C27 Hero Saving the Beauty

Despite his head being battered to such an extent, Chen Wanli only hesitated briefly before charging forward once more. The remaining half of his disfigured face appeared even more ghastly.

I stood in the middle of the road, my flashlight illuminating the two advancing corpses. My heart felt as lifeless as the color of their skin.

Suddenly, the flute's tone shifted, transitioning from a climax to a more serene melody. The two corpses also slowed down, their gaze fixed on me.

By now, it was clear to me that the persistent flute music was controlling the movements of the corpses. The playing wasn't random; it was like a piece of music with its own rhythm—sometimes soaring, sometimes soothing, sometimes otherworldly, and sometimes enchanting.

Seizing the opportunity provided by the brief lull in the music, I tried to warn Liang Yue, "You're overthinking it. I'm no hero, nor am I here to rescue the damsel. Get out of here and find someone to save me..."

But after speaking for a bit, there was silence behind me.

I turned around in astonishment, only to find that Liang Yue had vanished without a trace.

I inwardly cursed my luck. There I was, playing the hero, while she had slipped away without even a polite goodbye. It looked like I was doomed to be stuck in this underground parking garage.

Suddenly, the tranquil flute music crescendoed once more. I cursed under my breath and quickly turned around.

As I feared, the two corpses launched another assault, their chilling presence already upon me.

Instinctively, I swung the flashlight at the female corpse in front of me. The blow landed squarely, but my hand was drenched in cold sweat. I had exerted too much force, and the flashlight slipped from my grasp.

The flashlight struck the female corpse and ricocheted onto the floor. The batteries popped out, and the light went out, plunging everything into darkness.

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder as a powerful force struck me. My body was hit hard, and I was thrown backward, crashing to the ground.

Clutching my shoulder, I was overwhelmed by intense pain and couldn't help but wonder if I had broken any bones.

I didn't have time to consider anything else. My initial plan was to hold them off long enough to give Liang Yue a chance to call for help. But things didn't go as expected. With my limited abilities, unarmed and without any real fighting skills, I stood no chance against two zombies. The whole situation was eerily reminiscent of a scene from a zombie movie. Moreover, since Liang Yue had already fled, there was no reason for me to stay behind.

In the pitch-black darkness, I heard footsteps approaching. Ignoring the pain, I cradled my arms and bolted in the opposite direction.

But navigating in total darkness was new to me, and I quickly realized the challenge it posed.

Instinctively, humans fear the unseen obstacles that might lurk in the dark ahead, and this fear can prevent one from running at full speed.

The two corpses trailing me, however, seemed unfazed. They likely didn't rely on sight to move, so the darkness didn't slow them down in the slightest.

At my wit's end, a beam of light suddenly cut through the darkness ahead, and a voice called out, "Over here..."

It was Liang Yue's voice. I dashed towards the light.

The sliver of illumination significantly increased my pace. Having grappled with the corpse for so long, I had noticed that it moved only by walking, with knees that didn't bend, and thus it couldn't run. Its speed, though swift, was no match for someone sprinting at full tilt.

Breathless, I reached Liang Yue and discovered a room. As soon as I entered, she quickly shut the door behind us.

Liang Yue shone her flashlight in my face, and I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes.

The motion sent a jolt of pain through my shoulder, making me wince.

Liang Yue looked at me with concern. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

I nodded. "Those two got a hit on my shoulder."

Seeing her worry, she asked, "Is it serious?"

I shook my head. "It's much better now. I don't think there's any damage to the bones."

Liang Yue glanced at me with a smile, "I didn't expect you to be so tough when it really mattered."

I nodded, "That's what everyone who knows me says."

Liang Yue shot me a look, "Complain about being called fat, and you start to huff and puff."

I countered, "How come you didn't even say hi before showing up here?"

Liang Yue explained, "I was checking out the surroundings and it hit me that there might be a surveillance room for the parking lot here. I wasn't sure, but I decided to check it out and, sure enough, I found it."

Illuminated by the flashlight Liang Yue was holding, I noticed that one wall of the room was lined with surveillance monitors. Unfortunately, there was no power, so the monitors were dark.

I was about to search the room for anything useful when a loud bang at the door startled us both.

Then the door began to rattle with a series of noises. Clearly, the two corpses that had been chasing me had reached the door and were now pounding on it.

Their blows were strong enough to make the door shake violently.

I said with a wry smile, "If those things outside get in, we'll have nowhere to run. It's just like being trapped in an elevator."

"Don't worry," Liang Yue reassured me, "that's a security door. I doubt they'll be able to break through."

