Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1148 - 31: Encounter Casualties (Third Watch)

Chapter 1148: Chapter 31: Encounter Casualties (Third Watch)

Because the wristwatch had a map, Tang Zheng wasn’t worried about everyone getting scattered, but he still increased his pace to the maximum, swiftly aiming to destroy the Central Computer.

Wen Xiao originally wanted to say something, but seeing Tang Zheng so focused on his work, all her words got stuck in her throat.

"Where’s Tang Zheng? Why is he so slow? He’s not planning to catch up with us after we find the virus, is he?" Cheng He looked back, saw no one behind, belittled Tang Zheng, and simultaneously sought Dong Zixuan’s attention.

"Watch your tone, Tang Zheng isn’t that kind of person." Li Yumiao was very upright, and because Tang Zheng had always been helping them, she spoke up for him. Liu Miao, who was more timid, didn’t want to provoke trouble and kept silent.

"Hmph, these days, there’s no shortage of people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back," Cheng He retorted, unyielding, not afraid of anyone except Tang Zheng and Kong Licheng.

"Are you asking for a beating?" Zheng Sheng didn’t want to reason, and started rolling up his sleeves, ready to fight.

"Shut your mouth," Dong Zixuan gave Cheng He a glare, "Focus on leading the way."

"Fine, fine, whatever you say, I’ll do," Cheng He replied with a grin, trying to appease the policewoman.

Li Yumiao looked at the cowering Liu Miao and spat in disdain, he had no respect for people who flocked to fortune and shunned calamity.

"Alright, let’s go." Five minutes later, Tang Zheng had fixed the system, repacked his backpack, and set off. He didn’t blindly rush after the main team but moved steadily, firstly for safety, secondly because it wasn’t often someone else led the way; not taking advantage of it would be a disservice to the efforts he had put in recently.

"Tang Zheng, how have you been doing? Is university life interesting?" Wen Xiao finally found an opportunity to reminisce.

"So-so, they’re pretty lax, whether you study or not is completely up to you, but I’ve taken a break," Tang Zheng replied and looked back, sizing up Wen Xiao seriously for the first time. He noticed a sense of maturity about her, her attire giving off the vibe of a homemaking woman.

"I got married." Noticing Tang Zheng’s puzzled look, Wen Xiao explained. She was an ordinary-looking woman, with an ordinary body and ordinary academic performance. After finishing junior high school, she started working, then met a man she liked and under family pressure, she got married.

"Congratulations, why didn’t you let me know?" Tang Zheng was genuinely happy for Wen Xiao, "Is your husband good to you?"

"I don’t even have your phone number, how could I let you know?" Wen Xiao shot Tang Zheng a look, sighed, "For you guys, you have high school and university classmates, but to me, you were the only classmate I had. By the way, I’ve only been married for three months, I should be enjoying matrimonial bliss. Why did I end up here? Had I known, I wouldn’t have attended the reunion."

As Wen Xiao spoke, she suddenly started crying, feeling genuinely scared. The echo of their footsteps only emphasized her loneliness and helplessness.

"Tang Zheng, you will help me, right?" Wen Xiao suddenly took a few steps forward, grabbing Tang Zheng’s wrist, "We were classmates, we should help each other."

"Of course, I will help you." Seeing Wen Xiao lose composure, Tang Zheng nodded seriously, knowing she needed care, even a word of comfort was better than nothing, "Don’t worry too much, nothing will happen."

Besides that, Tang Zheng had no other reaction, and he didn’t even hug Wen Xiao, simply patting the back of her hand.

"Did you know, I’m pregnant, just a month in." Looking at Tang Zheng’s composed face, Wen Xiao felt calmer and gradually relaxed, "You must come for the baby’s one-month celebration."

"Congratulations, I’ll definitely be there," Tang Zheng said with a smile, and then turned to continue leading the way. At that moment, he gritted his teeth, cursing his own helplessness. If he had regained his peak abilities and physical condition, he might have been confident, but currently, even his own chances of survival were pitifully slim.

Tang Zheng didn’t know that in fact, every group leader faced the same predicament as he did, watching familiar people in their teams die one after the other, a kind of agony and torture that could break anyone not strong-willed.

Three meandering Lickers, having heard their footsteps, were hurrying over from another passage.

Tang Zheng had wanted to advise Wen Xiao to be quiet, but seeing that talking was the only thing that could relax her, he sighed and gave up.

Kong Licheng and his group exited the passage and entered a lobby with a clean marble floor that could reflect their silhouettes, displaying the Anlanke company logo, and in the corner stood a vase taller than a person. At the front was the reception desk, but the receptionist had been shot dead with one lying on the floor and another slumped over the counter.

"They aren’t zombies, how did they get shot dead?" Seeing their manner of death, Hu Liwen got startled.

"Stay quiet." Dong Zixuan’s gaze drifted to the glass door on the left side of the reception, which led to the office area, to the right were five elevators, three of which seemed to be broken, leaving only two with numbers decreasing.

"Watch the elevators." Kong Licheng reminded, and the newbies immediately aimed their guns in that direction.

With a ding, the elevator arrived, and the door opened a crack, allowing the newbies to glimpse the dozen or so zombies crammed inside. Without people outside, they would remain quiet until one of the zombies accidentally pressed a button, leaving again. However, upon seeing Dong Zixuan and others this time, they immediately charged out frantically.

