The swarm of mutant rats surged in like a tide, showing signs of spreading in all directions, attempting to surround the entire convoy. The scent of meat filled the air; the mutant rats, their fur already scorched, felt neither pain nor fatigue, greedily attacking the ability users who emitted the alluring smell.
Bang! Bang!!
Qi Yue held an energy gun and fired at the mutant rats rushing over. His aim was accurate—one shot, one kill but compared to the tide-like flood of rats, and compared with those ability users who could wipe out several or even dozens of mutant rats with a single strike, he seemed somewhat pale and powerless.
Earth-type ability users had dug trenches around the convoy. Any mutant rat that passed through the wall of fire would fall into the trench first. The ability users coordinated on their own according to their abilities, attacking from both near and far.
Tang Ke, dressed in military uniform, shouted commands from time to time, directing the ability users in battle. He had no time to care about Qi Yue’s side at all, only feeling anxious inside.
Lin Yuze stood beside Qi Yue, releasing air waves at the mutant rats approaching them. A strong gust could be felt as it burst out, and a row of rats fell. On the outside he looked completely at ease, even taking the time to throw an air bubble toward the distant rat swarm, the bubble exploding like a small bomb within them.
Qi Yue looked with envy, eyes burning with longing. Bang! Splurt! Accepting his fate, he clicked and shot at the mutant rats in front of him, picking off the ones with larger bodies. The larger mutant rats were higher level, and hidden among the swarm they were not easy to spot. He could only rely on his extraordinary eyesight to judge.
“Squeak squeak—”
The rats’ cries filled the entire sky. With the explosions and ability attacks, fragments of rat limbs could be seen flying everywhere.
In every certain number of rat groups, there would be one that held the position of leader, the Rat King. The Rat King was far more intelligent than ordinary mutant rats.
Bang!
A faint sound, almost imperceptible in this noisy environment. A mutant rat slightly different in appearance from the others was shot in the head.
A larger mutant rat in the swarm saw this scene; its eyes grew even redder, and it began screeching viciously in the direction of the convoy.
“Ah!”
From the center of the convoy, screams erupted. An ability user had been bitten on the leg by a mutant rat and fell to the ground clutching his leg. Before there was even time to react, he was swarmed by mutant rats and torn into an unrecognizable mess.
Seeing the gruesome scene beside him, Liao Feifan cursed under his breath and didn’t dare relax, continuously attacking the mutant rats lunging toward him. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt like the rats attacking their position were even more frenzied than in other areas.
Liu Yue sat inside the vehicle, expressionless as she watched outside, her eyes fixed without blinking toward the front of the convoy. Her hand gripped the seat beneath her so tightly that her sharp nails had already torn through the cushion.
Qi Yue held up his gun, searching for the larger rats within the swarm. He kept feeling a gaze staring at him. Unable to locate the owner of that gaze, an uncontainable irritation rose in his heart, making him reach up and scratch his ear without thinking.
A mutant rat as large as a rabbit leapt over, pouncing straight toward Qi Yue’s back.
Qi Yue, with his head lowered while changing the energy liquid in his gun, only sensed the airflow right behind his ear when it was too late. He could even feel the rat’s fur brushing against the back of his neck. The sensation made his hair stand on end.
Pa!!!
Electric light flashed. A bolt of lightning struck, hitting the mutant rat directly in the mouth. Thud. The rat’s body exploded, flesh and blood flying.
Qi Yue wiped the rat blood splattered on his face and looked toward the person who had activated the ability. The man’s features were as cold and sharp as ever, his refined face not even turning in this direction, as if the lightning attack had been just a casual release of power. The beautiful electric net fell cleanly onto the rat swarm.
Qi Yue’s dark eyes flickered. His expression unclear, he turned his gaze back, lowered his head, and quickly finished loading the energy liquid.
When he lifted his head again, his eyes were full of spirit, as always searching for higher-level mutant rats in the swarm: shoot, search, shoot.
Lin Yuze’s already taut nerves tightened further. His usually calm eyes carried a trace of inexplicable sorrow.
People were being bitten one after another. There was no time for treatment before they were devoured by the rats, their bodies torn beyond recognition in seconds. Some vehicle tires had also been gnawed through and deflated.
The trenches dug around the convoy were filled with rat corpses. The burning grass around them spread farther with the wind. Most of the distant rats were consumed by flames halfway through.
The battle continued until dawn. After resting briefly, they began clearing the battlefield.
The trenches were already filled with mutant rat corpses. Everywhere, the charred bodies exposed their crystal cores. People had become cold, used to ignoring everything. Sacrifice was unavoidable in each battle; surviving in the apocalypse required a strong heart.
Seeing that Tang Ke and Lin Yuze were both safe, Qi Yue went to check on Sun Yang and the others. Only after confirming everyone was fine did he return to the vehicle he had been sitting in.
Collecting crystal cores and counting the number of people, this had become routine after every battle.
