Chapter 18 New Member

Chapter 18: New Member

Oliver meekly assented, like a dog with its tail between its legs...

Having settled their plan, the two immediately set off for Zone A. Along the way, buildings became denser, zombies more numerous, and the road, as expected, was a complete gridlock.

The off-road vehicle sped toward its destination, crushing a mess of unidentifiable gore beneath its wheels. Several zombies lunged, clinging to the car. Kahn grabbed his weapon, rolled down the window, and as a zombie’s head slammed into the car from the momentum, he swiftly raised the window, trapping its head. He then plunged his knife into the zombie’s temple, twisting his wrist. A gruesome mix of yellow, white, and red brain matter and blood splattered out, emitting a putrid, decaying stench.

Kahn seized the zombie by its collar and flung it out like trash. In under three minutes, one zombie was dispatched, but at least three more clung to the roof, relentlessly pounding on it.

Kahn barked, "Open the sunroof."

Bai Suizhi replied, "Be careful."

Kahn responded, "Mm."

The moment Bai Suizhi opened the sunroof, Kahn switched to a spear and jabbed upward. Bai Suizhi cooperated by accelerating sharply, successfully flinging one zombie off. No sooner had one fallen than another took its place—this one lunged halfway into the car, hanging upside down and menacingly reaching for Bai Suizhi.

Bai Suizhi didn't even turn his head, showing no trace of panic, confident that Kahn would handle it and ensure his safety.

True to expectations, Kahn swiftly seized the zombie by the back of its neck, twisted it toward himself, and shattered its skull with his knife. Bai Suizhi, ever efficient, took the corpse, rolled down his window, and casually tossed it out.

With only one zombie remaining, Bai Suizhi closed the sunroof, floored the accelerator, then slammed on the brakes. The zombie, which had been clinging securely to the roof, was sent flying, landing flat on the ground like a pancake. Bai Suizhi coolly swerved around the "pancake zombie" and continued driving.

They encountered several more waves of zombies along the way, all of which were efficiently dealt with through their seamless coordination. They were now just 15 minutes away from the helicopter rental company.

As they rounded a corner, a zombie suddenly rushed out and blocked their path. Just as Bai Suizhi was about to ram it, the zombie stopped dead, stood at attention with its legs together, one hand pressed against its side and the other saluting at its temple in a perfect military gesture. Bai Suizhi slowly brought the vehicle to a stop, exchanging a puzzled glance with Kahn. Both their eyes reflected identical confusion.

Seeing the car stop, the figure excitedly ran to the window, gesturing wildly as he tried to speak. Bai Suizhi and Kahn intently tried to decipher his words through the glass.

He babbled incoherently, leaving Bai Suizhi and Kahn completely baffled. His frenzied appearance made them hesitant to open the window.

Finally, he reined in his excitement, leaned closer, and exaggerated his lip movements to clearly articulate what had happened.

"I... I’m human... not a zombie..."

Hearing this, Bai Suizhi and Kahn cracked the window open slightly. "You’re human?"

"Yes! Please, you have to save me!"

Bai Suizhi and Kahn scrutinized the man. Though covered in blood and brain matter, with tattered, grimy clothes, his demeanor and speech were indistinguishable from a normal person’s.

As they hesitated whether to let him in, several zombies noticed the living humans and began rushing toward them from a distant street corner. The man outside pleaded desperately. Bai Suizhi glanced at Kahn, who gave a slight nod.

Bai Suizhi immediately opened the back door and shouted, "Get in, quick!"

The man swiftly pulled open the door and scrambled inside. Once he was settled, Bai Suizhi accelerated forward. Oliver collapsed into the narrow space of the back seat, overwhelmed with relief and disbelief. Over the past days, he had tried stopping many cars, but Bai Suizhi and Kahn were the only ones who had not only stopped but also agreed to take him along.

The back seat was packed with supplies, forcing Oliver to curl up uncomfortably. Noticing his awkward posture, Kahn offered, "You can move some of this stuff over to my side."

Oliver, flustered by the kindness, waved his hands. "No, no, it’s fine."

"Really, you won’t be comfortable like that."

"It's really fine!"

Kahn gave up with a sigh and turned back around. Bai Suizhi glanced at Oliver through the rearview mirror and asked curiously, "What’s your name?"

"Oliver. Thank you for saving me!"

"Oliver? A foreigner?" Bai Suizhi studied his heavily disguised face, eventually discerning his foreign features from the color of his eyes.

Oliver explained, "Half-foreign. My dad’s from S... S Country, and my mom’s Chinese."

Bai Suizhi nodded—just like Kahn, a little mixed-race kid.

Relieved that they didn’t react strongly to his background, Oliver relaxed slightly.

Bai Suizhi then asked, "But why did you disguise yourself like this?"

