Ten meters.
Five meters.
Mosquitoes that had been burned or electrocuted rained down onto the ground.
Yet the number of mutated mosquitoes showed no sign of decreasing. A few even broke through their defenses and slipped inside.
Suddenly, gripping her dagger, Ye Xihe stabbed Gu Zhuoye’s shoulder!
Gu Zhuoye caught the movement from the corner of his eye, but didn’t dodge at all.
A mosquito much larger than Ye Xihe’s hand was sliced cleanly in half and dropped to the ground.
“Nicely done.” Gu Zhuoye smiled, his full lips curling upward. “Thanks.”
Ye Xihe smiled back.
They had made it past the exit!
The black swarm continued pouring in from both sides.
“There are more and more of them. Hurry!”
Ye Xihe was starting to run out of stamina. She struggled to breathe, and a metallic taste filled her throat and nose.
A large hand suddenly gripped her slender wrist and pulled her forward.
It was Gu Zhuoye.
Ye Xihe forced herself to keep up.
Once past the exit, the number of mosquitoes ahead became noticeably smaller. Ye Huizhou paused briefly before instantly appearing at the rear.
Clenching his fist, he spread an electric net that intercepted most of the pursuing mosquitoes.
Beyond the mountain exit was a national highway.
No one knew what had happened there, but the scene was bleak.
Dozens of burned-out vehicle frames were piled together, while severed limbs and remains littered the ground.
A handful of zombies wandered nearby. Hearing the commotion, they staggered awkwardly toward the group.
Su Nian activated her ability.
The next instant, she appeared in front of the zombies. With a few swift slashes of her dagger, several zombie heads rolled to the ground.
Then her eyes lit up.
“There’s a car over here!”
It was a four-seater convertible sports car.
Judging from the bloody handprints covering its body, its owner had clearly met an unfortunate fate.
Fortunately, the keys were still inside.
Su Nian quickly jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Stepping on the accelerator, she executed a beautiful drift and brought the car to a stop beside the group.
With one arm around Ye Xihe’s slender waist and the other braced on the door, Gu Zhuoye vaulted into the car with her in a single smooth motion.
Xu Wen immediately followed.
Seeing everyone safely aboard, Ye Huizhou finally relaxed.
Suddenly exerting force, veins bulged along his arms as the gigantic electric mosquito swatter transformed into a massive electric net that crashed into the swarm.
The mutated mosquitoes were momentarily stalled.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Huizhou flipped into the car.
Su Nian slammed the accelerator to the floor.
The speedometer needle shot to its limit as the car carried them away in a cloud of dust.
Being a sports car, it had more than enough horsepower and speed. Before long, the mosquito swarm was completely left behind.
The problem was…
It was small.
At the moment, Ye Huizhou occupied the front passenger seat, Xu Wen sat behind the driver, and Ye Xihe sat stiffly on Gu Zhuoye’s lap behind the passenger seat.
Even through the fabric of his pants, she could clearly feel the powerful muscles of his thighs.
A sudden burst of acceleration threw her backward with inertia, causing her to fall against Gu Zhuoye’s chest.
He let out a muffled grunt.
Ye Xihe’s hand landed on his firm pectoral muscles. Even through the layers of clothing, she could clearly feel their resilient firmness.
Gu Zhuoye raised a hand and steadied her by the shoulder.
The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric into her skin.
Lowering his gaze, he looked down.
The girl in his arms had a flushed face. Her bright, watery eyes darted around nervously, unsure where to look, while her long lashes trembled rapidly.
A low chuckle escaped him, his chest vibrating slightly.
Ye Xihe’s ears burned bright red, and she stiffened like a block of wood.
Ahhh! When is this car ever going to stop?!
Twenty minutes later, it finally did.
Not because they wanted to stop.
The car had simply run out of fuel.
By the time they got out, Ye Xihe’s legs were completely numb.
She stumbled forward the moment she stepped down.
Behind her, Gu Zhuoye reached out and caught her arm, firmly steadying her.
“Careful.”
