C60
Tang Bing's heart wasn't quite hardened enough, or else he wouldn't have dashed out to save them.
He was well aware of the danger! He had nearly lost his own life just moments ago, but he simply couldn't stand by and watch Qin Mengli and Zhao Dagang become zombie fodder.
During his charge into the horde, using a toy car to divert the zombies' attention, he narrowly escaped.
Had he been encircled by the zombies then, it would have been the end for him!
Fortunately, his relentless focus on boosting his agility attribute allowed him to barely wriggle free from the mass of undead.
Even though he sustained several scratches, with wounds marking his chest and back, antibiotics and painkillers facilitated a swift recovery.
It was a shame about the small, high-quality suit jacket, though. It was shredded to pieces by the zombies' claws.
He had found a sewing kit capable of mending clothes, but in the frenzy of his escape, there was no chance to sew. Time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to wait for nightfall.
So, he stowed the ruined jacket in his virtual backpack and switched to a spare set of cotton armor.
Tang Bing was now atop a roof.
He had fought his way into the building, barricading the advancing zombie legion with furniture, then cut down the undead inside before making it to the rooftop and securing the terrace door.
From his vantage point, he saw a dense swarm of zombies clawing at the building's exterior, desperately trying to break in. The terrace door behind him reverberated with the pounding of zombies that had made it inside.
While on the phone with Sun Meng, Tang Bing had already scoped out his escape route.
Once the call ended, he quickly made his way to the right edge of the roof.
To the right stood a ten-story apartment block, its second-floor balcony a mere two meters from his current position.
The zombies were concentrated beneath Tang Bing's building, leaving the apartment relatively safer with only a few scattered indoor zombies.
Beyond the apartment was a brick house accessible via the balcony's water pipe, which one could slide down to reach the roof, and then leap onto a nearby sand pile. This was the most direct route to the plaza.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The rooftop door shuddered under the relentless pounding of the zombies. As their numbers grew, the bolted lock began to give way.
Tang Bing knew he couldn't afford to hesitate. Glancing down at the dizzying two-story drop, he realized he couldn't just leap across the gap.
His usual long jump could cover about 2.5 meters, but this wasn't a track field. Any hesitation could lead to a fatal error.
Luckily, he had his system. After a brief moment of thought, Tang Bing retrieved a sturdy wooden plank, about two meters in length, from his virtual backpack. It was a remnant from when he had dismantled furniture to construct a barbed fence.
He positioned the plank between the rooftop and the iron railing of the opposite balcony, creating a precarious 30-degree slope. It was far from stable and quite terrifying, but he had no other option.
If he didn't take this risk, he'd be left to the mercy of the zombies breaking through to the rooftop, ready to tear him apart.
Taking several deep breaths to steady himself, Tang Bing summoned his courage and stepped onto the plank.
"Stay calm, stay calm..." he muttered to himself, resisting the urge to look down at his feet. He began to inch his way across the slope, moving toward the balcony with painstaking care.
The noise from the rooftop door intensified behind him, the vibrations palpable even through the plank.
Then, with a thunderous crash, the bolt was finally dislodged, and the door flew open. A horde of zombies surged onto the rooftop, their frenzied roars filling the air as they charged at Tang Bing.
His heart skipped a beat, but he quickened his steps, pushing forward.
Just as the zombies closed in, Tang Bing reached the safety of the balcony and vaulted over the railing. He spun around and swiftly withdrew the plank.
With a clattering cascade, the plank was barely clear when the zombies, still in their relentless pursuit, spilled over the edge of the rooftop, tumbling down one after another.
Below, the swarm erupted into chaos, with many now spotting Tang Bing in the apartment building and shifting their direction toward their new prey.
Tang Bing dashed forward without a moment's hesitation, knowing he needed to leap onto the sand pile across from the balcony before zombies encircled the apartment building. Once there, he planned to make his way along the main road toward the plaza.
As he sprinted ahead, a female zombie burst through the balcony door, startling him so severely he nearly toppled over the railing. Thankfully, he regained his balance just in time and delivered a powerful kick to the zombie's stomach, sending her stumbling backward.
Seizing the opportunity, Tang Bing surged ahead. Reaching the railing, he vaulted over it and, with hands and feet working in tandem, latched onto the corner water pipe and slid down swiftly.
The female zombie, with a guttural roar, rose and gave chase, leaping over the railing in a blind attempt to tackle Tang Bing. But driven by mere instinct and lacking any real intelligence, she plummeted straight down, crashing through the roof of a house below and creating a sizable crater.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Tang Bing hastened his descent to the rooftop, treading lightly across the tiles. He soon reached the edge of the sand pile.
