Chapter 20: The Business Vehicle

“What are you doing?” Lao He came and sat next to Wang Zhi.

“I’m thinking about the evacuation plan. Now that we have food, it’s time to bring everyone back,” Wang Zhi said, speaking vaguely with a mouthful of bread.

Looking at the map of S City, Wang Zhi traced the coordinates that Lingling had given him earlier. The location was about 30 kilometers north of the school, in the wilderness.

S City had a dense population, and almost everywhere outside was swarming with zombies. What worried Wang Zhi the most was that the students had no survival ability. It was uncertain whether they could even make it back safely, let alone taking over twenty people along with them.

“Wait, Wang Ge, Dayong has passed out!” Zhang Xiaowei spoke up, referring to the male student who had left with them.

“What happened? Let’s go see.” Wang Zhi moved through the crowd to find Dayong lying unconscious on the ground.

“Lift his clothes!” Wang Zhi ordered.

Upon closer inspection, Dayong had a scratch on his waist. The wound wasn’t large, but it had already become infected, turning the skin around it black.

Everyone quickly realized that Dayong had been infected!

“A bunch of animals! I will make you pay!” The male student who was closest to Dayong was about to attack the two boys inside the room.

But Wang Zhi stopped him. Objectively speaking, they weren’t wrong. Everyone was just trying to survive.

“People can’t be brought back to life. Save your strength. We’ll deal with this once we reach the shelter,” Wang Zhi said, then raised his gun and ended Dayong’s life.

“Fatty, throw him down the stairs,” Wang Zhi said nonchalantly.

The students lowered their heads in silence. No one objected. In truth, everyone understood that no one wanted a person who could turn into a zombie at any moment around them.

Survival of the fittest. This was the end times!

“Is there a bus at the school?” Wang Zhi asked Jia Li beside him.

“Well… there aren’t any large vehicles on campus, but there is usually a business car near the office building for teachers and students to use for events,” Jia Li recalled.

“A business car?”

“Yes, it’s a vehicle the school uses for activities. It’s relatively large. We should be able to squeeze everyone in.”

“Is the car still there?” Wang Zhi asked.

“It should be. There haven’t been any events lately, so it should be parked near the office building,” Jia Li thought for a moment and answered.

After learning that there was a business vehicle near the office building, Wang Zhi briefed the others and suggested that they go get the car during lunch.

“But we don’t have the keys. How are we going to start the car?” Fatty asked.

“As I mentioned before, I’ve made a program. As long as the car still has power, I can unlock it and start it,” Wang Zhi explained.

“Then let’s hurry up and leave. We need to get back before dark,” Lao He said.

The four of them checked their ammunition. Lao He and Sakura had used up most of their bullets, while Fatty and Wang Zhi had only used about 100 rounds. They still had about 1100 rounds left between them.

“Looks like we’ll have to conserve our ammo. We’ve already used up almost half in less than a day. What are we going to do once we’re outside?”

Even Wang Zhi didn’t expect the ammunition to deplete so quickly.

The four of them descended from the rooftop and started clearing zombies on their way to the office building. Most of the zombies they encountered were students. For the lone ones, Lao He and Sakura switched to using knives, conserving ammunition.

When they arrived at the office building, it only took a quick turn around the corner before they found the large business vehicle.

The four of them cautiously approached the car.

“The door’s locked!” Sakura said after trying the door handle.

“Don’t worry. You all keep watch. Give me some time, I’ll unlock it,” Wang Zhi replied, taking out his laptop and starting the hacking process.

Unlocking the car door was easy. Wang Zhi managed to do it in just half an hour.

Bang! He opened the door, got inside, and closed it. Then he continued working on the ignition key.

The ignition required a wireless frequency to be detected. Wang Zhi was now using a program he created to simulate the same frequency. It would take about half an hour if he was lucky, or at worst, three hours.

It was now 2 PM. Zombies were gathering around more and more. The other three kept their silence, leaning against the vehicle to avoid drawing attention.

“Hey, Wang Zhi, can you hurry up? It’s been an hour. If you can’t do it, we should go back,” Fatty complained.

Another hour passed. Zombies were surrounding them more closely. Fatty spoke again, “Wang Zhi, if you can’t do it, we need to leave now.”

“Shut up if you don’t want to be zombie food,” Wang Zhi replied, slightly irritated. He had overestimated his program’s efficiency and realized it would take a few more hours to fully crack the car.

At 6 PM, the light was fading, and the number of zombies around them had increased significantly. Some of the zombies inside the building had also started to crawl outside.

“I think if we don’t leave now, we might end up spending the night in the car!” Sakura said, noticing the growing number of zombies around them.

“Just give me half an hour more. We can’t give up now! My laptop’s battery is almost dead, though! You guys keep watch, please!” Wang Zhi said determinedly. He needed another half an hour to start the car.

It was getting dark, and the zombies began moving around more actively. They noticed the group and began gathering around the vehicle.

“Too many! Wang Zhi, are you done yet?” Lao He asked while shooting zombies that were getting closer.

“Almost!” Wang Zhi replied.

Lao He realized they were close to being overwhelmed. He pulled out a grenade and threw it far away.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed across the campus, breaking the silence. Zombies began jumping out of the windows of the office building, and the nearby zombies started rushing toward them.

Before they knew it, hundreds of zombies had surrounded them!

Lao He quickly pulled out another grenade and threw it into the crowd of zombies.

“Use your grenades now! Don’t wait for them to get too close!” Lao He yelled as he reloaded his weapon.

“Wang Zhi, how much longer? If we don’t leave now, we’ll have to run!” Sakura said as she finished her bullets and drew her knife, preparing to break through.

Boom! The sound of the car starting came from behind them.

“Quick, get in!” Wang Zhi shouted, seeing the car had started. He immediately shifted the car into gear, ready to floor the accelerator.

Without hesitation, the three others turned and ran to the car. Before they could even close the doors, the car sped out, leaving the chaos behind.