Chapter 71

“Everyone, be careful!”

The moment the first strange fish leaped out of the sewer, Shu Fu’s voice rang out almost simultaneously: “The large fish’s tail spines have a paralyzing effect—avoid them!” As she spoke, she had already raised her nail gun, firing three quick shots—puff, puff, puff—nailing the second strange fish that jumped out of the sewer.

Lu Zheng had already put away his short stick and switched to a long knife. He stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Shu Fu, taking down the first fish that had leaped out.

From the other sewer opening, several more fish jumped out, only to be swiftly dealt with by Xu Tingfeng and his team.

Even Xu Jiezhu managed to kill one. Initially, he had been quite startled—mainly because the fish looked hideous, especially its eyes and mouth. But now that he realized they weren’t too difficult to kill, he grew cocky. “These fish aren’t hard to deal with at all! Look how nervous you two are. Typical girls—this kind of thing should be left to the guys—”

His words were cut off as a strange fish suddenly lunged at his face. He let out a startled yell, stumbling backward and swinging his iron rod wildly—missing. In the end, it was Xu Tingfeng who killed the fish for him.

Up ahead, Chen Fa, who had deliberately let that fish through, glanced back at him. “Screaming pretty loud there, huh? Man.”

Xu Jiezhu fumed. “You—You damn—hag!”

“Cut it out! Now is not the time!” Xu Tingfeng scolded his younger brother. “They’ve dealt with these fish before; they must have more experience than us. If they’re tense, there has to be another reason!”

As if in response to his words, the eerie splattering sounds in the rain grew more frequent. And this time, they weren’t just coming from the sewer—they echoed from other streets nearby.

Plop—

A large strange fish flopped out from the left side of the street corner.

Plop, plop—

Three or four smaller fish followed close behind.

Plop, plop, plop, plop—

From the right street entrance, another group of fish came bounding out.

It was as if they had been traveling through the area when they suddenly sensed their kin being attacked on the next street over. They stopped, turned around, and half-lifted their grotesque heads, their bulging inorganic eyes staring coldly at the humans.

“Holy shit…” a man with braided hair cursed. Aggressive, mindless monsters weren’t scary—but seeing a group of them halt and observe was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

It made them feel like these creatures had some level of intelligence—that they could analyze a situation before attacking.

On the other side, one of the men who had previously sided with Xu Jiezhu against Shu Fu—a lanky man with a long face—was trembling. Distracted, he lost focus for a moment, and before he knew it, a strange fish had lunged from the sewer and clamped down on his calf.

Most of Lu Zheng’s team wore only waterproof jackets rather than full rain gear. While convenient for movement, these jackets lacked the thick rubber protection of raincoats and rain pants. If a large enough strange fish took a bite, it could be fatal.

The long-faced man let out a sharp cry of pain. When he looked down and saw the fish latched onto his leg, fear overwhelmed him more than the pain. He panicked, stumbling backward while trying to shake the fish off, wildly swinging his cleaver to fend off the other approaching fish eager to take advantage of his weakness.

The strange fish seemed to recognize an easy target. Several of them abandoned their initial prey and bounced toward him, their gaping maws lunging for his face.

His attacks grew more erratic. Another fish bit into his other leg, and he lost his balance, falling backward. In an instant, the fish swarmed him.

At the critical moment, a thick, indescribably foul stench flooded the air. A woman from another team—someone who knew Lu Zheng—had dumped some unknown substance onto the man’s legs and body.

A wave of putrid, rotting odor spread rapidly.

Miraculously, the fish that had been biting his legs instantly released him, plop, dropping to the ground and hopping away.

Without a word, Shu Fu rushed into Lu Zheng’s group and began splashing the red liquid on them as well—Lu Zheng, Lu Ce, and their companions—moving quickly to cover as many people as possible.

However, in her haste, her accuracy suffered, and some of the liquid splashed onto their faces.

“Argh—What the hell is this?! Oh my god—ugh… it stinks!”

Especially Xu Jiezhu—he took a full hit to the face, getting some in his nose and mouth. He gagged, bending over and retching violently.

