Chapter 42

Warning: Vinegar war

In the car, when he listened to Gong Lixin and Gong Yuanhang talking, He Jin didn't feel anything. But when he thought of a red-eyed Gong Lixin saying, "Big Brother Song, I miss you," into the phone, his face immediately became gloomy.

When the child was with him he was calm and independent, and he never saw him being as emotionally exposed as he was now. At this moment, he clearly saw the child's dependence and fragility. These feelings are ones that would only be revealed in front of one's most important people!

Realizing this, He Jin couldn't help but feel troubled. He didn't show it on his face and merely looked out the window with no expression, his eyes flickering with unclear emotions.

Lin Wenbo was also quiet, and he couldn't help but recall the scene of when he reunited with the child. Without any other words, the child called him in excitement, "Big Brother Lin." Lin Wenbo furrowed his brows and pressed down the inexplicable loss he felt.

The fire on the mountain was still burning and spread from one hill to another, still visibly large as it turned half of the sky red. Even when they were only a few kilometers away, the strong smell of smoke still haunted their nose.

"Wow! If it were before, Brother Wu would have had to go to jail for arson!" Lu Yun yelled as he looked at it from the rearview mirror.

Wu Ming gave him a funny look and didn't bother to answer. Lu Yun felt the atmosphere suddenly go quiet in the car. Wu Ming decided to change the subject: "Young Master Gong, are you going to save Big Brother Song? Then take the helicopter first, we can drive to the base ourselves. The performance of this car is really good and is quite suitable for escape. I can't bear to lose it!"

He Jin looked at the other from the reflection on the window. He felt like screaming every time he heard "Big Brother Song."

"If you like this car, you can park it on the side of the road. I'll ask someone to help bring it back to the base tomorrow. It's not safe to drive the car at night, so I contacted another helicopter to pick you up. I won't let you wait too long." Lin Wenbo touched Gong Lixin's - who wanted to speak - head and replied instead. These people took care of Xiaoxin all this time with their ability. He would try to meet their needs as much as possible.

"Oh, that's great! Thank you, Big Brother!" Lu Yun smiled in a flattering way. The Lin family dealt with both the black and white aspects of society, and Lin Wenbo grew up under their care. He was rich with powerful connections. What kind of character did Lin Wenbo have? Lu Yun had heard from his father and his attitude towards the man was seven points respectful, and the other three points were aimed to please.

"Don't thank me. I have to thank you for taking care of Xiaoxin." Lin Wenbo smiled lightly.

"Nonsense! In fact, it was Young Master Gong that took care of us!" Lu Yun knew that and said it from the heart.

"Are you going to save people? I'll go with you." He Jin, who had been silent for a while, said with a strong voice, leaving no room for argument. He wanted to see what kind of person this 'Big Brother Song' that kept coming out of the child's mouth and why the other thinks of him so much. This kind of mentality to compare oneself came subconsciously, and he was unable to suppress it.

"No, we don't want Mr. He to be in danger." Lin Wenbo waved his hand and refused.

"You'll have one more person with an ability. Besides, with my relationship with Lixin, isn't there a reason to help?" He Jin's lips curved up as he grabbed Gong Lixin and hugged him, the movement clearly indicating his supposed relationship with the child.

"Thank you, Big Brother." The simple child readily accepted He Jin's kindness and offered a sweet and lovely smile.

He Jin's brows slightly rose, his deep dark eyes showing traces of a deep smile. Lin Wenbo unconsciously flattened his lips into a thin line. His face grew dark and finally, he refused to open his mouth.

The group was getting closer and closer to Xiangyang Town. More and more zombies gathered in the vegetable fields and on both sides of the road, crowding and rushing toward the wild mountain fire. Even when the two cars passed by, the zombies did nothing and had no intention of attacking.

"They are very sensitive to light, sound, smell, and heat. Right now, they are attracted to the mountain fire and won't care for us, so quickly accelerate and run them over!" Lin Wenbo saw Lu Yun hesitantly stepping on the brakes and immediately opened his mouth.

"Oh, good!" Lu Yun gritted his teeth, floored the gas pedal and crashed into a group of zombies on the road ahead. The thick steel plate slammed against the zombies, and they flew out. The sound of the car hitting bodies seemed almost endless. The solid car didn't seem to have any signs of damage despite the collisions. The wheels ran over zombie bodies, making horrifying squeaking sounds. However, after getting used to it, the people grew comfortable with the sound.

Lu Yun drove at full speed till the end with an extremely excited expression on his face. There was a world of difference between his current expression and his expression when he was first scared of zombies.

"Brother Lin, this car is awesome! You must help me bring it back tomorrow!" He said with a sigh of pleasure, completely forgetting that this car was taken from the Gong family's garage.

The car was handled by him, and the atmosphere in the car warmed up. Everyone cheered up, showing relaxed expressions. Lin Wenbo's lip slightly curved up, and he readily agreed to the other's request.

When they arrived at the meeting place, the zombies were all heading for the mountain fire. The roar of the two helicopters didn't cause any trouble. A group of people boarded the helicopter and flew to their respective destinations.

