Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Escape to Survival

The piercing screams echoed throughout the entire base.

People were jolted awake from their sleep by the horrifying cries.

“What’s happening outside?!” Third Brother and the others jumped out of bed, quickly threw on their coats, and rushed to the window. They pulled back the curtains and looked down.

“Zombies!” Huang Mengyao’s voice trembled as she saw the staggering, shadowy figures below. She turned to Gao Yue and Hong Jie, who shared the room with her, and said, “There are so many zombies!”

“Get dressed quickly, Mengyao. Pack up our things first. I’ll go out and see what’s going on,” Hong Jie said as she swiftly put on her coat and headed out. As soon as she stepped into the living room, she saw Wu Sen and He He, already dressed, running into the room, anxiously asking, “Hong Jie, what’s happening outside?”

“Don’t ask questions now. You two, go wake up the kids, get them dressed, and have them pack their belongings. And don’t forget to call the kids downstairs!” Hong Jie instructed.

Although Wu Sen and He He didn’t know what was happening, the constant gunfire and screams outside made them realize something big was going down.

Third Brother, carrying a gun, walked out of his room and ran into Hong Jie. “Hong Jie, you stay up here and direct everyone to pack up. We’ll go down and see what’s going on.”

“Be careful,” Hong Jie warned.

Third Brother nodded and led Zhang Xiaobai and the others downstairs. Hong Jie stayed behind to manage the situation. Fortunately, they had always been prepared for emergencies, with each person having a backpack filled with supplies. Clean clothes were also kept on hand to save time during a crisis.

Hong Jie had someone pack up the kitchen utensils and dishes.

Gu Mama anxiously searched through several rooms before finding Hong Jie. “Hong Jie! Have you seen Gu Ning?” she asked. She had been woken up by the commotion, and after hurriedly getting dressed and packing, she realized Gu Ning was missing.

The elderly couple, terrified by the gunfire outside, rushed out to look for her, but no one had seen her.

“No, I haven’t. Third Brother and the others just went downstairs, and they didn’t see Gu Ning with them. When did you notice she was missing?” Hong Jie asked.

“I don’t know! She wasn’t there when we woke up,” Gu Mama replied.

“Could it be that Gu Ning’s special ability has returned?” Method, who had been carried out of his room, suggested.

Zhong Xu, hearing this, eagerly tried to activate his own ability, but still felt nothing. “My ability hasn’t returned yet.”

Hong Jie comforted Gu Mama, “Gu Ning’s spatial ability is different from ordinary spatial abilities. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

Gu Mama, thinking of Gu Ning’s capabilities, felt slightly reassured and helped Huang Mengyao, who was still recovering, pack their belongings.

Soon, Third Brother and the others rushed back in a panic. “The place is swarming with zombies!” Zhang Xiaobai said, his face pale. “The base is done for.”

“Are the things packed? Hurry up, we need to leave!” Third Brother shouted.

“What about Gu Ning?” Hong Jie asked. “It seems like she’s disappeared again.”

Third Brother was shocked. “What? Her spatial ability shouldn’t have disappeared. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Her parents woke up and she was gone,” Hong Jie replied.

“Could she have gone out?” Cheng Ming suggested.

Method shook his head. “No, if she had gone out, Gu Ning would have told us first. That’s just her character.”

At that moment, Tian Fei and the others, who had been guarding the door downstairs, rushed up, panting. “Third Brother, we need to leave. The zombies are increasing! If we don’t go now, we won’t be able to leave!”

Outside, the children, under the direction of Wu Sen and the older kids, had packed their belongings into backpacks and lined up neatly.

Third Brother rushed to the window and looked down. The scattered zombies below were gathering in greater numbers.

“Let’s go,” Gu Dad suddenly spoke, his voice tired but resolute.

Gu Mama looked at him in disbelief. “Old Gu!”

The others were equally shocked. “Teacher Gu…”

“Don’t worry. Ning Ning is very capable. She’ll be fine,” Gu Dad forced a smile and patted Gu Mama’s hand. “We can’t risk so many people for just one person.”

Everyone fell silent, their hearts heavy. They had no choice but to make this difficult decision.

Third Brother gritted his teeth. “Leave a gun and two hundred bullets for Gu Ning, along with a note. If she comes out of her space, she’ll know where to find us. Lock the door. Even if zombies get up here, they won’t force their way in if there’s no one inside. Gu Ning will find a way to escape when she comes out.”

“Aren’t we waiting for Sister Gu Ning?” Xiang Xu asked nervously.

Xiang Yi patted her head. “She’ll find us.”

The new recruits from the reserve team, though terrified, tried not to show it, blending in with the children, their faces filled with fear.

“Let’s go. There’s no time,” Third Brother said, locking the door to Gu Ning’s room. He then led the way downstairs, gun in hand. Zhang Xiaobai, Luo Long, and others with guns walked at the front, while the children, Method carried by Shi Tou, Gu Dad, Gu Mama, Hong Jie, Huang Mengyao, Gao Yue, Chen Wen, and others followed. Tian Fei and his team brought up the rear, with Lin Zihao naturally taking the last position.

On the way down, they encountered Zhang Ji’s team rushing down from above. They exchanged quick greetings and continued downward.

Many zombies had already flooded in from outside. On the second floor, they encountered a dozen zombies coming up the stairs. Third Brother and his team took the lead. With gunfire echoing throughout the base, they didn’t hesitate to open fire.

Zombies fell in rows as they quickly descended, stepping over the corpses.

