Chapter 11 - Tears Falling from the Corner of Her Eye

The little girl was huddled in the corner, overwhelmed by fear and sobbing continuously, “Don’t come near, I don’t remember doing anything wrong, please don’t come near, boo hoo.” Seeing her crying so pitifully, I knew I had to act fast. I swung the steel spike and gouged out the heads of the two zombies fixated on human flesh, splattering the ground with red and white matter.

The little girl didn’t seem to realize that someone had come to rescue her and continued to sob with her head in her hands. Meanwhile, a small dog barked defiantly at me. I took hold of the girl’s shoulders and gently shook her, saying, “Don’t be afraid, little sister. Your brother is here to rescue you. You’ve been very brave, just hang on a little longer! Soon, your brother will get you out of here!” With that, I picked up the steel spike again and took out another zombie that was creeping up from the side. “You guys shouldn’t bully kids,” I said, sneering at the fallen zombie.

“Watch out, brother! Behind you!” she warned. A zombie had stealthily crept up behind me, leaving me with no room to effectively use my steel spike. Even if I wanted to fend it off, it would be impossible; after zombification, their strength increases seven to eight times compared to when they were alive, and they feel no pain or fear of death. These creatures are born for slaughter. Their only weaknesses are their slow movement speed and the fact that they can only be killed by destroying their heads. If you try to fight them bare-handed, an ordinary person would quickly be torn apart like cloth!

I decisively abandoned the steel spike and swiftly drew the Type 54 pistol from my waist. With an impressively smooth maneuver, I spun around and aimed, stuffing the muzzle into the zombie’s foul mouth and pulling the trigger forcefully!

“Bang!”

The zombie’s head was pierced by the bullet and exploded, causing it to immediately lose its momentum. It wobbled for a moment before toppling over with a reluctant gaze. “Thank you, little sister,” I said to the girl, while the small dog barked at me disapprovingly. “Ah, haha, thank you too,” I added.

The loud noise from the Type 54 pistol had alerted more zombies to our presence. I quickly turned around to shut the iron gate outside the villa and used a wrench, which had been dropped by the little girl’s father, to bolt the gate and keep the incoming zombies at bay. However, the zombies were incredibly strong, and there was now a large group of them. The gate started to creak ominously, and at this rate, they would break in within five minutes. “Damn it, this is bad. The motorcycle is useless now!”

Inside the villa.

“Liu Yonglin, tell me what we absolutely need, and then get back to what you were doing!” Shen Wei said as she began to pack.

“The guns and ammo in the men’s room are obviously necessary, but why are you packing things up?”

“You are such a big fool. After making such a big mess, we can’t stay here any longer. We need to be ready to leave quickly, so you should be prepared to move at any moment! And Ms. Ye! Anyway, get dressed quickly! Liu Yonglin, you pervert, is going to bleed out soon.”

“How’s Xueqi?”

“All the zombies have been lured away by Tiankuang. Qimeng, is the car ready?”

“It’s ready, we can get in anytime, but in this situation, even with a motorcycle, Tiankuang can’t make it back.”

“Then we’ll just have to go pick him up,” Ye Ling said, getting dressed. Yet, everyone just stared at her in silence. She put her hands on her cheeks and said urgently, “Did I say something odd? Plus, we have the car keys.”

Xueqi smiled and said, “No, it’s a good idea.”

Shen Wei put her hands on her hips and smirked, “Or rather, that’s our only option. Tiankuang always knows how to stir up trouble. It’s decided-we’ll rescue Tiankuang and then escape along the riverbank to Tianhang City! It should be safe there.”

“Wait, look at Tiankuang…” Xueqi exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock while pointing toward the direction of the villa.

“Oh my god, is he insane!” Ye Xiang rubbed his eyes in disbelief, “That’s Tiankuang for you, he’s got guts!” Xueqi, however, just smiled calmly.

Two minutes earlier.

I was feeling helpless as I watched the zombies clawing aimlessly at the iron fence. We were trapped, and the gunshot from before had been too loud, likely drawing every zombie in the vicinity. How on earth was I supposed to get back to the villa? I couldn’t rely on the people there; the little girl’s father was a perfect example. In this world, you can’t easily trust anyone. So what should I do now?

While I was caught up in my dilemma, the little girl tugged at my sleeve. “Brother.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Daddy is dead.”