***

In the city, Song Haoran and his entourage finally made it to the tennis court under the guidance of Luo Dahai (formerly a police officer). Fortunately, the tennis court was on the side of the road, surrounded by a wire fence that helped isolate the zombies. Due to a membership system, the iron door of the tennis court was locked and needed a membership card to swipe it open.

A group of people quietly squatted at the bottom of the car and waited for a group of zombies to walk past. Song Haoran looked at the subordinate who was the most proficient at lockpicking. The man understood and quickly got out from underneath the car. His fingers fiddled with the card reader and after two attempts – in less than half a second – he opened the iron gate of the tennis court.

The man pushed the door open and waved to his companions at the bottom of the car, indicating that they should come over. Song Haoran looked at the grandfather and grandson and let them go first. The boy named Zhao Ying, who was squatting at the bottom of the car, shook his head desperately and did not dare move.

Song Haoran's face went dark. He grabbed Zhao Ying's collar and dragged him out from under the car. He soon arrived near the iron gate where the grandfather had already safely arrived under the help of Luo Dahai and another special forces soldier.

After closing the lock on the iron gate, the nine of them quickly killed dozens of zombies in the tennis court, cut the net in the middle of the court, moved it to one side, and ran into the locker room to hide. From crawling all this time, the fabric around their elbows and knees were almost worn out, and the people were exhausted as they sat directly on the floor and gasped for air.

Zhao Ying entered the locker room and immediately collapsed into his grandfather's arms, shivering. His grandfather loved and pitied him. He kept patting his back and whispering words of comfort. The scene created a warm picture, but the people present shook their heads. If children during the apocalypse weren't able to stand up quickly and become independent, they wouldn't be able to survive until adulthood. The old man's love for the child was only harming the child.

Song Haoran was concerned about Gong Lixin, but when he saw the grandfather and grandson, his attitude changed. He would protect Lixin while he grew up, but he would never use such a method. Rather, he would accompany Lixin to experience the storm together.

Time passed by, and the roar of the propellers soon came from outside the locker room, awakening the people in deep contemplation.

"The helicopter is coming!" Everyone was happy and immediately opened the door of the locker room and gazed at the darkened sky. The lights on the helicopter shone like stars, illuminating their eyes.

"Go out and pay attention to the surrounding situation." Song Haoran ordered the others. After waiting for a few minutes, the helicopter flew over the tennis court and began to descend slowly.

Nine special forces soldiers guarded three civilians in the middle as they ran to the center of the tennis court, guns in position. Many zombies outside the tennis court heard the sound of the propeller and slowly made their way towards it.

When the pilot saw the situation, he immediately increased his landing speed. Gong Lixin and the others on the helicopter rushed out and looked down. The helicopter was getting closer and closer to the ground; there was a gap of 200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters…

Right then, from the group of zombies, two small figures rushed out, their speed different from the others as they reached the court within seconds. They crawled over the wire fence, like gecko crawling along the wall, and fell to the ground on the other side.

Those were two evolutionary zombies. One was a little girl, just eight or nine years old, wearing a plaid skirt. The other was a doctor wearing a white coat. The two zombies had ulcerated skin, but the muscles that should have shrunk into their limbs were particularly strong. Also, their five fingers were pure black, and their nails were sharper than a blade. The night's darkness could not cover the cold light flowing out from them.

"Careful! Behind you!" Song Haoran immediately shouted, noticing the two zombies the moment they rushed out.

Everyone heard his words and immediately turned their guns, firing at the two zombies coming at them at lightning speed. The plaid-skirt-wearing zombie rushed to the right and evaded the oncoming bullets. Seeing that all the bullets were coming from the front, it suddenly jumped up. However, it was pierced by several bullets and fell to the ground, slipping in front of a special forces soldier due to inertia.

The soldier stared at the sharp five-finger claws and strong limbs under the plaid skirt. The hand around his gun became covered in cold sweat. But before he could return to Earth, the white-coat-wearing zombie had followed behind the fallen one. Its movements were more flexible, and it managed to avoid a number of bullets in a row. The sharp five-finger claws stretched toward Song Haoran; it's goal, his heart.

Song Haoran also spread his palm at the same time. A small fireball shot towards the zombie's head and broke the skull. With a muffled 'pah' sound, the fireball exploded and blew up the head just like fireworks.

From the start of the two zombies' attack, only five seconds passed, but those five seconds were so thrilling. Everyone on the helicopter and on the ground was stunned by Song Haoran's projected fireball.

When the zombies launched the attack, Gong Lixin saw that Song Haoran was in a state, ready to take them on, so he wasn't worried. Lin Wenbo and He Jin were shocked, cold sweat forming on their bodies. They were secretly surprised by Song Haoran's accurate judgment and his powerful ability. The fireball seemed to be very inconspicuous, but the power was in no way insignificant. Not only that, Song Haoran didn't seem to be tired, which showed that he had not exhausted all his strength.

He Jin had a preliminary understanding of Song Haoran now. This man, his strength was not inferior to his. He didn't know why, but he had a strong sense of crisis in his heart.

CrazedCookies: Thank you Jessie and Hide for the Ko-Fi! Enjoy your bonus chapter!