Oliver scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I saw it in a movie. If you cover yourself with this stuff and act like one of them, they can’t easily tell you’re human by smell. They’ll think you’re one of them."

Bai Suizhi looked at him approvingly. "Not a bad idea."

Oliver puffed out his chest proudly. "Yeah, I haven’t been spotted by zombies these past few days."

"Impressive. But why didn’t you leave with the rescue team?"

Oliver fell silent. Realizing he’d asked a sensitive question, Bai Suizhi apologized, "Sorry."

"It’s alright."

Bai Suizhi glanced at Oliver, who hung his head as if he’d done something wrong. Trying to comfort him, Bai Suizhi said, "We didn’t make it in time either. That’s why we’re trying to find a helicopter to fly there. Would you like to come with us?"

Oliver felt a surge of gratitude. After a moment, he murmured, "Actually, I didn’t miss the rescue. I was forced off the rooftop just as I was about to make it."

Kahn asked, "Why would they do that?"

Oliver’s eyes welled up. "Because they found out my dad’s from S Country. They blamed us for causing this disaster, for their loved ones dying... so... so they..." He couldn’t continue, tears streaming down his face.

The memory was still vivid: people asking about his background, their friendly expressions twisting upon learning his father’s nationality. Some had shoved him, yelling in dialects he barely understood. A few tried to intervene, awkwardly suggesting, "O-Oliver, maybe you should go downstairs and wait for the next rescue team."

Oliver had complied meekly, slinking away like a stray dog with its tail between its legs. He fought off zombies while waiting for a second rescue that never came—he’d been abandoned.

Bai Suizhi had seen news reports blaming S Country for the virus outbreak. People had directed their anger at Oliver, scapegoating the innocent boy to ease their own pain.

Kahn handed him a few tissues, unsure how to comfort him. Oliver kept muttering, "I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."

Bai Suizhi said gently, "It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself—they were just being extreme."

Kahn agreed, "Right, it’s not your fault. Don’t cry."

For days, Oliver had been tormented by self-doubt, even considering letting the zombies end his misery. But now, rescued and comforted by two kind strangers, his repressed emotions overflowed, and he cried even harder.

Bai Suizhi and Kahn exchanged helpless glances. Bai Suizhi hesitated to say more, fearing he’d make things worse, while Kahn kept tissues ready.

Oliver cried like an unstoppable faucet, his sobs loud and intense, as if releasing days of pent-up fear, injustice, and confusion. Bai Suizhi and Kahn were taken aback by the sheer force of his crying, quietly marveling at the boy’s lung capacity.

As if nothing had happened, Oliver casually asked, "Hey, what are your names?"

Bai Suizhi and Kahn tactfully followed his lead.

"I’m Bai Suizhi, and he’s Kahn. Like you, he’s mixed-race."

Surprised, Oliver studied Kahn’s distinctly non-Chinese features—he’d been too upset to notice earlier. "Which countries are you mixed with?"

Bai Suizhi, who’d never asked, also looked at Kahn curiously.

Kahn made up a random answer: "Chinese and R Country."

Kahn was indeed mixed-race on his own planet as well. Although the country names and coordinates weren't quite the same as on Blue Star, there were still some similarities. Kahn's ability to speak Chinese was thanks to the fact that his original home shared many similarities with China, both in terms of language and writing.

"Wow, no wonder you're so good-looking. People from R Nation naturally have doll-like looks," Oliver praised sincerely.

Afraid that Oliver might ask more questions he couldn't answer, Kahn quickly said, "Do you usually live in China?"

Oliver: "No, I came here as an exchange student. My family and I settled in S. I was supposed to go back after this semester, but I never expected..." Oliver's spirits fell again. He didn’t know how his parents were faring in S, or if they had also... He didn't let himself finish the thought.

Bai Suizhi noticed the shift in Oliver's emotions and immediately said, "Which school are you from?"

The question quickly distracted Oliver: "A University."

Bai Suizhi exclaimed: "What a coincidence! I go to A University too."

Oliver's voice rose with excitement: "Really?! That's such a coincidence! I'm a freshman, what about you?"

"I'm a junior, about to graduate."

"Lucky! I can't wait to graduate."

After chatting for a while, Oliver finally remembered what they were supposed to be doing: "Earlier, you said we need to find a helicopter and fly there ourselves?"

"Yes. But I'm not sure if there are any helicopters left there."

"Can you fly one?"

"Yeah, a little. I’ve flown one before." Kahn had never asked Bai Suizhi this question, but he instinctively felt that Bai Suizhi could do anything—and indeed, Bai Suizhi did know how to fly a helicopter.

Oliver whistled: "Wow, cool!"

Oliver then asked Bai Suizhi a bunch more questions about helicopters, and Bai Suizhi was happy to answer. The two of them chatted animatedly while Kahn stayed quiet, gazing ahead, his thoughts elsewhere.