They finally reached the office building without any major incidents. Jack discarded the machete, which had already dulled, and turned to see the two girls, sweating profusely, following closely behind him. He gave them an encouraging look, and the three of them, along with a dog, quickly made their way to the rooftop of the two-story office building.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Jack was suddenly taken aback because he didn't expect to find someone there at that moment—it was Cao Mei, who had not been seen since the chaos began.
At that moment, Cao Mei had lost her initial charm, sitting slumped at the edge of the rooftop. Next to her lay a handgun in a vacant chamber state, which was none other than the "Big Black Star" belonging to Boss Hu, whose blue finish had been worn off. It was unclear how this gun had ended up in Cao Mei's hands.
Perhaps seeing Jack arrive, a hint of anger returned to Cao Mei's desperate face. She hurriedly stood up and pleaded with Jack, "Master Lin, take me away... I beg you... please take me away!"
Jack frowned, instinctively feeling a bit resistant to a woman like Cao Mei, who was too scheming. However, after a moment's thought, he replied, "Your feet are your own; as long as you can keep up!"
After saying that, Jack no longer looked at her and turned to A-Xue and Lingling, saying, "The area is filled with zombies; there's only one way out now!"
Jack pointed to the cable within reach and said, "We can only crawl along the cable. As long as we can reach the roof of the bungalow on the other side, it will be safe if we run another fifty meters. My car is parked there!"
Axue and Lingling glanced nervously at the cables overhead. Although the utility poles in the countryside were generally small, about six meters tall, and the cables were thick enough to support their weight, the small house across the way was still about forty to fifty meters away. Whether the girls could make it over was uncertain.
Seeing the girls' hesitation, Jack said regretfully, "These utility poles and cables are severely corroded and aged; they can't support two people at the same time. Otherwise, I could take you over, but now you have to rely on yourselves! I believe you can do it!"
"Alright, I'll go first. You two try to mimic my movements; this is a matter of life and death!" After saying this, Jack stopped talking, tested the strength of a cable with his hands, and after feeling it was secure, he jumped up, quickly climbing the cable with both hands and feet, and moved swiftly to the other side.
When Jack landed steadily on the roof of the small house, the big red dog, Michael, surprisingly leaped over in a single bound, wagging its tail proudly beside Jack. However, Jack didn't even glance at it and shouted back, "Come on over! Hope is right in front of you!"
Encouraged by Lingling's gaze, Axue gritted her teeth and was the first to climb the cable. However, she was too scared to look at the horde of zombies below, so she could only half-close her eyes and slowly move forward. When she finally reached the other side, like a snail, and was caught by Jack, she immediately collapsed onto his shoulder, crying loudly. That short distance of forty to fifty meters felt like a journey from hell to heaven.
Axue's successful landing greatly encouraged the more capable Lingling. Under Cao Mei's urging, she rubbed her hands together and prepared to jump onto the cable. Just then, an unexpected event occurred: several zombies with sharp noses had followed the scent and approached. Perhaps still retaining the most primitive instincts of humanity, upon seeing two beautiful girls on the rooftop, the male zombies roared excitedly, brandishing their claws and rushing towards Lingling and Axue.
The two girls were so frightened that they froze. It was only when the zombies were almost upon them that they reacted and tried to jump onto the cable. However, the severely aged cable was definitely not strong enough to support both of their weights. Even though they were two skinny girls, there was no time for them to get on together. At this critical moment, Jack had just pulled out his handgun to shoot when Cao Mei did something that took everyone by surprise.
Cao Mei forcefully pushed Lingling towards the horde of zombies. Amid Lingling's heart-wrenching screams, the zombies mercilessly knocked her to the ground. Their sharp teeth instantly bit into Lingling's tender trachea, and a large amount of scalding blood gushed out, turning Lingling's screams into pitiful "gurgling" sounds. The zombies, tasting the hot blood, became even more frenzied. One zombie grabbed a part of Lingling, and with a "crack," her young body was torn apart, and the scalding blood splattered everywhere.
"Lingling..."
Axue followed with a piercing scream, her hands gripping tightly, her nails digging into her flesh without her realizing it. If Jack hadn't pulled her back in time, Axue would have likely fallen off the rooftop.