Tang Ke soaked a towel and wiped the bloodstains off Qi Yue’s face, completely ignoring the glances from others. His heart ached as he pulled aside the collar and rubbed the red marks on Qi Yue’s shoulder where the rat had scratched him. The thought that Qi Yue had nearly been bitten made him unable to stay calm.
Lin Yuze silently watched from the side, looking at the torn fabric where Qi Yue’s shoulder was scratched. When he turned his head, he happened to meet Yan Bin’s gaze in midair. The two men had different thoughts and unclear attitudes.
Feeling uneasy, Qi Yue said, “I can do it myself. Go do your other tasks.”
Tang Ke’s fierce eyes refused any argument as he continued his gentle movements, hands soft despite his stern expression.
Qi Yue awkwardly tried several times to pull away from him. The gazes of the people passing by made him extremely uncomfortable. In a low voice, he said, “I’m fine. Stop rubbing. A lot of people are looking over.” He tried to escape the pair of hands.
Tang Ke grew angry. This brat had already forgotten how dangerous it had been just a while ago. “Let them look. You’re my wife. What’s wrong with me worrying about my wife?”
Boom, Qi Yue’s face burned red. Through gritted teeth he said, “D*mn it, I’m a man. Who the h*ll is your wife?”
Tang Ke replied confidently, “You already slept with me. If you’re not my wife, then what are you?”
Qi Yue trembled with anger, his voice rising unconsciously. “I’m your husband.”
In an instant, Qi Yue became the center of attention. Silence fell around him, his face bright red.
Pfft—someone passing by in military green couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh.
Mortified, Qi Yue wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He wanted to go back into the vehicle but couldn’t bring himself to move, feeling it would look like defeat. With stiff legs, he stood there awkwardly.
Tang Ke cooperated, nodding seriously without refuting, attentively wiping his face and hands.
Lin Yuze pressed his lips tightly, leaning against the car door as he watched Qi Yue.
Tang Ke’s later behavior somewhat dulled Qi Yue’s earlier annoyance at his loose mouth, but the ambiguous stares around him were unbearable. Qi Yue waved his hand and said, “Alright, alright, I’m already clean.” Pretending to be calm, he walked away.
Watching Qi Yue flee in embarrassment, Yan Bin couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh. After a while, he managed to suppress it, raising a hand to cover his mouth and coughing lightly as a disguise. He didn’t realize his subordinates were staring at him as if they’d seen a ghost, seeing a smile on his long-frozen face.
Fifteen people died this time. Coincidentally, all of them were from Liu Yue’s group. Most of the injured were also from her team. Additionally, over ten vehicles were damaged to varying degrees.
The stench of blood was everywhere. The surroundings were not suitable for staying long. The vehicles that could be repaired were repaired, and the ones that couldn’t were abandoned. The bitten were treated by the ability users. Once everything was handled, the convoy continued forward.
They had expected the earlier fire to bring trouble, but luckily the sky cooperated. Not long after they set off, heavy rain began to fall. The rain extinguished the fire, washed away the bloodstains, and masked the scent emitted by ability users.
The sky gradually brightened. With the heavy rain, the thrilling battle of the previous night felt like a dream. Aside from the bones forever left on that stretch of road, everything else vanished.
Compared to the day before, everyone’s spirits were somewhat low. Because of the rain, the scheduled stop every four hours was canceled. Everyone ate their dry rations inside the vehicles; for bodily needs, they found their own way. For safety, everyone had grown accustomed to it.
Qi Yue sat in the back row quietly wiping his gun, deep in thought. He had felt the rat’s fur brush against his neck. At that moment, he hadn’t even had time to think of entering his space. If not for that person, why had everything changed? Qi Yue felt deflated. After being reborn dozens of times, he realized those decades he lived were practically wasted.
“Yueyue, sleep for a bit,” Tang Ke’s voice came.
“Mm.” Qi Yue didn’t refuse. Being delicate in this situation was seeking death. They had only just set out. Ahead of them was a zombie tide, hundreds of thousands of zombies.
Qi Yue took out two insulated food containers and some snacks from his small kitchen and leaned forward to place them near the windshield.
“Yueyue.” Lin Yuze stopped him.
Qi Yue leaned forward and looked at him. “Hm?”
“Be careful.”
Just one sentence, without excessive expression. Qi Yue understood. Looking into Lin Yuze’s eyes, filled with deep emotion, he suddenly felt something choke in his throat. For some reason, his eyes felt misty. After a long time, he said softly, “Mm. You all must live too.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned sad. It sounded simple, but in the apocalypse, any accident could mean death. No one understood this better than Qi Yue.
Qi Yue pulled back and lay down in the back seat. Only the trembling of his eyelashes betrayed that he was fully awake, accompanied by complicated emotions.
With his eyes closed, unmoving, he told himself silently like persuasion, like a vow:
“If… if we can all survive this time, then let’s be together.”
