Chapter 141.

Chapter 141.

Yan Bubu looked around for something like a rope, but there was nothing nearby, only debris and broken bricks. He spotted a row of intact buildings not far away, their door signs visible under the light of his headlamp.

"Hang on for two more minutes, I'm going to find something to rescue you with! Hold on!" Yan Bubu ran towards the buildings, shouting, "You guys stay away from the crack, wait here, Bi Nunu watch over them..."

Although the building bore a sign for an office, it had never been used. The front door was tightly closed, with a paint bucket lying on the steps, its contents of white paint scattered around.

Yan Bubu pushed the door without success, then took a few steps back and charged forward, kicking the door open.

The room was empty except for two paint buckets against the wall and some plastic ropes scattered on the floor, used for tying cardboard boxes.

Although the plastic rope was not too fragile, it couldn't support the weight of an adult, but it was the only thing available in the room.

Yan Bubu grabbed the ropes and ran back, tying the ends together as he went. The four children obeyed his command and stayed away from the crack, stretching their necks to look down, while Bi Nunu stood in front of them.

Yan Bubu rushed back to the crack, relieved to see the guide still hanging in the air. However, her arms were trembling uncontrollably from gripping the rod for too long, clearly unable to hold on much longer.

He quickly lowered one end of the rope down, "This rope might break, so I can't pull you up, but you can slide down it a bit. Even if the rope breaks, you won't get hurt. Understand?"

The guide nodded with difficulty, "…Understood."

The tied rope was long enough to reach the ground floor. With nothing around to secure the rope, Yan Bubu wrapped it around his waist several times, then sat down, bracing his feet against the other side of the crack.

"Ready!" he yelled down, took a deep breath, and braced his feet against the opposite side of the crack.

A guide swiftly grabbed a plastic rope beside him, his body hanging onto it.

Although Yan Bubu was prepared, he was still yanked forward by the sudden force at his waist. Fortunately, his feet were braced against the opposite side, preventing him from being dragged into the crevice.

The four children beside him screamed in unison, seeing him sliding towards the crack. Two older boys quickly grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

The guide slid swiftly downwards, and just a level above the ground, the rope snapped with a loud crack.

Yan Bubu and two children fell backwards onto the ground. He quickly got up and rushed to the crevice, seeing that the guide's antelope quantum beast had caught her, holding her securely on its back.

"Are you okay?" Yan Bubu asked loudly.

The guide, probably fearing to attract the zombies that had infiltrated the city, didn't dare to respond loudly, just nodded to him, indicating she was fine.

Yan Bubu then said, "You go find the army, I'll take these kids with me."

The girl formed a 'thank you' with her lips, not daring to linger, jumped off the antelope's back, and ran towards the direction of the gunfire.

Yan Bubu wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned to face the four children, and seeing their expectant eyes, said, "We need to keep moving. I'll carry two little friends on my back, is it okay for the big friends to walk on their own?"

"Okay," both the boy in the yellow T-shirt and the boy in the tracksuit replied in unison.

Yan Bubu crouched down, lifting the little girl from the welfare institute on his back, supporting her knees with his left hand, and in his right, he carried another three- or four-year-old boy.

"Let's go."

The two older boys walked beside Yan Bubu. They were clearly frightened, afraid of falling into the crevice like the guide. Although they were moving, their steps were very small. The boy in the tracksuit's asthma had improved a bit, but he still seemed unwell, while the boy in the yellow T-shirt seemed to have fallen and was limping.

"Brother, am I heavy?" the little girl clinging to Yan Bubu's neck asked anxiously.

"A little bit," Yan Bubu lifted her higher, then felt the weight of the boy in his arms, "You both weigh the same."

The little boy looked up at him nervously, and he added, "But carrying you two doesn't tire me at all."

"Really?" the little boy asked timidly.

"Of course, because I know magic—" Yan Bubu seemed to have slipped up, showing a frustrated expression, "Oh no, why did I say that, it's my secret."

"What secret? What magic?" the little girl asked.

Yan Bubu closed his mouth tightly and shook his head.

The two older boys also became curious, not asking aloud, but frequently turning their heads to look at him. Binunu, scouting ahead, slowed down and perked up his ears to listen.

The little girl asked again, "Brother, what is it really?"

Yan Bubu's face changed, as if struggling internally, and finally he said, "Alright, since I've already mentioned it, I might as well tell you everything. But I've never told this secret to anyone, and you mustn't tell anyone else either."

"We won't tell anyone else," the children chorused in response.