Xu Tingfeng immediately turned to Shu Fu, momentarily thinking she had switched sides and was helping the strange fish. But then he noticed that the fish were actively retreating from anyone who had been splashed. Realizing the truth, he awkwardly muttered a quick “thanks.”

“Thank her? Ugh… She did this on purpose… gag… Look, she even put on… gag… a mask first…” Xu Jiezhu was dry-heaving so hard he was nearly throwing up bile.

Shu Fu shoved the half-used bottle into Lu Ce’s hand and then took out three unopened bottles, pressing them into Lu Zheng’s grasp. Her instructions were direct and to the point:

“The fish are increasing in number. This sewer system connects the entire city—Lucheng is probably already overrun. We can’t escape without a vehicle. I’ll find a car. You guys use this liquid to buy some time! The fish hate the smell, but the rain will wash it away quickly, so don’t pour too much at once!”

Lu Zheng didn’t ask her how she planned to do it, where she was going, how long it would take, why she wouldn’t let him go with her to help, or what they would do if they couldn’t hold out here.

Even after all this time apart, seeing her again didn’t feel distant at all. It seemed like as long as she spoke, he would believe her without a shred of doubt—this trust felt almost innate.

“Be careful!” Lu Zheng grabbed her, but all the words he wanted to say condensed into just that one sentence.

“My friends are in your hands. Wait for me to come back!” She patted him on the shoulder, then turned and sprinted back to Chen Fa and Chen Yuezhen. She had already sprayed them with the repellent earlier, and now they were standing back-to-back, cutting down the weakened mutant fish.

She quickly pulled out three more bottles of liquid from her backpack and shoved them into Chen Fa’s hands, keeping it brief this time: “I’m getting a car! Hold on!”

Chen Fa looked at the extra bottles of red liquid in his hands and lifted his head. “Need me to go with you?”

“I’ll be fine on my own.” Shu Fu tossed the travel bag hanging from her wrist to the ground near them and swiftly reloaded her nail gun, preparing to move light and fast. “Same rule as always—if necessary, ditch the supplies. Staying alive is the most important thing!”

“Got it. Go! We’ll be here when you get back!” Chen Fa swatted away a lunging mutant fish with his shovel and responded decisively.

“Be careful, Shu girl!” Chen Yuezhen stepped forward, finishing off the fish Chen Fa had knocked down before nodding at Shu Fu.

The three of them had been through too much together—an unshakable bond had formed, and unconditional trust was part of that.

Shu Fu said no more. She turned swiftly and ran toward the other end of the street, the direction they had come from. The trading post wasn’t far from here. Right now, where the fuel came from didn’t matter—the only thing that mattered was that she had enough to trade for a vehicle.

She needed a large one. And since bartering at the trading post would take time, she had to be quick.

The street leading to the trading post was mostly free of mutant fish, meaning they hadn’t completely overrun Lucheng yet. When Shu Fu reached the street corner, she instinctively glanced back.

She just wanted to check the situation—to confirm that the number of mutant fish hadn’t surged beyond control—before looking away again.

But just as she withdrew her gaze, she caught a familiar flicker of white light in the corner of her eye. Not just one, but two thin streaks of glowing white, moving in sync with two people’s movements.

Two?!

She quickly turned back—but saw nothing.

What’s going on?

Was she seeing things again?

Time was short, and she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Pushing the thought aside, she pressed on.

---

She ran through the rain, nail gun in hand, staying alert to her surroundings. Occasionally, a mutant fish would flop out of a broken sewer opening nearby, but these seemed to be stragglers separated from the main horde.

Shu Fu didn’t waste time dealing with them unless they actively blocked her path. If more than three appeared at once, she would briefly activate her portable shield before continuing.

She moved fast. When she reached another corner, she suddenly skidded to a stop—then backtracked a few steps.

She had passed this spot before—the abandoned city bus station. In the open lot, two large buses still sat parked against the wall, long since left behind.

From her angle, the outer bus had several shattered side windows—likely from tree branches breaking off in strong winds and slamming into them.

