At the same time, Song Kexin, who had locked herself inside the truck compartment to eat, was huddled in a corner, clutching a box of milk and two bags of jerky, staring up at the ceiling.
The roof above was being stomped on with loud “thump-thump” sounds, and faint, indistinct screams of a woman could be heard.
Song Kexin’s heart pounded anxiously. Clutching her precious food, she crawled to the compartment door, hesitating over whether to open it.
Just then, she heard her sister’s lowered voice from outside, “Kexin, Kexin, come out.”
Song Kexin hurriedly pulled out the inner latch, moved aside, and pushed the compartment door open.
“Get down,” Xie Ning called again.
Song Kexin quickly jumped out of the truck with her food, only to see several zombies sprawled on the hood of the small truck, snarling and reaching upward.
On the roof stood a young man and woman. The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was screaming frantically as if she had lost her mind.
Beside her, the young man glared at her angrily, occasionally shouting, “Stop screaming! Do you want to attract more of these monsters?”
Zhang Yang was now overwhelmed with regret.
He must have been out of his mind earlier—why had he thought to turn back and help this foolish woman?
Now, he had gotten himself trapped as well.
Shi Ailing couldn’t control her screams or her panic.
Turning her head, she saw Xie Ning and her sister retreating from the back of the truck.
The woman lost control and screamed, “Hey, hey, don’t go! Help, help us, please help us!”
“Go, go, head to your aunt’s place,” Xie Ning said, pushing Song Kexin lightly and pointing toward the RV.
Song Kexin hugged the milk and jerky tightly and sprinted toward the RV.
Seeing this, Shi Ailing grew even more frantic. “Hey, hey, you can’t just leave us to die! Hey, save us, save us!”
Xie Ning glanced back and saw over a dozen rotting corpses staggering over from nearby, all converging toward the small box truck.
One of them, a limping zombie, suddenly quickened its pace and lunged at the truck, slamming into it with a heavy thud.
The sound startled Shi Ailing, who fell onto the roof, her tear-streaked face filled with terror and resentment.
Xie Ning looked at them, then turned her gaze to the growing horde of zombies gathering from all directions, tightening her grip on the long blade in her hand.
In the end, she resolutely turned and ran straight toward the RV.
“Hey, hey, stop! Hey! You can’t just leave us to die! Hey, are you even human? Save us, save us! Please, I’m begging you, help us!”
The heart-wrenching screams drifted toward Xie Ning on the wind.
The young girl’s expression grew even colder. She leaped into the passenger seat of the RV and gently shut the door. “Mom, drive.”
Song You’ai’s trembling hands gripped the steering wheel as she stared ahead at the small truck surrounded by the zombie horde.
“W-we’re… just leaving them?”
“We can’t help them,” Xie Ning said with icy calm and firmness. “If there were seven or eight, I could handle it and help them. But now there are dozens, and if we don’t leave, hundreds will gather. I know my limits.”
“Besides, bringing them along introduces too many uncertainties. That woman can’t control her emotions—she’ll attract zombie hordes at any moment.”
Xie Ning took a deep breath, her voice tinged with exhaustion and hoarseness. “I can’t risk your safety for them. Absolutely not.”
“Drive, Mom.”
Song You’ai gritted her teeth, gave a firm nod, and slammed her foot on the accelerator. The RV sped away like the wind.