A harsh, grating noise pierced the silence as the heavily damaged transport vehicle finally gave out, its engine succumbing to exhaustion. A thick cloud of white smoke billowed from beneath the hood. Lin Tao jumped down, lifted the hood for a quick inspection, and immediately cursed under his breath. Turning back to the others in the vehicle, he called out, "Grab whatever you can and get out. Looks like we’re walking from here!"

  "What happened? Can’t we fix it?" Hu Laoda was the first to jump down, hurrying to inspect the damage.

  "The radiator's busted. We’re lucky we made it this far," Lin Tao shook his head, his voice ced with resignation.

  Ten minutes ter, the exhausted group of girls finally stumbled out of the vehicle. They couldn’t carry everything, especially the delicious rice dumplings they had stocked up on. They took as much as their backpacks could hold, stuffing them to the brim. Stepping away from the transport, which had offered an uncomfortable yet secure shelter, they found themselves disoriented in the oppressive darkness. The girls huddled together, their thin bodies shivering helplessly in the night’s chill.

  "Cao Mei on the left, Bai Ru on the right, Hu Laoda, you cover the rear!" Lin Tao frowned at the frightened group clinging to each other. Standing at the front with a fshlight raised, he spoke sternly, "No matter what happens or what horrors you see on the road, you must not scream. You all know what will happen if we attract the horde. Those of you with guns—avoid shooting unless absolutely necessary. We’re right outside the county, and we all saw how many undead were swarming in there. Stay alert. Let’s move!"

  They trudged forward, navigating a road pitted with potholes and covered in thick yers of yellow sand. If not for the occasional scrape of gravel underfoot, they might not have realized they were still walking on what had once been a smooth asphalt road. As their initial tension eased slightly, they began to notice the eerie transformation of their surroundings. Buildings, whether colpsed or miraculously standing, were all buried under yers of sand. Trees along the roadside bent under its weight, with only a few still clinging to life.

  "This doesn’t make sense. We’re near the Yangtze River, not in the northwest desert. Why is this pce almost a wastend?" Zhang Hong clung to Lin Tao’s arm, scanning their surroundings in astonishment.

  "I’m just as baffled. The environment here almost makes me think we’ve stepped into the United States. It looks just like the sand-buried ruins of Las Vegas," Lin Tao murmured, his brows knitted in disbelief.

  "Boss Lin, I have a bad feeling that Jiangcheng isn’t going to be much better off," Bai Ru said, her grip tightening around her gun as she gazed at him with grave concern.

  "We’ll take it one step at a time. When we find a safe pce, I’ll make sure you all settle down first," Lin Tao sighed, fatigue weighing down his voice.

  They continued their trek through the desote ndscape, their closeness providing little comfort against the suffocating fear in their hearts. Only when they looked at the broad, unwavering back of the man leading them did they find the slightest sense of security.

  With one final swing of his bde, Lin Tao severed the head of the st undead in their path. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to the group. "Clean up this pce. We’ll rest here for the night. Tomorrow morning, we’ll figure out a way to get another vehicle."

  The others nodded numbly. They were beyond exhausted. After enduring the terror of the past hours and trekking over ten kilometers, they had finally found a retively safe two-story restaurant. Yet even those few kilometers had been fraught with danger. If not for Lin Tao and Michael, their chances of survival—even armed—would have been slim. The undead lurked everywhere, even in the most unassuming corners, waiting to pounce.

  The entire journey had been one of fear and tension. Any excitement they once felt about traveling was long gone, repced by a weariness that went beyond physical exhaustion. The mental strain had drained them far more than their bodies.

  Lin Tao’s words left no room for argument. Hu Laoda and a few of the girls got to work clearing out the corpses, though their reluctance was evident. But with only two men in the group, and Lin Tao having already done more than his fair share, they couldn’t bring themselves to ask him to take on more. Gritting their teeth, they took turns hauling the bodies outside, while Hu Laoda wore his usual mischievous grin.

  This small restaurant was the only viable shelter in the area. Every other building was either destroyed or crawling with undead. Fortunately, after Lin Tao had taken down three of them, no further threats had emerged. Even better, the second floor had rooms meant for guests—a luxury after days of sleeping on hard ground.

  Once the cleanup was done and the girls had retreated upstairs, Lin Tao and Hu Laoda barricaded the entrance with the heavy reception counter. Lin Tao had initially considered asking Hu Laoda to cook something warm, but seeing how exhausted he was, Lin Tao sighed and said, "Eat whatever we have and get some rest. Conserve water—it might be a problem in the future. Those with guns will take turns keeping watch. Cao Mei and Bai Ru first, then me, then Hu Laoda. Three-hour shifts."

  Cao Mei and Hu Laoda exchanged grateful smiles—first and st shifts were the least grueling. Only Bai Ru hesitated, gncing at Lin Tao. She knew the second shift was the toughest: waking up in the dead of night, only to struggle to sleep again after being relieved. But Lin Tao had assigned it to himself without hesitation.

  One by one, the others retreated upstairs to find rooms. Though the restaurant had over a dozen rooms, fear had left the girls unwilling to sleep alone. They paired up immediately, and if the beds had been bigger, they would have crammed three or four together.

  As the girls disappeared upstairs, Cao Mei and Bai Ru set up a small, hand-cranked camping ntern on the table and took their positions, guns in hand. Meanwhile, Hu Laoda shamelessly followed the girls, attempting to sweet-talk his way into sharing a room. His efforts were met with icy gres and smmed doors. Even Li Li and Jiao Jiao rushed into their room, shutting the door so forcefully that it nearly hit his nose. With no choice, Hu Laoda grumbled a few curses before resigning himself to an empty room.

  Lin Tao, after issuing a few final instructions to the two women on guard, headed upstairs. Facing the row of closed doors, he hesitated. He had seen all of their bodies before in moments of survival, but barging in uninvited still felt inappropriate. Should he knock and ask?

  Just as he reached out to try, a door at the far end creaked open. A soft glow from a camping ntern illuminated the figure standing there—Zhang Hong. She stepped out, cd only in an oversized white shirt, her bare legs smooth and fair. Her gaze met his, filled with unspoken longing and anticipation.