Chapter 44
The following journey was uneventful. Since it was already late into the night, there were very few people on the highway. It was only when passing through the highway tollbooths that they occasionally encounter a few zombies. But because they had their weapons ready, it was extremely easy to dispose of them. Because of this, the vehicles that were following closely behind them regarded them as their knights in shining armor and were completely unwilling to leave their side for even one moment.
The closer they got to D City, the more vehicles could be seen on the road. Many of the people were fleeing from D city, but there were also some who were running towards D city in search of salvation there.
When they finally reached the highway’s exit, they could see a great pile-up of cars that were blocking the way forward. The situation was similar to the one they had just left behind at the county. Cars were swerving dangerously, some even crashing into each other, while zombies could be seen everywhere attacking and biting people. Even more cries of terror and people shouting curses could be heard here, with some people simply abandoning their cars and fleeing on foot.
“Go to the gas station.” Xiao Sa casually said, his brows creasing without him even realizing that he was frowning. Looking at the current state of the highway, he could see that the drivers were no longer adhering to the traffic laws. Regardless of which direction the car was headed, whether inbound or outbound, they just used whichever lane that was available, resulting in many accidents blocking up the road. If they wanted to continue on with their journey they mustn’t pass by here, otherwise, they would have to abandon the cars. That being the case, instead of wasting time here, it was better to first use this time to collect gasoline.
“Right!” Liu Hua immediately turned the car around in a U-turn. They had already adapted to the situation while on the way here, so everyone’s mental state was now much better. They were no longer as scared of zombies, only of being scratched by one. All that was needed to take down a zombie was one bullet.
Unfortunately, a few other cars had also just turned their cars around, making Liu Hua angry and frustrated. The cars that were previously following them had all turned around in unison, thereby also blocking up the road behind them.
Liu Wei spat then said from between clenched teeth: “What’s the matter with these people, fuck them for blocking our way.”
Xiao Sa frowned and then ordered: “Park the cars on the curb, a few people will follow me on foot, the rest of you will stay behind to take care of things. If anyone tries to cause trouble, you know what to do.”
“Rest assured elder brother.” Liu Hua slapped his chest while pledging this. Then two people got out of each car, and naturally, Bai Jing also followed Xiao Sa.
Someone saw them getting out of their cars then immediately looked at the gas station not too far away. They hurriedly took hold of two empty buckets and also got out of their car with the intention of following Xiao Sa’s group.
Han Yan was in a horrible mood after having to repress a bellyful of fiery rage for the past few weeks. So when he saw this, he immediately pulled out his gun and aimed at the person before angrily and rudely saying: “I’m giving this old man one chance to get lost.”
Bai Jing briefly glanced at Han Yan before deciding to ignore him. Everyone else also remained silent.
Before he could even fire his gun, someone came forward and shouted, “Murderer…”
Someone else with even more guts bravely rebuked him saying: “This road is not your home. Let me inform you that this is still a modern society with rules and laws.”
“I’ll report you if you dare shoot and kill anyone.”
After hearing this, Han Yan was instantly filled with so much anger, it felt like he was chocking.
Bai Jing pondered over this situation with a smile on his face. Humans ah! They are always like this. When confronted with zombies, they are frightened to death, but when facing their fellow humans, they immediately expose their dark side.
Xiao Sa was in no mood to pay attention to them, so he pulled Bai Jing and immediately started walking.
Upon seeing this, some people started to worry. Their words were tough, but with Han Yan’s gun still pointed at them, they didn’t dare rush into making any reckless moves.
“Boss, boss, I’m not with that group of people, so why don’t you take me along with you? How much money do you want for reaching D city? I’ll give you all the money you want.”
“Take me with you also. Things are very difficult in this world at the moment, so everyone should help each other more. I just want to get some petrol, that’s all.” This almost sounded like a very genuine statement. As long as you ignored the two very large buckets in the person’s hands, then this speech would have been very moving.
Han Yan felt discouraged after seeing from his peripheral vision that Xiao Sa had no intention of waiting for him. He fiercely stomped his foot before quickly following him. As for the all those people he had been fighting with before, they didn’t matter anymore.
