Chapter 19: Lao Gan Ma Mixed with Instant Noodles

Lin Weiran and the others drove off in a van.

Six psychics had squeezed inside it overnight, and finally, at the break of dawn, they returned to the highway.

“Damn it, we wasted so many days and only managed to get two boxes of instant noodles and twenty pounds of rice! We might have harvested more if we had just gone to a nearby village from the start!” Zhao Zhenyu grumbled.

Lin Weiran, who was driving, tried to soothe him: “It’s alright. This food will last us a few days. Once we pass through this stripped highway, we’ll definitely find supplies in time.”

“Besides, we also got a bunch of crystals! Si Zhe, why don’t you divide the crystals among everyone?”

Si Zhe, leaning against the car seat nursing his injuries, opened his eyes and pulled out a cloth bag filled with crystals.

He first took out five second-level crystals and ten first-level crystals, then tossed the bag back.

“This is Weiran’s share, the rest is for you all.”

As for himself, having already taken the third-level crystal, he didn’t bother to join the division of the spoils.

Lin Weiran hadn’t expected Si Zhe to still be thinking of her at this moment; she instinctively turned her head.

Coincidentally, Si Zhe was looking at her too.

Their eyes met, and a warm current surged quietly in Lin Weiran’s heart.

—Thank you.

She silently mouthed the words to Si Zhe, and her right hand quietly left the steering wheel to grasp his.

“How’s your injury?” she asked.

Si Zhe quickly clasped her hand in return.

“It’s fine, I can hold on.”

The tender exchange between them had happened more than once, yet this time, Zhao Zhenyu sitting in the back found it particularly irritating.

He had also been allocated five second-level crystals and ten first-level crystals.

But these crystals were useless to him at this stage.

Only the other three first-level teammates were happy, because with the second-level crystals they received, they would soon become second-level psychics.

And him?

He was supposed to be among the first to reach second-level psychic status, but now he was being caught up by others.

He had joined the team initially because he believed in its bright prospects, but now there were no supplies, and his powers remained stagnant.

The painstakingly obtained third-level crystal was taken outright by Si Zhe without any discussion, who then acted generous.

The value of that third-level crystal far exceeded the additional four or five low-level crystals he was given!

Zhao Zhenyu’s face darkened, completely out of sync with the others’ excitement.

This time, no one came to comfort him.

After driving nearly several dozen kilometers, the van stopped for lunch.

Compared to the sumptuous meals of previous days, the simple white porridge tasted bland and insipid, leaving a birdlike aftertaste.

Suddenly, someone glanced into the distance and froze.

“Look! Is that a horde of zombies?”

The words stirred a wave of panic.

Si Zhe and Lin Weiran stood up abruptly, eyes fixed for several seconds before their expressions darkened drastically.

“It’s a zombie horde! Get in! Drive back!”

Everyone scrambled into the vehicle, except Zhao Zhenyu, who frowned while holding his bowl of porridge.

“Why run? Haven’t we fought enough zombie hordes? Just kill them one by one!”

Si Zhe turned back sharply, his gaze icy.

“If you want to die, go alone and don’t hold us back.”

The ruthless reprimand turned Zhao Zhenyu’s face pale and sullen.

He stood stiffly for a moment but finally got into the van.

By now, the zombie horde was closing in, just a kilometer or two away, stretching endlessly like a dark cloud.

A rough estimate put their number in the tens of thousands, far larger than the small hordes of a few dozen or hundred they had encountered before.

Lin Weiran turned the wheel and floored the accelerator, glancing back anxiously.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many zombies on the highway?”

“And such a large scale! Where are they coming from?!”

Si Zhe stared at the map for a while, then had a realization.

“This section of highway is near City C. They probably surged out from there.”

The highway ran from north to south, passing through two populous provinces—City W and City C.

They had managed to safely bypass City W but fell into trouble near City C.

“Captain, a dozen zombies are catching up from behind!”

A teammate in the last row was pressed against the rear window, terrified, watching a dozen of the fastest zombies closing in.

Their speed far outpaced the bulk of the ordinary zombies behind, even matching the van’s rapid pace.

The captain’s voice trembled as she said, “They’re third-level zombies, all of them!”

The whole vehicle was plunged into panic.

A dozen third-level zombies, if they caught up, could tear everyone to pieces!

Lin Weiran’s heart raced; she dared not look back again for fear of losing focus and slowing down.

“Si Zhe, what do we do?”

“Weiran, drive at full speed. Zhenyu and I will get on the roof and slow these third-level zombies down.”

“Once we’ve put some distance between us, switch drivers. You come up to the roof to help deal with them!”

“All right!”