As Cao Mei slowly moved along the cable towards him, the living corpse behind was still squatting on the ground, tearing apart Lingling's mangled body. A-Xue, with tears streaming down her face, suddenly found the courage from somewhere, pulled out a metal dagger from Jack's waist, and without saying a word, fiercely swung it at the cable.
"No!"
At a critical moment, Jack grabbed A-Xue's hand. Seeing the indignation and confusion on her face, Jack sighed, shook his head, and said, "Even if she doesn't do that, Lingling will still die, and they both will die. The distance is too far; I can't save them in time!"
A-Xue looked at Jack with a complex expression for a long time. She understood that Jack was speaking the truth, but the friendship she had with Lingling since childhood made it hard for her to swallow this bitter pill. She looked at Jack, her chest heaving violently, and said, "What if she treats me or you like this next time?"
"I will never let her have a next time!" Jack said, inserting his dagger back with a very determined expression.
At this moment, Cao Mei finally moved over, letting out a heavy sigh next to Jack, her face showing some embarrassment. A-Xue glared at Cao Mei with hatred and turned to Jack, saying, "I hope you remember that this woman is a murderer!"
Most of the living corpses had been lured into the yard for the human feast, and Jack and the two girls made their way to the car without much trouble. Michael cheered and opened the passenger door of the Mercedes, diving inside.
Jack got into the driver's seat and started the engine, while the two girls sat in the back seat. Looking at the small factory in the rearview mirror, which resembled a hell on earth, all three felt a mix of emotions. Jack sighed softly, pressed the accelerator, and slowly drove forward, while behind them, the screams from the small factory echoed one after another.
Not far down the road, a figure suddenly lunged in front of the car. Initially thinking it was a living corpse attracted by the car's headlights, Jack was about to accelerate and crash into it, but when he saw the disheveled figure of Dexter, he slammed on the brakes.
"Thank God! Blessed Buddha! Brother Lin, I guessed it was you! Hurry and let me in!" Boss Hu, panting and still shaken, stood beside the car, and upon seeing the people inside, his face immediately lit up with joy.
Just as Jack was about to unlock the car door, Cao Mei in the back seat suddenly jumped up and shouted, "No, we can't let him in! He's injured, who knows if he's been infected!"
"Shut the hell up, Cao Mei, you slut! Not only did you steal my gun during the chaos, but now you're also slandering me. Lin man, you mustn't listen to this little bitch's nonsense. The injuries I have were all caused by rocks. If I had been touched by those living corpses, I wouldn't be alive right now!"
Big Hu glared fiercely at Cao Mei in the car as he spoke. He never expected this vixen to be so ruthless. Even at a time like this, she showed no mercy. He had always found her restless, but he was helpless against her Thomas-like charm, and now she had pulled a fast one on him at such a critical moment.
Jack turned to look at the equally agitated Cao Mei and coldly said to her, "You have two choices: either you get out and let him in, or you shut your filthy mouth!"
"I... I was just thinking about Lin Ye's safety!" Cao Mei felt wronged and sat back down immediately upon seeing Jack's expression. She knew that if she continued to speak, Jack would definitely kick her out of the car. Cao Mei couldn't understand what she had done wrong. In terms of figure, looks, and even the skills of serving, A Xue and the recently deceased Ling Ling couldn't compare, yet Jack still didn't favor her.
"Heh... When did a woman with a heart of a snake and scorpion ever think of others? I bet she's just hoping that person dies even faster!" A Xue now harbored an indescribable hatred for Cao Mei, so she didn't hold back in her sarcastic remarks.
"You..." Cao Mei was speechless, glaring angrily at A Xue, but she didn't dare to argue since she had done something wrong. That would only make Jack dislike her even more.
"Mikael, you go to the back. Big Hu, you come to the front!" Jack opened the car door for Big Hu to sit in the front. Mikael happily squeezed between the two women, wagging his tail. Jack did this partly because he was afraid the two women would start fighting in the back, and partly because he was worried that if Big Hu got infected, he could deal with it immediately from the front.