As though burned, Ye Xihe immediately pulled her arm back and muttered a quiet thank you.
“We’re very close to the village now. Let’s head straight there.”
Su Nian retrieved her backpack and walked over, looking puzzled.
“Xihe, why is your face so red?”
Ye Xihe felt as if steam was about to rise from her head.
“N-no, it isn’t. Maybe I’m just a little hot… haha…”
Su Nian eyed her suspiciously.
The wind in the car had been so strong. How could she possibly be hot?
Gu Zhuoye let out a quiet laugh.
Ye Huizhou’s face darkened as he pulled Ye Xihe over to his side.
Nearby, Xu Wen wore a strange expression, clearly trying not to laugh.
Su Nian was even more confused.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Ye Xihe hurriedly said, eager to end the awkwardness as she took the lead toward the village.
Soon, they arrived.
It was a very small village, connected to the outside world by only a single dirt road.
On the right side of the entrance stood a red-brick building with a wooden door bearing the words Wangji Village Committee.
On the left stood a low mud-brick house that appeared to be a small convenience store.
Ye Xihe turned around.
“Should we check out the convenience store?”
The others nodded.
The store’s wooden door was clearly very old. When pushed open, it emitted a creaking groan.
The interior was cramped and narrow, barely large enough for three people.
The three men were all fairly large, and turning around inside would have been difficult.
“Su Nian and Xihe can search inside. The rest of us will stay outside.”
Using the faint light from the doorway, Ye Xihe examined the interior.
Though small, the store was surprisingly well-stocked.
The shelves were neat and orderly, displaying all kinds of goods, from food and drinks to daily necessities. However, there were only two or three of each item.
Something wasn’t right.
Ye Xihe frowned. She had spent some time living in a slum with Ye Huizhou when she was younger.
A convenience store like this should have been messy and cluttered.
“Su Nian.”
Su Nian was reaching for a pack of instant noodles when she heard Ye Xihe call her name.
She turned around in confusion.
“There’s something strange about this store. Let’s leave first.”
“You’re done already?” Ye Huizhou asked.
“Big Brother, I think there’s something wrong with this store.”
Ye Xihe glanced around once more before leaning close to Ye Huizhou and quietly sharing her observations.
Ye Huizhou frowned. At that moment, behind a haystack not far away…
A short, sneaky-looking man poked his head out.
“Brother Hu, how come they didn’t fall for it?”
The man called Brother Hu squinted his already narrow eyes and stared ahead.
Keeping his voice low, he muttered,
“Damn it, they’re pretty cautious. Back to the village!”
…
“Are we still going into the village?” Ye Xihe asked.
“There could be more traps waiting inside. They’re definitely trying to rob anyone passing through,” Xu Wen said.
Gu Zhuoye added, “The fact that they relied on traps means they probably lack real combat strength.”
Everyone looked toward Ye Huizhou.
“We’re going in,” he said.
“Our supplies won’t last more than two days. We have no idea how far away the next place with food and resources might be.”
Ye Xihe nodded. “Then let’s stay on guard.”
They would see what other tricks the villagers had prepared.
If they were only ordinary villagers, this group had nothing to fear.
Ye Huizhou and Xu Wen both had military backgrounds.
As for Gu Zhuoye, his combat ability spoke for itself.
With the enhancement of her speed ability, Su Nian moved so fast that ordinary people could barely react to her.
So aside from Ye Xihe, all four of them possessed extremely high combat power.
This was a remote mountain village.
Old brick houses stood silently on both sides of the road, shrouded in fog.
The entire village was wrapped in an eerie stillness.
After only a short walk, a woman suddenly stumbled out of a nearby alleyway.
Instinctively, Ye Huizhou moved in front of Ye Xihe.
The moment the woman saw them, she cried out desperately.
“Help… help! Please save me!”
None of them moved.
Seeing their lack of reaction, she crawled forward several more steps.
She appeared to be around fifty years old, her face weathered by hardship. Her clothes were riddled with holes, and despite the chilly weather, she shivered on the ground.
“P-please… Please help me. I only need a little food…”
Still, none of them moved.