Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1187 - 64 Zombie Small Town

Chapter 1187: Chapter 64 Zombie Small Town

Deep into the night, six armored Humvees drove along the deserted highway, where only the wind and the monotonous roar of the engines could be heard. Listening to it for too long could make one feel irritable.

"How much longer until we catch up to the helicopter? Can’t you drive any faster?" Zhou Meng, anxious about Su Su’s safety and burning with impatience, urged the traffic police to speed up once again.

Before the deadline given by Trojan had ended, the survivors had fortunately fled Chicago at full speed in their armored Humvees, embarking on a highway leading to an unknown destination.

By now, the fleet had been traveling for over an hour. Despite the carriage being crammed with people, making it stuffy and with a pungent stench of blood and sweat, the newbies who had been scared for a whole day couldn’t help but doze off. Of course, there were also those who couldn’t sleep, staring out of the vehicle, hoping to reunite with Tang Zheng sooner.

The helicopter didn’t have much fuel, so Tang Zheng couldn’t accompany the fleet in flight; instead, he went ahead to scout, leaving the rest of the newbies feeling uneasy, afraid of being left behind.

"Getting worked up is useless. Why don’t you drive?" the traffic police retorted, dissatisfied, glancing at the rearview mirror, "The road conditions are passable, but it’s too dark. I don’t want to have an accident."

Even so, the traffic police leading the team, with his excellent driving skills, managed to leave the following five Humvees far behind.

"Let’s switch, I’ll drive." Zhou Meng took action, and as he spoke, he attempted to open the door of the passenger seat.

The traffic police was happy for the break, thinking it a good time to wait for the other vehicles to catch up. It was safer to travel together.

Tang Zheng flew the helicopter along the highway, hoping to find a place to settle for the night quickly. He glanced at the fuel gauge, which showed the needle entering the red area, meaning the fuel was nearly depleted—only twenty minutes of flight time remained—so he sped up once more.

"How long are we going to fly for?" Liu Man couldn’t help asking. The cabin was too crowded, even more so than a train during the peak travel season. They had been in the same position for so long, their bodies were stiff and extremely uncomfortable.

"If we really can’t find a place to stay, we’ll have to make do on the highway for the night!" Tong Dahong didn’t want to fly any longer either; it was torture.

"Stop it. Tang Zheng has to pilot the airplane, which is much more tiring than just sitting here," Song Xin defended Tang Zheng, looking at his strong figure and wanting to cry. If it hadn’t been for him, they all would have died in the city.

The newbies fell silent, realizing only then that the group leader had been fighting all day. Looking at Kong Licheng and Dong Zixuan, who were already asleep from exhaustion, they recalled that during their idle time, Sophie had told them about the hardships that Tang Zheng had encountered while he was away. Anyone else might have crumbled under such pressure.

Tao Ran curled up in a corner, hugging his legs and stealing glances at Tang Zheng, feeling like with him around, the sky wouldn’t fall.

"Just bear with it a little longer. There are usually gas stations and rest areas along the highway," Tang Zheng said soothingly, trying to move his stiff fingers.

"There’s light!" Su Su suddenly exclaimed excitedly, spotting some light spots on the distant ground through the helicopter windows, shining like beacons in the darkness.

"That’s a small town. At last, we can rest. Maybe we can have a sumptuous dinner, take a hot shower, and get a good night’s sleep." Tang Zheng sighed with relief, and everyone else was overjoyed, licking their lips in anticipation.

Five minutes later, Tang Zheng flew over the town’s lights, not rushing to land but circling to inspect the area.

This was a small town less than a mile from the highway, with a main street no more than a hundred meters long but with all the essentials: besides a large gas station on the highway, there were grocery stores and a supermarket. Overall, about sixty households likely lived there, residing in two-story wooden structures.

"Why aren’t we landing?" Tong Dahong didn’t understand, "We have weapons, what’s there to be afraid of?"

"Don’t you think it’s too quiet?" Tang Zheng frowned slightly, turning on the helicopter’s xenon lights underneath. Although the noise from the propeller wasn’t loud, it should have been enough to alert the residents, but why was no one coming out to check?

"There are soldiers!" Kong Licheng suddenly shouted, startling everyone.

Tang Zheng nodded to show that he saw them too, and quickly increased the helicopter’s altitude. He certainly didn’t want to be shot down, but it seemed he was worried over nothing.

After circling the town completely, Tang Zheng got a full view of the small town and the military battalion temporarily resting there—the size of a battalion, heavily armed to the teeth. Aside from the troop carriers, there were even five modern tanks he couldn’t name, painted desert camo and looking quite imposing.

"How did they all become zombies?" When the xenon lights passed over several people, Kong Licheng saw their ghastly pale, decaying faces, looking up and roaring at the helicopter.

"I don’t know," Tang Zheng replied, noticing the fuel was about to run out, and flew toward the west side of the town. Some soldiers had left their positions and were following the helicopter, "Hold on tight, I’m going to land now."

"Hey, why are we landing here? There are zombies here!" Su Su was frightened.

