It was the sixteenth day of the apocalypse, early morning.
A long-missed, rhythmic roar of engines and announcements over loudspeakers shattered the city’s dead silence at dawn.
“All survivors, attention! All survivors, attention! We are the Jiangzhou Military District Rescue Team! We are organizing survivors to move to the temporary safe zone in the west of the city! Survivors capable of moving on their own, please immediately gather at the intersection of Zhongshan Avenue and Jiefang Road! Repeat…”
The deep, powerful voice echoed repeatedly from the loudspeaker on a military jeep, reverberating through the empty streets.
This voice was like a stone thrown into still water, instantly stirring huge ripples in this desolate wasteland.
Behind tightly shut windows, faces of survivors appeared—worn and anxious yet excited.
From hiding places came muffled cries and cheers. Soon, some people gathered courage and began to emerge, heading toward the broadcasted gathering point.
Most were in tatters, yellow-faced and thin, their eyes mixed with relief at surviving and confusion about the future.
Ruan Ning stood behind the apartment window, calmly watching the growing crowds and occasional military vehicles below.
What was meant to come, had finally arrived.
About the time she vaguely remembered.
She didn’t hesitate, quickly packed necessary items—a backpack for disguise containing some food and water. Her true belongings, of course, were all in her space.
She went downstairs, started the dusty but still well-functioning off-road vehicle, and merged into the crowd and traffic heading to the gathering point.
Hundreds of survivors and dozens of various vehicles were already gathered at the meeting spot. The scene was somewhat chaotic, but soldiers holding weapons with sharp eyes maintained order as best they could.
Faces showed eagerness, fear, and a hint of dependence on finally seeing “organization.”
Ruan Ning parked near the back of the convoy, didn’t get out, and silently observed through the window.
She saw all kinds of people: mothers clutching children with numb eyes; young people forming squads, holding crude weapons and alert; middle-aged men and women who once seemed successful but now looked disheveled… and of course, lone wolves like herself, silent and exuding a “keep your distance” aura.
She also keenly noticed several people whose temperament was distinctly different.
Though dressed ordinarily, their eyes were calmer, their posture radiated strength, and faint gaps seemed to surround them—these were elemental users. The military appeared to pay special attention to them; officers were quietly talking with some of these individuals.
Ruan Ning restrained her own aura, suppressing water-element energy fluctuations to the minimum, appearing as just a lucky, physically fit ordinary survivor.
“Listen up, everyone!” An officer stood on top of a vehicle and shouted through a megaphone, “Follow the military vehicles ahead, maintain formation! There may be zombie attacks en route; non-combatants should stay inside vehicles! Those capable, assist with defense! Our destination is the West City Air-Raid Shelter Temporary Safe Zone! Move out!”
With the order given, the large, ragtag convoy, guided and guarded by several military jeeps and armored personnel carriers, began to slowly move forward like a wounded serpent winding through the city’s west side.
Ruan Ning controlled the steering wheel, calmly following the middle of the convoy. She watched the rapidly passing, increasingly ruined cityscape outside the window, feeling peaceful inside.
Going to the safe zone was the most reasonable choice in the current situation. There was preliminary order, military protection, and access to some outside information.
But that didn’t mean safety.
The convoy was like a struggling giant python slowly weaving through the city’s ruins.
The roar of engines, the crunch of wheels over rubble, and the life force of hundreds of people gathered sounded like a feast bell to zombies that hunted by sound and smell.
“Huff… huff huff…”
At first, only scattered growls came from the shadows of buildings on both sides, but soon the sound spread and gathered like a plague!
“Attention! Zombies gathering on both sides!” soldiers in the leading military vehicles warned over loudspeakers.
Ruan Ning gripped the wheel tightly, her sharp eyes scanning left and right. One by one, horrifying zombies staggered out from broken doors and windows, fallen trash heaps, and unexpected corners. Their murky eyes locked onto the moving convoy like hyenas smelling blood, beginning to swarm from all directions!
“Ah! They’re coming!”
“Drive! Run them over!”
“Don’t push! That’s my car!”
Panic instantly spread through the survivor convoy. Some weaker-minded people began screaming; vehicles collided and blocked the way, plunging the scene into chaos.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The guarding soldiers fired first! Crisp gunshots pierced the sky; a few zombies at the front fell. But the gunfire was like sparks thrown into boiling oil, igniting the frenzy of the zombie horde!
More zombies roared and lunged! They knew no fear, feared no death, only the most primal thirst for flesh!
Boom!
A modified pickup truck suddenly sped up, smashing several blocking zombies, splattering blood and gore across the windshield. The driver seemed mad, flooring the accelerator.
Ruan Ning calmly controlled her off-road vehicle, nimbly avoiding vehicles that suddenly braked in panic, while watching threats from both sides. A zombie suddenly lunged at her passenger-side window, its rotten face and sharp nails scraping the glass with a teeth-grinding sound.
Her eyes turned cold. Left hand firmly on the wheel, right hand reached out the window—not using elemental power, but holding a silenced pistol acquired on the black market before the apocalypse.
Pop!
A soft muffled sound, a bloody hole appeared on the zombie’s forehead, and it slid down, lifeless.
There were still unknown dangers ahead; Ruan Ning avoided using her powers lightly, lest she run out of energy and be left defenseless.
“Help! Help me!”
A nearby small car seemed to stall, surrounded by several zombies. A woman inside frantically banged on the window as zombies nearly smashed it!
A soldier on a nearby military vehicle tried to provide covering fire, but the angle was poor for accurate shooting.
At this critical moment—
Whoosh!
A blazing fireball roared from the middle-rear of the convoy, striking precisely among the zombies! Flames burst, instantly igniting them into howling torches!
It was the fire elemental user who had previously provoked Ruan Ning! He stood atop a vehicle’s sunroof, wearing a proud and condescending expression, clearly enjoying being needed.
His attack temporarily broke the siege but drew more zombies’ attention.
The crisis wasn’t over. The zombies swarmed more densely, like a gray tide endlessly crashing against the convoy’s defenses. Gunshots, crashes, howls, and cries intertwined into a cruel symphony of survival in the apocalypse.
Ruan Ning stayed calm; her car was like a steady rock in a rushing river, precisely dodging every danger.
Her gaze occasionally swept over the elemental users fighting—fire, earth, and even a speed-enhancer moving swiftly on the convoy’s edge, dispatching nearby zombies with cold weapons.
“This is the power of early-stage elemental users…” Ruan Ning silently assessed. “Looks like the safe zone won’t be peaceful.”
She knew this was only the beginning. The journey to the safe zone was destined to be paved with blood.
All she needed was to ensure she arrived safely, without attracting unnecessary attention.