Get password here. Click me!(KO-FI)
A thick fog engulfed everything.
The car came to a halt.
Chu Muge frowned as she gazed at the greenery ahead. No, this wasn’t just a patch of landscaping anymore. Towering trees pierced through the mist, with plants climbing over dilapidated skyscrapers. Grass grew out of cracks in the road, and wild vegetation spread out, turning the place into something like a primeval forest.
The exit to Area B wasn’t the same area Chu Muge had been in before. The tall buildings had previously blocked her view, and the thick fog concealed much, so she only now realized how transformed this place had become.
The plants had mutated.
The trees stretched high into the sky, their branches thick and full, with long, vine-like tendrils hanging down. Her figure seemed insignificant compared to these colossal giants. Chu Muge cautiously parked the car a little distance away and stepped out, standing on the cracked pavement and looking up at the sky.
The exit to Area B was blocked.
Green vines had woven together, forming a wall that obstructed the way out.
She could ram through it, but Chu Muge had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple.
These vines were strange, as if purposefully blocking the exit, as if something didn’t want them to leave.
She glanced around, recalling the odd occurrences since arriving in this area.
... There were hardly any zombies.
Aside from the zombie that had helped them move some cars earlier, they had encountered far fewer zombies than expected.
With their previous experience at the shopping district fresh in her mind, Chu Muge could already tell something wasn’t right.
The virus didn’t just infect humans—it could infect plants too.
Was the scarcity of zombies related to the mutated plants?
She sighed, returning to the car and speaking to Gu Yao, who was seated in the front. “Send them out to scout.”
Gu Yao turned to glance at the two zombie dogs in the backseat, then looked back at Chu Muge.
This time, Chu Muge’s gaze brooked no argument.
Gu Yao wilted under the pressure.
She connected the mental threads, and the two zombie dogs immediately obeyed her command. As soon as the door opened, they leaped out and began running down the road, heading toward the area where the towering trees loomed.
Chu Muge and Gu Yao watched their retreating figures, waiting silently to see if anything would happen.
As the dogs entered the shadowy cover of the trees, they raced toward the vine wall, as if reliving their long-lost youth.
Then, in the next second, something shifted, massive, tendril-like appendages dropped from the trees above. Two snake-like shadows shot toward the zombie dogs. The tips of the tendrils opened up, revealing purple mouths with suction cups that latched onto one of the dogs, hoisting it up into the air.
In mere moments, the zombie dog’s body shriveled, becoming a twisted, dried-up husk. The tendrils dragged it up into the mist, where it disappeared from sight.
Ah! Little dog was gone!
Gu Yao quickly commanded the other dog to escape. With a sharp, evasive maneuver, the dog dodged the second tendril and sprinted back, running frantically.
The tendrils wavered in the air for a moment before retracting into the trees.
Gu Yao, still watching the returning dog, turned to Chu Muge, her expression filled with a mixture of grievance and silent blame.
Now she only had one dog left! qwq
Chu Muge shifted her gaze.
...Good riddance.
Seeing the surviving dog return, Chu Muge calmly spoke, trying to distract Gu Yao, “So, the plants here have evolved to become predators, using those vine-like things to drain living beings dry and absorb their nutrients?”
She looked toward the vine wall blocking the exit in the distance and pondered for a moment. “There’s no way we can just drive through.”
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “I have an idea.”
—
“Hey, do you think the road behind us is completely clear now?” Chu Muge couldn’t hold back her excitement as she asked again, “I mean, with all the cars and stuff cleared… if I were to pull off a drift later…”
Gu Yao nodded.
Satisfied, Chu Muge smiled, her hand resting on the horn. She pressed it.
Honk! Honk!
Chu Muge had been wanting to press that horn for a while.
The blaring sound of the horn echoed through the silent city. One honk wasn’t enough, so she pressed it again, and again, until she finally just left her hand on it, letting the horn roar continuously.
After a few seconds, she released the horn and waited quietly.
The world fell silent once more.
It felt like the ground was trembling.
The off-road vehicle idled in front of the marketplace, waiting for the tide to come.
Chaotic footsteps pounded in the distance. As Chu Muge turned the car around and slammed her foot on the gas, the first zombie came barreling out of the main gate, limbs flailing as it charged toward the vehicle.
And then came the sea.
The market’s entrance was wide, but not wide enough to handle the sheer volume of zombies pouring out in waves.
From above, the gray tide clogged the gate, pushing and shoving as one batch after another spilled out.
Chu Muge floored the gas pedal, and the zombies behind them gathered once more, a gray-white ocean of bodies chasing after the vehicle.
—There were fewer than before, probably because some had fallen behind or had been disabled by friendly fire from other zombies.
But there were enough.
The off-road vehicle sped down the broken road, with the surging tide of zombies gaining on them.
For the first time, Gu Yao realized just how good Chu Muge’s driving was.
At every sharp turn, Chu Muge expertly swung the wheel, causing the car to skid and drift with a screech, as if they were in a race.
Occasionally, a few zombies stood in their path, but the modified off-road vehicle ran right over them, its spikes puncturing their flesh, the sound of bones crunching under the tires.
Whenever the horde fell too far behind, Chu Muge would slow down just a little, waiting for them to catch up, only to accelerate at the last moment and widen the gap again.
About to crash into the wall! … No, they weren’t.
About to be caught by the zombies! … No, not that either.
The car rocked violently, and though Gu Yao’s emotions had dulled significantly, her mind still sparked with a single thought:
Thrilling.
It felt like they were one second away from a catastrophic crash (゜Q。)
She glanced at the backseat. The zombie dog, lacking a seatbelt, had knocked its head against the interior several times, looking rather pitiful.
Gu Yao wasn’t convinced that Chu Muge hadn’t thrown in some extra flair on purpose. Just look at her, the corner of her mouth was already twitching into a smile!
The off-road vehicle roared as if it were flying down the road.
Then, at some point, Chu Muge turned the wheel, sliding the car slightly to the side before hitting the brakes hard. The tires screeched as they skidded against the pavement, bringing the car to a halt.
Chu Muge looked at the “primeval forest” not far away, eyes on the vine wall at the end of the overgrown road. “We’re here.”
The car’s nose pointed directly at the plant wall blocking the exit.
Meanwhile, the thundering footsteps and ear-piercing growls from the zombie horde behind them grew louder, drawing closer with each passing second.
They were nearly upon them!
Gu Yao watched through the rearview mirror, seeing the leading zombies almost grabbing the car’s rear bumper, feeling a surge of anxious excitement.
Ah, she wasn’t scared or anything, Gu Yao told herself. It was more like watching an intense movie—exciting, tense, thrilling.
Just as the zombies pounced at the car, Chu Muge slammed the gas pedal. The speedometer’s needle shot right, accelerating rapidly.
The off-road vehicle roared once more, swerving slightly as it charged forward down the road, heading straight for the goal.
Break through it.
Destination: New Garo.