Chapter Thirteen: Leaving the Residential Compound

She did have selfish motives; pretending to be too tired to keep up and falling behind was deliberate. The long delay she caused earlier was intentional, and even the shout she’d made downstairs at the start was meant to alert that person.

Xiao Yun hated Zhou Mang, hated Qian Mao, hated everyone associated with them.

She was glad Bao Hui was dead. Since that person could kill Zhou Mang’s brother, it meant they were capable. Now that she was at odds with Zhou Mang, she certainly didn’t want them to succeed. If that person could kill Zhou Mang during the fight, all the better.

At this moment, Qing Qing was leaning against a car, breathing heavily.

Her body was still too weak; after running only a short while, her legs had gone limp.

Choosing to enter the basement level from here was deliberate. The labyrinthine paths outside served as excellent cover.

Moreover, the parking lots in the community were interconnected. From here, she could reach any residential building—her best option for hiding at the moment.

She had also kept the car keys on her, knowing that she might need a vehicle to escape at any time.

This was her last fallback.

“Such a waste of supplies,” Qing Qing murmured, frowning. She had only brought three days’ worth of food for a quick hideout, planning to return soon. But now, it seemed she wouldn’t get the chance. Zhou Mang and his group wouldn’t let things rest, and she dared not show herself recklessly.

After a brief pause, Qing Qing intended to get up and find her car. But as soon as she peeked out, she saw Zhou Mang and several others standing in the doorway of the stairwell.

So many people? Qing Qing was startled and quickly pulled back, lowering her breath.

Impossible! How did they find her so fast?

Logically, they should have been scattered, not all gathered in the parking lot.

Unless... they knew she was here.

A sinking feeling settled in her chest. She had a premonition she was right, but how could they have confirmed her presence here so quickly?

She couldn’t figure it out, but her intuition told her this was crucial.

Now wasn’t the time to ponder that. The parking lot was easier to search than the surface; she might be discovered any moment.

Using the cars as cover, Qing Qing quickly glanced at Zhou Mang and his group.

Among the eleven men was a fragile woman being held by two of them.

A woman too? Could she have been captured?

Qing Qing stared at her through the car window. To her surprise, the woman suddenly turned and looked back.

Qing Qing quickly looked away, thinking, “That woman really is sharp.”

“Forget it. I barely have my own life under control; why bother about her?” Qing Qing abandoned any thought of rescue.

At that moment, Zhou Mang and the others came out of the stairwell, scanning the area. Before they scattered, Qing Qing decided to leave quickly.

She flicked her eyes around, then extended her right hand, conjuring a chunk of ice in her palm.

Carefully moving to the other side of the car to avoid Zhou Mang’s sight, Qing Qing hurled the fist-sized ice chunk deep into the parking area.

The hard ice chunk traced an arc and slammed onto a car with a loud “bang.”

Immediately, a piercing alarm blared, instantly drawing Zhou Mang and the others’ attention. Even a few scattered zombies were attracted to the noise.

The echoing warning filled the empty parking lot, masking any sound of Qing Qing’s escape.

After making the noise, Qing Qing quietly slipped backward, her movements cautious and shielded by the many cars, so Zhou Mang’s group didn’t notice her at first.

But Zhou Mang was not easily fooled. Even in his fury, he hadn’t lost all reason. After a brief pause, he quickly reacted.

Pointing, he sent four men off in the opposite direction of the alarm to search, while he led the rest toward the source of the sound.

Qing Qing didn’t know that her swift action earlier had prevented Xiao Yun from using her powers.

Seeing Zhou Mang’s strategy, she couldn’t help but curse him silently as a “wily fox.”

To avoid detection by the four searchers, Qing Qing stayed still after moving a short distance.

The four men spread out, and one of them happened to approach where she was hiding.

Qing Qing knew she couldn’t wait any longer. Though Zhou Mang had a few zombies with him, they wouldn’t slow him down much. She had to leave immediately.

With that thought, Qing Qing used her trick again, launching two small ice balls simultaneously in opposite directions.

Sure enough, two men exchanged glances and headed toward the noises.

Though careful, this move drew the attention of the closest man, who suspiciously approached her hiding spot.

Crouching, Qing Qing held a basketball-sized ice chunk, turned, and ducking low behind a car, swung her arm with all her might.

With a muffled thud, the man collapsed before he could shout.

“Xiao Zhang?”

The sound caught the attention of another man nearby. He glanced toward the car’s wheel and saw the extra legs on the ground.

Immediately, he snapped back to alertness and shouted toward the parking lot’s depths,

“Here! Someone’s here!”

Qing Qing knew she couldn’t hide any longer. She cursed under her breath, dropped the bloodstained ice chunk, grabbed her backpack, and sprinted away.

The man who had spotted her quickly turned and gave chase.

They were only about twenty meters apart, and Qing Qing knew she couldn’t outrun him.

Fortunately, she was close to her car.

Running, she fumbled for her keys. As headlights flashed ahead, she rushed up, yanked the door open, and slid inside.

Key in the ignition, foot on the gas—all done in one swift motion.

Since awakening her powers, she had never faltered at critical moments. No matter the situation, her mind was clear and her hands steady.

As the car started and moved out of the parking spot, the pursuer caught up.

He tried to grab her, but Qing Qing wouldn’t give him the chance.

Biting her lip hard, she refused to hesitate. She slammed her foot down on the accelerator, barreling straight toward the man blocking her.

No matter how brave, a person instinctively dodges when faced with an oncoming car.

In that split second, the white sedan grazed him and rushed past.

“Damn crazy woman!” The man, drenched in cold sweat, angrily shook his fist at the retreating car.

Unfortunately for him, he was a water-element power user, and the only one fast enough to keep up, Xiao Zhang, lay unlucky and defeated on the ground.

From the moment Zhou Mang’s group learned Qing Qing’s location until she got in the car, mere seconds had passed. Even though they had rushed to intercept her at full speed, they failed.

“Ah—!” Zhou Mang roared, his face twisted with rage as he watched Qing Qing drive past him. With a loud crash, he tore through the gate’s barrier and sped out of the community.

So close! Just so close...

“You filthy bitch, I’ll kill you someday, @#$^&%!”

No venomous words could vent Zhou Mang’s fury. His fists clenched tightly, eyes bloodshot and terrifying. Flames flickered uncontrollably across his body, radiating outward.

Seeing Zhou Mang in such a frenzied state, the others instinctively kept their distance, wary of being caught in the crossfire.

The most stunned was Xiao Yun, who never imagined Qing Qing would dare drive out alone.

“So many zombies outside... how could she dare...”

Realizing this, Xiao Yun knew she was doomed. With Zhou Mang’s brutal temper, he would take out his anger on her.

Not just her—Qian Mao, Xiao Zhang, Xiao Wang—anyone Zhou Mang saw as hindering his hunt for the killer would suffer.

Xiao Yun instinctively glanced at Qian Mao beside her. As expected, his expression was no better than hers.