Lu Feiguang slammed on the brakes, the strong deceleration sending everyone forward.
Xiao Wenqiang, sitting in the middle, quickly grabbed the back of the seat in front of her, preventing herself from flying into the windshield. As the car stopped, she mused, "It seems even the apocalypse requires seatbelts!"
As soon as the "Sunshine Squad's" car halted, a throng of people emerged from behind the highway barricade, brandishing weapons and sporting menacing expressions.
Xiao Wenqiang squinted. My word! They were all acquaintances!
It turned out that the roadblocks ahead were none other than the squad that the original Xiao Wenqiang had joined in the novel "I'm Living a Rural Life in the Apocalypse." It was with them that the original Xiao Wenqiang had endured immense hardships to reach the protagonists' base.
This squad was named "Hunters." The original Xiao Wenqiang had joined them on the road to City D.
Back then, the "Hunters" squad was under attack by a horde of Traveler zombies, their ranks shattered. Chen Fang, the captain and a fire-element ability user, had expended all his energy fighting the overwhelming number of zombies and could no longer muster a single spark.
As Chen Fang, weakened and cowering behind a wrecked car, resigned himself to his fate, the original Xiao Wenqiang arrived and extended a helping hand.
Deeply grateful for his rescue, Chen Fang, upon seeing that the original Xiao Wenqiang possessed strength-type abilities, enthusiastically invited her to join the "Hunters" squad.
The members of the "Hunters" squad were largely fitness enthusiasts from a gym. After the apocalypse struck, these instructors and trainees who had been working out together gathered, forming a group that vowed to face hardships together. Chen Fang, who was the first to awaken his fire abilities, became their leader.
However, through subsequent trials and the recent devastating sweep by the Traveler zombies, the "Hunters" squad, which had started with over thirty members, was now down to only six. Including the newly joined original Xiao Wenqiang, they were just seven.
"Hurry up and get out of the car! Hand over your supplies, and we'll let you live!" a powerfully built man, holding a baseball bat, tapped gently on the front windshield, feigning amiability.
Xiao Wenqiang's reverie of the original novel's plot was broken. She looked up and saw Guo Hai, a spatial-ability user from the "Hunters" squad, speaking to her.
"Boss, what do we do? Can we break through?" Lu Feiguang assessed the situation and asked Xiao Wenqiang, looking back.
Xiao Wenqiang silently counted the visible individuals, estimating no less than twenty. It seemed that due to some butterfly effect, she had encountered the "Hunters" squad earlier than expected.
Moreover, all six familiar faces were among these twenty-plus people, and they all possessed abilities. Her own group, including herself, only had two ability users. A direct confrontation was unlikely to end in victory.
"They have superior numbers; our chances of breaking through aren't high." Xiao Wenqiang was naturally unwilling. She secretly stowed the backpacks of the three people in the back into her spatial dimension. "If it really comes to it, maybe we should just hand over..."
Before she could finish, the sound of metal being crushed and twisted echoed from the direction of the "Hunters" squad. Everyone turned to face the sound, and a dark mass of zombies was advancing towards them with speed and determination.
To their eyes, these zombies had already evolved. Firstly, their speed had increased from a slow walk to a rapid pace. Secondly, they were no longer acting as individuals; these zombies, who had been part of a tour group in life, were now unconsciously gathering to attack.
"Traveler zombies!" Xiao Wenqiang's pupils contracted. So this was where the "Hunters" squad encountered this zombie horde.
The members of the "Hunters" squad also saw the approaching horde and scrambled back into their respective vehicles. Some, unable to reach their cars, frantically pounded on the doors of Xiao Wenqiang's vehicle, seeking refuge.
However, after witnessing the zombies crush several cars blocking their path, they lost their courage and could only run desperately in the opposite direction.
"Reverse quickly! And turn around when you can!" Xiao Wenqiang urged as the surrounding area cleared.
The other members of the "Hunters" squad who had boarded also quickly started their vehicles. Those who couldn't make it were forced to fight the zombie horde.
In an instant, all sorts of abilities were unleashed, lights flashing. Occasionally, one could see strength-type ability users engaging in close combat with the Traveler zombies.
But these zombies felt no pain and knew no fear. Even with broken limbs, they continued to bite while lying on the ground. Soon, the number of "Hunters" squad members dwindled rapidly.
A few who were driving managed to escape, while the rest, except for those who hid well or were powerful, were nearly all annihilated. Most terrifyingly, some who had been their comrades turned into new zombies after being bitten, and then hunted their former companions.
Lu Feiguang finally reversed into the open space, quickly shifting gears and turning the vehicle, intending to head in the direction of Province F.
Just then, a raging fire erupted in the highway's green belt in the direction of Province F, blocking their path.
"Take me with you! Otherwise, none of you will escape!" It was Captain Chen Fang of the "Hunters" squad, who had failed to secure a vehicle earlier.
Most of the members of this squad, when faced with a choice between Ye Yao and the original Xiao Wenqiang, had chosen not to trust their teammate and instead sided with the female protagonist, Ye Yao, blaming her.
And Chen Fang, the very person the original Xiao Wenqiang had rescued, was the first to point fingers at her.
Having played the role of the benevolent farmer once, Xiao Wenqiang was not about to save this viper again. She told Lu Feiguang, "Ignore him. Speed up, I have a way!"
Lu Feiguang, obediently, pressed the accelerator and charged forward, deliberately aiming towards Chen Fang's position. He had no sympathy for people like him.
Chen Fang was sent flying by the car with a look of disbelief. As he soared through the air, he couldn't comprehend it. It was just one extra person to carry. There were no traffic police checking for overloading! And he was a fire-element ability user; why was he being abandoned?
He landed with a heavy thud, following a perfect parabolic trajectory. Before he could understand why, the excruciating pain in his internal organs ended his life.
The car continued to drive forward. However, with many abandoned vehicles on the highway, Lu Feiguang had to weave through them, making it impossible to pick up speed. They were generally traveling at around twenty to thirty kilometers per hour.
Ahead, two more cars were parked in the middle of the road. The difference was that these two were occupied by members of the "Hunters" squad who had managed to escape earlier. Currently, some people from one car were trying to steal from the other.
Xiao Wenqiang had initially intended to ignore them. But as Lu Feiguang maneuvered around, she saw the face of the person being brutally beaten on the ground, yet still refusing to let go of their backpack.
"Stop for a moment!" Xiao Wenqiang shouted.