Exiting Gate 1 of the compound led to a gas station just down the street. Under the cover of the snowplows, we quickly refueled all vehicles, then finally the snowplows themselves—those giants were absolute fuel monsters!
While refueling, I glanced at the Carrefour across the street and suddenly remembered Shan Qi and those students from No. 18 Middle School!
I wondered how they were doing. We hadn't been in touch for months, and they hadn't come looking for us either.
But I'd been thinking about them. In this chaotic world, we couldn't protect too many people—everyone had to fend for themselves and hope for the best.
Thinking of their young faces, I couldn't bear to just turn and leave. So I radioed the team with my idea: go to No. 18 Middle School and invite them to join us—unless they refused!
After refueling, instead of heading straight out of the city, we took a detour to No. 18 Middle School.
It was our first time there—previously, we'd met Shan Qi at Carrefour. When our convoy arrived at the school gate, I knew they were still alive—I spotted human lookouts on the rooftop!
First priority: clear the zombies outside the school! Otherwise, they wouldn't dare open the gates for our convoy.
As we got out to fight, Shan Qi led a team of young people out to help us clear the area.
"Sister Duo! Are you leaving?" were Shan Qi's first words. He'd grown much thinner over the months!
"Yes! The city's no longer safe. We're relocating to my husband's family farm—it's remote, with vast farmland, suitable for long-term survival. We're here to pick you up! Will you join us? I can't guarantee absolute safety on the road!" I briefly explained our purpose.
Tears welled in Shan Qi's eyes. "Sister Duo, you're truly righteous! Honestly, we'd have had to leave soon too—we just didn't know where to go. Food is running low, and zombies have attacked the school several times. We can't hold out much longer!"
"Then gather everyone quickly! We leave now—try to exit the city before dark!" I felt a surge of relief—good thing I remembered them, or we might never have met again.
"We have 28 people. We have our own vehicles—Brother Liu already modified them for us—but we're low on fuel. With so many zombies lately, we couldn't go out!" Shan Qi explained briefly.
"Bring all modified vehicles! We'll find gas stations to refuel. Bring whatever food you have left—we'll scavenge along the way. Just hold on until we reach the farm!" I urged him. Clearly, he was their elected leader—everyone followed his commands.
Shan Qi's group had little to pack except leftover food, and they were ready quickly. Their mini-convoy had nine off-road vehicles (not all Land Rovers). Liu Yuxuan had previously modified them all with protective window barriers.
After refueling Shan Qi's convoy, we hurried out of the city.
The city exit route was the toughest. Every few streets, we encountered zombie hordes—likely those trapped in underground malls or lingering in compounds had aimlessly wandered into the streets due to lack of living prey.
Finally spotting live humans, the zombies surged forward desperately. Countless black nails clawed at the coach bodies—I winced in sympathy, but they showed no fear, relentlessly scrabbling against the steel frames!
Seeing the overwhelming numbers, the Land Rover teams abandoned stabbing through barriers. All drivers tightly tailed the vehicle ahead, preventing zombies from isolating any unit.
Whenever the snowplows crushed a path through frontal hordes, our escape convoy would shake off zombies clinging to the sides and race forward triumphantly!
Yet after just a few streets, the convoy would slow again like a hibernating snake, crawling while enduring another wave of grotesque, nauseating zombie faces outside!
Anxious but forced to move slowly—it was like a massive traffic jam! Honking until hoarse, fuming with impatience—yet we could only inch forward. Does every snail have a cheetah's heart? Does every hen have an eagle's spirit?
Crawling, then sprinting—regardless, the convoy must never stop! Ahead, beside, behind—all were terrifying monsters wanting to tear us apart. How could we pause for even a minute?
Finally shaking off another horde, the convoy sped up again.
Ahead, a group of zombies suddenly turned and charged toward a small building instead of intercepting us—odd!
As we neared, I saw two figures on the rooftop desperately waving a floral bedsheet. With the coach windows sealed, I couldn't hear their shouts, but clearly, the zombies had heard them and were now swarming the building.
The two-story building was old, with street-level shops below whose roll-up doors were shut—zombies couldn't breach them yet. The two men on the roof stretched out a large sheet, waving it at us.
They should've written "SOS" on it! The thought popped into my head—ah, what timing for jokes! Chiding myself, I quickly radioed the team: "They're calling for help! We can't just abandon them, right?"
