Chapter Twenty: The Journey Home

Huo Bing swung the fire axe with practiced ease, felling a zombie in one swift blow. I watched this ‘Valkyrie’ in astonishment; for a woman, she wielded the axe with remarkable agility. It seemed that in the era of ruin, everyone had taken to training their bodies out of sheer boredom—anything to increase their chances of survival.

“Mm-hmm…” Fourth Master darted about nearby, growling low and steady, but not barking. He looked for all the world as though he were spectating a show.

I hacked my way forward as I walked, relieved that my judgment had been correct: there weren’t many zombies piled up at the door, and none appeared to be of the advanced kind. “Stay close to me. Be careful not to get scratched, or else I’ll have no choice but to take you out first,” I called as I lopped off another head and finally burst out the door. The kill notifications from the genetic eco-chain in my mind registered nothing but indifference.

There were simply too few: +1, +1, +1—hardly as satisfying as blowing up the oil depot. With a thousand gene points needed for advanced progression, I’d have to kill until my Tang sword was dulled and ruined, exhausting myself to death in the process.

It was clear that mass slaughter of zombies still depended on destructive firearms; cold weapons were only suited for stealth and limited skirmishes. But to take down more advanced zombies or mutants, neither cold steel nor hot lead would suffice. Against monsters like the Nightmare Fiend, bullets couldn’t even pierce their skin, let alone blades.

Unless there were some newly developed special weapons—perhaps in the Tianzhu region or a major gathering zone one might find such arms.

Back to back, Huo Bing and I reached the ground floor, only to discover the war vehicle surrounded by a crowd of zombies. It was mainly Xiao Wu’s corpse that had attracted their attention; they were all jostling to gnaw on it.

The stench of blood was overwhelming, and zombies are particularly sensitive to it, so they’d gathered swiftly—over a hundred now encircled us.

“Damn it! This won’t be easy. We can’t take them head-on—get in the car!” I growled to Huo Bing.

Minutes later.

We managed to cut a bloody path and made it onto the war vehicle, but safety remained elusive.

With so many zombies, the car could easily be toppled and we’d end up trapped inside.

“Huo Miss, it’s up to you now,” I said quietly. If Huo Bing hadn’t previously claimed she could activate the vehicle’s system, I wouldn’t have dispatched Tong Jia so decisively.

At the very least, I had to wring every last bit of usefulness out of him before killing him. Tong Jia said before he died that only someone of his rank could access the system, so if Huo Bing could as well, what level was she really?

Huo Bing nodded. She placed her hand over a sensor inside the vehicle, and soon a camera-like device popped out.

“Retinal analysis in progress… Please wait…”

“Analysis complete… Authorized user: Huo Bing.”

Huo Bing quickly spoke to the camera, “Activate all vehicle weapons except for the roof-mounted artillery!”

“Activating… Front obstacle-clearing device engaged…”

“Body electric grid engaged…”

“Side rotating blades engaged…”

As the system powered up, blue lights flared throughout the vehicle. I floored the accelerator, charging forward.

Once the war vehicle’s defense systems were activated, the surrounding zombies were immediately knocked aside in disarray.

“Brother Cao, where are we headed now?” Huo Bing, shaken, sat in the passenger seat; today’s events had clearly been too much for her.

I steered with one hand, foot pressed to the gas, and with the other fished out my last cigarette, lighting it and taking a long, satisfying drag before replying, “You guide me. We’re heading straight back to camp—we can’t wait for nightfall, or the zombies will riot and things will get even messier.”

“But it’s so dark now—I can’t see a thing…” Huo Bing cried, then exclaimed in delight, “Right, Brother Cao, you’ve got night vision—so you should be able to see better! I’ll guide you, let’s rush out.”

See better? Should I tell her my eyes work like a night-vision device?

I nodded, and once we broke through the encirclement, I quickly turned off the headlights and had Huo Bing shut down the system as well. The glaring blue light was much too conspicuous.

If my vision hadn’t been further enhanced, I wouldn’t dare drive so boldly out of the city, back to that godforsaken Solitude Gathering Zone.

But now, darkness could no longer hinder me. The world was tinged green, but everything was crystal clear.

Safely out of the city, I finally breathed easier. Glancing at Huo Bing sitting dazed in the passenger seat, I asked, “How many people are in Solitude? I doubt a single truckload will be enough for them.”

Huo Bing studied me for a moment, lost in thought. “It’s not too bad. The entire zone has fewer than two thousand people. We’re not the only team sent out for supplies—this one was led by that scumbag Tong Jia. The other teams should have returned already, or else died in the field. We go out about once a month for resupply. With so many people, the resources run out fast.”

I nodded, “You’re pretty lucky, really. You’re the sole survivor from the whole team. Don’t give me that grateful look—I don’t need you offering yourself in thanks. Tossing around goodwill for no reason—it’s never innocent.”

Huo Bing’s eyes sparkled with gratitude, but my words twisted her expression; her pretty face flushed red.

On these wastelands, you have to find ways to amuse yourself, or it’s unbearably dull. Teasing Huo Bing was quite entertaining—she always endured it, never once snapping.

“Sigh, it’s my fault. If only I’d been stronger, my teammates wouldn’t have died… None of this would have happened,” Huo Bing shrank into her seat, clearly still troubled by what had transpired.

To be fair, if she hadn’t broken down in the street, the scavenger team might have grabbed their supplies and gone home. But if that had happened, I wouldn’t have met them, nor discovered the intel that activated the mission system.

One event led to another—an endless chain of consequences.

No wonder books always mention the butterfly effect: a butterfly flaps its wings in the south, and a storm rises in the north. Fascinating, really.

“Don’t blame yourself too much. What’s done is done. The best thing is that you’ve grown—next time you’ll be calm. Honestly, I’m glad I met this version of Huo Bing, not the crying mess from before. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared team up with you.” I flicked the cigarette butt out the window, deliberately provoking her.

Damn, out of cigarettes now. It’s costly to smoke during the era of ruin—every little thing makes me want another.

Huo Bing burst out laughing, but said nothing. She looked much better now; guilt is normal—if she felt nothing, she wouldn’t be worth saving.

Cold-blooded, callous, selfish—just like Tong Jia.

Such people might survive better in the wasteland, but could never be true leaders, nor earn genuine loyalty.

At least, I despised such types. Selfishness is one thing, but harming your own for gain is another matter entirely.