Relieved, I leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.

Noticing my discomfort, Liang Yue quickly offered, "Can I take a look at your wound?"

I shook my head, "It's nothing. Just a scratch."

Liang Yue frowned, "Why are you being so stubborn?" Without waiting for a response, she began tearing at my clothes.

I protested, "Hey, you're a girl, can't you be a little less rough?"

"Quit your whining," Liang Yue retorted, and in a few swift motions, she had torn open my collar to reveal my shoulder.

Shining the flashlight on it, I caught sight of the injury and winced.

The bruise on my right shoulder was large and swollen.

Liang Yue stood up and started searching the room, but eventually admitted defeat, "This place hasn't been used in so long, there's no medicine here."

I waved my hand dismissively, "Let it go. Nobody's dying. Come take a break with me, and let's turn off the flashlight to conserve the battery. Once they break through the door, we'll have our hands full again."

The relentless thudding of the two corpses against the door persisted.

Liang Yue moved closer and sat down beside me. With the flashlight off, darkness enveloped the room once more.

Darkness tends to heighten fear, and knowing those two corpses could burst in at any moment didn't help. I feigned composure and struck up a conversation, "You've got some impressive moves. Where did you learn them?"

Liang Yue replied, "As a kid, I was quite the tomboy—always climbing trees and getting into scraps. My dad decided to enroll me in Taekwondo classes, and later I picked up some Sanda. I even placed in provincial competitions. I thought about going to the police academy, but my mom was dead set against it, worried about the dangers. So after graduation, I joined my uncle's company."

I blinked in surprise, "Your uncle's company? Who's your uncle?"

"Wu Tianyou," she said.

"Wu... Director Wu is your uncle?"

She nodded, "Yeah, why are you so surprised?"

I chuckled, "I just assumed you were Director Wu's..."

"Assumed I was Director Wu's what? Ah... I see... Hmph," Liang Yue caught on to my insinuation and let out a huff of annoyance.

I gave a sheepish grin, "Can't blame me, can you? You're young, attractive, and you're Director Wu's assistant. It's easy for people to assume you're his secretary and maybe even his mistress."

"You're injured, so I'll let it slide. But once we're out of here, you'll see how I'll deal with you. And your unreliable Third Uncle—what's the deal with you guys? You took two hundred thousand from us, botched the job, and now we're all in this mess. I'm stuck with your bad luck," Liang Yue grumbled.

"Hey, you chose to tag along. But relax, the fact that we haven't seen Third Uncle means he's probably working on a rescue plan. He could show up any minute to save us."

Honestly, I was just trying to reassure myself. I knew all too well what my Third Uncle was like. Every time I got involved in something with him, it seemed I ended up getting duped, and this occasion was no different.

We were in the middle of our conversation when Liang Yue nudged me and whispered, "Listen..."

I strained my ears, and the sound of someone pounding on the door outside gradually ceased.

I quickly switched on the flashlight and approached the door, pressing my ear against it. Outside, there was an eerie silence; even the flute music had stopped.

Liang Yue joined me by the door.

We crouched there for about ten minutes, and outside it was as if nothing had ever happened—no sound whatsoever.

Unsure of what had transpired, I reached for the doorknob and glanced at Liang Yue.

With a dagger in hand, Liang Yue gave me a nod. Clearly, she was just as eager as I was to find out what was happening outside.

I gave her a look and counted in a low voice, "One, two, three..."

On three, I yanked the door open and both Liang Yue and I quickly ducked to either side.

The door swung open to continued silence, the only change being the chill wind that swept into the room.

Shining the flashlight outside, I saw the two bodies still standing as rigid as posts. A shiver ran down my spine, and I instinctively thought to shut the door. But the corpses remained motionless, so I hesitated and shone the light once more.

That's when I noticed something unexpected.

It appeared there were three people at the door.

In that brief glance, I caught sight of a familiar silhouette.

"Third... Third Uncle?" I mumbled under my breath.

Upon hearing me, Liang Yue quickly inquired, "What? Your Third Uncle? Where?"

I recognized the outline of the person standing a bit farther away—it was unmistakably Third Uncle. His build was all too familiar to me, and the more I stared, the surer I became. So, I began to step cautiously outside.

Liang Yue tugged at me, whispering, "Are you certain it's your Third Uncle?"

I nodded and replied, "I'm sure. I'm going to check it out. You stay here, and if anything seems off, close the door immediately. Don't worry about me. The door is sturdy; I reckon if you can hold out until daylight, you'll be safe."