"I've got plenty of bullets left," said Chu Yian.
"Roll down the window and fire a warning shot," Lu Qingyuan ordered.
Bang! Bang! Two shots rang out. The crowd surrounding the truck finally quieted down.
Chu Yian, imitating the villains she'd seen on TV, yelled, "If any of you bastards try to climb up, I'll shoot you dead!"
The people around them recoiled in fear, backing away. In the distance, the groans of approaching zombies could be heard.
"Please help us!"
"There's still space in your truck!"
"Take my kid!"
"Take my grandmother!"
…
When violence failed, they tried appealing to emotions.
But Lu Qingyuan wasn't the type to be moved by sentiment. He seemed immune to empathy. Spotting a break in the crowd ahead, he slammed the gas pedal, barreling straight through the people.
Even when someone tried to block the road with abandoned vehicles, Lu Qingyuan just rammed right through.
The heavy-duty truck roared ahead and didn't stop until it was far away from the chaos.
"Get out," Lu Qingyuan said suddenly.
Chu Yian locked eyes with him and immediately understood.
She jumped out with her gun loaded and ready.
The two quickly moved to the back of the truck. Lu Qingyuan gave her a nod to signal her to aim.
Chu Yian nodded back, signaling she was ready, and Lu Qingyuan yanked open the cargo door.
Inside were several stowaways—people who had sneaked in earlier during the chaos.
When Chu Yian aimed her gun at them, they all huddled together in fear.
Their faces were full of panic, looking pitiful.
But Chu Yian couldn't afford to pity anyone right now. They were only thirty kilometers from the safe zone—this wasn't the time to screw up.
But if they left them behind…
She hesitated for two seconds and then gave her suggestion.
"Teacher Lu, it's only about twenty more minutes. Let them stay in the cargo hold."
They could barely protect themselves, yet she was still thinking about others.
Lu Qingyuan gave her a blank stare and said, "Up to you."
Chu Yian allowed herself a faint smile, which disappeared quickly. Her expression turned cold and sharp as she glared at the people in the back.
"You're already on the truck, so don't say I didn't warn you.
No one gets off. No one makes a sound.
If you can't follow those rules, I'll throw you out to feed the zombies."
Even while helping people, she had to use fear as a safeguard.
The stowaways nodded fearfully, a mixture of terror and relief on their faces—as if they were willing to do anything to stay.
The truck hit the road again.
As they got closer to Fulong County, the sides of the road were piled high with zombie corpses.
The stench of rotting flesh was nauseating, but the road itself was surprisingly clear.
Someone must have been keeping this route clean.
Over half an hour later, Chu Yian spotted a road sign—Fulong County.
They had made it!
She gazed ahead.
In front of them was a towering wall built from stacked shipping containers, still under construction. Huge cranes were working nonstop.
Mounted weapons lined the top of the wall.
Soldiers patrolled the perimeter, giving off a strong sense of security.
When the vehicle approached, the quarantine gate opened.
As soon as Lu Qingyuan drove in, a group of soldiers surrounded the truck.
Doctors began checking their vitals, and soldiers searched their backpacks.
Chu Yian's handgun was taken away.
"The safe zone is further inside. People can enter, but you'll have to walk three kilometers," the person in charge said coldly. He also informed them that their vehicle would be confiscated.
Armed soldiers stood nearby. No one could argue under such forced requisition.
Then, Lu Qingyuan reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an ID card.
"Lu Qingyuan. Biochemical virologist. I need a vehicle to reach the inner zone immediately."
The officer froze upon hearing the name. He quickly pulled out a small booklet from his chest pocket.
Chu Yian leaned over curiously to take a look.
The cover read: "Primary Rescue Personnel."
On the very first page was his name: Lu Qingyuan — Academician, Expert in Virology.
No wonder he had been promised a special escort vehicle.
Chu Yian wasn't shocked—but she was deeply impressed.
The officer clearly hadn't expected one of their most important rescue targets, whom they'd failed to recover, to show up on his own.
His attitude changed instantly.
"Academician Lu, do you require a dedicated vehicle?"
"Yes," Lu Qingyuan replied with a nod, then glanced toward the truck bed. "There are some people in the back. Make sure to check them thoroughly."
"Yes, sir," the officer nodded. "Are they your family or friends?"
"I don't know them."
The officer turned to look at Chu Yian, who had been walking just behind Lu Qingyuan.
"And what about her?"
Chu Yian instinctively stood straighter, looking at him with wide eyes.
"She's coming with me," Lu Qingyuan said simply.
Chu Yian clasped her hands together, silently grateful to the Academician.
What was supposed to be a long walk turned into a smooth ride, all thanks to Lu Qingyuan.
Fulong County was chosen as a safe zone because of its unique geography—it was surrounded on all sides by water, connected to land only by a single bridge.
That bridge had since been blown up, and now the only way across was by ferry.
At the dock, a huge crowd waited.
The vehicle carrying Chu Yian and Lu Qingyuan took a special lane and drove straight onto the ferry.
The engine rumbled as the ferry pulled away from shore, drawing closer to the safe zone.
When the ship finally docked on the other side, and Chu Yian stepped off—
A mechanical voice rang in her ears.
[Detection complete. Player has arrived at the Safe Zone.]
[Congratulations! You've completed the beginner-level survival game: Path of Survival. Prepare to be logged out in 10 seconds.]
Wait—what?
Safe? Game cleared?
Chu Yian had expected to be fighting for at least five days, and the sudden system message felt surreal.
[10]
[9]
[8]
…
She turned to look at Lu Qingyuan.
They had started as strangers, but in a zombie-infested world, they had watched each other's backs all the way here.
She threw her arms around him in a quick hug.
"Thank you, Teacher Lu. For everything. Please survive this godforsaken world!"
Before she could see his reaction—
[0]
Everything went black. The world spun.
And when she opened her eyes again, she was back on the small couch in her rental apartment.
The room was still pitch dark.
Only the glowing system panel floated in front of her, casting an eerie light.
[Congratulations, Player #3210. You have completed the game. Reward: 100 Points.]
As she read the message, the screen changed.
[Player: Chu Yian]
[ID: 3210]
[Gender: Female]
[Satiety: 90%]
[Cleanliness: 90%]
[Health: 100%]
[Potential: 5 (Max: 10)]
[Points: 100 (No Limit)]