The gas station was in a complete state of disarray. It was clear to see what had taken place from the blood stains, dead people, abandoned vehicles, and the destroyed and misplaced property. The only thing that was missing was zombies.
“Everyone be on high alert.” Xiao Sa said as he surveyed their surroundings, his entire body stretched taut from tension.
Bai Jing frowned as he suspiciously looked over the ghastly sight of various corpses scattered on the ground. He contemplated for a moment then said: “They seem to have been clawed to death, everyone be careful.”
When he was done inspecting their surroundings and seeing that there was no imminent danger, Xiao Sa casually said: “Three people stay outside, the others come with me.” His goal had always been the warehouse.
Han Yan finally arrived and remained outside with Zhou Ji and Xie MinHang.
Xiao Sa pulled Bai Jing straight towards the warehouse. When he saw the tightly closed warehouse door, Xiao Sa’s turned around, his mind going on high alert as he pulled out his gun.
“Meow–” a fierce and malicious cry sounded, and then out of nowhere, something pounced at them with lightning speed, showing no signs of the usual rigidity of zombies.
Xiao Sa quickly took a few steps back, at the same time he grabbed an iron barrel and threw it at the animal.
“Ka Cha”. Only to find that the cat’s sharp claws were like a stronghold that could not be overcome. In a blink of an eye, it had slashed through the iron barrel and then pounced at the crowd once again. Its sharp teeth and claws gleaming ominously made the bloodstains on its claws even more visible.
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The rest of the people acted fast, taking hold of their guns and firing a barrage of shots at the cat. The cat’s movements were extremely intelligent and nimble, swiftly dodging all the bullets. Seemingly focusing all its malicious intent on Xiao Sa, it suddenly pounced towards him once more.
“Aim for its head.” Bai Jing shouted as he gathered his psychic power then aimed “Bang! Bang! Bang!” After a few consecutive shots, the cat shrieked miserably before lying lifeless on the ground.
“It’s a mutated zombie cat.” Bai Jing expression darkened a bit. The mutant zombie cat was the equivalent of a rank 1 zombie, but only more intelligent and aggressive.
Bai Jing quickly split open its skull and took out a crystal nucleus, it was light purple in color. He looked at it then tossed it to Xiao Sa.
Everyone was silent. The journey on the highway had been too easy making them forget the dangers that were around. It wasn’t until this very moment, as they felt the emotional aftershocks of what had just happened, did they come to the sudden realization that had they been alone, they probably wouldn’t have survived the attack of the mutant zombie cat.
“Ah!” Lin Zhifei covered his face in pain and screamed, venting out his emotions. He was frightened, he was scared or it was all the emotions that had built up from all he had seen and heard throughout this journey. Fear of death had enveloped him, and he couldn’t seem to find a way out.
“Boom!” They heard something explode then saw Lin Zhifei’s entire body emitting sparks.
Bai Jing raised an eyebrow then casually said: “Congratulations.” Fear was also a strong emotion that could act as a catalyst for awakening one’s powers. Should they say that he was lucky or should they say that he was a coward? Either way, this was a good thing.
Lin Zhifei just looked around with a silly expression on his face, completely unaware of what was going on. All he remembered was that the zombie cat was a step away from him, its claws missing his face by just a little bit. His heart was filled with terror, and then when he heard Bai Jing’s comment, he couldn’t take it anymore. He had only wanted to vent his emotions; he hadn’t expected to also awaken his mutant powers.
“Good boy.” Wang Tao patted his shoulder, unable to restrain the admiration he felt in his heart.
Xiao Sa was also very happy since there was one more person with abilities on the team. He was glad to be happy, but they couldn’t delay their business here any longer, so he fired a few shots at the lock, and after it fell on the ground he said: “Let’s go.”
When he entered the warehouse, Bai Jing didn’t hesitate to immediately put the gasoline into his dimension. He hadn’t developed any kind-heartedness that would inspire him to leave behind a barrel or even a half barrel of gasoline for anyone coming later. Anyway, who could predict whether those people would be good or evil?
