C17 Zhao Dagang Stopped the Car to Call for Help, Wanting to Repay His Gratitude and Promise to Kill

Sun Meng had been stealthily observing Tang Bing, noting how his demeanor remained unchanged for quite some time, betraying none of the symptoms that were rampant among the infected according to the internet.

Typically, the onset of corpse poison symptoms occurred within two hours, with signs like sluggish reflexes, a dazed state, vomiting blood, pale pupils, and muscle rigidity manifesting between thirty minutes to an hour after infection.

The absence of any symptoms in Tang Bing suggested he was genuinely immune. Could it be that his antibiotics were legitimate? Did he truly possess a remedy for the infection? Yet, considering the viral origins were extraterrestrial, how could he possibly have a cure? Was it conceivable that he was an alien himself?

Lost in her musings, Sun Meng's thoughts were interrupted by a loud cry for help. She rushed to the window and peered out to see a burly man bolting from a nearby building. Clad in worn clothing and sporting unkempt hair, his brawny arms indicated he was a laborer.

The laborer, clutching a cloth bag, was being pursued by a horde of zombies. He ran towards them in desperation, arms flailing as he yelled for assistance.

"Bing, there's a survivor!" Sun Meng called out urgently, though she was certain Tang Bing had already noticed.

Unfazed, Tang Bing kept the car speeding forward, breezing past the laborer without a second glance.

"Bing, there's a survivor!" Sun Meng yelled again, "We have to save him!"

Glancing back, she saw the laborer narrowly dodging the zombies, spurred on by the close encounter with the car. Meanwhile, the vehicle's noise drew an even larger swarm of zombies in hot pursuit.

"Bing! There are so few of us left, we need to stick together to make it!" Sun Meng pleaded, guilt-ridden for not aiding the survivor. "If you don't go back for him, he's going to die!"

"Enough!" Tang Bing snapped without looking back, his voice icy. In a swift motion, he spun the steering wheel, executing a sharp 180-degree turn.

"Ouch!" Sun Meng was thrown off balance by the sudden maneuver, her head smacking against the window, pain etching her face.

"Stay put!" commanded Tang Bing as he floored the accelerator, the car rocketing back the way they came.

Sun Meng, now firmly seated, gripped the handlebars to maintain her balance, bracing for any more abrupt turns. Her eyes widened in alarm as zombies emerged in their path. "Watch out!"

"Stay put!" Tang Bing didn't slow down but instead plowed straight through them.

With a "Bang!" the car lurched but kept going, sending three zombies flying as more swarmed around them.

The laborer, realizing the car had driven off, frantically continued his escape. The sudden reduction in his undead pursuers offered a momentary relief, yet his heart sank with the weight of abandonment—he had thought rescue was at hand, only to be ignored.

As he ran, a look of despair on his face, the car's engine roared to life behind him once more, followed by the blare of its horn. Whirling around, he saw the same car speeding back, slicing through the throng of zombies to pull up alongside him.

"Get in!" Tang Bing shouted, bringing the car to a halt next to the laborer.

"Hey, hey..." Overwhelmed by the rapid shift from doom to hope, the laborer's face lit up with joy. He scrambled towards the vehicle, flinging open the passenger door, and dove inside.

"Shut the door!" Tang Bing yelled as the man climbed into the car, eyeing the rapidly approaching horde of zombies.

"Done!" The laborer slammed the car door shut and gasped for breath in response.

Without hesitation, Tang Bing whipped the car around and floored the accelerator, swerving past the oncoming tide of undead and speeding away to safety.

"Thank you! I can't thank you enough!" The laborer looked back to see the distance growing between them and the zombies, his anxiety finally easing. "For a moment there, I thought you were just going to drive off!"

"We couldn't stop with that many zombies; we had to draw them away with the car's noise to stand a chance," Tang Bing said, not sparing him a glance as he kept the car hurtling forward.

"Now I get it, I'm sorry, Bing!" Sun Meng's face flushed with embarrassment. "I had you all wrong before."

"I got it wrong about you folks, too!" The laborer clutched his bundle tightly, turning to Tang Bing with a goofy grin. "Turns out the city's still full of good people!"

Tang Bing glanced at him briefly but remained silent, focusing on driving.

"I'm Zhao Dagang, from Ox Ridge in B City. Just landed a job here! Been working a week, but I haven't gotten paid yet. The boss, his wife, and the crew at the site turned into those... things. They tried to eat me! I hid for two days, then saw your car from a window and ran out for help!"

"How old are you?" Sun Meng asked, noticing Tang Bing's silent concentration on the road.

"I'm 27 this year!" Zhao Dagang replied earnestly.

