Shen Feng pressed the horn a few times, but it didn't help at all.
The street was in an uproar, filled with the constant honking of car horns and the low buzz of people talking.
It should have been an irritating scene, but because I was feeling carsick, I rolled down the rear window and leaned against it, quietly observing the lively street and the various passersby.
It had been far too long since I'd personally experienced such a bustling atmosphere.
Instead of feeling annoyed by the noise, I actually felt a faint sense of familiarity.
Just as I narrowed my eyes and enjoyed the evening breeze, a burst of enthusiastic cheering suddenly came from the crowd gathered up ahead.
The already noisy chatter grew even louder.
Uncle Gazi glanced forward in confusion and asked, "What are all those people doing up there?"
"Not sure. Probably some kind of gathering," Shen Feng replied as the cars ahead inched forward.
He followed closely behind, but even so, there were only a few dozen centimeters between our car and the one in front, and people kept squeezing through the gap between the two vehicles.
Some passersby who didn't know what was going on also headed toward the large crowd, driven by curiosity.
In the short time we were there, the crowd grew even bigger, completely blocking the road.
The line of stalled cars erupted into a chorus of prolonged honking, which only drew curses from passing pedestrians and had no other effect.
"Do you think we can get back before dark?" I leaned halfway out of the window and looked ahead, only to find the entire street almost completely jammed.
"From the looks of it, probably not," Shen Feng said as he rolled down his window and leaned out to look behind us, as if planning to turn around and take another route.
Unfortunately, during the time we had been stuck, several cars had already piled up behind us, making it impossible to reverse.
Just as Shen Feng sat back down, a sudden, piercing scream erupted from deep within the crowd ahead.
The scream spread rapidly, and within seconds, the tightly packed crowd scattered in all directions like a disturbed swarm of ants, as if they had seen some terrifying beast.
Panic and fear were written all over their faces.
The already chaotic street boiled over completely in just a few seconds.
The sudden turn of events left the few of us in the car completely stunned, unable to understand what had happened.
It wasn't until a few young men, unable to push through the crowd, climbed onto our car and leapt over the roof that we finally realized—
Something had gone terribly wrong.
In an instant, the street was filled with screams, angry shouting from men and women, people fleeing in panic, and the cries of children separated from their parents.
Even the once constant car horns fell silent.
Together, it formed a series of scenes that subtly rattled each of our nerves.
For me, the apocalypse had come suddenly.
I had woken up one day to a world gone silent, with nothing left but wandering walkers.
What was happening now felt like a replay of the chaos when it all first broke out.
Large groups of people scattered like frightened birds from the front of the bar where they had been gathered.
Through the dense stream of people running past our car, I caught a distant glimpse—right at the entrance of the bar, several crooked figures were slowly rising from the ground…
"Walkers! Walkers! Someone's been bitten!" I shouted the moment I saw it.
Hearing this, Shen Feng looked in the direction I pointed and, after seeing clearly, hurriedly said, "Quick! Close the windows!"
After shutting the windows and making sure the doors were locked, we huddled inside the car.
Han Xue clutched my clothes nervously.
I frowned and stared intently at the bar entrance in the distance.
The crowd fleeing in panic only grew more chaotic out of fear—people were constantly being shoved to the ground, only to be pounced on and bitten by the walkers that followed.
There were too many screams outside, too chaotic.
From this distance, all I could see were the bitten victims opening their mouths wide in agony, but I couldn't hear a single sound from them.
In just a few minutes, I alone saw at least a dozen people get dragged down and bitten.
The rest of the terrified crowd continued fleeing in all directions.
Among them were plenty of strong, able-bodied men—yet not a single one stepped forward to take the lead in fighting off those mere few walkers.
Almost everyone was terrified out of their wits, fearing those blood-soaked walkers down to their very bones.
Aside from running, they didn't seem to have even the slightest thought of resisting.
Shen Feng, who had been frowning deeply as he stared out the window, seemed to think of something.
He turned to look at me and said in a serious tone, "Chen Yang, don't go down there and meddle. Someone will handle it."
But just as he finished speaking, Lili—who had been silent in the front seat—suddenly lunged forward and pressed herself against the windshield.
"Lili, you—" Uncle Gazi hadn't even finished his sentence when Lili flung open the car door and rushed straight into the chaotic, frenzied crowd outside.
We were all stunned…
Even Shen Feng froze for a moment.
No one had expected that the quiet Lili from just a second ago would suddenly dash out of the car.