Seeing the little girl’s pale hand clutching my sleeve and her tear-filled eyes, I couldn’t find the words to comfort her. I looked at the brave father’s body and tore down a white shirt hanging outside the house, using it to cover the deceased. I picked a small flower from a nearby flowerbed and held it out to the girl. “Here you go.”

“Why, elder brother?”

“Listen, little sister, your dad was an amazing person. He died protecting you. He was a great father.” The little girl took the flower from me and gently placed it beside the man. After that, she couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer, and tears poured down her face like a flood. “Daddy, sob, sob.”

Watching the little girl about to lose control, I raised a finger to my lips and made a shushing gesture. “Shh, we can’t make noise, okay?”

I gently patted her head and continued, “If we make noise, the zombies will come.”

“But brother, can we still escape? The path is filled with these things.”

“It’s indeed troublesome. There are just too many zombies; even on a dirt bike, there’s no way to break through.”

“Brother, then can’t we just escape where there isn’t a path?”

Huh? Escape from where there isn’t a path? Does she expect me to fly or something?

I looked up at the villa’s wall, just over a person’s height, and suddenly thought of a somewhat crazy idea-walking along the wall! The walls around the villa complex are all the same height. As long as I stick to the wall, I could make my way back to the villa. If this works, the little sister and I could both escape safely. But if I fail, we’d end up as zombie food. Staying here would certainly doom us. Damn it, if it comes to that, so be it. I have to take this chance!

“Little sister, climb on my back. I’ll carry you and we’ll make a run for it!” The little sister obediently clambered onto my back. Just as I was ready to climb the wall, I heard a dog barking and felt a tug on my pant leg. I turned to see a small dog pulling at my jeans. When I faced it, it let go and looked up at me with a pitiful expression, its tail wagging. I sighed, scooping the dog into my arms. I couldn’t just leave it behind-it was a small life, after all. It was already lucky it hadn’t been eaten by zombies.

With the little sister on my back, the dog in my arms, and a steel spike tucked in my belt-it’s been with me for days and I’d grown attached to it, plus it helps with balance-I started climbing. Thanks to my inexplicably enhanced physique, the weight was no hindrance, and in a few swift moves, I was up on the wall.

But as soon as I got up, the sight below almost made me fall off-a sea of zombies stretched beneath me, their heads bobbing and limbs akimbo! There were zombies missing arms and legs, disfigured zombies, naked zombies-zombies of all kinds, but the one thing they had in common was that they were all dead. They craved the fresh flesh of us living beings.

Standing on the wall, my legs trembled. If I fell, it wouldn’t just be a bite and zombification-it would mean certain death without a trace.

“Little sister, close your eyes. It’ll be over quickly.” Even as I said that, I had no real confidence. The wall was only about five or six centimeters wide. Running with a fifteen or twenty-kilogram girl on my back would be impossible, especially with a one or two-kilogram steel spike in my belt and a five-kilogram dog in my arms. It was daunting. Below us, the zombies were clawing at the wall, reaching bloody hands towards us, emitting horrific screeching sounds. Each of these challenges was immense on its own!

I kept telling myself not to look down, not to look down-just focus on the wall, just focus on the wall. But I found it impossible. The sound of zombies clawing at the wall with their nails, their bloodthirsty roars, and the mere centimeters between us and them all heavily taxed my fragile nerves.

Just as I was trying to concentrate, the dog mischievously poked its head out from my arms and started licking my chin. “Ah, stop with the tongue already!”

The little sister reached out and patted the dog’s head, saying, “No, you can’t do that.” The dog seemed to listen to her and nestled back into my arms. I breathed a long sigh of relief and said, “Little sister, thank you. Aren’t you scared, though?” The little sister simply smiled and replied, “I am scared. What about you, brother?” As if I wasn’t scared! This was like walking a razor’s edge between life and death. But I couldn’t show fear in front of the little sister, so I forced a smile and bravely said, “Uh, this brother here, I’m not scared, not at all.”

“Haha, brother, you’re lying.”

This kid…

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Xueqi and the others saw me walking on the “tightrope” seemingly “safe and sound.” Despite their worries, there wasn’t much they could do, so they hurriedly packed up, scavenging everything useful from the villa. We came empty-handed, but we ended up with seven or eight bundles-a sight akin to looting, though it was out of necessity.

Looking at the pile of bundles, Xueqi remarked, “Isn’t this a bit much to fit in?” Qimeng shrugged and replied, “Of course, but what you should be asking is how to fit it all in.”

