The fight began

Chen Xiaofei leaned out the window and sprayed gunfire behind them. The noise sent the survivors on the bus crouching together with their hands over their heads, screaming.

Yang Cong had already been trussed up tightly to keep him from causing trouble.

Zhao Gang could only fret helplessly, while Liu Chunhui held their little daughter close. The family of three was anxious but quiet, neither screaming nor getting in the way.

Wang Weihu drove like a man possessed, sticking close behind Qin Luo's Off-Road Vehicle.

The moment Qin Luo flashed his lights, Wang Weihu understood that they were stopping to fight.

"We have no choice. We can't shake it. Zhao Gang, you drive. Take the others and keep going. Once you reach City C, you should be able to find another rescue squad."

Wang Weihu shouted the instructions to Zhao Gang. The bus had a full tank, and several cans of gasoline scavenged from other vehicles were stored in the back.

There was more than enough to get them to City C. "You'll have to make the rest of the trip yourself. Listen carefully. Whatever mutant animals or zombies you run into, don't panic. Keep your head. If you can ram through them, do it."

Zhao Gang's hands shook with nerves, but he nodded repeatedly. "I understand. But what about you? Can you beat that huge thing?"

Liu Chunhui's face was pale as she spoke. "There are only a few of you. How can you beat that monster? Why don't we all leave together? Just drive faster."

Wang Weihu said there was no time. "Keep this up and none of you will get away. We'll buy you some time. If things go south, we can still escape. With you here, we can't fight freely. It's too easy to get distracted."

With that, he stopped the bus.

Zhao Gang dared not waste any more time and immediately traded places with him. Wang Weihu's driving had put some distance between them and the snake person, buying them a little time. Zhao Gang gritted his teeth. "All right. We won't hold you back. Please be careful. If we run into anyone, we'll ask them to come help you!"

Wang Weihu smiled and patted his shoulder, telling him to get away as fast as he could.

Their little daughter nestled obediently in Liu Chunhui's arms and said with wide eyes, "You're heroes, mister. Please stay safe."

Wang Weihu reached out and stroked the little girl's head. "Listen to your mom and dad."

The little girl nodded.

Chen Xiaofei immediately pulled himself back through the window. He had fired several shots, yet all he had managed were a few shallow grazes on that huge, fat snake. "Damn it, this thing is so agile. I can barely land a shot!"

Wang Weihu jumped off the bus. "Xiaofei, hurry!"

Chen Xiaofei called back and jumped down, then turned to add, "If you want to live, you'd better not untie that bastard. Don't let him cause trouble."

The others were trembling with fear. At his words, they all looked at Yang Cong.

If Yang Cong hadn't been bound and gagged, he would have been swearing up a storm. His face was filled with terror as he struggled, but he couldn't budge an inch.

The others nodded repeatedly, knowing full well that he was the most likely to ruin things.

Wu Zijie even offered ingratiatingly, "Do you need us to take that young female teammate of yours with us?"

Wang Weihu switched weapons, and so did Chen Xiaofei. Suddenly recalling the sight of Xu Duoduo killing mutant monkeys with a chainsaw, Chen Xiaofei shuddered for no apparent reason. "Our teammate doesn't need that."

Quite apart from anything else, the apocalypse was full of uncertainties. It would be too dangerous for Xu Duoduo to leave on her own.

Whatever happened.

It was only one mutant snake-man. They might well be able to beat it. At worst, they would trade a body full of injuries for its life!

Even if Xu Duoduo couldn't help, protecting her would be less trouble than protecting these ordinary people.

Wang Weihu waved for them to go, and Zhao Gang immediately stepped on the gas.

The whole exchange had taken less than two minutes. The bus surged past the Off-Road Vehicle beside it and sped straight ahead, sounding its horn in farewell as it passed.

Qin Luo honked back, then he and Bai Shu quickly got out.

Xu Duoduo didn't need anyone to tell her. She knew she couldn't stay in the vehicle. However sturdy it was, that meant little against a mutant creature.

Staying inside could easily turn her into canned food.

So she quickly jumped out too.

Zhao Gang glanced in the rearview mirror. Those young people were buying them time, giving them a chance to live. Even knowing it was their duty, he couldn't help being moved. The grown man's eyes reddened.

Liu Chunhui kept praying silently to heaven, hoping those young people would be all right, and that everyone on their bus would escape alive.

Wu Zijie saw the young woman behind them jump out of the Off-Road Vehicle. She really hadn't run away.

She didn't cry, make a fuss, or buckle at the knees.

Whatever else might be true, that alone proved she wasn't the frail, helpless beauty Yang Cong had made her out to be.

Then he looked at the people around him.

The survivors were already too frightened to speak. Their legs had gone weak, and they sat clutching the rails desperately. There was even a smell of urine.

Someone had apparently been so scared they had wet themselves.

For ordinary people, seeing such a bizarre giant snake without losing their minds already took considerable mental fortitude.

As the fight began on Xu Duoduo's side, she knew her combat ability was limited. So when Qin Luo, their captain, told her to stay with Bai Shu,

she promptly followed Bai Shu toward the hillside beside the highway.

Bai Shu was their sniper. He needed to survey the terrain quickly and find a suitable position to prepare.

Qin Luo pulled a handful of Miniature Bombs from the space inside his Storage Card, each the size of a marble. Everyone quickly switched on their Earpieces.

"Weihu, Xiaofei, keep that thing occupied. I'll be right there to back you up."

Xu Duoduo followed Bai Shu through the woods toward the snake person.

Their coordination calls came through the Earpieces.

Despite Bai Shu's scholarly appearance, he was genuinely agile. By the time Qin Luo and the others called out the landmarks, he already had his rifle set up and was in position.

Xu Duoduo kept watch beside Bai Shu. The apocalypse had turned everything upside down. Even the bugs in the woods had mutated. Brightly colored spiders were as big as fists. Fighting back her disgust, she stabbed them with her dagger, never missing.

Bai Shu rarely spoke once he entered combat mode, but he noticed that Xu Duoduo was actually helping him clear away "obstacles."

Anything that might disturb him was silently "cleaned up" by her.

Their Little Class Monitor truly lived up to her title.

The two of them stopped beside a rock, with plenty of trees around to conceal them.

Once Bai Shu was in position, he told the other three, "In position." Then the fight began in earnest!

The noise of battle was tremendous.

Xu Duoduo crouched beside him, driving away the mutant insects. Starving in the woods, the bugs had been killing and eating one another. Now that fresh flesh had finally arrived, every one of them wanted to crawl toward Bai Shu, only for Xu Duoduo to douse them with insecticide.

Once she saw that it worked, she simply poured two packets of Insect-Repellent Powder over Bai Shu.

It worked very well.

Bai Shu trusted her completely and paid no attention to whatever she was doing beside him.

He went straight into flow state.

Every shot left a wound, but he just couldn't hit the snake person's vital spot. He could only keep changing positions to prevent the mutant snake-man from pinpointing his location.

The sounds through the Earpiece made it clear how fierce the battle was. Eventually, Xu Duoduo couldn't keep up with Bai Shu and stopped trying. She looked toward the others fighting a short distance away.

Wang Weihu was already drenched in blood and visibly wounded. Chen Xiaofei was beginning to struggle with his movements. For now, Qin Luo was still fighting hard.