Snapping back to his senses, Shen Feng threw open the door and chased after her.
I quickly got out as well, shouting to Uncle Gazi and the others before leaving, "Lock the doors and windows! Don't come out no matter what!"
Then I turned and spotted Shen Feng struggling to push forward through the crowd after Lili, and I rushed after them.
Being in the crowd was far more chaotic than watching from inside the car.
And since we were moving against the flow, it didn't take long before I was shoved around so much that I felt dizzy.
Gritting my teeth, I forced my way forward and finally managed to catch a breath near the entrance of a shop that had just closed.
The storefront was slightly elevated above the street, so I stood on my toes and looked in the direction Shen Feng had gone—
And what I saw made my heart sink.
Not far away, Lili had already reached the front of the bar.
She shoved aside a staggering walker and sprinted toward a baby stroller parked near the entrance.
My heart clenched—I instantly understood why she had suddenly run out.
That foolish woman!
By the time Lili reached the stroller, two walkers that had been crouching on the ground, devouring the organs of someone who had fallen earlier, stood up and rushed toward her.
But she paid them no mind, completely focused on reaching the stroller.
Shen Feng was not far behind her, but without a weapon, his movements were severely hindered.
He was blocked on the outer edge by a walker and couldn't get any closer.
Anxious, I broke into a sprint toward them.
This time, in the chaotic crowd, I pushed even harder than before—anyone in my way was shoved aside.
Through the disorderly mass of people, I fixed my gaze on Lili in the distance.
She had already lifted a diaper-clad infant out of the stroller.
The baby, likely terrified, was wailing loudly.
Lili held the baby like she had found a lifeline, pressing her face against the infant's, as if completely oblivious to everything around her.
Just as Shen Feng finally grabbed a woman's high heel and smashed the skull of the walker blocking him, I reached his side.
There was no time for words.
The two of us rushed toward Lili.
By then, she had noticed the two walkers that had nearly come up right behind her.
Panicking, she turned and began backing away.
Shen Feng and I each picked a target, stepping forward quickly and launching surprise kicks from behind.
But these walkers seemed to have decent balance—Shen Feng's target was knocked to the ground, while mine only staggered a couple of steps before turning its head to look at me.
At least I managed to draw its attention away from Lili.
I took two steps back, luring the walker farther from her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Shen Feng had used the opening to rush forward and drive the heel of the high-heeled shoe straight into the walker's skull.
Seeing that, I lifted my leg to kick the one in front of me—but the moment my foot left the ground, a strong stench of blood came from behind.
Then my arm was suddenly grabbed by a stiff, blood-soaked hand…
"Chen Yang! Watch out!" The moment Shen Feng looked at me, his eyes widened, his shout even cracking mid-voice.
The walker in front had already shuffled up to me, reaching out and grabbing my shoulder, while the one behind had moved its face right up next to my ear.
Damn it! They're all going for the neck!
Cursing inwardly, I don't know where I found the sudden burst of strength.
I twisted my upper body to dodge the disgusting mouth behind me, then drove my knee forward, forcing the walker in front of me back two steps.
Seizing the opportunity, I spun around—and when I saw the face of the walker behind me, I froze for a split second.
The next moment, I kicked hard into its stomach.
With some space finally cleared, I quickly sidestepped and delivered another fierce kick to the approaching walker.
This time I put all my strength into it—the walker immediately collapsed.
I rushed forward, lifted my foot, and stomped down hard.
In an instant, brain matter splattered everywhere.
The already mangled head was crushed completely into a pulp under my foot.
It all happened in a flash. Looking at the blood and brain matter pooling beneath me, I felt a wave of disorientation.
By then, Shen Feng had already rushed over.
Though a high heel looked awkward, its several-inch spike made for a surprisingly effective weapon.
After driving the heel straight through another walker's eye socket, he shouted to Lili, "Move! Now!"
There were already quite a few people around us who had been bitten.
Aside from the walkers we hadn't drawn away, those bodies on the ground that hadn't yet risen made it clear this place wasn't safe to stay.
Lili, clutching the baby in her arms, hurried to follow us.
Seeing that one of her arms wasn't very free, Shen Feng reached out, intending to take the child from her—but the moment Lili noticed, she stepped back sharply and shook her head, refusing.
With no other choice, Shen Feng could only tell her to stay close, then grabbed the two of us and pulled us straight into the crowd.
— The end of the Chapter–