Shu Fu wasn’t sure why she had stopped, but in that instant, a thought struck her: If these two buses could still run, they could fit everyone and their supplies.

Even as her rational mind calculated the odds, her feet were already moving toward them.

The parking lot was covered in mud and scattered leaves. With every step, dirty water splashed up, drenching her boots and rain pants. But she didn’t care—her focus was locked onto the buses.

The first bus had multiple shattered side windows, and even the windshield was cracked.

The second bus was much smaller, a 25-seater. Maybe because the larger bus shielded it, its front and rear windshields were intact. Its doors were shut, with only two broken side windows. The body and tires appeared in decent condition.

She tried pulling the driver’s door—it wouldn’t budge. So she circled around to the other side.

On 25-seater buses like this, the passenger door wasn’t near the front since that area also had seats. Instead, it was positioned more toward the middle of the right side.

She yanked on the passenger door. It seemed faulty—it hadn’t been fully closed, so it swung open at her pull.

From the time Lucheng fell into chaos until now, only about two months had passed. Unlike the plains and hills, where disasters had been more frequent and severe, the conditions here hadn’t been as extreme. In just two months, a vehicle wouldn’t degrade beyond usability.

If this bus had only been abandoned because it ran out of fuel, then all she needed to do was refill it. That was easy—just a rubber tube and the siphon method, and she could transfer fuel from a portable tank straight into the gas tank.

She quickly climbed inside and rummaged through the driver’s storage compartment. The most crucial factor was—

Would she find the keys?

However, after searching the entire storage compartment, cup holder, and the area around the driver’s seat, she found nothing. She sighed—seems like she’d still have to go to the trading post and exchange fuel for a vehicle.

Just as she was about to get out of the bus, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a silver reflection in the corner of the steps. She immediately bent down and reached for the silver object wedged in the gap between the steps.

She pulled it out with some effort—it was indeed a key! But was it the bus key? She quickly rushed to the driver’s seat, found the keyhole beside the steering wheel, and inserted the key. It fit perfectly and turned smoothly.

It really was the bus key!

Shu Fu’s spirits lifted. She stowed her backpack in her spatial storage and began attempting to start the engine.

Generally speaking, even if a vehicle had been idle for a long time, as long as the battery still had power, it could be started. Additionally, even if someone had siphoned most of the fuel from the tank, as long as there was a little left and the fuel pump could pull it up, the engine could start.

In theory, it was possible. Technically, there was no issue. The only thing left was luck.

Once, twice, three times… Finally, on the fifth attempt, she heard the roar of the engine.

The battery still had power!

The dashboard lights illuminated, and the fuel indicator warned that the tank was nearly empty.

But as long as the bus could start, fuel wouldn’t be a problem.

She turned off the engine and, using the bus body as cover, retrieved two portable fuel cans from her spatial storage. Carrying them off the bus, she approached the fuel tank. She inserted one end of a siphon hose into the fuel can and placed the other end near her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she sucked on the hose until fuel started flowing, then quickly pinched the end shut and inserted it into the fuel tank opening, allowing the fuel to flow in.

She repeated the process twice, adding a total of 60 liters of fuel. These types of buses typically had fuel tanks ranging from 100 to 200 liters, but she didn’t have time to fill it completely. Sixty liters would be enough to get them out of Lucheng and to the salt lake.

Shu Fu tightened the fuel cap, carried the empty cans back onto the bus, and stored them in her spatial inventory. She then pulled out some unwanted cardboard and waterproof plastic sheets, smeared them with dirt from the bus and rainwater, and messily stuffed them under the rear seats to make it look like they had been sitting there for a long time.

These materials would later be used to patch the broken windows.

She tried closing the bus doors using the control switch but found they were completely broken. She had to manually pull them shut, though they wouldn’t fully close. Still, it wasn’t a major issue.

She manually pulled the doors as tight as possible, then climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the bus again.

Since it had already started once, this time, the engine roared to life immediately.

