Chapter 58

Chapter 58

On such a cold day, nothing felt more comforting than a hot lunch.

Upon entering the city, they managed to gather some rice and flour, sparing them from having to gnaw on dry rations as they had on the first day.

Noticing the low morale within the convoy, the commander, aiming to boost spirits, summoned all the wood-element superpower users. He had them use their abilities to grow large baskets of fresh vegetables.

Thus, at noon, everyone received a steaming bowl of vegetable noodle soup.

To provide ample calories for Tang Teng and the others, Tang Man lit an alcohol stove and fried two golden-yolked eggs and a sausage for each person.

Tang Man also added a spoonful of chili oil, made by Sheng Yao's mother, to her own noodles. The noodles instantly turned a vibrant red, looking incredibly appetizing. The hot, spicy noodles slid down her throat and into her stomach, warming her entire body.

After finishing its cat food in the car, Zhongqiu leaped back into Tang Man's arms. Thanks to Tang Man's morning "tutoring," it had learned to use its superpower to generate body heat. However, the ground was covered in snow, and sitting for even a short while would wet its fur—a sensation the little cat disliked. It much preferred being held by its "poop-scooping officer."

Not far away, Dong Mingxu's father huddled in the backseat, too afraid to get out and claim his meal. He gnawed on a cold, hard coarse-grain bun, washing it down with cold water.

During the morning's battle, Dong Mingxu had once "forgotten" to close the driver's side door when he exited the car. A zombie had lunged inside, nearly biting his father.

Terrified, Dong Mingxu's father screamed and cried in the car, snot and tears streaming down his face. Fortunately, Dong Mingxu "promptly" dealt with the zombie, saving his life.

After that, Dong Mingxu repeated the tactic several more times to scare his father. Only then did Dong Mingxu's father realize his son's current strength—that taking his life would be as easy as crushing an ant. He became docile, no longer daring to speak to Dong Mingxu with arrogance.

For the rest of the time, he remained curled in the backseat, trying to minimize his presence, not even daring to make a sound.

At noon, zombies continued to swarm the area, so the commander had them divide into two groups to eat in shifts.

"Dad! Help me!" A little girl's shrill scream suddenly pierced the air.

Tang Man looked over, realizing a Level 2 zombie had breached the team's defensive line and was charging towards Qin Fen, who was eating.

Startled, Qin Fen dropped her noodles and grabbed someone nearby, pulling them in front of her to shield herself from the Level 2 zombie's attack.

The little girl's neck was instantly slashed by the zombie's sharp claws, spurting bright red blood everywhere. Half of her cheek was also bitten off by the Level 2 zombie.

Covered in blood, she looked horrifying.

"Qianqian!" Sheng Zhang, hearing his daughter's cries for help, quickly rushed back. After a struggle, he killed the Level 2 zombie and rescued his daughter, whose neck was gushing blood and whose face was missing a chunk of flesh.

Sheng Zhang pressed his hand against her neck, trying to stop the bleeding, but a continuous stream of blood still flowed through his fingers.

"Can anyone help me? Qianqian, don't leave Daddy..." His eyes were frantic as he pleaded with those around him. However, in this apocalypse, such injuries offered almost no chance of survival. No one responded; everyone silently lowered their heads and ate their noodles.

His gaze suddenly fell upon the large truck nearby, heavily guarded by soldiers. Clutching his daughter, he dashed towards it.

"Ye Min, Ye Min, please save my daughter..." Stopped by the soldiers guarding the truck, Sheng Zhang cried out unwillingly, his expression truly resembling that of a father concerned for his child.

The soldiers, feeling sorry for him, found the accompanying military doctor.

The doctor quickly arrived. After stopping the little girl's bleeding, he shook his head at Sheng Zhang.

The zombie virus from a Level 2 zombie was far more potent than that of a Level 1. Coupled with the girl's frail physique and poor health, she was almost certainly beyond saving.

But Sheng Zhang refused to accept it. He continued to shout Ye Min's name outside the truck, pleading desperately.

Ye Min's superpower could not cure zombie virus infections. Furthermore, Ye Min's private temper was notoriously unpleasant; she often acted out in various ways when displeased. That was why the soldiers had stopped Sheng Zhang and instead sought out the military doctor.

Inside the truck, Ye Min irritably set down the specially prepared braised pork rib rice she was eating. She had no intention of dealing with the people outside, but letting him continue to shout would damage her image in everyone's eyes. So, she reluctantly straightened her clothes and stepped out of the truck with a gentle smile.

"Please, save my Qianqian! I beg you..." The moment she emerged, Sheng Zhang grabbed her arm, leaving two bloody handprints on her white padded jacket.

Ye Min's smile instantly froze. "You're hurting me. Could you please let go first...?"

