A Kick

Shut up???

Jia Chunjie's face went from white to green, then black. He glared at Chu Han coldly, a surge of hostility welling up in his heart. Chu Han had actually told him to "shut up"?

He had even helped them get that iron mesh for their vehicle. Yes, he was a cook, but even cooks were supposed to get paid, right? Yet he did not even eat as much as Chen Shaoye! Chu Han was especially wary of him, and the other three were wary of him too. It was obvious that whenever there were matters or plans to discuss, he was never included.

Damn it! What was so great about Chu Han? Wasn't he just better at fighting?

Naturally, Jia Chunjie did not know that Chu Han had the Reforging System, which allowed him to see the loyalty levels of everyone in the group clearly and directly. Jia Chunjie's loyalty had always remained at zero.

Jia Chunjie concealed his emotions and forced a smile. "Yes, yes. I shouldn't disturb you."

"We're getting off the highway." A trace of anticipation and ambition flashed through Chu Han's eyes. He had arrived so many days early. He had to be the first to find that airdrop pack.

Ange Town was a very small town, but even so, given China's enormous population base, it still had over a hundred thousand residents.

Even at the lowest estimate of one hundred thousand people, that meant there were eighty thousand zombies here!

To save fuel, they abandoned two vehicles. All five of them rode in the G55 driven by Chu Han. The car was spacious, and the food in the back seat had long since been consumed. It was just enough room for five people.

Chu Han quietly and slowly drove onto the road leading into Ange Town. There were rows of miscellaneous little shops on either side, all with their doors tightly shut. One or two stood open now and then, but the sights inside were horrifying—human bones and blackened bloodstains everywhere. The entire road outside was strewn with severed limbs. The whole town was silent and desolate.

The stench of decay was especially thick in this little town.

"Why do we have to come here?" Shang Jiudi looked at Chu Han in utter confusion. "We can get food and gasoline without entering a town."

Chu Han avoided answering. He could hardly tell them that he came from the future and knew there would be an airdrop pack here, could he?

"Heh!" Jia Chunjie sneered. "You made the decision on your own without considering your companions' safety. Even if you're the leader of this team, you can't force us to go die, can you? You don't need to think to know how many zombies there are here!"

Chu Han said calmly, "You can get out. No one's forcing you."

"Get out?" Jia Chunjie shot back coldly. "There's only one car left now. You want me to get out here and be bitten to death by zombies?"

"You were the one who insisted on following us in the first place." Chu Han glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his gaze passing over the two silent women and Chen Shaoye. "We'll find a hotel, clear out the zombies, and settle down there first. Then we'll look for vehicles and food. When the time comes, whether you stay or leave is up to you."

He meant Shang Jiudi, Eighteen, and Jia Chunjie. Chen Shaoye, whose loyalty had already reached ninety, would never leave. As for Chu Han himself, his only goal was the airdrop pack anyway.

"Leave my ass!" Eighteen glared at Jia Chunjie. The little girl's childish face was resolute. "I'm following you all the way to Stone City!"

Shang Jiudi pulled her gaze away from the horrifying scene outside the window. Her complexion was not very good. "I have no objections."

Jia Chunjie was immediately left speechless. He did not like Chu Han, but he also wanted to rely on Chu Han's abilities to reach Stone City. If he left and traveled alone, he would definitely encounter plenty of danger.

"Hey, Brother Chu, I was just scared!" Jia Chunjie hurriedly changed his tone. "I'm worried everyone will run into danger. I still want to stick with you."

"Whatever." Chu Han did not care in the slightest whether Jia Chunjie stayed or left. If he stayed, he could continue being a lackey and cook. If not, he could get lost.

After carefully avoiding areas where zombies gathered, Chu Han found a rundown little hotel. A sign reading "Morning Light Hotel" hung precariously overhead. Several zombies in work uniforms wandered around the open entrance. In one corner lay a corpse, while a female zombie continuously licked its ribs.

"Urgh—" Chen Shaoye quietly gagged. He turned his face away, unable to keep watching. It was too disgusting.

"Get out." Chu Han parked in the silent lot behind the little hotel. He showed no reaction to the horrifying sight so close at hand; he had long since grown used to it.

"We're not going to stay here, are we?" Jia Chunjie's face was full of disgust and disdain. "Can't we find somewhere better? This town may be small, but there has to be at least a three-star hotel, right? Even two stars would do! We couldn't stay in nice places when we had no money before. Now we don't have those concerns, yet you picked a place like this? It's disgusting too!"

After parking, Chu Han gripped his axe tightly and looked at him without emotion. "Same thing I said before. If you have a problem with it, you can get lost."

This place was in a terrible location. In civilized times, it probably would have had no business and could only wait to close down. But in the apocalypse, places like this were the safest. Few people and no business meant fewer zombies.

Of course, Chu Han had neither the obligation nor the patience to explain that to someone with loyalty of only zero.

Chen Shaoye, Shang Jiudi, and Eighteen said nothing. They followed Chu Han out of the car, each gripping a different weapon.

"Fuck!" Jia Chunjie muttered a curse. Somewhere Chu Han could not hear, he added, "What a fucking idiot!"

The group moved silently, slowly approaching the hotel entrance without making even the slightest sound.

This hotel really was tiny, with only two floors. The moment they entered, a sharp, foul stench hit them head-on. It was the smell of zombies.

There were several zombies in the first-floor lobby, while the back entrance Chu Han had chosen led directly to the stairs. Without another word, he stepped onto the staircase, completely ignoring the scattered zombies on the first floor.

"We're not killing them?" Chen Shaoye asked nervously behind him.

Chu Han shook his head and lightly shushed him with a finger, then headed up to the second floor.

Past the second floor was a dim corridor only two meters wide. The dark red carpet made it impossible to tell whether it was blood or simply the carpet's color. There were no zombies, but the stench of decay was thick. Closed wooden doors stood every few meters along both sides. There were no lights, and dim rays shone through narrow windows, casting the foul-smelling corridor in an eerie gloom.

Chu Han's footsteps made no sound on the carpet. Whenever he passed a room, he would pause for a moment and carefully listen outside the door or distinguish the smell.

Jia Chunjie, following behind, looked disdainful. What was there to be so vigilant about? Could standing outside a door for a while really reveal anything?

Suddenly, Chu Han stopped before an uneven door. He held his axe tightly at his side, then exerted force with one leg—

Bang!

He kicked the door hard!

Thanks to the lovely Meng Douzi for the reward!!