After the announcement, everyone looked at Sun Xi and Liu Jia. The two girls were confused and uncertain as to why they were the focus of attention.
“Did we do something wrong?” Sun Xi asked timidly.
Xiao Muyu shook her head and then whispered, “Everyone, stay alert. If the system is just now mentioning this, the target shouldn’t be them. Let’s wait and see.”
As Xiao Muyu finished speaking, a sharp screeching sound pierced the air, followed by a loud bang. While the others looked shocked, Shen Qingqiu frowned. “That was a gunshot.”
Xiao Muyu was equally surprised. “A gunshot?”
Shen Qingqiu waved her hand, urgently lowering her voice. “Let’s take cover first. I’ll go check out what’s happening.”
Xiao Muyu said nothing, just took a step forward. Shen Qingqiu glanced back at her, hesitating but ultimately only shaking her head with a wry smile.
The two signaled for Su Jin and the others to hide behind several cars in the parking lot with the two girls. Then they cautiously headed towards the source of the gunshot.
As they reached a crossroads, another gunshot rang out. Shen Qingqiu saw debris from a bullet striking the ground.
They followed the sound and spotted a zombie crouched on top of a car, its back arched, growling menacingly.
A few meters ahead of the zombie stood a man holding a gun in his right hand and a steel rod in his left. His entire body was tense. The steel rod in his hand, as thick as a thumb, was already bent.
The man had his back to Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, so they couldn’t see his face. But Xiao Muyu noticed his neatly combed hair and clean clothes, which seemed out of place given the chaos around them. However, the gunshot was bound to attract more zombies from afar.
The zombie didn’t stay on the car roof for long. It seemed furious and, with a roar, leaped into the air.
Its speed was astonishing, much faster than the zombies wandering the streets, reminding Xiao Muyu of the female zombie they encountered at the gas station.
The man rolled to the side, dodging the zombie’s attack, and deftly fired a shot at the zombie’s head. The bullet grazed the zombie’s ear, sending a spray of rusty blood onto the ground.
Seeing the man’s agility and accuracy, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu exchanged a glance. This wasn’t just any survivor; his skill suggested training or experience.
Shen Qingqiu whispered, “We need to approach carefully. This guy isn’t ordinary.”
Xiao Muyu nodded. They edged closer, staying behind cover, ready to intervene if necessary. The man continued to fight off the zombie, his movements precise and efficient.
The zombie lunged again, but the man anticipated its move, sidestepping and striking it with the steel rod. The force of the blow bent the rod further, but it didn’t slow him down. He quickly aimed his gun and fired another shot, this time hitting the zombie squarely between the eyes.
The zombie collapsed, its growls ceasing immediately. The man let out a sigh of relief, but his alert stance remained.
As Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu moved closer, the man suddenly turned, his gun trained on them.
“Who’s there?” he demanded.
Shen Qingqiu raised her hands slightly. “We’re not enemies. Just survivors like you.”
The man’s eyes narrowed as he studied them. “Why are you here?”
“We heard the gunshots,” Xiao Muyu replied calmly. “We thought you might need help.”
The man hesitated for a moment, then lowered his gun. “Name’s Zhang Hao. And you?”
“Xiao Muyu. This is Shen Qingqiu. We’ve got others hiding nearby. You alone?”
Zhang Hao nodded. “Was. But I could use some backup. More zombies will be here soon.”
“Agreed,” Shen Qingqiu said. “Let’s get everyone and find a safer spot.”
As they regrouped with Su Jin and the others, Zhang Hao explained, “I was heading to the police station. There might be more survivors there, and maybe some supplies. You should come with me.”
Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu exchanged glances. It was risky, but staying put wasn’t an option either.
“Alright,” Xiao Muyu agreed. “Lead the way.”
With Zhang Hao joining their group, they set off towards the police station, hoping to find more allies and perhaps some answers in the chaos of G City.
The small zombie, appearing pained, scrambled away. It seemed to realize the power of the man’s weapon, hesitating to approach while growling furiously.
“Target has appeared, target has appeared, please protect the target!”
The warning sounded again, and just then, the zombie ripped off its own clothes and wrapped them tightly around its body. Amidst her shock, Xiao Muyu noticed the zombie was hunching over because it was holding a baby. The baby was so small, wrapped in the zombie’s clothing like a kitten. Xiao Muyu caught a glimpse of a tiny, gray, wrinkled arm that clearly did not belong to a living human.
Feeling a strange unease, Xiao Muyu watched as the now-unencumbered zombie moved even faster. It leaped to the side of the car where the man was hiding, smashing the window with one hand and pouncing on him.
The situation was dire. The man was about to be killed by the zombie when Shen Qingqiu, her heart tightening, glanced at Xiao Muyu. In a swift movement, she vaulted onto an SUV’s roof, throwing her knife like lightning. She leaped again, using her left hand to vault over a car, covering nearly five meters in an instant, landing lightly like a bird.
The knife flew dangerously close to the man’s nose and the zombie’s face, startling the already pale man. The zombie, sensing the threat of the knife, abandoned the man and jumped onto another car, snarling at the approaching Shen Qingqiu.
