Little Girl

Several vehicles were parked haphazardly in the distance, tilted at odd angles. One of them stood out in particular—a very expensive supercar. Black blood covered the open ground, leaving the place in a complete mess.

The tall trees around them swayed in the wind, and the ground was carpeted with dead leaves. Six hours of darkness had brought life to ruin. Though it was clearly summer, the air carried a desolate chill.

Silence. No zombies.

Chu Han glanced up at the building not far away. It was a rest stop, an ordinary sight along the highway, with a cafeteria inside.

But its doors were tightly shut now, and the interior was pitch-dark, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"You refuel. I'll keep watch," Chu Han said to Chen Shaoye, who had gotten out of the car after him.

"Hey!" Chen Shaoye hurriedly picked up the fuel nozzle. After pressing it twice, he looked up in confusion. "Boss, no fuel's coming out!"

Chu Han had established the title of boss. A survivor team had to have a leader, even if their team currently consisted of only two people.

No fuel? Chu Han looked over the nozzle twice, unable to determine whether there were any living people in this rest stop.

"Break open the fuel tank and siphon the gas out with the outdoor hydration packs," Chu Han instructed, his expression growing even tenser.

Outdoor hydration packs came with built-in drinking tubes. They had originally been designed as convenient gear for hikers, but in the apocalypse, they had countless uses.

Chen Shaoye hurriedly pulled out the outdoor hydration packs Chu Han had prepared long ago from the back seat. There were more than a dozen of them. He smashed open the fuel tank with a fire axe, then filled the packs with gasoline one by one and slowly poured it into G55's tank.

Just as Chen Shaoye kept running back and forth transferring fuel, a zombie suddenly crawled slowly out of a corner. Half its face had caved in beyond recognition. Its legs were broken, and it dragged itself forward with its hands. Its exposed skin was grayish-white and covered in all kinds of filth, while bloodcurdling snarls rose from its throat.

Chen Shaoye's hand trembled in fright, spilling an entire bag of gasoline.

"Hurry up!" Chu Han said in a low voice.

"Right away, right away." Chen Shaoye immediately sped up.

Chu Han did not move from where he stood. Instead, he quietly waited for the zombie to crawl closer.

The zombie let out frantic roars. The skin on its hands had been worn beyond recognition, exposing rotten fat and blood vessels beneath. Bone protruded from its elbows, scraping against the ground with a teeth-grating sound. It desperately crawled toward Chu Han. It was hungry, crazed, and utterly reckless.

When it got close, Chu Han could even smell the nauseating stench of decay coming from it.

Tightening his grip on the axe, Chu Han swung with both hands and viciously buried the blade in the zombie's skull, ending its life.

Pus spilled from its exploded head and splattered across Chu Han's pant leg. He did not even frown, merely continuing to urge Chen Shaoye on.

Chen Shaoye nearly threw up. He did not ask why Chu Han had insisted on waiting until the zombie got so close before killing it. He knew Chu Han would only give him two words in reply—hurry up.

On the second floor of the rest stop, a man hid behind the curtains. His name was Ye Tianlong. He was tall and powerfully built, with dark skin and arms bulging with muscles.

He held a walkie-talkie in his left hand and gripped a fire axe in his right as he watched Chu Han and Chen Shaoye in the distance.

Crackle—

A young man's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Boss?"

"Stay where you are. Don't move," Ye Tianlong said. Then he turned and swept his gaze over the dozen or so people behind him. There were old and young, men and women.

"Two survivors have arrived," Ye Tianlong said, seemingly asking for their opinions.

"Let them stay!" a woman said. Her name was Lu Wan. She was stunningly beautiful, even more beautiful than a celebrity, though a faint worry lingered in her eyes.

Ye Tianlong nodded with a smile. "Of course."

Using hydration packs with built-in tubes to transfer fuel was painfully slow. By the time Chen Shaoye had finished refueling the car, Chu Han had already killed five zombies. He had no idea where they had come from.

Meanwhile, the Reforging System's Points stood at 108. Three days of training had increased his physical fitness by such a negligible amount that he could barely feel any difference.

Tap, tap, tap!

A sudden burst of footsteps interrupted Chu Han's thoughts. He abruptly raised his iron axe, his gaze shooting toward the source like an eagle's.

The next second, Chu Han's expression turned slightly stunned.

Because the newcomer was a little girl, who looked no older than twelve. She wore a cute puffy dress and had her hair tied in a bun. Her face was clean, her skin fair and tender, and the sound from earlier had come from her little leather shoes.

"Big brother, chubby brother, where did you come from?" The little girl blinked her large, adorable eyes.

That single "chubby brother" immediately loosened Chu Han's stiff expression. Glancing at the clearly stunned Chen Shaoye, Chu Han quietly began observing the little girl.

Twelve years old, and very well cared for. In fact, she seemed completely unaffected by the apocalypse. With so many zombies outside, she had actually dared to run out alone. Either this little girl was missing a screw, or something was wrong here!

"Aren't you afraid of zombies?" Chu Han pointed at the five dead zombies on the ground.

"Not afraid!" The little girl innocently shook her head and pointed to the standalone restroom nearby. "There's a big brother keeping watch inside. If there's danger, he'll come out and protect me!"

When Chu Han turned his head, he saw a young man emerge from the restroom. The man scrutinized Chu Han from head to toe before retreating inside again, apparently standing guard there.

Then the little girl raised her head again. "And Brother Long said zombies move slowly. They can't outrun me at all. Besides, I just saw it—you're really strong. You can kill zombies, so I'm not scared!"

As the little girl spoke innocently, a tall, broad figure hurried out in a panic, scooped her up, and angrily smacked her on the butt. His hand rose high, but the blow was not hard.

"How many times have I told you not to run around?! What if a zombie bites you?!" the man snapped in exasperation.

"Waaah!!" The little girl burst into tears, but quickly stopped. She buried her face against the man and whimpered quietly, clearly knowing that noise would attract zombies.

The sudden turn of events left both Chu Han and Chen Shaoye stunned.

Chen Shaoye hurriedly said, "Why hit a child? She's still young!"

"I was just worried!" The tall man scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Hello, my name is Ye Tianlong. Where did you come from? What's the outside world like now? Are there many survivors?"

After firing off a string of questions, Ye Tianlong looked at them with such sincere eyes that Chen Shaoye immediately felt a favorable impression of him. He quickly replied, "We came from Mingqiu City. We've seen a few survivors, but we got separated. There are zombies everywhere! Oh, right, I'm Chen Shaoye, and this is my boss, Chu Han."

Ye Tianlong nodded, cautiously looked around, and generously invited them, "Let's talk inside. It's dangerous out here."

"Okay! Okay!" Chen Shaoye nodded at once, moved by the offer, and walked alongside Ye Tianlong as they talked.

Chu Han followed behind them, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips. He still held the axe in his hand.

The little girl in Ye Tianlong's arms rested her face against his shoulder, meeting Chu Han's eyes behind her. She turned her face away, her gaze carrying a trace of disgust.

Thanks to Chen Qianmo for the donation, and thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes! I can't thank each of you individually, so let me kowtow three times here—bang, bang, bang! It's the new book period and I want to climb the rankings. Could you spare some votes to help me out? Let's work hard together!

Also, Lucifer's character, Ye Tianlong, made his appearance in this chapter! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Thank you all for your support. There's a pinned post in the comments section. If you want to participate in role-playing, leave a message there. Feel free to tell me directly and bluntly—I'll do my best to fit everyone in!