Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Because of the delay, they didn’t get moving again for nearly an hour. It was already 2 p.m., and during that time, a few stray zombies had popped up nearby but were quickly taken care of.

The snowplow stayed in front, clearing the road, with Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian’s vehicle second, followed by Li Kaiyun and his two children, while Huang Qian’s group brought up the rear.

Li Kaiyun was so touched by the arrangement that his eyes welled up.

Along the way, they ran into a few decent-sized zombie groups, but none gave them much trouble—they made it through without any real issues.

Before nightfall, they reached a wide-open suburban plaza with good visibility.

Jiang Nian insisted on camping out in the open—it had been their routine since the start of the trip due to concerns about sudden earthquakes.

Tang Yi and Zhou Rongbin, who hadn’t been on guard duty during the day, set up a tent and took turns keeping watch. Thanks to the game console Jiang Nian gave them to kill time, the job wasn’t too bad.

Everyone else slept in the cars, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

Since leaving Qingyun City, they’d dodged several nighttime quakes so far.

Though Jiang Nian hadn’t fought directly, his planning and leadership had won over the whole team.

Without him, they’d have been crushed under rubble ages ago.

They all ate together for dinner. Since they wanted to build better relationships, Jiang Nian figured it was best to be generous.

His crew got the hint and made an effort with the Li family.

Jiang Nian’s style was straightforward:

If he liked you, he’d go all out for you. If not, he wouldn’t give you the time of day.

After dinner, Xiao Ya and Huang Qian struck up a conversation with Li Shuhui, while Li Kaiyun and Li Liang volunteered for night watch—but Cheng Jing shut that down fast:

“Just save your strength—you’ll need it to keep up tomorrow. Tomorrow, we’re cutting breaks short and rotating drivers. Let us know if you’ve got any issues.”

Li Kaiyun nodded.

“Thanks, then. Liang and I can take turns driving during the day.”

“Alright.”

Cheng Jing tossed him a pack of smokes as he sat down beside him.

No one in the group smoked, but he’d hoarded cigarettes after Jiang Nian said they were like gold in the base. He’d grabbed plenty after the toxic rain hit.

Seeing that the two were about to talk, Li Liang took the hint and slipped away, asking the others if they needed help with anything.

Grateful, Li Kaiyun took the pack, fished out a cigarette, then realized he had no light. Just as he was about to ask, Cheng Jing snapped his fingers and lit it up for him.

“Hah—”

The nicotine hit him like a slap, waking him right up. He closed his eyes, savoring the drag.

Cheng Jing jumped on the chance to ask,

“Uncle, were you in the military?”

“Yeah.”

Li Kaiyun smiled and glanced sideways at him:

"Same here."

That soldier’s intuition—that unspoken understanding between comrades.

Cheng Jing nodded:

"Yeah, just got out not too long ago."

Li Kaiyun took a drag of his cigarette and looked toward the others who were busy nearby before adding:

"Your team’s tightly drilled, with high coordination and trust. Doesn’t look like some thrown-together crew."

"Besides my husband Jiang Nian and Xiao Ya, we were all from a security company before the apocalypse. After everything went to hell, we joined Qingyun City’s official rescue unit."

Cheng Jing answered truthfully, letting slip a few details while briefly summarizing their situation.

Li Kaiyun understood after hearing this and flicked the ash from his cigarette:

"A squad like yours would be welcome anywhere—good resources guaranteed."

So they were married. That explained why Jiang Nian was calling the shots.

Cheng Jing didn’t confirm or deny, but still played it modest:

"The city official gave us a reference... But dragging family along, we’re just looking for stability. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone with Southern City Base."

Li Kaiyun nodded:

"That makes sense..."

"..."

The two talked for a long time and only returned to their vehicles when night fell.

The night stayed bitterly cold, so Jiang Nian handed Li Kaiyun’s group a couple more blankets to stay warm.

The rest of the night went quiet.

Over the next few days, they ran into more zombies but made quick work of them.

They collected several cores from superpowered zombies. After talking it over with Jiang Nian, Cheng Jing brought it up first.

Since they were sticking together, Li Kaiyun wasn’t blind—he’d have caught on eventually. No point hiding it.

But what surprised them was that the Li family handed over every core they got from cracking open zombie heads.

Also, since Li Liang and Li Shuhui saw less action, they took on backup duties—cooking and cleaning during breaks.

After all, on the second day they joined, Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing had invited them to share meals. When people share, you pull your weight.

And so, they stuck together for nearly a week.

As they neared the base, they often met rescue teams ferrying survivors to and from the base at various junctions.

Because of that, zombie run-ins dropped off.

They thought they could cruise straight into the base—but then, as they approached a river bridge, the ground shook. The bridge collapsed, and the earth split open in jagged gashes.

By chance, there was a rescue team ahead of them, driving olive-drab military trucks carrying thousands of survivors.

When the earthquake hit, the rescue team was preparing to get onto the bridge. Though they noticed something was wrong and swerved away, several trucks couldn’t retreat in time and overturned, plunging into the cracks and ruins below.

Cheng Jing left Huang Qian, Xiao Ya, and Li Shuhui behind to guard their vehicles while he led the others to assist.

Despite the base’s quick response, the earthquake had come too suddenly, throwing everything into chaos. Screams, cries, and shouts filled the air, and with limited medical personnel, many couldn’t be saved.

Even though there were many superpowered individuals among both rescuers and survivors, numerous lives were still lost—some were barely alive and didn’t make it.

After the apocalypse, this stretch of river had dried up and become polluted, turning the area beneath the bridge into a black, sludge-filled pit crawling with zombies.

The collapsing bridge and splitting ground didn’t crush them all—instead, they climbed up through the wreckage.

Many people trapped under debris couldn’t free themselves in time and were bitten, scratched, or even devoured, so there was no point in saving them.

This was during the day—at night, rescue would’ve been impossible.

“Help us…”

“I don’t want to die… save me…”

“Somebody help us! Aaaah—”

Trapped beneath a long concrete slab were three people—a middle-aged couple and their teenage daughter in high school uniform.

Two zombies were crawling toward them from either side, their terror making them scream uncontrollably.

Just as the zombies’ sharp claws reached for the woman’s exposed arm, bolts of lightning and ice spears shot down from above, wiping out the zombies around them in an instant.

Zhao Lei bent metal into chains to lift the slab and dragged the family free. Fortunately, they were only pinned down, not injured.

“I can’t move… *sobbing*… carry me…”

The girl trembled violently, unable to stand, her face wet with tears as she begged Cheng Jing.