C11 Chapter 11
"If we get stuck here, we might as well be zombie chow!" The chubby guy in the middle spat in Jiang Ruan's direction as he said this.
Jiang Ruan internally scoffed at their sarcasm and complaints. She wasn't concerned with their opinions; her only goal was to accompany them to B City, and protecting them was merely a matter of convenience.
Without giving the others a chance to speak further, Jiang Ruan stepped forward and began to push a small car toward an alternate route. In this post-apocalyptic world, her strength had been honed to be dozens of times greater than that of an average person, especially with her zombie-like endurance. She was now capable of lifting a large truck without issue.
To avoid raising suspicions, she feigned great effort as she laboriously moved the car, step by step. Zeng Qiang, after much deliberation, couldn't come up with a better plan.
Beyond the road lay a vast forest, an unknown territory that could harbor any number of monstrous creatures.
Zeng Qiang shrugged off the two women clinging to him and commanded his followers, "Let's all pitch in and help Miss Jiang. The sooner we get through this, the better."
With their assistance, Jiang Ruan's task became significantly easier. She briefed them on the situation: "There are roughly twelve zombies trapped by those cars. Handle them with caution."
"More zombies!" Lu Ming shrieked as the encircled zombies began to thrash violently against the cars, their formidable strength quickly breaking through a small vehicle.
Jiang Ruan gave him a contemptuous glance. "If you're keen on drawing every zombie in the vicinity, I won't hesitate to sever your head right now to spare the rest of us from your folly."
Lu Ming, meeting Jiang Ruan's gaze, found himself speechless, his retort lodged in his throat. Her eyes bore an intensity that made it seem as though her threat could become reality at any moment.
Zeng Qiang squinted thoughtfully. Lu Ming was increasingly insubordinate, and it was time for a serious talk.
The car was swiftly cleared away, and the zombies surged forward in a frenzied dash. Some were gnawed to the bone, with only their heads and skeletal frames intact, yet they still lurched toward the group with rigid steps.
The prolonged decay had left the zombies' bodies riddled with white maggots, giving the grotesque impression of intestines writhing as they moved.
The two women took refuge behind the others, each succumbing to their nausea. Meanwhile, the rest had no choice but to suppress their revulsion as they fought off the monsters before them. Jiang Ruan was a force to be reckoned with, dispatching each zombie with a single slash, heads exploding with every strike. Black blood and brain matter splattered in all directions.
The twelve zombies were quickly subdued, and, thankfully, no one was injured. They used sticks to push the zombie corpses aside, clearing a path.
Everyone climbed back into their vehicles and set off for A City. The recent skirmish had drained them of energy, and with noon approaching, it was time to eat.
Today, Jiang Ruan was responsible for packing supplies. Her robust stamina allowed her to fill all five backpacks to the brim. Her own pack was loaded with canned goods—a wise choice, as she would have been starving had she not eaten a bit while gathering supplies earlier.
Zeng Qiang handed out the food. This time, Jiang Ruan received a box of compressed biscuits, a ham sausage, and a bottle of water, while the other two women had to make do with just half a bottle of water and a single pack of compressed biscuits.
The day's events had hardened Jiang Ruan's resolve; she would no longer naively offer her food to others in a show of misplaced compassion. In perilous times, she had learned, people only thought about using you as a shield against the zombies, not about coming to your aid.
No matter how forlorn the two women looked at Jiang Ruan, she remained unmoved.
"What's with the attitude? If you're not going to share, then don't—we're not begging!" Du Jianghong sneered at Jiang Ruan, who feigned ignorance, playing the fool. She huddled in the back of the car, gnawing on her compressed biscuits, her face etched with a look of deep grievance, as if Jiang Ruan had wronged them in some unforgivable way.