"We’re out of fuel, and besides, staying in the town is safer. As for those soldiers, it’s a good chance for you to practice. Courage and marksmanship are earned through experience, did you think you could learn them in your sleep?" Tang Zheng was eager to train Tao Ran and the others, having finally encountered some zombies.

"And that’s not the only benefit. If we can get their weapons, our strength will increase by several notches." Dong Zixuan was eager to try, having rested a bit and feeling somewhat refreshed.

Two minutes later, the helicopter landed on the lush grass about a hundred meters to the west of the town. The ground felt comfortable beneath their feet and made no noise when stepped on.

Once the propeller stopped rotating, the dozen or so zombies that had followed were left without their source of noise and began wandering nearby.

Tang Zheng grabbed the rifle, jumped out of the cabin, and knelt on one knee on the ground, looking around. Without night-vision goggles, he couldn’t see far, and as for the tactical flashlight, he didn’t dare to turn it on. In the black night, that thing was the best target.

Kong Licheng opened the hatch, jumped down, and the newbies followed suit, one after another. They weren’t as cautious as Tang Zheng, all moaning, gasping for air in large breaths. Liu Man was unsteady on her feet and fell forward, tumbling into a heap with Su Su.

"Quiet, shut up," Tang Zheng roared softly, "Move your limbs quickly, restore blood circulation."

"What do we do next? Charge in?" Dong Zixuan, holding a rifle, approached Tang Zheng, imitated his posture, and squatted on the ground, looking toward the small town.

"Next time remember to point the muzzle down, don’t aim it at people," Tang Zheng extended his left hand, pressed it on the policewoman’s gun barrel, and lowered it.

"How embarrassing," the policewoman’s cheek flushed, but fortunately, it was dark, and nobody noticed.

"Su Su, go wait on the highway, don’t let the traffic police pass by. But judging by the speed estimate, they won’t arrive for at least an hour," Tang Zheng began assigning tasks.

Su Su did not reply or move. She stood still, twining her fingers together, hesitant to speak.

"If you have something to say, speak!" Tang Zheng hated wasting time.

"Zixuan," Su Su was afraid and shuddered, looking at her colleague for help.

"You really are something, she’s just a girl, and you’re making her guard the road all by herself. Anyone would be scared in her place," Dong Zixuan shot Tang Zheng a glare.

"Zhao Yulian, you go with her," Tang Zheng, not wanting to waste time on these matters, called on another woman.

"No, I can’t," Zhao Yulian held her child, her voice trembling, frightened at the thought of standing in the unfamiliar outdoors.

"If you don’t go, then go fight the zombies. Choose for yourselves," Tang Zheng sighed; these people really didn’t know what was good for them.

"Don’t bully my mom," the child woke up and, seeing his mother crying, immediately glared at Tang Zheng with anger.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Yulian slapped the back of the child’s head, worried that he had angered Tang Zheng.

The child cried out in grievance.

"Forget it, do as you wish. Liu Binshi, you go with Su Su, and remember to take a gun," Tang Zheng gave up on Zhao Yulian; if people didn’t try to adapt, any amount of help from others was of no use.

"I want to fight zombies, let the women wait," Liu Binshi refused; he wanted to practice his shooting, to increase his chances of survival.

"Huixin, you go," Liu Guohao bit his teeth and handed the shotgun to his wife, "If you see a stranger, just fire."

"Be careful. I can take care of myself," Li Huixin was not dramatic; a determined woman, she showed more responsibility than some men.

"Tang Zheng, can you give my wife some more bullets?" The rugged man scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, "I want her to practice shooting while she waits, okay?"

"Fine," Tang Zheng opened his backpack, took out two boxes of shotgun shells, and handed them over, "Be careful not to attract zombies."

"Right," Liu Guohao nodded, remembering Tang Zheng’s kindness in his heart.

"All right, dismiss. I don’t care how you do it, but everyone must kill at least five zombies," Tang Zheng finished speaking and walked over to Zhao Dongtao, "Tao Ran, Song Xin, come here."

The newbies looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Tang Zheng, I’m coming with you," Liu Man pouted and chased after him, while the other newbies watched Tao Ran and Song Xin with various envies and jealousies. The Group Leader was evidently going to mentor them personally.

"What are you trying to do, Tang Zheng?" Dong Zixuan frowned, "People follow you because they trust you, but you’re leaving them behind?"

The newbies didn’t dare to say anything, but some harbored a little resentment.

"Some of you trust me, and I’m grateful for that, but some just want to find a strong guy to protect you. Don’t take me for a fool," Tang Zheng stood firm, scanning the newbies, "Do you think I can protect you for a lifetime? Truthfully, sometimes, I can barely protect myself, let alone others. While it’s safe for now, you should actively train. Only when you’re away from me will you think actively about how to survive. That’s when you’ll grow bolder in fighting zombies."

Convinced by his words, the newbies acknowledged that with Tang Zheng by their side, even facing zombies, they felt secure, a condition truly not conducive to training. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)