Chapter 29: Fleeing for Their Lives

Outside the ruins of Jiao City, a heavily modified off-road vehicle drove in from the vast wilderness beyond.

The vehicle was reinforced with thick steel plating, and its front bumper had been replaced with a sharpened ramming wedge, still smeared with dried blood and rotting flesh.

It was clear the journey here had been anything but easy.

The vehicle finally stopped at the entrance of the main road into Jiao City. The roads further ahead were blocked by abandoned cars, forming a barricade so dense that even a modified off-road vehicle couldn’t pass.

The engine cut off. Four young men and women, clad in bulletproof vests and carrying firearms, stepped down from the vehicle.

Leading them was a scar-faced, muscular man with a massive saber over a meter long strapped to his back. The remaining two men and one woman gripped their assault rifles tightly, gazes filled with tension as they surveyed the ruined city ahead.

“This is Jiao City?”

“This is the largest ruined city around Gathering Point No. 73.”

“They say the authorities at No. 73 once tried to reclaim Jiao City. They sent in over three hundred Transcendents, only for them to be slaughtered by more than three Corpse Kings.”

“A Fifth-Order powerhouse from the gathering point was killed. The rest of the Transcendents suffered devastating losses. Since then, no one has dared propose taking Jiao City again.”

“We’ve only just stepped into First-Order Transcendence. Brother Li is Third-Order. Are we really going to risk venturing into Jiao City?”

The three younger members voiced their concerns. Clearly, they had heard the stories of how dangerous this city was.

Only Li Kang, their leader, remained calm, replying nonchalantly:

“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t have a way to get out safely.

“I lived on the outskirts of Jiao City for three years. I know the distribution of Transcendent zombies in the area like the back of my hand.

“The more densely populated areas are where the strongest Transcendent zombies appear. But as long as we stay away from the city’s inner ring, the ones we encounter shouldn’t exceed Third Order.

“Third-Order zombies and the scattered ones around the edges pose little threat to us. Just make sure not to get infected with corpse poison, and we’ll handle them easily.”

As he spoke, Li Kang strode confidently toward the ruins. The other three exchanged uncertain glances before cautiously following behind.

They walked down a lifeless city street, surrounded by rusted-out cars. One of the young men eagerly approached a vehicle that looked relatively intact and tried searching it.

“Don’t waste your energy,” Li Kang said without turning back. “Anything you can see from here has already been picked clean by who-knows-how-many scavengers. There’s nothing valuable left.

“The real treasures are in the buildings closer to the city center—the ones that block out sunlight. That’s where zombies are more likely to be hiding, so scavengers don’t dare go near. That’s the only reason any supplies might still be preserved.”

The young man’s excitement instantly waned.

The only young woman in the group asked cautiously, “It’s been eleven years since Jiao City fell. Even if there were food or supplies left, wouldn’t they be expired by now? What exactly are we here to find?”

Li Kang shoved aside a wrecked car blocking the road and replied casually:

“Canned goods, tools, fuel, cigarettes, alcohol… Jiao City was once home to millions. The wealth of resources here is far beyond anything you can imagine.

“Well-preserved canned food, cigarettes, and alcohol can last for decades. Those things are luxuries craved by the top brass.

“Most of the land is contaminated by corpse poison. The clean land and remaining industrial capacity barely sustain the survivors in the gathering points. They’ve got no spare resources to make luxury items. That’s why these pre-apocalypse goods fetch absurdly high prices.”

As they ventured deeper into the city, the group reached a large supermarket.

Li Kang looked up at the lifeless structure, his brow furrowing tightly.

“Brother Li, aren’t we going in?” someone asked.

Li Kang suddenly sneered and pointed at the supermarket. “This is a big place. Normally, there’d be at least dozens of zombies inside.

“Can you really believe they wouldn’t have smelled us by now?”

He paused, then added, “It’s completely silent in there. That means a smart Transcendent zombie has already detected us and is using some special ability to suppress sound—trying to lure us in!”

The two young men immediately looked enlightened and began praising him.

“As expected of Brother Li.”

“If not for you, we’d have walked right into a Transcendent zombie’s trap.”

Only the young woman frowned. Her Transcendent ability was related to life detection. She could clearly sense that there was nothing alive inside that supermarket.

She opened her mouth to speak, but upon seeing the other two flattering Li Kang’s “expertise,” she began to doubt herself. In the end, she swallowed her words.

The group continued exploring the surrounding area. But then something unexpected happened.

Whether it was abandoned supermarkets, shopping malls, or roadside stores—all were completely silent.

One or two locations could be explained by Transcendent zombie abilities, but every place being like this?

It made them all wonder—had something happened to Jiao City?

Even Li Kang began to lose his earlier composure. His face grew more solemn.

“Maybe… we should leave,” the young woman finally said.

Li Kang didn’t reply, but the younger man beside him scowled and snapped back:

“We worked so hard to get here, used up tons of gas—what, we’re just going to leave empty-handed?”

“If we’re going, let’s at least hit one supply zone before we do.”

No sooner had he spoken than the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

“What’s happening?”

Before the question could even be answered, the four of them witnessed something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

In the far distance—zombies were appearing in broad daylight, charging into the streets despite the burning sun.

Tens of thousands of zombies surged like a tidal wave, stampeding through the city toward them.

Leading the charge was a zombie over ten meters tall, its massive body smashing through buildings as if they were made of paper. Cars were crushed beneath its feet with every stride, each step spanning dozens of meters.

It looked like a giant from legend.

Even Li Kang couldn’t suppress the fear in his heart.

“Corpse King… it’s a Corpse King!”

Only zombies with Fourth-Order power or higher could command tens of thousands of undead—these were the beings known as Corpse Kings, capable of destroying a small gathering point with ease.

None of them could comprehend how their small scavenger team could have triggered such a terrifying existence.

Yet before any resistance could even form in their minds, the massive Corpse King had already charged past them—without even looking their way.

“It’s not here for us?”

Confusion welled up in Li Kang’s chest—then the female Transcendent spoke again, her voice trembling.

“They… they’re fleeing.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the sky darkened.

A black mist that blotted out the heavens swept across the city, swallowing everything in its path.

(End of Chapter)