Chapter 124: Your Doomsday Has Been Delivered (7)

The main entrance of the shopping mall.

Zombies had all but engulfed the area; the sound of gunfire and human screams were woven together. A group of people had failed to make it up earlier, and when the zombies swarmed, they were the first to face the onslaught.

Panic shattered the crowd. Some ran in directions they hoped might lead to survival, while others, blinded by terror, marched straight into dead ends.

"What about him?"
"Can't help him. Just leave him here."
"But..."
"Let's go!"

The brief exchange ended, and a young man was dumped beside a pillar near a shopfront. He was still conscious, but as they abandoned him, his face remained devoid of any particular emotion. He braced himself against the pillar, struggling to stand.

The roars of the zombies felt as if they were exploding right beside his ears. Survivors sprinting for their lives were tackled by the creatures, their screams quickly stifled. The young man was clearly injured and had limited mobility; he leaned out from behind the pillar to look.

The zombies were coming his way. The one at the front was close—close enough for him to see the mottled blue-black veins spiderwebbing across its face. The stench of decay hit him head-on.

He didn't even have a chance to run. He could only stand there, watching the tide of zombies closing in to consume him.

*Screech—*
*Bang!*

The sound of tires tearing against the pavement was sharp and piercing. A black off-road vehicle reversed toward him, its rear bumper sending several zombies flying. Before the horde could surge forward, it lunged ahead and slammed to a halt directly in front of him.

"Get in!"

The young man instinctively opened the door and climbed inside. Just as he pulled the door shut, voices rang out from behind.

"Wait! Wait up!"
"There are people here!"
"Wait for us!"

In the rearview mirror, three men and two women were sprinting toward the car, a string of zombies hot on their heels.

Ling Qiong spotted Lin Miaoru among the group instantly. Her lips couldn't help but curl upward as she leaned out to look. They were close enough that Lin Miaoru naturally caught sight of her; her expression turned to one of shock, and her momentum faltered. Had it not been for the person beside her pulling her along, she might have stopped entirely.

Lin Miaoru’s heart hammered against her ribs.
She wasn't dead... She actually wasn't dead...

Ling Qiong flipped a middle finger at them, then turned to the person who had just climbed in. "Get in the car! What are you staring at?"

The young man scrambled into his seat. Before he had even settled, the vehicle surged forward.

The car took a sharp turn, and the young man was nearly thrown from his seat. He grabbed onto something to steady himself and struggled to pull the door shut. The survivors in the rearview mirror quickly fell behind.

The young man turned to look at his savior. The girl driving the car was wearing a beautiful dress that seemed jarringly out of place in the apocalypse, its fluffy hem spilling out across the seats. How long had it been since he had seen anyone dressed so cleanly and meticulously? Not only was her attire elegant, but the girl herself was stunning—the kind of face that could withstand an eight-times-magnification scope and still look perfect in every expression.

If not for the zombies chasing them, he almost would have thought he had been dreaming and had just woken up to find himself back in a peaceful world.

"Seatbelt."

The young man snapped back to reality and pulled the belt across his chest. The driving was wild; anything blocking their path was simply rammed aside. The vehicle was sturdier than he had imagined; after such chaotic collisions, it remained perfectly fine.

Ling Qiong took the opportunity to glance at him a few times. He was wearing a white shirt with traces of grime, looking quite refined, with the air of a diligent university student.

"What's your name?" Ling Qiong asked.

The young man looked startled and shifted his gaze away. "Jiang... Li." He hesitated for a second.

"..."

Ling Qiong glanced at the top of his head, where the characters "Jiang Xunchu" glowed in golden, vibrant light, not yet faded.

*What, is he changing his name on the spot?*

"Jiang Li."
"...Yeah."
"Very good."

Jiang Xunchu looked at her instinctively, not understanding what she meant by "very good."

"Thank you," Jiang Xunchu said. "Just now..."
"You're welcome. It was no trouble," Ling Qiong said with a small, pursed-lip smile. She had the air of a gentle, obedient little sister from next door, posing no threat whatsoever.

Jiang Xunchu asked cautiously, "Why didn't you save those people back there?"

"Big brother, my car is only this big. Where was I supposed to put them? In my pockets?"

*Save Lin Miaoru? Is she insane? I'd rather save a dog!*

Jiang Xunchu was momentarily stunned by the crisp, sweet way she addressed him as "big brother." It took him a while to look back. The car only had five seats, and one of the back seats was occupied by a rather large crate. There had been five survivors; the car certainly couldn't have held them.

Ling Qiong pouted and blew a breath of air. "Besides, waiting for them would have put me in danger. I can't risk my own life just to save others, can I?"

Jiang Xunchu didn't seem satisfied with that answer; he clearly had other concerns. "Then why did you save me?" She had driven in from outside; why risk her life to save him?

Ling Qiong’s eyes curved into crescents. "Because you're good-looking."

"..." *Because of that? Isn't that reason a bit too superficial?*

Jiang Xunchu let the thought spin for a moment before dropping the subject. After a minute of silence, he spoke again: "I still don't know your name."

"Xu Wuyan."

Jiang Xunchu wasn't a man of many words. After asking a few questions and finding he couldn't get anything more out of her, he fell quiet. His face was pale, and a fine layer of sweat had permeated his forehead. He pressed his palms against his knees, his grip so tight that the veins on the back of his hands stood out.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Xunchu looked at her, then looked back at the road behind them. There was nothing there but the ruins of the city—no zombies, no people.

"You can drop me off up ahead," Jiang Xunchu said. "I've been bitten."

*Screech—*

The car came to a sudden halt.

"What did you say?"
"I've been bitten," Jiang Xunchu repeated. "I don't know when I'll turn. Just drop me off up ahead."

The young girl seemed startled. Her expression was blank, and she didn't react for a long time. A minute later, she started the car and continued driving, saying nothing. The car kept moving forward, showing no signs of stopping.

"You..."

Ling Qiong raised a hand, palm facing him, signaling him to be quiet. "Don't speak. Let's just get out of the city first."

"I might..."
"How long have you been bitten?"
"A day."
"The longest it takes for someone to turn is six hours. If you haven't turned after a day, you're probably safe for now."

Jiang Xunchu wanted to say something else, but Ling Qiong tilted her head. "Big brother, don't distract me while I'm driving."

...

When Ling Qiong passed a jewelry store, she actually went inside to take a look around. Jiang Xunchu sat in the car, only able to see her moving about inside, unable to tell what she was doing. She returned empty-handed, carrying nothing.

In this instance, paper money was useless, so one had to use precious metals—things that could maintain value and circulate—to trade. Just like the spirit coins from the previous instance. In the apocalypse, there was no such thing as "earning" money; one had to find it oneself. Fortunately, aside from the first day or two of the apocalypse, gold was currently worth less than a loaf of bread, so nobody bothered with it.

——— The "All-Krypton-is-Void" Divider ———

*Wooo, it's about to be published! Shall we vote?*