"Fire." Kong Licheng opened fire, wielding a Benelli and unleashing a barrage, the shotgun shells whistling out, creating a storm of bullets that swept through the zombies.

The dozen zombies had only charged three meters before they were shot to pieces, with splattered flesh everywhere.

"Stop firing, look at that elevator on the left," Kong Licheng stopped the frantic newbies, loudly reminding them that these guys were still too nervous. Once the zombies got within ten meters, they’d completely collapse and run, never even thinking about counterattacking.

"Load your ammo, what are you spacing out for?" Dong Zixuan stuffed shotgun shells into the magazine, seeing the newbies just aiming at the elevator door, completely forgetting they’d already fired plenty of bullets, she couldn’t help but panic.

The newbies now hurriedly reloaded their weapons, making frequent mistakes due to their lack of proficiency; Li Xizhu even dropped his ammo clip.

"Next time remember to count your shots and how many you’ve fired," Kong Licheng felt like he could take care of them all by himself—they were too clumsy. He began to feel a sense of superiority; if it weren’t for him, these people would all have died here.

Ding, the elevator door opened, and sure enough, another group of zombies emerged. The newbies immediately opened fire, watching the zombies shatter from the bullets and fall to the ground. The man with the long face suddenly felt a rush of pleasure.

"What would it feel like to shoot a living person?" The man with the long face saw a female white-collar zombie, dressed in a white shirt and pencil skirt. Because she had been torn by zombies before her death, her clothes were in tatters, exposing her chest, and she stood out once the other zombies fell.

With deliberate aim, the man with the long face targeted her right leg clad in silk stockings and fired.

Bang, the female white-collar’s leg was blown off, and she fell to the ground. Watching her struggle, the man with the long face excitedly whistled. He intended to torture her some more before killing her, but Dong Zixuan took a shot, blowing her head off.

"Tsk," the man with the long face clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"Check for any survivors," Kong Licheng added, heading toward the glass door. He wasn’t going to take the elevator; it was too dangerous.

The man with the long face looked at the female white-collar’s silk-stocking-clad thigh, licked the corner of his mouth, stepped over the corpse, and walked past.

"Such a pity." The man with the long face extended his right foot, stepping on her chest, savoring the feel—it was blissful. Then he kicked her thigh root with the tip of his shoe, "When can we catch a live one?"

The man with the long face was fantasizing in his mind, but his gaze stealthily shifted toward the two policewomen.

The other newbies didn’t want to look at the dead bodies; they followed Kong Licheng toward the glass door.

"Right, take a picture," the man with the long face took out his mobile phone, aimed at the female white-collar’s body. While he was adjusting the angle, a Licker suddenly burst out from the elevator. Because the man with the long face was alone and closest to the elevator, he naturally became its first target.

"Fuck, help me!" The man with the long face saw a black shadow flash by the corner of his eye, didn’t bother to take the photo, and dashed to the side. Unfortunately, the Licker was too fast and pounced on him in the blink of an eye.

"Help me!" the man with the long face screamed, his arm was pinned down by the Licker’s sharp claws, leaving him unable to fire his weapon, while its tongue shot out like an arrow, piercing into his chest.

Spit, the man with the long face spat out a mouthful of blood, watching as the big, foul-smelling mouth of the creature bit down, he struggled violently.

The newbies, frightened, all opened fire, but their aim was terrible. Someone’s shotgun hit the man with the long face in the calf, causing him to scream in pain.

Kong Licheng and Dong Zixuan acted, hitting the back of the Licker. Luckily they had the man with the long face as cannon fodder bait; otherwise, with the creature’s speed, several people would likely have been casualties.

"You motherfuckers, where the hell are you shooting!" The man with the long face cursed, coughing up more blood, "Dress the wound, dress it for fuck’s sake!"

"It’s no use, the tongue made a wound; he’s definitely going to turn into a zombie," Kong Licheng didn’t want to touch the man with the long face, and neither did anyone else, especially given his malicious nature.

"Please, save me," after the man with the long face finished cursing, he remembered he needed help. Seeing their indifference, he grew desperate, sweating profusely, and looked towards Hu Hong, "Old Hu."

"Let’s go scout ahead," Hu Hong shifted his gaze, eager to leave.

The man with the long face despaired, swearing profusely, knowing he wouldn’t survive. He tried to pick up the shotgun, aiming to take a few with him.

"Scumbag, let’s go," Kong Licheng shot the man with the long face’s gun to pieces, then turned to enter the office area.

"The Lickers seem to possess simple intelligence," Dong Zixuan sighed, seeing the second death. She was right; the Lickers could use their innate abilities to ambush, an instinct evolved from their adaptation.

"There might be trouble ahead; let’s move fast," Tang Zheng, hearing the gunshots, surmised the problems they might have encountered. Missing a few zombies could spell trouble for them.

Wen Xiao was slow and naturally fell behind; Tang Zheng, due to the sound of gunshots and running, plus his diminished physical condition, did not notice that three Lickers on the ceiling were rapidly approaching from behind.

These zombies were skilled at ambushing, moving silently with no noise. When they pounced, the wind power they brought alerted Tang Zheng.

"Not good," Tang Zheng turned just in time to see the leading Licker pounce toward Wen Xiao, while the second one lunged at him. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)