C10 Chapter 10

Jiang Ruan gripped her bone knife tightly as the mutant zombie charged toward her. Without hesitation, she lunged forward to meet it. This level-one mutant had learned to dodge, making it a more formidable opponent.

Repeatedly, Jiang Ruan swung at the zombie but missed each time. Meanwhile, everyone else had fallen back into the safety of the community. Zeng Qiang, with a determined clench of his jaw, remained by her side to confront the creature together.

His movements were swift, but so were the zombie's. Zeng Qiang's blade sliced through the air, missing the target and nearly allowing the zombie to break free. It lunged with its gaping maw, aiming to bite, but Jiang Ruan ambushed it from behind, successfully slashing its arm.

Infuriated, the zombie spun around to attack Jiang Ruan. She quickly drew her kitchen knife, but the zombie's speed was astonishing. As she brandished the knife, the zombie was already upon her, and it seemed she was about to become its next victim.

In the nick of time, Zeng Qiang grabbed a stick from the ground and struck the zombie on the head. The creature let out a guttural roar. Seizing the moment, Jiang Ruan raised her kitchen knife and brought it down hard on the zombie's skull.

With a crisp "crack," the head rolled away. Zeng Qiang, who had never witnessed such a formidable zombie, felt his strength leave him, and he slumped to the ground, overwhelmed.

Jiang Ruan looked at him and said with a cold laugh, "Hurry up and find a car. If we don't move before those zombies get here, we won't stand a chance."

Her words spurred the group into action. They cautiously emerged from the community, only to be greeted by the ghastly sight of numerous bloodied zombies, their stench permeating the air.

Du Jianghong couldn't bear the sight and ran to the side to throw up, her stomach churning with revulsion. Yet, with nothing in her stomach to expel, it was all dry heaves.

Ignoring Du Jianghong's discomfort, the group raced toward the parking garage. Time was of the essence; any delay could lead to being overrun by the undead.

Inside the garage, a few scattered zombies posed little threat and were quickly eliminated. The group then split up to search for vehicles. Meanwhile, Jiang Ruan ascended the supermarket's emergency exit, stuffing her backpack with food supplies. By the time she returned, a car had been secured.

The car roared to life, drawing the gaze of countless zombies. They shuffled toward the sound, lured by the commotion. Zeng Qiang floored it, speeding through the toll station and onto the highway before merging onto the national road.

What they failed to notice was the spectacle behind them: thousands of zombies in S City rooted to the spot, fixated on the fading echo of their departure.

The national road was littered with abandoned vehicles. It was clear that many had fled their cars in panic. Up ahead, a snarl of traffic was jammed together.

"What are we going to do? We can't possibly move all these cars by ourselves," Zhu Zhengyan said, glaring at Jiang Ruan. If it hadn't been for her bad idea, they would never have taken the national road.

"We're blocked in. What's the plan, Brother Zeng?" Du Jianghong cooed, pressing her ample bosom against Zeng Qiang's chest in a soft plea.

Not to be outdone, another woman chimed in, "Brother Zeng, we can't risk going back to S City. Getting trapped here would be a disaster." Quan Sisi's face was etched with sorrow and anger.

"Do we have any other options? It's clear there was a traffic accident, which explains the congestion. But since the accident happened after ten in the morning when traffic was light, if we can just get past this stretch, we'll be in the clear," Jiang Ruan reasoned, climbing onto the nearby fence to survey the road ahead.

This wasn't good. It looked like a dozen or so zombies were trapped among the vehicles, unable to escape.

The others, quick to follow Zhu Zhengyan's lead, found their opinion of Jiang Ruan souring.