Chapter 31: Searching for Zombies

Two vehicles drove one after the other along a deserted, narrow path. As they ventured deeper into the wilderness, the surroundings became increasingly desolate, until even the zombies had vanished from sight.

After about half an hour, the SUV screeched to a halt by the side of the road.

"We're here," Chu Wei said, pointing toward a stretch of fencing along the roadside.

Lin Qingqing scanned the area. On one side of the road rose a steep hillside, while on the other, in the direction Chu Wei indicated, lay what she correctly surmised to be a wetland park.

Before the apocalypse, this park had been quite famous. During the sweltering summers, large crowds of tourists would flock here to escape the heat. However, since it was currently the off-season and the park was cold and damp, there shouldn't, in theory, be many zombies around.

"I’m amazed you were able to find this place," Lin Qingqing remarked. She found Chu Wei to be remarkably resourceful, knowing the details of such an obscure location.

"This is the side of the park. There’s a small gate ahead that was used for freight transport before the end of the world. I originally came here hoping to follow this path to find the warehouse, but I encountered that zombie by a lake halfway through."

Chu Wei provided a detailed explanation; it seemed he intended to follow the same route as before.

The small gate was left slightly ajar and swung open with a push. Seeing how familiar he was with the route, Lin Qingqing began to believe he truly had been here before.

The park was eerily quiet. The only sound was the crunching of dead leaves beneath the tires. Chu Wei drove with extreme caution, as if afraid to disturb something hidden within.

"Screech."

The car stopped again. Chu Wei stepped out and said to Lin Qingqing, "It's better if we walk the rest of the way. We need to keep the noise down."

Lin Qingqing nodded, matching his pace and adopting a look of complete trust. Chu Wei glanced at her but remained silent, leading the way with a preoccupied expression.

The winter wetland park was cold and damp. Thick moisture permeated the air, forming a drifting white fog throughout the woods. As they trekked through the mist, the damp, biting chill made it difficult to breathe. For Chu Wei, who possessed fire-based abilities, the environment felt like a natural nemesis, suppressing his powers to some extent.

In contrast, the other three were far less affected. Little Li, a water-based ability user, was the exact opposite of Chu Wei; the environment actually provided him with a slight boost, and he could feel his powers recovering faster within the white mist.

After walking about five hundred meters, they neared their destination. Through the gaps in the trees, they could finally see the lake.

"It’s right here—"

Just as Chu Wei was about to explain the situation regarding the zombie, a sudden, sharp scream for help echoed from afar, followed by the guttural roar of a zombie.

"Someone's out there!"

The group froze, then instinctively quickened their pace.

*How could we run into people stealing our kill while out hunting?* Lin Qingqing mused to herself. *Who else would come to such a godforsaken place?*

"Ah! Help!"

More panicked screams rang out from ahead. It sounded like there was more than one person. Since the zombie population in the park was already sparse, it was highly probable that the creature chasing them was the very same Level 2 zombie they were tracking.

The four of them sprinted for several dozen meters, bursting out of the woods.

Passing through the final layer of thick fog, the lake came into clear view. On the grassy path beside the water, a gaunt zombie was chasing a group of young people. There were six of them in total, an equal mix of men and women, all roughly the same age and dressed similarly.

Three boys were in the lead, followed by two athletic girls. Another girl, slightly plump, lagged behind the others, becoming the target at the end of the line.

She gasped for air, her legs pumping, and just as the zombie's sharp claws were about to grab her, the girl with a ponytail running ahead of her turned and pulled her forward.

With the help of her companion, she managed to gain a few steps, but her speed soon faltered again.

Seeing her companions pulling further away, she made a desperate decision. She shoved the ponytail-wearing girl behind her. If she couldn't be the fastest, she just had to be faster than the person behind her to survive. In the face of life and death, morality and friendship took a backseat.

The ponytail girl, shoved into the rear, was stunned. She screamed, "Feifei, what are you doing?"

The plump girl, now ahead of her, didn't even look back, running for her life. However, she underestimated the ponytail girl’s stamina and will to live. Seeing the girl catching up, the plump girl panicked and begged the boys in front for help.

Whatever she said to them worked. A vine suddenly shot out from the wrist of one of the boys, lashing out with a "crack" against the ponytail girl’s leg.

The sudden strike stopped the girl in her tracks, leaving her firmly at the back of the pack.

The remaining tall girl didn't have time to react before she and the plump girl were dragged away by the three boys.

The ponytail girl fell to the ground, her leg injured by the vine. She didn't panic; instead, she rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging the zombie's first strike, and then used her uninjured leg to kick away its second swipe.

Unfortunately, despite her desperate self-defense, her struggle against a Level 2 zombie was as futile as a mantis trying to stop a carriage.

As the zombie launched its third attack, the girl on the ground didn't give up. She firmly pressed her palms together, and as she pulled them apart, ten shimmering arcs of electricity sparked at her fingertips.

With a flash of light, she slashed at the zombie’s reaching arm, leaving trails of light in the air. Her eyes burned with a desperate, ruthless ferocity, like a cornered she-wolf.

"Zzzzt!" The electric current struck the zombie, sparking briefly before vanishing.

It had no effect at all. *How is that possible?*

*Am I going to die?* She felt a surge of resentment, the electricity at her fingertips flickering again.

Just then, a flash of silver streaked through the air. With a sharp "clang," it struck the zombie's claws. The silver flash didn't pause, using the momentum to knock the creature’s limb aside.

Suddenly, the ponytail girl felt her arm being hoisted onto a slender shoulder. A stranger hauled her up and began dragging her away.

Her rescuer was much taller than her; though lean, they possessed immense strength, and she was practically being dragged along.

*Who is this? Why are they here? Why save me?* After the initial wave of terror, her mind went blank. The arm gripped tightly around her waist caused her pain, but she didn't care. She relied on instinct, pumping her legs as hard as she could.

At that moment, she had only one thought: *Faster, run faster—I must not let this person who saved me get dragged down.*