"Wow, you're older than both me and Bing," Sun Meng said with a smile. "I'm Sun Meng, a nursing intern, 21 years old. The guy driving is Bing, Tang Bing. He's a year older than me, 22. Bing may seem standoffish, but he's truly one of the good ones. He rescued me."

"Thank you, really, thank you!" Zhao Dagang nodded repeatedly, full of gratitude toward Tang Bing. "Where are we headed?"

"To the military sanctuary," Sun Meng replied, as Tang Bing stayed quiet. "But first, we need to stop by the Bluestar Branch Building. Bing has some business there."

"What kind of business?" Zhao Dagang inquired eagerly. "I can help!"

"To kill someone," Tang Bing said flatly, glancing at Zhao Dagang from the corner of his eye.

Zhao Dagang froze, bewildered by the response. After a moment, he stammered, "What? What did you say?"

"Kill someone," Tang Bing repeated, still driving intently.

"Bro, you're kidding, right?" Zhao Dagang let out a nervous chuckle.

Tang Bing remained silent, his focus unbroken.

The conversation took a dark turn, and Sun Meng, haunted by the memory of Yang Fei's death, shrank back in her seat, staying quiet.

Zhao Dagang's laughter trailed off as he sensed the tension. He studied Tang Bing and Sun Meng's solemn faces before finally mustering, "No, it can't be. Are you seriously going to kill someone?"

Met with silence, Zhao Dagang grew quiet, unsure of what to make of the situation. After a long pause, as if coming to a decision, he spoke up, "Tang Bing, right? You saved my life, and I owe you. If you're set on killing, then I'm with you."

"Hey!" Sun Meng was taken aback. She never expected the usually quiet Zhao Dagang to blurt out something so shocking. Panic-stricken, she blurted out, "Brother Zhao, you can't be serious! Murder is a crime..."

"Do you even know who I'm planning to kill?" Tang Bing was caught off guard. It wasn't every day that someone responded to him like this. This burly man knew Tang Bing was out to kill, yet he offered to help—a rarity indeed. Was he sincere, or did he have an ulterior motive?

When Tang Bing probed further, Zhao Dagang turned to face him and said earnestly, "You saved my life. My dad always said to repay kindness with kindness and avenge wrongs. You've done me a good turn, so I'm here to help you, no matter what—even if it means murder or arson."

Tang Bing couldn't help but wonder if this guy had a screw loose. He shot Zhao a quick glance before focusing back on driving, though doubts continued to swirl in his mind.

"Oh my God!" Sun Meng was beside herself. "What's going on here? Bing, Brother Zhao, you're talking about killing like it's some kind of joke. That's not okay! Murder is against the law..."

"What law can we possibly break now?" Zhao Dagang turned to Sun Meng with a puzzled look. "Haven't the police all turned into flesh-eating monsters?"

Despite seeming a bit off, Zhao's logic was somehow clearer than Sun Meng's, which took Tang Bing by surprise.

"But... but..." Sun Meng was desperate to point out the absurdity of discussing murder in a city overrun with zombies, where survivors were already scarce. Yet she choked back her words before they could escape.

"Kill someone? I've never taken a life; I'm not sure I can," Zhao Dagang admitted. "Besides, I don't even have a weapon."

Tang Bing gave him another quick glance and noticed a hole in his clothing around the waist, revealing several scratch marks. "Did zombies get you?"

"Ah, just a scratch from escaping. No big deal; I'm tough. A little cut won't slow me down!" Zhao Dagang laughed heartily. "Back in my village, I've had worse injuries from chopping wood. One time, I gashed my leg with an axe. Just slapped some herbs on it, wrapped it up, and I was good as new—no hospital needed!"

"But it's not the size of the wound that matters now!" Sun Meng interjected from the back seat, her voice tinged with alarm. "Zombie bites or scratches can infect you with their virus, turning you into one of them!"

"Ah?!" Zhao Dagang's face went ashen. "A virus? What do I do? I don't want to turn into one of those man-eating creatures!"

"Calm down," Tang Bing interjected, seeing the panic on both their faces. "I have antibiotics that can treat the infection. You won't turn into a zombie, I promise. But remember, you owe me for this."

"You've got medicine?" Zhao Dagang's mood flipped instantly from fear to relief. "Could you share some with me? I don't want to become a monster! If you save me again, I'll owe you my life. From here on out, I'm with you all the way!"

"Really?" Tang Bing said, not even glancing his way. "But I can't trust you—we've only just met. However, we've got time on our side. Take care of the killing for me first, then I'll hand over the medicine."

"Sure thing!" Zhao Dagang agreed, nodding emphatically. "I'll do as you say!"

Sun Meng stood in stunned silence behind them. She could never have imagined things turning out like this! What on earth was happening to the world? They were discussing murder with such nonchalance! It was utterly absurd!