Chapter 32: Return Journey

Chapter 32: Return Journey

Level-two zombies moved swiftly; for them, the three-kilometer distance was just a few breaths away. Soon, Shenchi encountered them.

Several ice arrows shot rapidly toward the first level-two zombie that arrived.

The zombie did not know how to dodge attacks and collided directly with the ice arrows. Its tough muscles acted like an impenetrable wall, causing the ice arrows to shatter into ice shards.

Another row of ice arrows formed in front of Shenchi. With a wave of his hand, they flew towards the zombie, pushing it back several meters with their impact.

In the next instant, the second level-two zombie took advantage of this moment and lunged at Shenchi, its mouth wide open!

The distance was too close; Shenchi could even smell the stench from the zombie's mouth. This time, he had no way to avoid it.

The zombie's gaping mouth loomed over Shenchi—

But just as Shenchi was about to be swallowed by the zombie, he vanished from his spot.

The zombie snapped its teeth shut, pausing when it sensed something amiss.

In the next moment, Shenchi appeared behind it, throwing a chain around the zombie's neck. He wrapped the chain around his shoulder, pulled back a few steps, leaped over the railing, and secured the chain tightly around it. Ten ice arrows formed in front of him, continuously piercing the zombie's forehead!

"Whoosh—"

The other zombie relentlessly charged at Shenchi. Shenchi dodged by rolling on the ground. As he rolled, a thick ice pillar suddenly crashed into the zombie, changing its trajectory and slamming it heavily onto the ground.

An ice shield rose behind Shenchi. The freed zombie crashed into it, causing several cracks to appear. The zombie continued its assault, but just as the ice shield shattered, someone grabbed Shenchi and rolled away!

Cao Kun's shirt was torn into six strips, revealing the lines of his spine beneath his waistband.

Shenchi leaped out of Cao Kun's arms and swung his right hand, instantly summoning dozens of ice shields. "Trap it!"

Cao Kun's fire dragon darted behind the zombie, blocking its retreat and further narrowing the space.

The ice shields shattered one after another under the high-speed movement of the level-two zombie. Sweat finally trickled down Shenchi's usually calm face. Just as the zombie was about to break through the last ice shield, a long-awaited ice arrow pierced its forehead!

As the zombie fell, an ice net caught it. Shenchi and Cao Kun exchanged glances, and Cao Kun immediately understood. The ice net fused with a fire net, lifting the dead level-two zombie and slamming it into the approaching zombie—causing an explosion!

The impact knocked both men to the ground. When they looked up, the two zombies lay heavily on the ground.

Shenchi and Cao Kun exchanged a relieved glance, exhaling deeply. Just as they were about to stand up and retrieve the crystals, the zombie they thought was dead suddenly twitched and crawled towards them again!

For a level-two zombie with a flight speed of 111.1 meters per second, the distance of just over a hundred meters was almost certain death for the two exhausted men.

Shenchi knew this, so he glanced at Cao Kun, preparing to retreat into the space. At that moment, a gunshot rang out, and a pool of thick blood slowly flowed from the flying zombie's forehead before it thudded to the ground.

Cao Kun looked at the bullet hole in the zombie's forehead and raised his head to see a figure on the rooftop of a nearby warehouse. "A sniper?"

"The convoy is returning! Hurry!" Zhang Meng said from the rooftop, then holstered his gun and disappeared around the building.

Without hesitation, Shenchi and Cao Kun dug out the two level-two crystals, sprinted, and easily climbed onto the warehouse roof, following the sniper. They leaped a few times and landed on the left front side of the convoy as it passed by.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The three men landed on the car roof, using the bounce to grab the edge and flip into the vehicle.

"Wow, impressive moves!"

Everyone in the car was part of the Self-defense Corps, all struggling to find a way out of the encirclement. Suddenly, heavy objects landed on the roof, followed by three people flipping into the car like in a movie. Someone immediately applauded.

Shenchi had just stood up when someone pressed a hand on his shoulder. Before he could react, Cao Kun whispered in his ear, "Plug your ears!"

Immediately, something blocked his ears, and explosions erupted around them, shaking the vehicle.

The explosions roared almost right beside their ears, causing many to bow their heads in pain despite wearing earplugs. Even Shenchi, with his earplugs, felt a buzzing in his head.

Chunks of zombie flesh flew everywhere as the driver accelerated, pushing the convoy through walls of fire. It was like a scene from a sci-fi movie, with countless fireworks and dangers serving as the backdrop for the victorious return of the convoy. The vehicles slowly left the dangerous area, heading back without looking back.

The snarling zombies gradually faded into the distance as Shenchi closed his eyes, feeling utterly exhausted.

