The next day.
Lin Qinghe opened her eyes. The spot beside her was already empty. She reached out and touched the quilt; the warmth was gone, indicating that You Rong had been up for quite some time.
Lin Qinghe guessed that You Rong might have gone out to eat and didn't feel the panic she did when he was missing yesterday.
She clicked on the system, and found that the progress bar hadn't increased, which made her a little disappointed.
She had thought too optimistically, believing that sleeping side-by-side might inch the progress bar forward.
After composing herself, Lin Qinghe rolled out of bed. After a simple wash, she went out. You Rong was sitting on the sofa. He glanced at her as she came out.
Lin Qinghe didn't mind. She was already used to You Rong's coldness. She grinned and said proactively, "You Rong, you're up really early. What's the situation outside? Are the zombies that gathered last night still there?"
As soon as she finished speaking, You Rong's brows furrowed, and he nodded with a grave expression.
Lin Qinghe sensed something was wrong. She quickly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, pulled open the curtains, and looked out. She was immediately startled.
The number of zombies gathered in the open space outside had increased by at least five times compared to last night. Occasionally, she could even spot one or two advanced zombies mixed in.
And judging by the trend, more zombies were still heading this way.
Lin Qinghe couldn't help but frown too.
Was the gathering of zombies related to You Rong?
Lin Qinghe looked back at You Rong and noticed that he was different from yesterday. His face and limbs were no longer so stiff, and many of his movements no longer seemed clumsy.
You Rong didn't notice Lin Qinghe's gaze. After a moment of thought, he said in a deep voice, "We can't stay here. We need to move immediately. Get ready, we'll leave shortly."
Lin Qinghe collected her thoughts and nodded, "Okay! We'll leave shortly!"
After Lin Qinghe ate, they both took their backpacks and weapons, and then took out the car refrigerator containing raw beef.
When they reached the parking spot, there were also three zombies wandering in front of the car. Lin Qinghe weighed the situation and decided that with so many zombies, they had to be careful even with guns, as their ammunition was limited.
You Rong's thoughts coincided with Lin Qinghe's. He observed the surroundings and said, "I'll run out to lure the zombies away. You get in the car and then pick me up." Sudangangwo.
Lin Qinghe frowned, "No! It's too dangerous for you to lure the zombies away. Your body hasn't fully recovered, and your movements aren't as agile as mine. I'll go!"
You Rong was about to retort, but Lin Qinghe simply threw out a sentence, "It's settled then! Here are the car keys, take them! You drive to the intersection ahead to meet me, and be quick!"
You Rong instinctively caught the car keys. He looked up and saw that Lin Qinghe had already run out, shouting at the few zombies near the car, "Hey! Look over here… I'm here, chase me!"
The zombies turned their heads in unison towards Lin Qinghe. Previously numb and searching for something, they became agitated by hunger. With a roar, they bared their teeth and claws and chased after Lin Qinghe.
Lin Qinghe turned and ran. Her physical fitness was good, and she ran extremely fast, forcing the zombies to keep a distance behind her.
You Rong's expression was complex. He couldn't bother with anything else. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly got into the car, started the engine, turned the car around, and slammed on the accelerator. The car sped forward, even hitting two zombies.
The car overtook the running Lin Qinghe and stopped not far from her. You Rong opened the passenger door and shouted to Lin Qinghe, "...Get in!"
Lin Qinghe saw her chance, ran over, jumped directly into the car, and then slammed the door shut.
Seeing this, You Rong quickly stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped forward.
The zombies chasing Lin Qinghe from behind hadn't caught up yet, as they were left far behind, until they could no longer be seen.
You Rong was about to breathe a sigh of relief when a zombie suddenly appeared on the road ahead. The zombie stood woodenly in the middle of the road at first, but upon seeing the car, it seemed to come alive, charging directly at the car excitedly.
You Rong was slightly distracted, sensing that this zombie was not right.
Lin Qinghe's eyes sharpened, and she sharply reminded him, "Accelerate! Don't stop!"
You Rong snapped back to reality, stomped on the accelerator, and the car flew forward. With a loud bang, it hit the charging zombie. The zombie was sent flying, rolled a few times on the ground, and then, dragging its half-remaining body, it struggled and crawled on the ground, still trying to catch up to them.
Seeing this scene in the rearview mirror, both Lin Qinghe and You Rong couldn't help but gasp.
Lin Qinghe asked doubtfully, "Aren't these zombies a bit too crazy? The one we hit earlier was an advanced zombie, right? Usually, this type of zombie has some thinking ability and wouldn't act so foolishly. Why did it charge at us like it was mad?"
Could it be that zombies also wanted to commit suicide? Or were they so starved that they were desperate?
You Rong's expression was solemn, and he nodded in silence.
He drove the car at high speed, a guess forming in his mind.
It seemed the zombies were coming for him.
Inside the car, both Lin Qinghe and You Rong were silent, their thoughts racing. The car drove on for about an hour, reaching the very edge of the city.
You Rong stopped the car. Lin Qinghe rolled down the window and surveyed the surroundings. It was clearly not as prosperous as the residential area they had stayed in before. The houses were older, mostly three-story self-built houses.
Lin Qinghe said, "I don't see any zombies nearby. Let's get out and take a look."
You Rong nodded. They both got out of the car and began to scout around. Lin Qinghe spotted a supermarket not far away and led You Rong to check it out.
But unfortunately, the supermarket's contents had already been looted; there was nothing left.
After they checked a few more supermarkets, they found the situation to be much the same. Most of the food and daily necessities had been cleared out, with very little left.
As dusk approached, Lin Qinghe said, "Forget it, let's stop here for today. We'll find a place to stay and continue looking around here tomorrow."
You Rong nodded.
They chose a house whose doors and windows had been reinforced. Lin Qinghe struggled to climb up the drainpipe. Being small, she kicked out the ventilation fan and climbed inside. After circling the room and confirming it was safe, she went downstairs to open the door for You Rong.
"I've done a preliminary check, and it's very safe here. The house still has power. Remember to charge the car refrigerator."
You Rong stared at Lin Qinghe's fair nape. His reddened eyes became even redder, as if he were suppressing something. He said hoarsely, "...Understood."
Lin Qinghe sensed something was wrong with You Rong. She turned to look at him and asked strangely, "You Rong, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Just as she was about to touch You Rong's hand, he roughly shook it away and growled, "...Don't touch me!"
Lin Qinghe immediately understood. She showed no outward reaction and said, "Then you check the first floor first, and I'll go upstairs to tidy up a room. We'll make do with resting tonight."
As soon as Lin Qinghe left, You Rong frantically opened the car refrigerator, took out the raw beef, and bit into it ravenously.
After the craving subsided, You Rong sat on the floor in a mess and gave a self-mocking laugh.
How much longer would he have to live like this, neither human nor ghost?!
He hated himself every moment now!