When they reached the first-floor hall, the two guards at the door were nowhere to be seen. The hall was blocked by at least twenty to thirty zombies. As soon as they saw people, they all started moving toward them. Third Brother and his team opened fire again, shouting, “Old Jia, Zhang Yang, Xiaobai, Cheng Ming, you four go get our cars to the entrance! We’ll cover you!”

Their two vehicles were parked on the lawn opposite the dormitory building, where many zombies had also gathered. With so many children, they had no choice but to risk sending Jia Daozhang and the others to bring the cars over.

Once the zombies in the hall were cleared, Jia Daozhang, Zhang Xiaobai, Zhang Yang, and Cheng Ming, accompanied by gunfire, rushed toward the lawn, shooting at the zombies closing in. Third Brother and his team stood at the hall entrance, firing at the zombies drawn by the noise.

They saw the tent area not far away, where people were still running and fleeing on the road, but they were quickly surrounded and taken down by zombies.

The gunfire soon attracted the fleeing people, who ran toward them, shouting for help. A dozen zombies chased after them.

“Third Brother?!” Luo Long called out.

Hong Jie calmly reminded, “Our cars can’t fit many more people!”

Third Brother saw a woman running at the back, clutching a baby, her face filled with despair. The nearest zombie was just three steps behind her, its hand almost reaching her neck. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “He He! Help!”

“Yes!” He He quickly moved to the front, her thin arms steady as she aimed and fired without hesitation. The recoil shook her slightly, but she quickly stabilized and continued shooting, her expression calm and composed. Her marksmanship was excellent! The bullets seemed to have eyes, grazing the woman’s ear and hitting the zombie’s head just as it reached for her shoulder.

The woman felt a burning sensation on her cheek and turned to see the zombie fall. She clutched her baby tighter and looked gratefully toward the shooter, running even harder toward them.

Seeing the cover fire, the others ran even more desperately toward them.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaobai and the others had broken through the zombie encirclement and reached the cars. They quickly drove back toward the group.

The back of the truck was now facing them.

Third Brother and Luo Long agilely climbed onto the bus roof, continuing to shoot at the approaching zombies while shouting to those below, “Get on the bus!”

Method was carried up first, followed by the children, elderly, and women, who boarded in a panic but orderly manner. The bus was soon full, and the rest piled into the truck. The group they had just covered also arrived, with the fastest men trying to board immediately, only to be stopped by Tian Fei’s gun pointed at their heads.

The men immediately begged, “Please! Let us on!”

“Third Brother?” Tian Fei looked up for instructions.

“Let them on,” Third Brother said.

The men were overjoyed and tried to board, but Tian Fei stopped them again with his gun. “Are you even men?!” He then turned to the women and children waiting in line. “Women and children first!”

“Thank you! Thank you!” The women quickly thanked him, ushering the children forward to board.

“I won’t get on…” The woman at the back, holding a baby, said with a bitter smile.

Tian Fei frowned, not understanding.

The woman pulled down her collar slightly, revealing a bloody wound on her collarbone. She said calmly, “I’ve been bitten.”

Tian Fei looked at her with a complex expression, amazed by her calm demeanor.

“I know you were soldiers. My husband was a soldier too. He was in the army when the apocalypse hit, and he never came back. Please, save my child,” she said, handing the baby to Tian Fei, who took it awkwardly, filled with respect for the woman.

At that moment, Gao Yue leaned out from the truck and said to the woman, “You should take care of your child yourself.”

The woman was about to say something.

Gao Yue simply said, “Get on quickly. I have an antidote,” before climbing back into the truck.

The woman, momentarily stunned, was pushed into the truck by the impatient men.

Tian Fei quickly handed the baby to someone inside, then turned to Third Brother and Luo Long on the bus. “Third Brother! Everyone’s on! Be careful when we start moving!” He then climbed into the truck, closed the door, and knocked on the wall, shouting to Zhang Yang in the driver’s seat, “Everyone’s on! Let’s go!”

Third Brother and Luo Long quickly lay down on the bus roof, grabbing onto the luggage rack. Third Brother banged on the roof with his gun and shouted, “Drive!”

The two vehicles finally started moving amidst the zombies banging on the doors, heading toward the base’s main gate.

Third Brother looked back and saw members of the former special ability teams rushing out of the dormitory building, only to be surrounded by zombies. Zhang Ji’s three vehicles followed closely behind, having also escaped the zombie encirclement.

Most of the tents were on the grass, not blocking the main road. The Three-Linked Team had reacted the fastest in the base, and the main road was still relatively clear. Any zombies blocking the way were ruthlessly run over by the two large vehicles.

Many survivors running toward the base’s main gate tried to stop the vehicles, desperately banging on the sides to get them to halt.

The bus, driven by Zhang Yang, led the way. Seeing the survivors pleading for help, Zhang Yang felt a pang of guilt, but Jia Daozhang warned him, “If you stop now, we’ll never get moving again!” Zhang Yang broke into a cold sweat and ignored the pleas, continuing forward.

The base’s main gate had already been violently breached, with some people having escaped before the Three-Linked Team.

The two vehicles drove out of the base without hesitation, heading toward the riverbank.

Third Brother, holding onto the luggage rack, looked back at the dimly lit base. He didn’t know how many people would escape that night. The once-strong fortress against zombies had become a massive tomb for tens of thousands. He had always thought the base might fall one day, but he never expected it to happen so quickly and unexpectedly. The screams of despair still echoed in the wind, filling Third Brother’s heart with sorrow. Thinking of Gu Ning, who was still missing, he silently prayed for her safety, hoping she would follow the clues he left and find them.