Chen Xiaofei opened the window and leaned out, firing a barrage of bullets at the enemy behind them. The gunfire sent the survivors in the vehicle into a panic, making them scream and huddle together in fear.

Yang Cong had already been tightly bound up to prevent him from causing trouble.

Zhao Gang was anxiously frustrated, while Liu Chunhui clutched her young daughter tightly. Their family of three was tense but quiet—no screaming, no chaos.

Wang Weihu was driving aggressively, closely tailing Qin Luo’s off-road vehicle.

When Qin Luo signaled with his turn lights, Wang Weihu instantly understood—they were stopping to fight.

“There’s no way around it. We can’t escape,” Wang Weihu called out to Zhao Gang. “You take the wheel and drive the others ahead. When you reach City C, you should be able to find other rescue teams.”

The bus had a full tank, with several extra containers of fuel scavenged from other vehicles. It was more than enough to get them to City C.

“From here on, you’re on your own. Listen carefully—no matter what kind of mutated animals or zombies you encounter, don’t hesitate. Stay calm. If you can ram through them, do it.”

Zhao Gang’s hands trembled with nerves, but he nodded repeatedly. “Got it. But what about you guys? Can you really take down that thing?”

Liu Chunhui, her face pale, added, “There are only a few of you—how are you supposed to fight that monster? Let’s just run together, as fast as we can.”

But Wang Weihu shook his head. “If this drags on, none of you will make it out. We’ll buy you some time. If things go south, we can still escape. But if we bring you along, we won’t be able to fight properly—we’ll be distracted.”

With that, he slammed on the brakes.

Zhao Gang didn’t dare waste another second. He immediately switched seats with Wang Weihu. Thanks to Wang Weihu’s reckless driving, they had already put some distance between themselves and the serpent-like creature, gaining precious time. Gritting his teeth, Zhao Gang said, “Alright, we won’t slow you down. Be careful! If we find anyone along the way, we’ll send them back to help you!”

Wang Weihu gave him a quick smile, clapping his shoulder. “Just focus on getting out of here as fast as you can.”

Liu Chunhui’s little daughter, nestled in her arms, blinked her big eyes and said, “Uncles, you’re heroes. Please stay safe.”

Wang Weihu ruffled the girl’s hair. “Listen to your parents, okay?”

The little girl nodded earnestly.

Chen Xiaofei quickly pulled himself back inside the vehicle. He had fired several shots, but they had only managed to graze the enormous serpent. “Damn it, this thing is too fast! I can’t land a solid hit!”

Wang Weihu jumped out of the vehicle. “Xiaofei, move it!”

Chen Xiaofei gave a quick response and leaped out as well. Before leaving, he added, “If you want to survive, you’d better keep that bastard tied up. Otherwise, he’ll just make things worse.”

The rest of the survivors trembled in fear, turning their gaze toward Yang Cong.

Yang Cong, gagged and tightly bound, could only struggle helplessly with a terrified expression. If he wasn’t tied up, he would have been cursing them out already.

The others nodded, fully aware that Yang Cong was a liability.

Wu Zijie, trying to curry favor, asked, “Do you want us to take your female teammate with us?”

Wang Weihu switched weapons, and so did Chen Xiaofei. A memory suddenly flashed in Wang Weihu’s mind—Xu Duoduo wielding a chainsaw to take down a mutated monkey. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Without hesitation, he said, “Our teammate doesn’t need your help.”

In this chaotic post-apocalyptic world, things were too unpredictable. It would be far too dangerous for Xu Duoduo to go off on her own.

Regardless…

It was just a mutated serpent. They could take it down, even if it meant getting badly injured in the process.

Even if Xu Duoduo couldn’t contribute to the fight, protecting her was still easier than protecting ordinary people.

Wang Weihu waved them off. “Go, now.”

Zhao Gang didn’t hesitate. He floored the gas pedal, and the bus roared forward, speeding past the off-road vehicle on the side. As they passed, they honked in farewell.

Qin Luo returned the gesture, then quickly got out of his car with Bai Shu.

Xu Duoduo didn’t need to be told—she knew staying in the vehicle wasn’t an option. No matter how sturdy a car was, it was no match for a mutated beast.

Staying inside would only turn them into canned food.

So, she jumped out without hesitation.

Zhao Gang glanced in the rearview mirror. A few young fighters had stayed behind to buy them time, giving them a chance to survive. Even though he knew this was their duty, he couldn’t help but feel deeply moved. His eyes reddened.

Liu Chunhui silently prayed for their safety, hoping both the young fighters and their busload of survivors could make it through this ordeal.

Wu Zijie was stunned when he saw the young girl jump out of the off-road vehicle. She didn’t run away.

She didn’t cry, didn’t panic, and her legs didn’t give out.

Say what you will, but that alone proved she wasn’t some fragile, useless “vase” like Yang Cong had claimed.

As for the survivors on the bus…

They were all too terrified to speak. Their legs had turned to jelly, gripping onto the seats for dear life. The smell of urine filled the air—someone had wet themselves in fear.

Seeing an enormous mutated serpent like that… it was a miracle they weren’t losing their minds completely.

—

Xu Duoduo prepared for battle. She knew her combat ability was limited, so when Qin Luo, the team leader, ordered her and Bai Shu to move, she didn’t argue.

She quickly followed Bai Shu up a hill by the highway.

Bai Shu was a sniper. He needed to find the perfect vantage point as soon as possible.

Qin Luo pulled small grenade-like explosives from his storage card space, each the size of a marble. Everyone’s earpieces clicked on.

“Lao Wang, Xiaofei, hold it off. I’m coming to support you.”

—

Xu Duoduo and Bai Shu ran through the forest toward the serpent’s position.

Their earpieces buzzed with coordinated orders.

Despite Bai Shu’s scholarly appearance, he was incredibly agile. While Qin Luo relayed coordinates, Bai Shu was already setting up his sniper rifle.

Xu Duoduo remained at his side, keeping watch. The apocalypse had changed everything—even the insects in the forest had mutated. Colorful spiders the size of fists scuttled about. Xu Duoduo gritted her teeth and stabbed them one by one with her dagger.

Bai Shu rarely spoke during battle, but he did notice Xu Duoduo quietly clearing out “obstacles” for him.

Anything that could potentially interfere with his shots—she took care of it.

Not bad. The little squad leader lived up to her title.

They finally reached a concealed rock formation, surrounded by trees.

Bai Shu positioned himself and reported, “In position.”

The battle began.

The commotion was deafening.

Xu Duoduo crouched beside him, keeping the mutated insects at bay. These creatures were starving and cannibalizing each other in the forest. Now that they had fresh prey, they swarmed toward Bai Shu—only to be blasted away by Xu Duoduo’s insecticide.

Realizing it worked, she dumped two more packets of repellent over Bai Shu.

It was highly effective.

Bai Shu trusted her completely, not even questioning what she was doing. He entered his battle mode.

Each shot hit its mark, though he couldn’t land a direct hit on the serpent’s weak spot. He had to keep moving to avoid being detected.

Through the earpieces, the intensity of the battle was clear.

Xu Duoduo glanced toward the fight.

Wang Weihu was already bleeding heavily.

Chen Xiaofei was struggling.

Qin Luo was still holding strong.