Hearing this, Sheng Zhang released her and pushed her towards Sheng Qian.

By this time, the little girl lying on the ground had already begun to turn blue.

Ye Min took one look and shook her head. "She's already starting to turn into a zombie. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do... Please, accept my condolences..."

Sheng Zhang's expression instantly turned frantic. His eyes reddened slightly as he stared intently at Ye Min. "Impossible, that's impossible... Aren't you a healing superpower user? How can you conclude my Qianqian is beyond saving without even trying?!"

Startled by his expression, Ye Min quickly hid behind the soldiers assigned to protect her.

Tang Man slowed her eating, watching the unfolding drama with great interest.

An hour later, the little girl on the stretcher indeed mutated into a small zombie and was swiftly dispatched by the surrounding soldiers.

Sheng Zhang looked utterly drained, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He sat slumped on the ground for over half an hour.

After disposing of Sheng Qian's small body, he glared darkly at the truck where Ye Min was, clearly blaming Ye Min in part for Sheng Qian's death.

Not far away, Tang Man, busy killing zombies, watched the scene with amusement. Sheng Zhang's expression suggested he now considered Ye Min an enemy—though given his weakness, he likely couldn't do much.

If necessary, she might lend a hand from behind the scenes...

By afternoon, everyone kept a wide berth from Sheng Zhang and his family's car, subtly isolating them. Who would want to be allied with someone who would push their own daughter out as a shield in a critical moment?

Tang Man even overheard whispers blaming Sheng Zhang for Sheng Qian's death—if he had left his family in the safe zone like others, his daughter would still be alive.

Some who knew Sheng Zhang had traded his wife's body for zombie cores bluntly revealed the truth, stating that Sheng Qian's death was entirely Sheng Zhang's responsibility. If he hadn't brought his wife along to "do business" during missions, Sheng Qian wouldn't have died. He himself was no good person, so why pretend to be a loving father? It was too fake!

Some didn't even bother lowering their voices when speaking. Tang Man guessed Sheng Zhang must have been furious hearing these words; otherwise, Qin Fen wouldn't have been beaten several times in the car that afternoon.

But soon, Tang Man had no time for gossip, as a Level 3 zombie appeared among the attacking horde.

This Level 3 zombie possessed wind powers. A small tornado disrupted the team's defensive formation. Tang Man quickly used vines to pull Sheng Yao and the other two to safety, while another vine wrapped around a nearby clothing store's door handle to prevent them from being blown away by the tornado.

After the team was scattered, a Level 3 zombie leaped into the crowd. It casually grabbed an superpower user by the back of the neck, and before the superpower user could struggle, the zombie's claws crushed their skull. White brain matter oozed onto its hand, but the zombie showed no concern, extending its tongue and licking the brain matter from its hand with a look of pure ecstasy.

Once steady, Tang Man held nothing back. Dozens of vines shot out from her wrists like sharp blades, binding the brain-licking zombie tightly.

"Aim for its head!" Tang Man shouted to the remaining people.

At the same time, with one hand, she continuously fed zombie cores into the vines, channeling her superpower. With the other hand, she drew a gun from her lower back and pulled the trigger, aiming at the Level 3 zombie's head.

Zhongqiu also spat a small fireball at the zombie's head.

The other well-trained soldiers nearby quickly reacted, raising their guns and firing at the zombie.

After a barrage of "bang-bang-bang" sounds, the Level 3 zombie finally collapsed.

Tang Man finally let out a sigh of relief and retracted the vines that had bound the zombie. However, even with Tang Man's quick reaction, over a dozen people had been blown into the zombie horde by the wind and lost their lives.

Although the commander quickly reorganized the team and restored the formation, the atmosphere within the group became even more somber. Before this, many ordinary people were unaware of the existence of Level 3 zombies. They had only thought the danger in the city was merely due to a greater number of zombies compared to the safe zone.

Having witnessed the power of a Level 3 zombie's superpower, everyone clearly realized they were truly risking their lives on this trip!

Morale became even more fractured. Tang Man even overheard people secretly discussing whether to drive back under the cover of darkness.

Due to the combat prowess Tang Man displayed that afternoon, many civilian superpower users felt safer near her and desperately tried to stick close.

As a result, Tang Man found there were hardly any zombies left for her to kill nearby, so she could only half-heartedly maneuver her vines.

That night, the commander found a hotel for them to rest in as usual. However, Tang Man constantly felt many eyes watching her from the shadows. The moment Zhongqiu entered the hotel, its fur bristled, and it looked around warily. Red Comb and the others were also very uneasy, standing at the hotel entrance, unwilling to go inside.

The last time Zhongqiu had acted this way was at the toy factory, where they had encountered the first Level 3 zombie since the apocalypse, and Sheng Yao had nearly lost his life.