Chapter 7 – Departure

In the morning, after everyone had finished breakfast, each of them prepared a marching pack. Lin Luo packed some food and clothes, and the group set out in two military jeeps.

This time they were going to H City, and if the road went smoothly, it would take about a week for a round trip.

In one of the vehicles, Chen Tong was driving, Sun Xiang sat in the passenger seat, while Lin Luo and Xiao Chen sat in the back.

Lin Luo looked at Xiao Chen, who had forcefully pulled her into his car, and she slowly scooted toward the right side, wishing she could stay as far away from him as possible.

Outside, the streets were in chaos. Dried and fresh bloodstains mingled together. Scattered zombies, upon hearing the sound of the car, roared and opened their bloodstained mouths wide, chasing after them.

But because of their stiff movements, they were quickly left behind.

Men and women, young and old, were fleeing in panic. Cries for help rose one after another, soon drowned out by the swarm of zombies.

After studying the map in his hand, Xiao Chen turned to look at the girl beside him.

Seeing her pressed up against the car door as though he were some kind of beast or natural disaster, he couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

“Ah…” Lin Luo, who had been spacing out, was suddenly pulled into Xiao Chen’s arms.

“What are you doing, let me go.” Lin Luo twisted and turned, trying to escape his embrace.

During her struggle, she seemed to have touched somewhere, and a muffled groan escaped from above her head.

“Be good, don’t move.” His voice was hoarse, his eyes deep with shadows. The self-control he prided himself on was almost nonexistent when it came to her.

Lin Luo sensed the unusual change in Xiao Chen and froze, stiff in his arms without moving at all.

In the front, Chen Tong and Sun Xiang heard the commotion behind them. They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, trying to make their presence as unnoticeable as possible.

Inside, they were roaring in frustration. Why did they have to ride in the same car as the Captain? Damn it, wasn’t this just torture for single people?

Xiao Chen tightened his arm around her waist and buried his head in the crook of Lin Luo’s neck, inhaling the faint fragrance from her body. He pressed his lips to her neck and took a soft bite.

Lin Luo closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, ignoring the tingling sensation the man brought her. In his arms, filled with the cool scent of mint, she unexpectedly drifted off into real sleep.

By the time Lin Luo woke up, it was already noon.

She found herself having slept the entire morning half-held in Xiao Chen’s arms, and her face quietly turned red.

“Are you hungry? Eat something.” After speaking, Xiao Chen handed her some bread, milk, and a can of fruit.

“For now, just make do with lunch. Tonight, once we find a place to stay, I’ll cook something good for you.”

Xiao Chen watched the young girl eat, her cheeks puffing up like a little hamster. His heart softened completely.

“Mm, thank you!” Lin Luo looked at the man, whose gaze was filled with tenderness, his eyes sparkling as though she were his most precious treasure.

A man like this… it was hard not to fall for him. If things continued this way, she feared it wouldn’t be long before she gave in.

But she didn’t want to repeat the ending from the book, didn’t want to become the jealous, irrational villainess. She only wanted to live on properly.

The car drove on, and by the time night began to fall, they stopped in a small town.

The small town was deserted, with only zombies wandering aimlessly about.

Xiao Chen got out of the car, wrapped his arm around Lin Luo’s slender waist to shield her by his side, and ordered the others to get down and clear the zombies.

The surrounding zombies, upon catching the scent of living humans, instantly rushed toward them.

Lin Luo looked at the ghastly faces before her—skin dark and bluish, flesh rotting, some with only half a head left, others with intestines spilling out. The nauseating stench in the air made her stomach churn in revolt.

It was the first time she had ever seen zombies up this close. Lin Luo trembled from head to toe in fright, nearly retching.

She had thought she was ready to face the apocalypse, but who knew she would be this fragile? Not only was she unable to grow stronger, she couldn’t even face zombies directly.

Her heart sank in bitter despair.

Xiao Chen, seeing the pallor on Lin Luo’s face, tightened his arm around her waist with concern. Before he could comfort the girl in his embrace, zombies had already swarmed around them.

Xiao Chen released a net of lightning, electrocuting all the zombies around them to the ground.

At the same time, Chen Tong and Sun Xiang struck out. One unleashed sharp wind blades, the other summoned vines. Though not very powerful, after several strikes, each could still manage to kill a zombie.

Watching the Captain wipe out an entire wave of zombies in one attack, they felt a pang of envy sour in their hearts.

On the other side, Luo Junze cast flames, killing zombies while protecting his younger sister behind him.

Luo Yueyue hid in the safety of her brother’s back, occasionally taking the chance to finish off a stray zombie, wielding her water sword to knock them down.

Wei Long’s ability was metal. He coated his fists with it, and coupled with his natural strength, every punch crushed a zombie, fighting with fierce momentum.

Wang Ming occasionally hurled a block of earth, and while the zombie staggered to the ground, he swiftly finished it off with a dagger.

If there had been any bystanders nearby, they would have noticed that though the apocalypse had only just begun a few days ago, this team’s abilities already surpassed the majority. Their powers were skillfully used, and as a whole, they were very strong.

After more than an hour, everyone’s powers were already exhausted. At that point, they each held daggers and killed zombies in close combat.

Lin Luo, sheltered in Xiao Chen’s arms the entire time, had grown numb to the grotesque creatures.

By the time the group had cleared all the zombies in the small town, the sky had turned completely dark.

They found a relatively clean-looking three-story building and settled inside.

Lin Luo, Luo Yueyue, Xiao Chen, and Wang Ming stayed behind to prepare dinner, while the other four went into the town to gather whatever supplies could still be used.

There was still electricity and running water.

Lin Luo and Luo Yueyue searched the kitchen, washing pots and pans before starting on dinner.

Xiao Chen and Wang Ming busied themselves cleaning and tidying the rooms.

When the other four returned carrying supplies, dinner was already prepared.

Having fought zombies for hours, everyone was exhausted. The three-story building had three rooms on each floor, just enough for everyone to have one each.

After lining up to take turns washing up, they left a guard for the night watch while the rest went to their rooms to rest.