directions.

Chen Fa frowned and gritted her teeth, about to step out when someone suddenly hugged her from behind.

It was Shu Fu!

She extended her arms to pull Chen Fa into an embrace, as if trying to shield her under her wings. “Don’t be afraid, Fa Fa,” she said, repeating the same words Chen Fa had just said to her. “My shield is covering both of us now. Don’t stray too far from me, and then—”

She led her out from under the eaves. “Do you feel it?”

Shu Fu clasped her own hands, and instantly, Chen Fa felt the world outside—the sounds of the wind and rain—vanish, as if she were shielded from the world.

Perhaps because the two of them were completely exposed in the street, visible to the sniper’s line of sight, a distant sound of a bullet cutting through the air reached them. As the two muffled sounds echoed, Chen Fa felt the bullets’ impact, but like Shu Fu, she didn’t feel pain.

On the contrary, because of this attack, she was finally able to locate the sniper who was hidden on the rooftop in the pitch-black rainy night—there were actually two of them.

She quickly raised her gun, pressed another button, and pulled the trigger.