Yan Bubu lowered his voice: "I know magic spells."

"Magic spells?"

"Yes, it was difficult for me to carry you, but I recited a magic spell just now, so now it feels quite easy."

The two older boys looked skeptical, but the little boy in his arms exclaimed in awe, "Wow."

"Do you want to learn?" Yan Bubu asked.

The little boy immediately responded crisply, "I want to learn!" The little girl and the two older boys remained silent.

"Alright, if only you want to learn, I'll teach you." Yan Bubu cleared his throat and recited to the little boy, "Ah Wu Bang Ga Ada Wuxia."

"Ah Wu... Xia."

Yan Bubu slowed his pace: "Ah Wu—Bang Ga—Ada Wuxia."

"Ah Wu... Xia."

Yan Bubu repeated several times, and the little boy recited after him. Glancing to the side, he saw the two older boys also mouthing the words quietly, and said, "Binunu, lead them."

Binunu turned around, looking at him expressionlessly. Yan Bubu made faces and silently pleaded, "...please."

Binunu, with a stoic face, walked between the two boys, taking each by the hand, and led them around a small pile of scattered bricks and stones.

The boy in the yellow T-shirt stared at his hand, drawing a long breath, while the boy in the tracksuit stared at a hair clip floating in the air next to him, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Now you can walk safely, Binunu's magic will protect you and prevent you from falling into the cracks," Yan Bubu said.

Binu's expression eased somewhat.

Walking between the two boys, shorter than them but holding on earnestly, it was vigilant of the bricks ahead, leading them to avoid obstacles.

The little boy in Yan Bubu's arms began to chant non-stop: "Ah woo bang ga Adawusiya, Ah woo bang ga Adawusiya..."

Yan Bubu shook the little girl on his back. "Don’t you want to learn a spell?"

"I want to learn, but I have magic too, learned from Fairy Sophie," the little girl on his back whispered. "I need to stand and twirl with hand movements to use it, so I can't show you right now."

Yan Bubu turned his head to her and said, "There's a saying, 'Many skills do not burden one.' Although you have magic, it’s not easy to use right now. How about temporarily using my new magic? Just recite it."

The little girl was intrigued: "Okay, then I'll learn your new magic."

The two older boys, led by the unseen Binu, were both nervous and excited, walking more confidently and striding forward.

After a while, they encountered a collapsed building blocking their path, so Yan Bubu led them around from the left.

A narrow path was left open at the edge, with bricks scattered everywhere, revealing the dark colossal metal plates beneath. This was the edge of Central City, right next to the colossal metal net, with a horde of zombies outside.

The second-level metal net only served a preventive purpose, unlike the fully enclosed first level. Although it was several meters high, zombies could climb to the top and tumble into the second level.

With Central City sinking several meters, they were only three or four stories above the zombie horde. Zombies were relentlessly climbing the net, causing it to shake violently and reverberate with heavy thuds, mixed with the sharp sound of bullets striking the mesh.

The little girl on Yan Bubu’s back clung tightly to his neck, and the boy in his arms was stiff with fear. The two older children, although led by Binu, kept turning their heads nervously to look outside.

Yan Bubu reassured them, "Do you hear the gunfire below? That's the soldiers killing the zombies, they can't climb up—Aaahhh!"

"Aaahhhhhhhh…"

Amidst the terrified screams of Yan Bubu and the children, a zombie actually climbed up to the second level. Its face pressed against the metal net, creating a grid-like imprint, appearing even more ferocious. It continued to climb, agile like a gecko, seemingly trying to flip over the net.

Yan Bubu wasn’t afraid of zombies, but its sudden appearance startled him. As he saw the zombie trying to climb over, he immediately went to reach for his dagger, putting down the little boy in his arms.

But Binu was faster, a small black shadow darting up the metal net. Before the zombie could reach the top, its claws pierced its temple.

"Aaaaahhh..." Amidst the children's screams, the zombie fell from the net.

"Don't be afraid, look, it fell down, it's okay, I have magic, don't be scared," Yan Bubu hurriedly comforted them.

The little girl sobbed, "I don't want to be scared, but it's too frightening..."

"Ah woo bang ga Adawusiya, Ah woo bang ga Adawusiya..." The little boy clutched the fabric of Yan Bubu's chest tightly, chanting the spell in terror.

Binu jumped down and led the two older boys forward.