She exhaled a long breath, retrieved her backpack from her spatial storage, placed it by her feet, and tried to calm herself. Then she reached for the gear shift. She had never driven a bus before, but she had learned manual driving. A vehicle was a vehicle—more or less the same. As long as she stayed composed, she could drive it.

With one scrape against the other bus and two minor collisions with tree branches, she successfully backed out, aligning the bus toward the parking lot entrance.

By now, Shu Fu had fully regained her composure. She shifted gears, stepped on the accelerator, and drove the bus out.

---

On the streets, the number of mutant fish was increasing.

Chen Fa, Lu Zheng, and the others carried supplies while fighting their way backward, retreating from one end of the street to the other.

But they soon realized that the turn in the direction they were retreating to had also been overrun by mutant fish. Not only were their numbers increasing, but they were also spreading through the sewers, gradually infesting the entire Lucheng.

Despite their disgust, they continuously doused themselves with the red liquid, but the rain kept falling. With no buildings on either side of the street for shelter, the liquid was quickly diluted. Worse yet, not all the mutant fish were repelled by the scent.

Xu Jiezhu was suddenly ambushed by an oversized mutant fish that leaped at him, its tail spine piercing the back of his hand. Strangely, he didn’t feel much pain, but his hand immediately went numb. Within seconds, his entire arm lost strength, and he could barely stand. The slender-faced man next to him quickly supported him.

The slender-faced man himself had already sustained bites on both legs and was struggling to walk. Now, burdened by Xu Jiezhu’s weight, he could barely defend himself.

With two members effectively out of combat and the rest weighed down by supplies, the situation grew dire. Xu Tingfeng, distracted for just a moment, was attacked by another mutant fish, which bit deep into his calf. He swiftly killed the fish, but even in death, it had clamped down tightly, tearing a chunk of flesh from his leg.

Blood gushed out, quickly diluting the red liquid around him. The surrounding mutant fish, previously hesitant, now seemed agitated, as if drawn by the scent of blood.

The situation was critical. The slender-faced man, barely able to fend off attacks with one hand while supporting Xu Jiezhu, shouted desperately, “What are we waiting for?! Why aren’t we heading to the bus station?! Maybe if we’re lucky, we could have gotten on a bus by now!”

Lu Zheng slashed down a mutant fish that was about to lunge at him and sprayed more red liquid on Xu Tingfeng’s injured leg, tossing aside his second empty glass bottle. “The station is three blocks away. You won’t make it.”

“But we should at least try! What are we doing just standing here?! Where’s your friend? She told us to wait—are we supposed to just wait here and die? If the number of these things keeps increasing, we’ll be completely trapped!”

“You can leave,” Chen Fa turned his head and interjected.

“What do you mean by that?” The man was furious and looked at Xu Tingfeng. “Brother Xu, say something! Are we really going to risk everyone’s lives for that little girl!?”

“If it weren’t for her, you’d have been bitten to death already. It was her medicine that kept us alive,” Lu Zheng said as he opened the third bottle of red liquid, quickly sprinkling it around the group to slow the monsters’ attacks. But when he reached the man who was complaining, he stopped. “Well? Do you need it or not?”

“Exactly! If you’ve accepted someone’s help, you should see it through! Even if you don’t want to, you should’ve said you were leaving earlier instead of talking behind a young girl’s back!” Braidhead said as he pulled open his jacket, tore a strip of fabric from his T-shirt, and knelt down to tightly bind Xu Tingfeng’s bleeding calf to stop the bleeding. “Skinny, I never realized before—are you actually this much of a coward?”

Skinny Face was clenching his teeth, hesitating. He wanted Lu Zheng to sprinkle some of the liquid on him, but asking for it now would make him look like a hypocrite.

While he was hesitating, Xu Jiechu, whom he was supporting, managed to move his mouth and squeezed out a few words from his throat: “Smelly… pour… pour… smelly…” His meaning was clear—whether or not Skinny Face wanted it was up to him, but Xu Jiechu definitely needed that stinky stuff. He wasn’t about to be forgotten!

