Chapter 8: Hulking Men
Qin Xiao’s grandmother lived in the mountainous region of City B. It would take two days to drive there.
Both their phones were with them, charged in the car, but there was no signal.
Along the way, there were many abandoned gas stations, cars left with their doors open, adding to the already desolate landscape a touch of eerieness.
Seriously, it was like filming a horror movie.
Especially at night, the entire city was shrouded in darkness, with soulless beings wandering the streets. This scene was only something you’d see in a horror film.
“I need to pee. You coming?”
“Peeing together? Pathetic.”
The car stopped in a desolate area.
The two boys got out to pee. With no one around, there was no need to find a secluded spot. To prevent a surprise zombie attack, they left the car doors open and relieved themselves right there.
“Hungry?”
Afterward, Qin Xiao asked.
Ji Nian shook his head. “If you’re hungry, eat yourself.”
Qin Xiao let out a long sigh, stretching his arms wearily. “Then I won’t eat either. Let’s save it.”
The two boys leaned against the backrests of their seats, watching the sunset, the colors painting the sky.
“Ji Nian, let’s make a pact, okay?”
“What kind of pact?”
“If one of us gets bitten and turns into a zombie, neither of us hesitates. Don’t feel sorry for each other; just do it quickly. Before we turn, chop off the other’s head.”
Qin Xiao said, “I don’t want to become that kind of monster, running around biting people, ugly and disgusting, and stinking like hell.”
Ji Nian took out his water bottle and took a sip. “Duh, I’ll be the first to chop you into pieces so you don’t harm anyone.”
Qin Xiao nodded. “That’s the attitude. I won’t be soft-hearted either. I’ll definitely kill you with one blow, ensuring a dignified death.”
“Heh.”
Ji Nian chuckled softly after he finished speaking. “I think it’s more likely that we’ll both get bitten at the same time. And if you get bitten, there’ll definitely be other zombies around. Am I supposed to just give up? Chop your head off to prevent you from turning into a zombie? Aren’t you just trying to drag me down with you?”
“Yeah, hahaha…”
Qin Xiao also laughed, extending his hand to Ji Nian. “Water, let me have a sip.”
They both had their own water.
At that moment, Ji Nian’s water bottle was in his hand, not yet put back in his backpack, and Qin Xiao was too lazy to get his own from his backpack, so he thought he’d have a sip of his comrade-in-arms’ water.
But his comrade-in-arms turned cold as ice, extremely stingy and emotionless. “Drink your own.”
Fine.
Qin Xiao could only take out his own water. After taking a sip, he started the car and continued on their journey.
The car window was slightly open; Qin Xiao’s voice drifted on the wind. “By the way, where did you get this personality? From your mom or dad?”
“Can you get along with your classmates with this kind of personality? I bet none of them would dare to talk to you.”
“Have you ever had a girlfriend? Definitely not. What about a boyfriend?”
Ji Nian: “Go to hell!”
Qin Xiao didn’t dare to stop and sleep at night. He kept the car lights off as much as possible at night to avoid attracting zombies, so the car was driving relatively slowly.
The road was wide, and the stars and crescent moon in the night sky served as streetlights. Because the entire city was without power, they were particularly bright.
Ji Nian, leaning against the passenger seat, was already asleep, his backpack slung over his back, sleeping relatively soundly.
Asleep, he wasn’t as sharp and unapproachable as when he was awake.
Like a sleeping wolf cub, its sharp claws retracted, its dangerous eyes closed, leaving only a fluffy ball, making one want to pet it.
Qin Xiao glanced at him under the faint starlight, raising his lips slightly and muttering, “So cute…”
At dawn, Qin Xiao parked the car in a seemingly safe place to catch up on sleep, with Ji Nian keeping watch.
When zombies bite, the best places to bite are the arms and shoulders.
Especially the arms.
When swinging a knife to kill them, a slight misstep could result in a zombie bite.
Therefore, the two had wrapped thick layers of clothing around their forearms for protection.
Ji Nian adjusted the clothing on his arm again. Looking up, he saw a grey sedan approaching in the rearview mirror.
Two people were sitting in the car, their complexions ashen, though somewhat weak, they were both hulking men.
The driver, a man with a bushy beard, glanced at Qin Xiao’s car and slammed on the brakes.
“There are people in that car!”
“I see them too! We finally have something to eat!”
The two men had been hungry for over a day, having barely escaped with their lives, all their food gone. They had been eyeing abandoned cars and shops along the roadside.
But with zombies around, they hadn’t dared to stop.
They had assumed Qin Xiao’s car was abandoned, but upon closer inspection, they had unexpectedly found survivors.
It seemed that heaven was on their side!
The two men got out of their car. The moment their car stopped, Ji Nian nudged the guy next to him who was sleeping like a log.
“Wake up.”
“Huh?”
Qin Xiao was jolted awake, his mind feeling like it was filled with glue, thick and sticky, immediately gluing his eyelids shut again.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Zombies are coming!”
Only something stimulating could get Qin Xiao to open his eyes.
Then, without even wiping his drool, he immediately turned the key, panicked. “Don’t be afraid, my driving skills are on point, I’ll get you out of here!”
But before he could, Ji Nian said, “It’s not zombies; it’s people.”
At this time, Qin Xiao also saw the two men approaching, big and burly, about 1.75 meters tall, very strong, and giving off an unfriendly vibe.
“They’re up to no good.”
Qin Xiao was fully awake, watching them, checking if they were carrying pliers, wrenches, knives, sticks, or anything else used for fighting.
He was also wary of whether they might attack him and Ji Nian.
Ji Nian secretly gripped his spiked club, ready to fight at any moment.
The apocalypse had chilled people’s hearts, but not everyone was bad.
It was always best to observe first.
Especially since you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Not all seemingly weak people were pitiful, and not all hulking big men were bullies.
“Hey, guys, where are you from?”
The two approached Qin Xiao’s car, exchanging greetings first.
Qin Xiao had one foot on the gas pedal, ready to drive away at any moment.
“What? Anything I can do for you?”
The voice came from the slightly open window. Qin Xiao asked, not rolling down the window completely, his guard up.
“We’re not zombies; you don’t have to be so wary of us, do you?”
The bearded man laughed, took two steps towards Qin Xiao, and waved his hand. “Roll down the window a little more. I have a few questions for you.”
“Drive.”
Ji Nian coldly interjected, judgment made: These two weren’t good guys.
They were being secretive, clearly up to something.
Qin Xiao glanced at Ji Nian.
The bearded man’s face immediately fell. “What kind of language is that? We’re all countrymen…”