Knowing that zombies might breach the soldiers' line and climb up, they walked in fear. The colossal metal net beside them shook continuously from the zombies below. The boy in the yellow T-shirt, led by Binu, kept looking back and suddenly stepped into a wide gap, falling through.

"Ah!" He screamed as his body plummeted into the gap, but Binu firmly grabbed his right hand, pulling him back up.

"Are you okay?" Yan Bubu asked.

The boy in the yellow T-shirt, pale-faced and trembling, shook his head, "I'm okay."

"You can fly, you're flying..." The hesitant little girl stopped crying, "I saw you flying out from the crevice."

The boy in the yellow T-shirt snapped out of it, looking seemingly empty-handed but noticeably holding someone's hand tightly. He exclaimed, still shaken, "So it was my Bynunu magic, I really have powers..."

"Ah-woo-bang-ga-ah-dah-woo-shi-ah, ah-woo-bang-ga-ah-dah-woo-shi-ah..." Several kids started chanting incantations.

They had firmly believed in the Bynunu magic, convinced that it could kill zombies and make people who fell into crevices fly up. Consequently, they weren't as afraid anymore, ignoring the adjacent metal nets, solely chanting incantations as they strode forward.

Although soldiers defended the first floor, occasionally a zombie or two would break through the gunfire and appear outside the second-floor colossal metal net. However, as soon as they showed up, Bynunu would kill them. A zombie vaulted over the distant colossal metal net and landed here, drawn by the commotion, but before it could cover half the distance, Bynunu intercepted it.

The children grew increasingly composed, and when more zombies appeared beside them, they vied eagerly to chant the incantation first, hoping to be the one to use magic to kill it.

At this moment, by the eastern gate on the first floor.

A soldier stood next to the tightly shut gate, hand resting on the nearby control box's door-opening switch. A dozen soldiers stood in front, guns aimed at the gate panels. Behind them, a few people pushed a heavy machine on a cart.

Several tens of meters further back, there was a dense crowd. The front row consisted of young adults holding makeshift low-quality daggers or iron chair legs; those without anything grabbed bricks at hand. They all watched the soldiers intently, not a single sound escaping them, only silence amidst the distant screams from the city and the sporadic gunfire.

The soldier by the gate said, "When I open the gate, start firing to clear a path and push the bridge repair machine out."

"Okay."

"I'm about to open the gate, get ready."

"We're ready."

The soldier opening the gate counted, "One, two, three."

The gate cracked open slightly, the groans of the zombies seeped in, and the crowd instantly began to stir.

The soldiers collectively pulled their triggers, spraying gunfire toward the slowly widening door. Zombies kept rushing in, continually falling under the barrage of powerful firepower.

"Push the machine out now, quickly!" The soldiers cleared a path for the ones pushing the machine to move forward.

However, there were simply too many zombies blocking the entrance. Despite the fierce firepower, there were some whose chests resembled beehives, yet those with intact heads still charged in.

They lunged straight at the soldiers ahead, while a few rushed towards the crowd behind.

The crowd started panicking and screaming, about to scatter in all directions, but someone shouted loudly, "Don't run! Running means death! We survive by fighting them!"

"Right, there's nowhere to run now. Kill them all! If anyone gets bitten, kill them too! If I get bitten, just slice my neck and let me die more easily."

"Running? What's the point? If the bridge isn't fixed, everyone's trapped in the city, and the end result is still death."

Some, driven by the instinct to survive, continued to flee, but others steeled their resolve, wielding iron rods and bricks, charging in and viciously smashing the zombies' heads.

Various makeshift weapons came down relentlessly, not stopping even after the zombies' heads were smashed into a pile of fragments, ceasing only when the skull became a heap of pieces.

The zombies at the entrance continued to surge in; the soldiers had to redirect their guns toward those who had already rushed inside, causing their firepower to scatter. More zombies got the chance to flood in, and the bridge repair machine couldn't be pushed out.

"This won't work; we can't push it out at all. More zombies are coming in."

"Close the gate! Quickly close it! Seal the gate!"

"What about the bridge?"

"We'll figure something else out."

……

As Feng Chen and the sentry trainees pulled up the people from the broken bridge to the checkpoint, they heard intense gunfire erupting at the entrance to the lower levels of the central city. Zombies were surging in that direction.

He looked up and saw the gate was already half-opened. Understanding the situation, he immediately shouted, "Help! They're opening the gate now to repair the bridge. Hurry and hold back those zombies!"

Although the sentry trainees immediately released their psychic powers, numerous zombies had already burrowed inside the gate, which had just reopened and swiftly closed again.