Zhang Meng, holding his gun, waited until the vehicle steadied and sat on a small stool. Looking at the exhausted pair opposite him, he asked, "You're the accompanying psychics, right? Hello, I'm Zhang Meng, a sniper. My psychic ability is dynamic vision evolution. What about you?"

Cao Kun replied, "I'm Cao Kun, a fire psychic."

Shenchi opened his eyes and sized up the other person, unsure if he had seen him use his psychic abilities. He simply answered, "Shenchi."

Cao Kun added, "Thanks earlier!"

"We're all soldiers, no need to mention it," Zhang Meng waved his hand, noticing Shenchi closing his eyes again. He turned to Cao Kun, "Fire psychics are rare and powerful! Did you train before? When did you awaken your psychic ability? How does it feel? Any signs of breakthrough? Why not join the military? The benefits are great, and the atmosphere in the camp is good! Most importantly, our captain is great!"

Cao Kun looked at the young man with a barrage of questions. If he hadn't witnessed his shooting skills minutes ago, he would have thought he was a rookie sent in for training.

Cao Kun lacked the energy to answer all the questions and countered, "If your Captain Chen is so good, why did he recruit a minor?"

Zhang Meng was taken aback, not understanding the implication, and instinctively retorted, "Who's a minor? I'm nineteen!"

"Hey, what's going on? Doctor's here, sit down! That's you, Zhang Mengmeng! Sit down!" An old soldier shouted from the front of the car, helping the doctor carry a medical box inside. He then addressed the others, "Where's the captain of this vehicle?"

Someone stood up.

The old soldier nodded, "Good. Take attendance and give me a casualty report!"

The person saluted, "Understood!"

Xia Yi came to treat the wounded and distribute heatstroke medication. The weather was hot, and waiting two hours for the convoy to return would mean more infections and heatstroke cases.

Most of the remaining people had minor injuries, requiring only cleaning and bandaging. Those with severe injuries were placed in the medical vehicle.

Xia Yi started with the more seriously injured. Most were hit by stray bullets or suffered fractures and concussions from collisions with higher-level zombies. These cases needed immediate attention and further examination upon return.

As for those who were injured, they all needed to be quarantined for 24 hours upon their return, during which they would be cared for by specialists.

The middle-aged man he had identified earlier had turned into a zombie half an hour ago.

When Xia Yi saw the two people sitting side by side in the crowd, he was startled by Shenchi's pale complexion and hurriedly approached to check on him: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Let me take a look."

Shenchi had heard the voice long before the person approached. As he drew closer, Shenchi opened his eyes and shook his head, "Just overexertion, I'm tired."

Xia Yi hesitated but then focused on examining Shenchi's stomach, trying not to be too obvious. He quickly glanced over to confirm that the child was fine before looking away.

He didn't dare give Shenchi any heatstroke medication but instead mixed a little salt with mineral water and handed it to him to drink.

Cao Kun watched Shenchi with interest from the side. Xia Yi couldn't say much, so when he noticed that Shenchi's abrasions had already been treated, he turned to Cao Kun. His telepathic ability was still active, and he immediately saw the injuries on Cao Kun's back.

After bandaging the wound on Cao Kun's arm, Xia Yi said, "Turn around."

Cao Kun held a cigarette between his lips, unlit, "I'm fine."

"Even the smallest wound needs treatment," Xia Yi insisted firmly, "Turn around."

Cao Kun had several abrasions on his back, oozing blood. These kinds of wounds would normally be insignificant, but in this weather, even minor injuries could easily become infected, especially after their recent fight.

Xia Yi first disinfected Cao Kun with alcohol. There was a deep, three-inch-long scar on Cao Kun's waist. If it had been just a bit more off-center, Cao Kun would have been bedridden for life. Other parts of his body also showed signs of past severe injuries.

The most dangerous one was a bullet hole near his shoulder blade, aimed directly at his heart.

After Xia Yi left, neither Cao Kun nor Shenchi spoke. This wasn't the place for conversation, and they couldn't take out crystal cores to practice cultivation. They could only close their eyes and rest, trying to recover their strength as quickly as possible.

As the convoy turned off the provincial road, the people in the vehicles cheered when they saw the national flag flying over Jiu Zhou City.

Shenchi and Cao Kun looked through the observation window at the western gate, which had changed dramatically in just a morning. Additional layers of reinforced metal mesh, made from intersecting steel bars, had been added to the existing iron netting. Bricklayers were applying cement, and trucks were delivering bricks, sand, and cement, indicating plans to build a wall to prevent zombies from invading.

What caught their attention was the clear aftermath of a fierce battle as they approached the city center.

Deng Hu was the first to lose patience and jumped out of the vehicle.