"Sister Duo, you decide—we'll follow your lead!" Shan Qi's group replied first—freshly rescued and eager to contribute.
But I wanted our compound team's opinion. After a pause, Sixth Brother's voice came through: "Of course we rescue them! We have numbers, and this horde isn't too large. Where there's hope, we don't give up! Let's go, everyone!"
I'd always seen Sixth Brother as the compound's leader—a former underworld success story. By age and experience, we should follow him—when his decisions were right, that is!
So the convoy slowly stopped near the building. Guards on the coaches stayed put to protect elders and children; drivers remained ready to flee.
Shan Qi's robust young team took the lead, followed by Sixth Brother's compound warriors.
Zombies quickly detected fresh meat behind them, abandoning the unreachable rooftop duo to charge at our people.
Killing with blades was tedious—it required stamina to stab and withdraw. Guns would've been more efficient, but lacking ammunition, we relied on sharp weapons and sheer strength.
From the coach window, I anxiously watched the battle. We outnumbered the zombies twofold, so cleanup was swift.
The rooftop duo wisely disappeared once they saw our assault. By the time we finished, they'd rushed out with backpacks and weapons—they'd gone back to gather supplies!
No time for talk! The noise had attracted zombies from other streets. Our people quickly returned to their vehicles, and we sped off.
"What are your names?" I radioed. Knowing strangers' identities mattered!
"Hey, Sis! I'm Lao Wu! This is my brother Meng Yidong! We've been trapped for ages—thanks for saving us! This kindness is greater than heaven—no words can thank you enough!" He was quite the smooth talker!
"Call me Sister Duo. Anyone hurt? We're heading out of the city—follow us!" I found this Lao Wu amusing.
"Sister Duo, brilliant! Leaving the city is wise! Zombies are multiplying here—finding food is impossible. Staying means starvation or being eaten! Escaping is fantastic!" Lao Wu exclaimed excitedly.
"Can you defend yourselves? I see you're armed." I needed to know if they could contribute.
"Sister Duo, no secrets now! I'm an anti-security tech elite—can crack any safe, breach any high-tech security! Not boasting—all security locks are child's play to me, even bank vaults! Hey, no cops here, right? Hehe… My brother's even more badass—ex-special forces from the French Foreign Legion, expert in demolition! We'll serve you now, Sister Duo—just don't mind if we eat a lot!"
"Anti-security tech elite? You're a thief, right?" I almost fell for his spiel but caught myself.
"No! Sister Duo, calling me a thief is an insult! Pickpocketing phones and wallets? I despise that petty stuff! I'm the legendary: Divine! Thief! Lao! Wu!" He sounded offended, indignant—hah, still a thief however you spin it…
"So you target banks?" I was curious about his "professional" scope.
"Of course not! I've handled things more valuable than money! I'll tell you details if you're interested later!" The sly fox avoided specifics.
But whatever crimes he'd committed, no police were coming for him now—A-Ze probably couldn't be bothered.
I smiled and put down the radio.
We had too many elders and children and too few young protectors. Recruiting Shan Qi's group and people like Lao Wu was a win-win. I understood that clearly.
Despite the bumps, our convoy finally exited the city and reached the highway—much clearer roads!
After picking up one group and rescuing two people, we'd lost considerable time. Within four hours of leaving the city, dusk approached.
"Sixth Brother, we can't drive at night. Encountering hordes in poor visibility would be disastrous, and fatigued driving is dangerous!" I proposed.
"Right! We were just discussing that. I know this highway well—there's a resort about 30 km ahead where we often fished in summer. It's well-maintained. Let's rest there!" Sixth Brother replied.
Looking back at the coach, elders held sleeping children—all exhausted from the terrifying journey. Despite efforts to shield their eyes, some children had seen the zombie faces. Younger ones didn't understand fear, but older kids had burst into tears.
I was grateful Shuai Shuai didn't know fear yet. He stared curiously at the roaring zombies outside, his clear eyes showing no terror, only confusion. Perhaps since birth, he'd never encountered such "enthusiastic" onlookers. His little fingers tapped the window as if pointing at wall decals of Tigger or Winnie the Pooh at home, babbling as he practiced speech.
My parents tried to make him lie on their laps to block the view, but he struggled to stay at the window. When they tried to cover his eyes, I signaled to stop. Since he wasn't afraid, let him adapt—he'd have to face this world's horrors and dangers eventually. My son should grow into a strong, true man—starting now.