Chapter 19

Han Ying stood at the door, nervously watching the approaching zombies. At that moment, she suddenly noticed a strange glint in the eyes of the woman they had just rescued. The woman was hugging Old Song, her feet off the ground, not moving by her own legs but pressing her entire weight on him.

"Wait... something's wrong—"

Old Song was puzzled by Han Ying's shout. He hadn't noticed anything unusual, just that the woman was very heavy and hard to move. He wanted to catch his breath but suddenly heard the roar of an engine behind him. Turning around, he saw two cars speeding towards them from the corner of the street.

The car windows were open, revealing faces twisted with cruelty and excitement, and thick, heavy clubs.

"Trapped...?"

As Old Song suddenly realized, a chill ran through him. Just as he was about to shake off the woman and draw his gun, she leaned forward, tightly hugging his neck with both hands, opened her mouth, and bit down hard on his shoulder, tearing off a large piece of flesh and spitting it out. She then bit down again on Old Song's right hand, which was holding the gun, refusing to let go.

The unimaginable pain made Old Song cry out involuntarily. He roared like an injured lion, grabbing the woman's hair with his free hand, trying to pull her off. The immense strength born of betrayal and rage did not make the woman give up. Her hair was pulled straight, the roots bleeding, her eyes wide with pain, but her teeth remained firmly clamped, as if embedded in his flesh. In this situation, Old Song couldn't shoot.

The cars rushed into the alley, knocking two zombies flying. The thugs who got out of the cars easily surrounded and killed the remaining mutated creatures, then ran towards the entrance of the small building.

"Close the door! Close the door! Don't let them in—"

Old Song screamed, swinging his left fist at the woman's face. In just a few minutes, he had become much older and weaker. But his counterattack still had force, and the woman's face was torn and bleeding, yet she clung to him like a leech tasting blood for the first time, refusing to let go.

Hu He had said—hold onto anyone who comes out of the building at any cost. Otherwise, cut off pieces of her flesh and feed them to the mutated creatures.

This was not a threat. Several people had already been killed this way, not out of revenge but for entertainment.

Han Ying was at a loss. She wanted to close the door but didn't want to abandon Old Song. She wanted to shoot, but the people on the other side were human like her.

She had killed zombies but never a human.

Her logical thinking was still stuck in the civilized era—killing was a crime.

A strong thug noticed Han Ying's hesitation, deliberately dropped his club, and spread his hands, pretending to be defenseless. He walked cautiously, slowly, with a seductive smile, saying, "Hey! I mean no harm, really! I just want some food and water. I'm not one of those monsters. We can be friends."

"Don't believe him—"

Old Song's face had turned from red to purple. He grabbed the woman's hair and twisted it, screaming a warning to Han Ying. Several thugs who had just jumped out of the car rushed over, swinging their clubs at him. Blood bloomed on his old body, soaking through his clothes, streaming down his skin.

"Bang—"

Han Ying's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip, pulling the trigger. The thug standing more than five meters away suddenly changed expression. He saw the large gun barrel spitting a faint flame, and hundreds of iron pellets scattered like a rainstorm. He looked down, disbelieving, at the dense cluster of holes in his chest. The people standing next to him also convulsed, screaming, and fell to the ground, each with at least a dozen bullet holes gushing blood. These injuries might not be fatal, but they were enough to incapacitate them.

She reloaded and pulled the trigger again.

Han Ying howled like a madwoman, walking down the steps, the gun barrel continuously spitting flames and iron pellets. This uncontrollable madness made the thugs fear. They retreated, running back and forth between the car and the wall, looking for safe cover. More people were hit by bullets, screaming and rolling on the ground.

"Charge, all of you, charge—"

The extremely corrupt Hu He hid behind a car several dozen meters away, his head lowered, roaring, "She's just one person, and she doesn't have many bullets. Charge, all of you, charge—"

A thug crouched next to Hu He, his body curled up to avoid the hail of shotgun pellets. His eyes were full of fear and helplessness, nothing like the fearless, fierce, and ruthless man he was a few minutes ago. He wanted to hide under the car like a frightened rat, screaming uncontrollably, "Boss, she has a gun, she has a gun. Save me... I don't want to die."

"Scared of what?"