Ye Ling climbed into the vehicle and started it with the key. However, she broke into a sweat seeing the mass of buttons in the modified Hummer. Thankfully, Shen Wei was with them; she quickly found the button to open the trunk and pressed it. Fortunately, the Hummer had a large trunk in addition to its spacious passenger compartment, easily accommodating the seven or eight bundles.

At that moment, Liu Yonglin was standing on the second-floor balcony, using the scope of his Type 99 Sniper Rifle to survey the situation outside. When he saw me with a little girl on my back, performing a balancing act on the wall, he couldn’t help but marvel at my actions. However, he also muttered, “There are just too many zombies. Even with a Hummer, it might be tough to break through. I hope Shen Wei and the others have packed everything. I should head down as well and gear up properly, haha.”

After placing the last bundle into the Hummer’s trunk, Shen Wei asked, “Where’s Liu Yonglin?” “He’s still on the second-floor balcony, right?” Just then, Liu Yonglin spoke up, “I’m here.” Everyone turned to see Liu Yonglin, and their jaws dropped, almost hearing the caw of crows flying overhead. His gear was over the top: a Type 99 Sniper Rifle slung over his back, holding an Ithaca M37 Riot Shotgun, dressed in an olive-green, multi-pocket bulletproof vest, with two crossed ammunition belts-one with pointed sniper bullets and the other with cylindrical shotgun shells. He had flashlights strapped to his head and wore night vision goggles-all scavenged from the villa. Liu Yonglin was armed to the teeth.

“Uh,” Liu Yonglin scratched his face with his index finger, “how do I look? Pretty cool, right?”

Shen Wei was speechless. “Cool my foot! Why do you seem so excited?”

Meanwhile, I wore a grim expression as I said to the little girl on my back, “Little sister, could you repeat what you just said?”

The little girl pouted, “I need to pee, I really need to go.”

“Uh, can’t you hold it just a bit longer?”

“I don’t think so. My dad says it’s a natural thing.”

At such a tense moment, this mischievous kid was telling me she needed to pee. What on earth! Where am I supposed to find a bathroom here? Forget a bathroom, there isn’t even a chamber pot in sight! And with a sea of zombies below, stopping was not an option. Walking this tightrope was already an arduous task, each step had to be cautious and deliberate. The weight, which seemed insignificant at first, had started making my legs tremble after carrying it for so long.

I couldn’t help but curse silently: I’ve had the worst luck over the last few days. Not only do I have to battle zombies that toppled the world in just three days, but I’m also playing the hero, saving people left and right, all for no good end. I saved Feng Hai before, and now this troublesome kid, who’s about to pee on my back. Whatever, I’ll just accept my fate. After all, I’m the last good guy of this century.

I bit my lip and said, “Little sister, alright, you can go here.”

“Brother, really? Is that okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay!” So a warm stream trickled down my back, and a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

“Roar-roar-!” Even the zombies seemed to lament my situation, their constant groans echoing around me. Just as I was feeling utterly despondent, a bright light shone on my face, nearly blinding me. I stopped to steady myself, squinting to see what was happening. To my surprise, Ye Ling was driving the heavily modified, olive-green Hummer, barreling through the horde of zombies towards me with Qimeng and the others. Liu Yonglin was leaning out of the sunroof with his Type 99 Sniper Rifle, while Xueqi stood boldly on top of the vehicle, wielding a wooden sword. In the passenger compartment, Ye Ling furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, muttering, “This is too many, we could easily flip over.”

“No way we can back down now!” Shen Wei showed her determination, slapping the back of Ye Ling’s seat and shouting, “Charge-!” It reminded me of that classic game Super Robot Wars, with the fiery, purple-haired female captain using gravity waves.

As the Hummer plowed through a group of zombies, its tires snagged on a severed arm, causing the vehicle to swerve wildly. Fortunately, Ye Ling’s driving skills pulled through, and after some tense moments, she managed to keep the vehicle from flipping over. The tailspin, however, sent zombies flying and cleared a significant path through the undead on the street. Watching from the wall, clutching the little girl and the dog, I couldn’t help but break into a sweat and think, “Geez, these guys are really taking risks.”

I had momentarily forgotten that my own actions were far riskier than anything Ye Ling and the others were doing. The little sister, who had just resolved her “natural issue” on my back, remarked, “Are those your friends, brother?”

“Yeah, they are. Very important friends,” I replied, a smile creeping onto my face as I spoke.

They are the kind of comrades you can’t abandon, even at the cost of your life.