The zombie was a woman. Shen Qingqiu retrieved her knife, barely taking a moment to look at it before the man, in his panic, grabbed his gun and shot at her without even looking properly.
“Qingqiu!” Xiao Muyu’s eyes widened, her heart nearly stopping. Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu, always alert, sensed the danger as the man grabbed the gun and immediately rolled to dodge the bullet, quickly taking cover behind a camphor tree by the roadside.
The man’s shot gave the zombie another chance to attack. It leaped again, aiming for them.
The man wasn’t entirely useless, firing two more shots, one hitting the zombie in the shoulder blade, halting its movements.
As Shen Qingqiu moved in to strike, Xiao Muyu couldn’t stay put any longer. She dashed forward, kicking the gun from the man’s hand with a spinning kick.
The man staggered back a few steps, his face changing as Xiao Muyu seized his gun.
Before he could speak, Xiao Muyu turned the gun on the injured zombie, glancing at the man. “That’s not how you use a gun. You’ll attract all the zombies this way. And we mean no harm.”
The man looked embarrassed and a bit nervous, eyeing the gun in Xiao Muyu’s hand. “I misunderstood. Give me back my gun. This zombie is strange; we can’t let it get away, or who knows what will happen.”
Xiao Muyu glanced at the zombie. It was fast, its clothes dirty and torn. Aside from the wound inflicted by the man’s shot, it had no other visible injuries.
The zombie, angered by Shen Qingqiu, turned its wrath on her, launching an attack. Shen Qingqiu didn’t dare be careless, her knife moving swiftly to block the zombie’s claws.
Xiao Muyu felt a strange idea forming and shouted, “Qingqiu, don’t kill it yet.”
Shen Qingqiu frowned, diverting her knife just as it was about to pierce the zombie’s neck. Instead, she only nicked its throat, but the zombie managed to tear a piece of her coat, making Xiao Muyu’s heart race.
The zombie, seemingly frightened by the attack, retreated a few steps, snarling at Shen Qingqiu before turning and running away.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but frown. “This is the first time I’ve seen a zombie run away from a person.”
Xiao Muyu watched the zombie disappear, then turned to the man. She examined the gun in her hand while Shen Qingqiu inspected it. “A Type 92 9mm. How did you get this?”
The man didn’t answer, his face showing annoyance. “You could have killed it. Why let it go? That thing is dangerous, and you said not to harm it?”
Shen Qingqiu weighed the gun in her hand. “That zombie is far beyond normal ones. If you wanted to kill it, why didn’t you do it earlier?”
The man’s face darkened. “If it hadn’t taken my things, I would have. If she hadn’t taken my gun—”
“If not for me, you’d be dead already. When it pinned you down, did you have a chance to shoot? And if you hadn’t shot at me, it wouldn’t have taken your gun.”
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were sharp, stepping closer. “Tell me the truth. How did you get this?”
The man frowned. “It’s mine. What’s there to say?”
“From your grip and shooting, you don’t seem familiar with guns.”
She grabbed his hand, forcing it down to inspect his palm. It was calloused but not in the way a frequent shooter’s hand would be.
The man tried to struggle, but Shen Qingqiu’s knife slid between his fingers, scaring him into stillness. “What are you doing?”
Xiao Muyu looked at him. “Do you know Nuoro Pharmaceuticals?”
“No.” The man denied quickly, eyes shifting.
Xiao Muyu nodded. “So you do know. Nuoro is a major player in G City. Even if you don’t know the company, you should know the building. And a normal person would think before denying it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There are many companies in G City. My work has nothing to do with biotech.”
Xiao Muyu smiled. “I didn’t say it was a biotech company.”
The man realized his mistake and clammed up. Shen Qingqiu raised her knife, ready to strike, but Xiao Muyu stopped her.
“That zombie is different. How did you get involved with it?”
“My friend is skilled at killing zombies and people alike. People call her ‘Ghostbane.’ If you keep lying, you’ll regret it.”
Xiao Muyu released Shen Qingqiu’s hand, her expression cold. The man, sweating, believed she would allow Shen Qingqiu to kill him.
As Shen Qingqiu raised her knife, the man, panicking, confessed. “I’m looking for someone. My employer is a high-ranking official at Nuoro Pharmaceuticals. They said I mustn’t reveal my mission. I don’t know anything else.”
Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu exchanged confused glances but continued. “Who are you looking for?”
“A young woman, about twenty, long hair, very fair. They showed me a picture. She seems important.”
Xiao Muyu felt she had overlooked something.
“Why come out here for food?”
“It’s not just two days. If they hadn’t kept it quiet, we wouldn’t be in the dark. Nuoro said they have a vaccine. I saw them save someone who was bitten.”
This revelation shocked Xiao Muyu. The virus and Nuoro were linked, so the target must be related. She only expected hints, not such a breakthrough.
“Nuoro has a zombie vaccine?” She was skeptical but considered the possibility.
While pondering, Su Jin and the others approached, worried about zombies surrounding them.
“Xiao, deputy, we need to go. What about him?” Chen Kaijie asked.
Xiao Muyu nodded, but her eyes were on Sun Xi. The man’s reaction to seeing her was a mix of surprise and joy.
This was a tangled web indeed.