After several deep breaths to steady himself, he sprinted and leaped, landing squarely in the center of the sand. Standing up, he felt sand clinging to him from head to toe. Shaking his head vigorously, he brushed the fine grains from his hair and hopped down to the ground to shake the remaining sand from his clothes.
Sand still filled his shoes, chafing uncomfortably, but he had no time to dwell on it. He glanced back to see the zombie he had evaded earlier pounding on the windows, threatening to break through at any moment. The growing cacophony of approaching zombies signaled that more were on their tail.
Without a second thought, Tang Bing bolted from the yard, sprinting down the least zombie-infested route.
His exceptional agility was his saving grace; unless he was cornered by a horde of zombies or encountered a mutated one, no one could catch up to Tang Bing.
He was adept at sensing the zombies that roamed the intersections ahead and to the sides, swiftly maneuvering around them and leaving them in the dust.
The sun was on its slow descent, with roughly an hour left before darkness enveloped the sky.
If Tang Bing couldn't make it to the plaza before nightfall to rendezvous with the survivors calling for aid, the pitch-black city, devoid of electricity, could very well become his grave.
There was no time to lose; his only option was to run! Run! Run!
As he sprinted for his life, his phone buzzed incessantly. He didn't need to check it to know it was Sun Meng and the others, calling to check on him. But how could Tang Bing afford to stop? He had to ignore the persistent vibration and keep racing ahead.
"Roar~! Roar~!" Every so often, he encountered hordes of zombies, their roars echoing as they pursued him. But thanks to his superior agility, he quickly outdistanced them, leaving them to wander aimlessly once they lost his trail.
Despite his speed, Tang Bing's stamina had its limits.
Several blocks in, his energy flagged, and his legs grew as heavy as if they were encased in concrete.
He needed to rest his legs, to catch his breath properly.
Yet, he was forced to keep running, with zombies drawn to his trail and closing in from behind.
Running on sheer willpower, Tang Bing was at his breaking point, his legs no longer feeling like they belonged to him.
Glancing back at the fresh wave of zombies on his tail, he realized he had to come up with a plan or he was done for. Once his stamina ran out, he'd be overtaken by the zombies and turned into their next meal.
Even armed with guns, he couldn't fend off the ever-increasing number of zombies.
Seeking refuge in a building to rest? That seemed to be the most prudent strategy for the moment. If he could just find a building with fewer zombies, secure the doors and windows, and take out any stragglers inside, he could hole up upstairs and quietly survive the night. But this approach would diminish the survivors' chances. They might not last until his arrival, succumbing to starvation or falling prey to the zombies breaking through their defenses.
Tang Bing wasn't particularly concerned, but he knew that Qin Mengli, the self-absorbed woman, and Zhao Dagang, the lovable oaf, were bound to stir up more trouble. The fact that it was Mengli's homeroom teacher calling for help made the situation more pressing—she must consider that person quite significant.
With this in mind, Tang Bing racked his brain for alternative plans. After a strenuous run, he halted in his tracks and doubled back to a hardware store. There, an electric scooter lay on its side, a fast-food delivery box still attached to its rear. Crucially, he noticed the keys hadn't been removed.
The food was spoiled, emitting a foul stench, but Tang Bing had no time to be bothered by that. Glancing at the pursuing zombies, he quickly righted the scooter and fired it up. Luck was on his side—the battery was charged, and the scooter zipped along, carrying him swiftly forward.
At last, he could give his legs a brief respite and attempt to steady his breath while escaping the undead horde. He surmised that during the outbreak, a delivery person must have been attacked by zombies or turned into one themselves, leaving the scooter abandoned curbside.
There were likely many such vehicles with keys still in the ignition, just waiting to be found by someone diligent enough to look. But Tang Bing had neither the time nor the inclination to search; the scooter he'd commandeered would suffice for now. The road ahead was teeming with zombies, yet they were sparse enough to navigate through. With caution, he could make it to the square unscathed.
As Tang Bing had anticipated, zombies emerged from all directions and occasionally blocked his path, but he adeptly maneuvered the scooter past each wave, reaching the road beside the square before nightfall.
The sight of nearly a thousand zombies wandering the square made his skin crawl. Acting quickly, he ditched the scooter and used a toy car to distract the zombies with its noise. He then found a secure spot to conceal himself, using parked cars to obscure the view from distant zombies. Without delay, he pulled out his phone and logged onto the forum to inquire about the exact location of other survivors.
