"Wang Zhi, something's wrong! A huge number of Zombies have appeared ahead, inexplicably!"
Old He urged through the static of the radio.
Hearing this, Wang Zhi immediately grabbed his binoculars. One kilometer away, the road was completely choked with Zombies.
How could this be!? Could it be that the iron gate in the tunnel had been breached and they had all poured out?
Looking out, there must have been eight or nine hundred of them. These Zombies stood on the asphalt, slowly shuffling toward Wang Zhi's position.
Wang Zhi knew a direct confrontation was unwinnable. Even if they hit every target and exhausted all their ammunition, they couldn't take down half the horde; close combat was out of the question.
"Old He, quickly get everyone and the supplies out of the vehicles," Wang Zhi commanded into the radio.
Su Muying frowned beside him and asked, "Why are we getting out of the vehicles?"
"To escape for our lives, of course! Turning back is pointless; we have to cut through the mountains for a stretch to get around the Zombies."
Wang Zhi explained, then opened his door. After ensuring the personnel from the Research Institute grabbed their gear, everyone bolted toward the mountains bordering the road.
As long as they were far enough away, the Zombies wouldn't pursue them; they rely solely on scent and sound to track prey.
After Wang Zhi had walked about a kilometer into the mountains, he turned back, raised his binoculars, and watched as the Zombies reached where their vehicle was parked. Then, with a loud bang, the car Wang Zhi had been driving exploded right in the middle of the horde. Yes, exploded.
Everyone heard the sound and turned to look, realizing their vehicle had blown up.
"What happened?" Old He looked at Wang Zhi, completely bewildered.
"Hmph, Wang Zhi planted a timed bomb in the car. He timed it perfectly for when the Zombies arrived, and—*boom*!" Su Muying made an explosion gesture.
"I see," Old He asked, "but was that necessary?"
"Of course it was necessary. That sound can be heard by Zombies within at least a two-kilometer radius, drawing more of them here."
After speaking, Wang Zhi pulled out the map. They were about twenty kilometers from the evacuation route. Traveling on foot, they certainly wouldn't make it before dark. After nightfall, they would either have to travel by night or stay put until morning.
After Wang Zhi and the others had walked for a while, the sky gradually darkened. They couldn't continue traveling now because the personnel from the Research Institute lacked night vision goggles, and it would be unwise for Wang Zhi's team to use lights, as that would attract Zombies or other strange things.
Wang Zhi found shelter on the leeward side of a slope and stopped there, deciding everyone would spend the night in that spot.
They lit a small bonfire, and the resulting light diminished the fear hanging over the group.
Everyone sat around the small bonfire, chatting about their past lives.
"Ah, I never thought we would actually make it out of the Research Institute alive. It's all thanks to our Dr. Yang; someone specifically came to save us."
"That's right. Thank goodness for Dr. Yang."
An Qing sat there, head bowed and silent, recalling Xiao Qi and her experiences with him.
"Xiao Qing, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Dr. Yang noticed An Qing beside her, head lowered and weeping, and asked.
An Qing didn't answer. She stood up and walked over to Wang Zhi, who was standing watch nearby.
Seeing An Qing approach, Wang Zhi asked with suspicion, "What's wrong? Why aren't you over by the fire to warm up? Why are you freezing out here?"
An Qing stared blankly at the stars in the sky and said, "I saw Brother Xiao Qi die right in front of me, but there was nothing I could do. If I could have shared the burden with him then, maybe he wouldn't have been Infected."
Wang Zhi listened to An Qing's words, realizing this girl was thinking about her Brother Xiao Qi again.
"That's why you have to get stronger, to protect yourself and the people you want to protect, in your own way. Look at me; just a few months ago, I was an ordinary person too. After joining the Dawn Tower, I trained, trained, and trained continuously. I achieved this step by step, one foot after the other."
An Qing suddenly looked at Wang Zhi and asked, "Can I really do it?"
"Yes! As long as you have enough determination," Wang Zhi replied.
"Protecting the people I want to protect in my own way..." An Qing murmured to herself.
"Alright, go warm yourself by the fire," Wang Zhi advised.
"Mmm, thank you," An Qing replied before walking back to the fire pit.
Wang Zhi sighed inwardly as he watched her retreating figure.
Not long after, Jia Liuli walked over again. Seeing her approach, Wang Zhi asked, "What is it, Liuli?"
"Nothing."
...
"I just wanted to talk with Captain for a bit," Liuli said after a moment of silence.
So, this girl just wanted someone to talk to. No wonder; she hadn't said much the whole journey. It was clear Liuli wasn't very expressive.
"Are you tired?"
Since the girl wanted to talk but couldn't start a topic, Wang Zhi was forced to initiate: "Are you tired?"
"Mhm, a little."
The two sat down side by side.
Wang Zhi looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars, usually invisible, were now spread across the heavens in a vast display.
Now, without industrial pollution, without vehicle exhaust, without all the filth, the sky had returned to its former boundlessness. Perhaps this was destiny—humanity was finally nearing extinction, only to be reshuffled and begin a new Reincarnation.
"The stars in the sky, so bright, so beautiful!" Jia Liuli exclaimed, gazing at the heavens with her beautiful eyes.
Wang Zhi looked at the starlight reflected in Liuli's eyes. Perhaps this was what it meant to have a galaxy in one's eyes. In that moment, Wang Zhi was captivated by Liuli's appearance.
The two sat shoulder to shoulder; she was watching the stars, and he was watching her.
"Captain... what are you looking at...?" Liuli blushed again upon seeing Wang Zhi's gaze and lowered her head.
"What is that!"
Wang Zhi suddenly pointed toward the side behind Liuli.
Numerous red dots appeared deep within the distant woods. Wang Zhi quickly put on his night vision goggles—was it a wolf pack!?