Lu Zheng didn’t laugh, but Lu Ce, standing beside him, couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

The foul stench arrived as expected. Even though Skinny Face hated the smell, he still felt a sense of security. But knowing that the red liquid came from that little girl made him feel embarrassed. Face flushed, he murmured a quiet “thank you” to Lu Zheng.

The group now had three injured members, and the number of monsters around them wasn’t decreasing. Xu Tingfeng knew the situation was getting worse. He was about to suggest dropping all their supplies to lighten their load and retreating to a nearby building for shelter when a loud honking sound echoed through the street behind them.

It was a car horn, pressed urgently as if sending a signal.

“Whoa! That little girl actually got a car? Damn, what did she trade to get it?” Braidhead wanted to run toward the intersection but was blocked by the monsters, forcing him to keep fighting.

“She can only drive one vehicle by herself. Even if the car can fit all of us, it can’t hold the supply bags too. Big Zhuang, Monkey, drop all supplies and get the injured on board,” Xu Tingfeng ordered. Then he turned to Chen Fa and his team. “Same for you. The supply bags have to go.”

Chen Fa and Chen Yuezhen didn’t hesitate. They immediately dropped their travel bags.

Leaving supplies behind was a loss, but at least they had packed some food and water in their backpacks. The most important medicines were also in there. Everything else could be replaced later—as long as they survived.

At this moment, everyone worked together. They had all been through this apocalypse long enough to know that, no matter how they felt, there were things they had to do when it mattered most.

Meanwhile, Braidhead and another big guy had already hacked down a few monsters blocking the street corner and rushed forward. Just as they reached the intersection, they saw a vehicle speeding toward them.

The tires ran over a few flopping monsters on the road before the vehicle came to a screeching stop in front of them.

They stared at the massive front of the bus and blurted out the same phrase: “Holy shit! That’s insane!”

The others caught up soon after. Seeing the bus parked there, they thought they were hallucinating. Some even craned their necks to check the driver’s seat, doubting whether the vehicle was really here for them.

Then, Shu Fu’s face appeared through the shattered window. “Get in! Take everything!” she shouted as she grabbed the malfunctioning door and forced it open manually. The bus door was on the right side of the vehicle, perfectly aligned with their street.

She didn’t have to repeat herself. The group immediately turned back, hacking at the monsters while grabbing their supply bags. No way were they leaving anything behind—not with a bus this big! It could easily fit another ten people!

More monsters were crawling out of the sewers. Lu Zheng and Chen Fa had used up all their red liquid. The rain was washing away the scent on their bodies and the bags, and the monsters resumed their attacks. Everyone fought harder, cooperating without concern for whose supplies belonged to whom—just grabbing everything in sight and throwing it onto the bus.

Shu Fu didn’t stay idle either. She was spraying red liquid around the broken windows, preventing monsters from leaping inside. The liquid worked better indoors, where rain wouldn’t wash it away, and the enclosed space helped trap the smell for longer.

Once all the supplies were loaded, the group started boarding. Lu Zheng was the last one in. As he climbed aboard, he kicked away a monster trying to jump onto the bus and yanked the door shut.

But the door was already broken. In his rush, it wouldn’t budge, and more monsters were leaping at them. Three or four managed to get inside.

“Hold on tight!” Shu Fu shouted. Without hesitation, she slammed her foot on the gas.

Lu Zheng gripped a handrail to keep his balance as the bus lurched forward. Outside, monsters leapt toward the moving vehicle, their bodies slamming against the sides with loud thuds.

Some fish-like creatures jumped exceptionally high, reaching the shattered windows. Their grotesque heads poked inside, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The passengers closest to the windows jumped in fright and frantically used their weapons to swat the creatures away before they could climb in.

Inside the bus, the monster fish that had jumped in earlier were frantically leaping around, repelled by the stench they despised. They instinctively moved toward the back of the bus, where the smell was weaker. But there was no way the passengers would let them have their way—they immediately launched their attacks.

One particularly slippery monster fish suddenly changed direction mid-air and lunged straight at Shu Fu in the driver’s seat, snapping its jaws at her.