On the outskirts of Hesha Town, Bai Wen signaled Yun Huo to stop the vehicle. After checking their equipment, he addressed the group, "Wait here for now. Only move in after you see the signal flare."
"Understood. You can go with peace of mind!" Tai Long thumped his chest in assurance.
Bai Wen's lips twitched slightly—why did that phrasing sound so odd?
He left the RV and swiftly dashed into the wasteland flanking the road. The overgrown grass, taller than a person, perfectly concealed his movements.
Inside the RV, Tai Long gripped his gun nervously, scanning their surroundings for any sudden zombie attacks. In contrast, Yun Huo remained calm. He chuckled, "Tai Long, no need to be so tense. We made it through S City—what's there to fear in this wasteland?"
"B-but Brother Bai said carelessness could cost us our lives!" Tai Long stammered.
Just as Yun Huo was about to respond, a gunshot abruptly cut him off. The group tensed immediately, everyone reaching for their weapons—except Yun Fei Wu, who fumbled around fruitlessly. Yan Jiang and Hua Duo had already taken all the weapons near her.
From the driver's seat, Yun Shan suddenly shouted, "Look over there! It looks like people!"
They all rushed to the front of the vehicle and saw two figures staggering toward them from the direction of Hesha Town—one large, one small, both utterly exhausted and disheveled.
Chasing close behind was a large mob, some armed with guns, others with clubs, clearly intent on killing the two fugitives.
Bang! Another shot rang out. The adult figure was hit and collapsed with a thud. The child let out a piercing scream, crying helplessly.
Wang Ya shuddered, as if witnessing a scene from her past. Her pitch-black eyes flickered with a trace of crimson light.
The pursuers caught up, roughly grabbing the child. A leering man at the front aimed his gun at the fallen body and fired several more shots, only stopping when the adult lay completely still.
The child, held aloft by one of the men, kicked and wailed helplessly, their strength no more than an itch to their captors.
"Sister Yun, I can't just watch this—we have to save them!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in!"
Yun Huo, Yun Shan, and Tai Long sprang up, their youthful indignation fully ignited.
"But there are so many of them..." Yun Fei Wu hesitated.
"We can't worry about that now! They might outnumber us, but we're the ones with guns. If we don't act, that child—they're just a kid—"
"Wait, where's Wang Ya?" Yan Jiang suddenly interjected.
The group turned—Wang Ya, who had been there moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
"Look! Wang Ya's gone out there—!"
They gasped in shock as they spotted Wang Ya already standing before the mob, though what she was saying remained unheard.
The men burst into raucous laughter. Though her face was covered, Wang Ya's figure left no doubt she was a woman. To them, she was an unexpected prize.
But the next scene left everyone speechless with shock. The people in the RV were too far away to see clearly, but the distant, piercing screams were utterly terrifying.
In no time, Wang Ya returned, leading a little girl by the hand. Her clothes were soaked in blood, which she casually stripped off, revealing her true appearance.
Once again, everyone in the RV was stunned. It was their first time seeing Wang Ya's real face—her breathtakingly beautiful features and devilish figure made even Tai Long and the other two boys gulp audibly.
Wang Ya's beauty was no less than Yun Fei Wu's, and she even carried an extra air of heroic spirit. The faint red glimmer in her otherwise dark eyes added an alluring charm that left Tai Long and the other two completely spellbound.
When Wang Ya emerged again, now dressed in camouflage, the three boys immediately swarmed around her. Tai Long stammered, "Sister Wang Ya, y-you're so p-pretty… I-I think I've f-fallen in love with you—"
"What does a little brat like you know about love?" Yun Huo shoved Tai Long aside and stepped forward, trying to appear as gentlemanly and dignified as possible in front of Wang Ya. Yet, he was so entranced by her angelic face that he couldn't utter a single word.
Yun Shan was even worse, gulping repeatedly like a fish out of water.
Yun Fei Wu rolled her eyes but said nothing, while Yan Jiang and Yun Duo clenched their fists, glaring furiously at Yun Huo and Yun Shan.
Just then, a red signal flare suddenly shot into the sky in the distance—it was Bai Wen's signal.
Yan Jiang quickly said, "That's Boss Bai's signal flare! We should hurry!"
The three hormone-driven boys reluctantly tore their gazes away, glancing back every few steps as they returned to the front of the RV and drove toward Hesha Town.
However, when they saw the fate of the group from earlier, they shuddered violently, their infatuation with Wang Ya instantly shattered.
The three girls also caught a glimpse through the window and shivered in horror, casting fearful glances at Wang Ya.
The group from before now lay in pools of blood, utterly lifeless. Not a single corpse was intact—some missing arms, others legs—the brutality was appalling.
No one could have imagined that this silent, seemingly innocent girl, who usually only responded with vague sounds, could be so merciless.
Ignoring their terrified stares, Wang Ya led the dazed little girl into a room and didn't come out again.
Yun Huo quickly composed himself and drove the RV into Hesha Town, stopping in front of a massive grain warehouse just as Bai Wen emerged from inside.
"B-Boss Bai, how'd it go?" The three hurriedly grabbed their guns and stepped out, scanning the surroundings with exaggerated vigilance.
"It's done. No Zombies nearby. Go inside and start loading the food," Bai Wen instructed, glancing at Wang Ya, who was watching from the RV window.
"Got it!" The three young men immediately rushed into the warehouse, opening the towering grain stores and hauling out supplies.
Meanwhile, Bai Wen walked to the office entrance, eyeing a group of survivors crouching on the ground, too afraid to lift their heads.
Yun Fei Wu, Yun Duo, and the others got out of the vehicles one after another, leaving only Wang Ya and the little girl inside.
The three women walked in and saw the mountains of food piled up. Yun Duo exclaimed excitedly, "Big Brother Bai, look at all this food! Do you think we should stay here?"
"Stay here?" Bai Wen's eyes flashed. "Stay here for what?"
"T-to survive, of course! There's so much food here—enough to last us a lifetime. Why would we leave such a good place to go to that godforsaken wasteland?" Yun Duo argued.
Bai Wen smiled. "You're absolutely right. There's no need for you to keep following me. With this much food, you don't have to suffer with me. I mean it—you can all stay here!"
Yun Fei Wu's gaze flickered. "Then... what about you?"
"Of course, I'll keep going my own way. Honestly, you'd just be a burden if you followed me. It's better for you to stay here," Bai Wen said.
Yun Duo nodded. "Yeah, we're so weak. If we followed Big Brother Bai, we'd just hold him back. We shouldn't trouble him anymore..."
Tai Long, who had been moving food, suddenly spoke up. "Sis—I want to go with Big Brother Bai. We can't just let him go alone because of food!"
Yun Fei Wu, who had been hesitating, nodded firmly. "Tai Long is right. We can't abandon Bai Wen, who's always protected us, just because of food. I'm going with him. Whoever wants to stay can stay!"
May the pandemic end soon.