Hu He's eyes glinted with savagery. He grabbed the thug's neck, who was already halfway under the car, and picked up a brick from the ground, smashing it heavily on the thug's head. The skin and flesh on his forehead split open, blood streaming down. Hu He wasn't satisfied and continued to smash the brick on the thug's face, making a terrifying "plop" sound. The man's nose collapsed, his teeth were all knocked out, and a large amount of thick blood spurted from his slightly open mouth.

"Everyone, charge, we must kill that woman, or we will all die—"

Perhaps this evil curse had an effect. Han Ying's shotgun suddenly jammed. She angrily pulled the trigger several times, but only a hollow metallic sound came out. A thug hiding behind a wall seized the opportunity and pounced, swinging his club and hitting her knee. She screamed in pain, falling to the ground.

"Charge in, everything inside is ours—"

Looking at the open door not far away, Hu He let out a hysterical laugh. He approached Han Ying, who was rolling on the ground, clutching her knee and screaming, grabbed her long hair with his right hand, and pulled her upper body up. He stared at her face, filled with pain, tears, dust, and hatred, for a few seconds, then smiled sinisterly and ordered the thugs waiting nearby, "Grab her, tie her up tightly."

A tall, thin thug picked up the dropped shotgun, looked at Han Ying's mature chest, swallowed hard, and sneered, "Boss, this girl is very disobedient, she injured many of our brothers. She should be taught a lesson. Hehehe... a man's lesson."

"No!"

Hu He firmly rejected, "There are still a few people outside. They have guns. We need hostages. Once we control the situation, we can do whatever we want."

Saying this, he left Han Ying and walked to Old Song, who had been caught by the thugs, his hands bound with wire to a roadside utility pole.

A few meters away, three zombies lay with their heads smashed. Another one was impaled through the shoulder with a sharpened steel pipe, nailed to the green belt, unable to move, only able to howl at the "food" within reach.

The woman sat on the roadside, her eyes lifeless, blood on her mouth and chest, and many strands of hair pulled out, leaving dark red blood spots on her scalp. Her face, swollen and bruised, looked like a ripe fruit that had split and been squashed. She looked up, opened her mouth, which had only a few broken teeth left, and smiled at Hu He, nodding like a dog begging for mercy.

Old Song, breathing heavily, his eyes full of bloodshot, stared fiercely at Hu He.

"Old bastard, you're even more ruthless than I imagined."

Hu He took the assault rifle from Hook, poked Old Song's face with the gun barrel, and smiled cruelly, "Don't worry! You won't die yet. You have to live, live the way I need you to."

The old man seemed to see through his thoughts, shook his head mockingly, and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto Hu He's face.

"You... you deserve to die—"

Enraged, Hu He roared, wiped the filth off his cheek, and swung his right fist, smashing it into Old Song's abdomen. The dying prisoner didn't even have the strength to scream, only convulsing and curling up.

Still unsatisfied, Hu He looked around and saw the zombie still struggling in the mud, impaled by the steel pipe. He walked over, took a fire axe from a thug, and chopped off the zombie's head. He cruelly smiled, holding the head, which was still trying to bite, and pressed it onto Old Song's shoulder.

...

Li Xiaomei hugged the baby, crouching in the corner of the small building's hall, beads of sweat on her face and neck. Her body was tense, her eyes full of fear, her left arm cradling the baby, her right hand holding a Browning, ready to fire. She tried to maintain this nearly rigid posture to ensure her safety.

A dozen men stood opposite her, forming a tight circle around the corner. Their eyes glinted with evil and lust, cold and violent gazes.

Of course, a few faces showed pity, their expressions filled with anger.

Du Tianhao had not joined the fight. He recognized Han Ying as the girl he had met in the supermarket and wanted to beg Hu He to let her go. However, the zombie head Hu He was holding, which was still gnawing on food, made him instinctively fear—these people were already bloodthirsty, and it was impossible to make them do something good.

He could only follow others into the building. At this moment, any questioning or opposition would invite a mob attack.

Liao Qiu and Fatso were the same.

Many people were laughing and cackling. The bags of rice, flour, and cans in the hall attracted all the hungry eyes. The water taps were turned to the maximum, and the thugs took turns drinking greedily. They plundered everything in the house, eating cold steamed buns and congee from the cabinets, fighting over clothes that didn't belong to them, and running around the rooms upstairs and downstairs like a group of escaped lunatics.

