Along the way, zombies kept lunging at the Hummer. Fortunately, the vehicle had been reinforced earlier, and Shi Ran simply rammed straight through them without hesitation. Her foot on the accelerator didn’t even tremble.
They deliberately took a planned route—less crowded and wider roads, though it meant a longer detour.
There were almost no other people along the way. Most likely, they had either fled the city or were hiding.
The further they went, the fewer zombies there were. Just as they could vaguely see the “Welcome to Yuning!” sign in the distance, a middle-aged man suddenly rushed out from the side, with a woman beside him, seemingly trying to stop their car.
But it looked more like a scam—because the man practically threw himself at the vehicle.
Good grief. Did he think this was a taxi service?
Even the faint guilt Shi Ran had felt completely vanished.
She didn’t slow down at all. Instead, she sharply turned the steering wheel to the right with precise control.
The Hummer swayed slightly. The man fell straight to the ground—and when he looked up, he couldn’t even smell the exhaust anymore.
Shi Ran thought to herself: As long as I don’t get out of the car, I can’t be morally judged. I’m still a good kid with morals. Yay!
When they left the city, they finally saw a few other vehicles speeding away in panic.
Ye Shuyao used binoculars and spotted Zhou Nuocheng’s group waiting not far ahead.
“They’ve arrived, but there seem to be several buses nearby. Probably city residents planning to leave today.”
Yuning City was clearly becoming a dead city. Those still inside, waiting for rescue, could only pray for a miracle.
With other people around, Shi Ran couldn’t openly use her ability. They first found a hidden spot to store the car, then each carried a backpack and walked over.
“Hello, I’m Xia Yun. Are you also planning to leave the city?”
A hand extended toward Zhou Nuocheng.
He glanced at her and didn’t bother responding, simply walking away.
A meaningless attempt at conversation. Were they not leaving the city—were they supposed to go deeper inside instead? What a strange person.
Xia Yun wasn’t discouraged.
This team clearly looked extraordinary compared to the exhausted people on the bus. They were not on the same level at all.
Especially this man—his clean combat uniform outlined his strong physique. His facial features were sharp and wild, carrying a cold, lazy demeanor.
He looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, but his aura carried a calm maturity beyond his age.
Xia Yun thought to herself: Men like this are hard to handle—but I’m not ordinary anymore.
If she could join their team, she would be safe. Winning him over would just be a matter of time. In this chaotic world, countless people would envy her.
Her confidence grew, almost unable to suppress her smile.
She fixed her hair again and walked back to Zhou Nuocheng, speaking sweetly:
“Big brother, your car still has seats. Can you take me with you? The people on the bus are too scary…”
Her voice even carried a hint of sobbing.
She believed acting weak would make her look pitiful. Then, once they discovered her usefulness, they would surely value her differently.
However, anyone hearing her words and tone would misunderstand immediately. The concept of “abilities” had only recently spread from Beijing, and people hadn’t fully adapted yet.
The team members were stunned. None of them had ever seen someone so direct. They all secretly glanced at their captain’s expression, not daring to step in.
Zhou Nuocheng’s face had already turned cold, a faint killing intent in his eyes.
He wasn’t a formal soldier—and he wasn’t a good person either.
“If your brain isn’t stirred properly, I don’t mind helping you—”
He had already pulled out his dagger. If she said another word, he looked ready to crack her skull open on the spot.
Xia Yun froze completely, fear flooding her instantly.
“…Uh, are we… a bit late?”
Shi Ran’s voice came from behind.
“Great, you’re all safe! We were just worried about you,” Xu Zimo finally sighed in relief.
They were supposed to meet this morning, but the zombie outbreak had occurred the day before. They had a mission and couldn’t delay long—if not for their agreement, they would have already left the city last night.
If Shi Ran and Ye Shuyao hadn’t arrived by the agreed time, they would only wait until noon at most.
Tang Yao had been tense the entire morning and barely spoke.
Gu Ming looked up from his device, his furrowed brows easing slightly.
“I thought you got eaten. Ninety-nine pounds of rebellion in a hundred-pound body—you didn’t break any zombie teeth, did you?”
Zhou Nuocheng returned to his usual arrogant tone as he looked at Shi Ran.
Whether she got eaten or not didn’t matter much—only the spatial ability would be a loss.
Shi Ran didn’t even bother responding to his nonsense. She walked toward the car to put down her bag, completely ignoring Xia Yun.
“Ran Ran sis…”
Xia Yun’s voice turned tearful again. “I don’t know anyone on the bus. I’m really scared… If I could go with you, it would be safer. You’re so kind—you must understand me, right?”
The air instantly smelled strongly of “tea.”
Gu Ming and Zhou Nuocheng remained silent, observing Shi Ran’s reaction. If she softened so easily, she wouldn’t be suitable to travel with them.
Ye Shuyao nearly exploded on the spot.
Shi Ran held her back and, instead of getting angry, mimicked Xia Yun’s tone sweetly:
“Yun-meimei, I know your intestines are straight, but you can’t just let your mouth run wild, right? The people on the bus can take care of you too. Before I came, didn’t you also want to stick with the boys?”
Shi Ran suddenly leaned into Ye Shuyao’s arms, pretending to cry dramatically.
“Sis, I’m truly heartbroken… I thought you just liked me, but turns out I was only a stepping stone to get closer to the boys~”
“You…!” Xia Yun stammered, unable to form a sentence. Her face turned red with rage.
Shi Ran had completely exposed her thoughts.
“What’s wrong, sister? Did I say something that hurt you? Tell me—I can repeat it for you.”
Zhou Nuocheng’s lips curled slightly.
This girl… she really had a sharp tongue.