C12 Chapter 12

"There's a gas station up ahead, and we're running low on fuel. We need to top off the tank," Zeng Qiang said, his eyes on the steadily descending fuel gauge. A sense of dread washed over him; this car was a real gas guzzler!

Jiang Ruan extended her spiritual senses and detected a mutant zombie at the gas station ahead. Under its command, there were over fifty other zombies!

Glancing at the fuel gauge again, she realized that if they pushed on, they likely wouldn't make it to the next station before running out of gas. She had the power to disperse the zombies with her spiritual energy, but doing so could risk exposing her identity.

For Jiang Ruan, dealing with fifty zombies was a breeze, almost like flicking her little finger. But for ordinary people, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

"Did you all hear that?" Jiang Ruan picked up the growling of the zombies; they were definitely aware of their presence.

Everyone nodded, alarmed to find zombies still lurking at the gas station. "What's our plan?" Zeng Qiang instinctively turned to Jiang Ruan for guidance.

"Find a high spot to stand on. There's a mutant zombie inside. I'll draw it out while you all stay elevated and swing your long blades. Just remember, don't let the zombies grab you!" With that, she watched as the mutant zombie charged forward.

Jiang Ruan lured the zombie to a spot far from the others to avoid collateral damage and to make it easier to handle.

With no one lurking in the shadows, she unleashed her spiritual power. Her abilities surpassed those of the mutant zombie. She swiftly drew her bone knife, and as the zombie closed in, she struck with a decisive slash.

Her cut was swift, fierce, and precise, severing its neck. A level one mutant zombie was tougher than the average undead, making it a challenging opponent. If others witnessed Jiang Ruan's lethal efficiency, it would surely cause a frenzy.

She extracted the crystal nucleus from the zombie's head, cleaned it with bottled water, and pocketed it. Her collection of crystal nuclei was growing, but it wasn't the right time to use them.

Reluctantly, Jiang Ruan returned them to her pocket, smeared some of the zombie's black blood on herself for camouflage, and quickly left the desolate ruins behind.

"Roar!" The sound of guttural roars reached their ears before they even got close. Below, zombies with gnashing teeth and clawing hands desperately tried to snatch the humans from the platform, flailing their arms without purpose.

The arrival of Jiang Ruan instantly redirected the zombies' attention. They lumbered toward her, clutching their severed limbs, advancing with a disturbing calmness. She found the stench of zombies utterly repulsive.

With a few swift strikes, Jiang Ruan decapitated two of the undead. The people on the platform breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if they had been rescued, yet they remained on the stage, watching her battle alone.

"What, you're not going to help me?" Jiang Ruan yelled at the onlookers. Zeng Qiang's resolve wavered, but with fifty zombies below, this was no small threat!

Seeing their indifference, Jiang Ruan had initially hoped to quickly return and save them. However, she hadn't anticipated that their salvation might mean sacrificing her own life.

Any last shred of empathy she held for this group had now evaporated. If it weren't for her need to reach B City, she wouldn't bother with their fate.

With a cold laugh, Jiang Ruan's grip on her bone knife tightened. Each swing of her blade guaranteed another zombie's demise.

She was unable to unleash her formidable presence and found it absurd that she was now forced to fight these creatures, her own kind.

A pregnant zombie waddled toward Jiang Ruan, mouth agape, oozing yellow fluid, aiming to sink its teeth into her neck. Fortunately, its distended belly proved to be an obstacle.