The circle around Li Xiaomei became denser. It was summer, and her clothes were thin, the outline of her breasts visible through her blouse, a small wet patch from feeding the baby. This strongly stimulated and tempted the thugs. They laughed and talked without restraint, but no one dared to step forward or back due to the gun in her hand.

Like Han Ying's initial thoughts, Li Xiaomei also dared not shoot. Phrases like "killing is punishable by death," "rule of law," and "prison" kept circling in her mind. She felt her right hand getting heavier, about to drop, and could only bite her lower lip to keep herself awake.

A muscular man outside the circle shouted, "Everyone charge, this woman won't dare move."

Immediately, someone objected, "Sure! You go first, you take the bullet."

The muscular man's face showed fear, but he still tried to act tough, roaring, "If everyone charges, she won't dare move. This woman is pretty, and the kid is young. Damn, after so many days in the gym, I need some fresh meat."

These chaotic words pierced Du Tianhao's heart like needles, making his anger burn like gasoline.

"Enough—"

He pushed through the crowd, waving a thick club, standing like a mountain in front of Li Xiaomei, roaring at the completely irrational thugs, "Look, it's just a woman and a child. You bastards, can you really do this? Get lost, all of you, get lost—"

Liao Qiu and Fatso exchanged worried and fearful glances, hesitated for a moment, and then stood next to Du Tianhao, forming a protective circle with their backs to the woman crouching in the corner.

The noisy crowd gradually fell silent, then slowly parted, revealing Hu He and his henchmen.

"What do you want to do? Be a hero?"

Hu He, holding the assault rifle that belonged to Old Song, scanned the three people with a sinister gaze, finally focusing on Du Tianhao, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Move aside, and you'll get a share of what's here."

Du Tianhao's eyes twitched, glaring at the man opposite him.

He didn't know what had happened to the world or why those terrifying zombies had appeared.

He only knew he was human, not a beast, not a dog to be driven by others.

He had to do something... regardless of life or death.

The atmosphere in the room became heavy. Some people shrank back, some were eager, and others had a thoughtful look in their eyes.

After the initial excitement, the calm minds would reconsider.

Hu He clearly felt this change. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for him. There was no need to waste words at this moment.

A sinister look flashed in his eyes, he took a step back, and swung his arm forward, "Kill him—"

Hook and the other henchmen nodded in understanding, swinging their clubs from different angles, rushing towards the three people blocking their way.

Du Tianhao roared almost simultaneously. His deep, primal roar and large, strong build made him look like a raging gorilla. He charged towards Hu He, swinging his thick club, knocking down anyone in his path. But more weapons came from other directions. He felt a heavy blow to his left shoulder, a sharp object piercing his right abdomen. Finally, his ankle was hit by a chair, and he fell to the ground, a prepared wire immediately looping around his neck and tightening.

He was brave and strong but not an invincible superman.

Breathing was difficult, the air in his lungs rapidly depleting, black spots appearing in his vision. He clutched the wire that had cut into his flesh, turning his head with great effort, seeing Liao Qiu being pinned down, screaming in agony under the trampling of many feet.

As for Fatso... his head was completely flattened by a barbell, his eyes embedded in his nose in an extremely bizarre way, his side face level with the ground. At first glance, he looked like a thick, flat piece of meat.

Blood kept gushing from Du Tianhao's mouth, and he looked up at Hu He, pleading weakly, "Please... please, let her go... it's just a... child."

Hook sneered and walked over, holding the barbell he had used to kill Fatso. The lead-black metal surface still had a piece of broken tongue hanging from it.

"Bang—"

A loud gunshot echoed in the room, and the air quickly filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder. The 9mm bullet whizzed into Hook's chest, knocking him back several meters, unable to get up.

"Whoever takes another step, I'll kill him—"

Strands of long hair fell over Li Xiaomei's forehead, making her eyes, filled with anger and fear, look fierce and terrifying. She growled like a wolf, her eyes burning with flames. Perhaps sensing her deep hatred, the baby in the cradle suddenly opened its eyes, curiously looking at the trembling men in front of it, and strangely, inexplicably, laughed, "Giggle, giggle, giggle."

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