Bai Jing clapped his hands when he finished loading the gasoline, and just when he about to call out to the others and tell them that they should head back…
“Little Jing–” Xiao Sa shouted, his face was white, and his usually calm and ice-cold eyes unexpectedly flashed with fear. Everyone else’s eyes were wide open……
“Meow–” a zombie cat swooped down from the roof, its goal was obviously Bai Jing who was right in front of it.
It was too late to counter-attack, too late to dodge, Bai Jing only felt his mind go blank, heard the sound of Xiao Sa anxiously calling out to him then followed by a few gunshots, and then he felt himself falling into someone’s warm embrace.
A silly expression was plastered on his face as he looked around. He saw a dumbstruck look on everyone’s faces and the zombie cat lying motionless on the ground.
“What happened?” Bai Jing stared blankly; he could still feel his erratic heartbeat.
Yang Jun pointed at the cat, then at Xiao Sa, both his hands spread out: “I just saw you there, then you suddenly disappeared, then elder brother flipped out and then the cat was killed. As for how you appeared behind him…” Yang Jun shrugged. Bai Jing himself didn’t know, so how could they know.
Bai Jing’s face remained expressionless. All he remembered was that he was scared silly and just wanted to find a safe place to hide. He recalled the last time in his dimension it seemed to be the same kind of sudden location change. Could this be a teleportation skill?
Bai Jing’s mental state changed as he failed to suppress the joy that he felt in his heart from this pleasant surprise. He thought to himself that he wanted to try it again. However, the outcome was that he could not replicate the teleportation.
Bai Jing’s frowned as he realized that this teleportation skill probably could only be used once a day. It was quite the chicken rib (something of dubious worth that one is reluctant to give up). He had already used this skill twice to escape dangerous situations, so it was better than nothing. The first time he had had no other choice but to run for his life. This second time, he could also count this as the skill saving his life. Although he was not afraid of being scratched by the cat’s claws, it would’ve been very embarrassing, plus he currently had no intention of revealing the spring water in his dimension.
“Be careful in the future.” Xiao Sa held him for a long time before letting go, and then firmly took hold of his hand and refused to let go of it as he led him out of the warehouse.
Bai Jing knew that he was the one on the wrong, so he didn’t resist. Anyway, from everyone else’s perspective, they were just lovers holding hands and acting bashful.
After retrieving the nucleus, they quickly exited the warehouse. When they reached the outside, they immediately heard the sound of a loud quarrel. Some people wanted to enter the warehouse, and Han Yan and the others were standing guard, refusing to let anyone through. They quickly called for the police, but unfortunately, no one answered.
The corners of Bai Jing’s lips twitched. If they switched positions, he would have already fired several bullets at the crowd, then let’s see who still had the guts to keep running their mouths. Even though Han Yan had a ferocious temper, he was in fact just a paper tiger who only fired a few warning shots to scare the people.
“What’s going on?” As soon as Xiao Sa came out, everyone went quiet. As for the three people who had guns in their hand, when it was all said and done, they never had any intention of causing real harm. In any case, compared to zombies, they would rather have to deal with people.
The five men who had followed Xiao Sa into the warehouse had just been through a fierce battle. So when the also arrived at the scene, their imposing manner was naturally ferocious, not to mention that each one of them was still holding a weapon in his hand. They looked like devils and monsters, making the people so scared that they couldn’t move.
“Elder brother…” Han Yan felt really wronged. He wanted to say something but once again he couldn’t. This was the first time in two weeks that Xiao Sa had spoken a word to him. Even when traveling, he had made Han Yan travel in someone else’s car. He knew that he had made a mistake, but hadn’t they already found Bai Jing? Even though he hadn’t been happy about it, he had still endured it and even regretted his behavior. So what more did his brother want?
Xiao Sa nodded and indifferently said: “Go.” In fact, his anger had already cooled a long time ago. It was just that he was well aware that Han Yan was the type of person who didn’t have enough brains to learn from his mistakes. Therefore, for the sake of his spouse, he could only let his brother down, and let him continue to feel wronged for the rest of his life.
When the people around them heard this, they decided to not go into the warehouse. Seeing them starting to walk away, they quickly packed up the thing they could and rushed to follow them. Although gasoline was important, it wasn’t as important as their lives.
Han Yan and the others couldn’t help thinking that these people were really shameless.