The accelerator was fully pressed, and Si Zhe opened the window, swiftly climbing half out.

With a stretch and pull of his arms, he was standing on the roof.

Using his lightning powers, he struck the nearest third-level zombie.

Zhao Zhenyu followed, climbing up as well.

No matter his feelings, in this life-or-death moment, they had to unite against the greatest threat.

The water balls they hurled hit each zombie precisely.

Though the damage was minor, combined with Si Zhe’s lightning, several zombies were instantly charred black, successfully slowing their advance.

It seemed they would escape soon, but then Zhao Zhenyu’s pupils contracted sharply, as if seeing something terrifying.

“Si Zhe, isn’t that zombie different from the others?”

At first, the dozen third-level zombies ran in unison, indistinguishable.

But as some were knocked down, a smaller female zombie emerged.

While the others ran, she jumped, each leap covering tens of meters like a cannonball hurtling toward them.

Not only that, she deftly dodged Zhao Zhenyu’s water balls, never getting wet.

She also evaded Si Zhe’s electrically conductive combo.

Seeing the female zombie closing in, Si Zhe’s heart sank with a dire suspicion.

A lightning net descended from above.

The female zombie seemed to sense danger and roared fiercely: “Raaaar!”

Invisible wind blades cut the lightning net to pieces.

She nimbly avoided every fragment, paused briefly, and then caught up again.

“Fourth-level! She’s a fourth-level wind-type zombie!” Zhao Zhenyu’s shout shook the interior.

Everyone’s nerves tensed instantly.

“How can there be a fourth-level zombie?!”

Lin Weiran felt weak all over upon hearing this.

Si Zhe had only just reached third-level and was no match for this fourth-level zombie... They had to run, and fast!

But where to run?

Even if they disregarded exhaustion and drove the van at full speed day and night on the highway, it might not hold up.

What if it broke down halfway...

Thinking this, Lin Weiran grit her teeth and shouted, “Si Zhe, hold on for twenty more kilometers. I’ll drive back to the highway entrance we used last night and switch to the national road!”

Having fought alongside each other for so long, Si Zhe instantly grasped Lin Weiran’s plan.

If the zombies didn’t follow them off the highway, it would be fine.

But if they relentlessly pursued...

Then the nearest small town at the highway entrance would become the perfect bait to lure the zombies away.

“Got it!”

The fourth-level female zombie pursued relentlessly, closing to about eight hundred meters behind the van in the blink of an eye.

Si Zhe and Zhao Zhenyu took turns attacking.

Half an hour later, they had only just managed to push her back four or five hundred meters.

Just as the two were about to exhaust their powers, the van finally exited the highway.

“Si Zhe, Zhenyu, hold on ten more minutes! The last ten minutes!”

Lin Weiran drove the van like a race car, smashing through numerous obstacles.

The vehicle wobbled precariously, seemingly on the verge of breaking down.

Finally! The outline of the town appeared before her eyes.

Lin Weiran hesitated for a few seconds but bit her lip and steered onto the ordinary road leading into the nearby town.

There were still many psychics in the town, and wasn’t the mayor eager for high-level crystals?

She was practically giving him a fourth-level crystal for free—let’s see if he could seize the opportunity!

A ruthless gleam flashed in Lin Weiran’s eyes as she nearly skimmed past the town’s edge.

Compared to the few troublesome psychics, the neighboring town was filled with thousands upon thousands of living people’s vitality.

The relentlessly chasing female zombie hesitated.

Her steps faltered, and she stared vacantly in the direction of the town.

A swallowing sound was heard.

After a few seconds, the female zombie made her decision.

Before changing direction, she seemed to remember the two psychics who had tormented her for so long.

Though her mind was gone, she still harbored a grudge-like emotion.

Whoosh!

A massive wind blade slashed toward the van’s roof.

After releasing this final strike, the female zombie leapt toward the town without looking back.

As for the wind blade...

Zhao Zhenyu, still somewhat capable, dodged it, and it struck Si Zhe instead!

As the main force against the fourth-level zombie, Si Zhe had exerted himself the most and was nearly drained.

Seeing the blade, he barely managed to avoid a fatal blow.

The blade sliced into his waist.

Blood arced through the air like a crimson arrow.

The next moment, Si Zhe blacked out from severe blood loss.

“Si Zhe!!!”

Another teammate had taken over driving from Lin Weiran.

She climbed onto the roof, just in time to catch Si Zhe as he collapsed, letting out a choked, mournful cry.

Seeing Si Zhe’s dire condition, Zhao Zhenyu felt a brief pang of guilt, but quickly hid it.

“Weiran, the zombies have been diverted. Let’s get out of here quickly!”