Chapter 161: Chapter 161: A Fine Line Between Life and Death
The immense pressure and force of the impact smashed onto the car’s roof, and the people inside immediately let out a torrent of panicked screams.
"Everyone, don’t panic! Don’t lose your heads!"
"BANG BANG. BANG!"
But it was impossible not to panic. Several Speed System zombies with astonishing leaping abilities suddenly burst into the convoy. Their claws flailed wildly, instantly inciting widespread chaos.
Cars in the back hit the gas while cars in the front slammed on their brakes, leading to a cacophony of collisions as they crashed into one another.
The more they rushed, the more mistakes they made. By now, everyone had spotted the massive horde of zombies swarming them from behind. There weren’t just a few hundred; it looked like there were over a thousand!
All the people here combined wouldn’t even be an appetizer for the zombie army. How could they not panic?
Lu Zhong, Cao Fa, and their group frantically sped forward on their little electric scooters.
Like they were in bumper cars, they swerved and crashed into everything, smashing a hole straight through one car’s taillight.
"The zombies are here! Drive, go!" a round-faced woman on the bus screamed as she stood up. The next moment, the window beside her shattered.
A sharp claw yanked her out through the square window, tearing her skin and splattering blood everywhere. Before the woman could even let out a scream, a zombie clamped its jaws onto her neck.
A torrent of blood gushed down her throat. Her limbs thrashed violently for a moment, then went still.
The horrifying scene left everyone on the bus stunned. After a long pause, the crowd finally erupted into guttural screams. "AAAAAAAH!"
Everyone clutched their heads and ducked under their seats as the zombies’ claws shattered the two rows of windows—CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK—as easily as if they were slicing tofu.
The driver, pale with terror, mechanically slammed on the accelerator. He plowed into the two small cars that had just collided ahead, shoving them forward as he charged on.
The scene instantly devolved into a chaotic mess—a cacophony of CRASHING metal interwoven with the ear-piercing screech of tires.
The soldiers couldn’t just open fire indiscriminately with their rifles, or they risked hitting civilians.
So, they had to drop their guns and draw their blades, facing the Speed System zombies that were leaping onto the military trucks head-on.
"ROAR!" A familiar howl echoed from the winding mountain road up ahead.
A flash of scarlet killing intent glinted in Xie Ning’s narrowed eyes.
’I was too careless. From now on, I can’t just leave bodies lying around. Otherwise, they’ll just keep coming back to life after it rains, endlessly, just like Boss Pi.’
’If I’d just burned the body to ashes back then, I wouldn’t be dealing with this mess today.’
With that, Xie Ning slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a halt.
"Ningning, what are you doing?" Song You’ai asked, staring nervously at her daughter’s furious expression.
"Mom, you stay here and watch the vehicle. Lock the doors and don’t move. If anyone tries to take it, kill them. Don’t be merciful."
Leaving those words behind, Xie Ning immediately vaulted out of the driver’s seat.
"Ningning," Song You’ai said as she scrambled into the driver’s seat, just in time to watch her daughter slam the door and sprint toward the entrance of the winding mountain road.
At the same time, the group from Songjiage Village following behind Xie Ning and her mother—whether in cars or on electric scooters—all came to a halt.
Ge Yan cried out, "Where is Ningning going?"
Zhong Shichong slammed his fist on the steering wheel again. "What is that woman doing?"
’Don’t fucking screw up at a time like this!’ he thought. They were counting on her to get them out of this alive.
"What is she running over there for?" someone cried out in alarm.
"No, that’s not the point. Shouldn’t the question be: how is she so fast?"
Was that even humanly possible? She was moving as fast as a motorcycle at full throttle.
In an instant, Xie Ning locked onto the dark figure at the entrance to the mountain road.
’Hiding here and directing the zombie horde? Dream on!’
Boss Pi seemed to sense the approaching danger. He turned, howled, and immediately started running up the mountain.
How could Xie Ning let him escape? She kicked off the side of the mountain, launching herself horizontally through the air and covering several meters in a single bound.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the sight of her speed and power in that mid-air leap left all the villagers from Songjiage Village completely dumbstruck.
It was only then that they noticed a surprisingly stylish-looking zombie standing at the entrance to the mountain road.
It wore a tattered black leather jacket.
A pair of sunglasses was perched on its nose, and its short hair was combed neatly in place.
At first glance, it looked almost human. If not for its peeled-back lips and the rather terrifying sight of rotting flesh on its face, one might have been fooled.
Without a word, Xie Ning attacked. Dozens of sharp Metal Spikes shot viciously toward Boss Pi’s face.
Beneath his sunglasses, Boss Pi’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. He tracked the trajectory of Xie Ning’s superpower and immediately rolled to dodge.
With a muffled THUD, Xie Ning’s Metal Spikes once again slammed into a thin membrane, stopping just short of the zombie’s body.
"Second Order." A flicker of interest passed through Xie Ning’s eyes.
’Good,’ she thought. ’So it did evolve after being washed by the rain.’
But a Second Order Spiritual System zombie was still too weak!
The few thin Metal Spikes rapidly grew stronger and thicker under the influence of Xie Ning’s superpower.
With a series of sharp cracks—KAKAKA—the insubstantial Spirit Barrier in front of her suddenly shattered.
"Die," she barked. The Metal Spikes in front of the zombie abruptly reshaped into a large metal cone, driving straight for its brain.
But just then, Xie Ning suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. The metal cone aimed at the zombie’s head veered off course, flying into the mountainside with a SWISH.
’Spiritual interference!’
Xie Ning’s heart clenched. In that brief moment of distraction, Boss Pi howled and lunged, throwing his entire body at her.
Ge Yan watched in terror, instinctively grabbing Uncle Ge Liang’s arm.
"It’s over. That damn girl is going to get bitten," Zhong Shichong muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Xie Ning narrowed her eyes, a dangerous fury swirling within them.
In an instant, she summoned a metal grid crackling with electricity from her villa’s living room and slammed it down on Boss Pi.
Then, Xie Ning dodged backward and fiercely unleashed her Gold Ability.
A five-centimeter-thick spiked iron plate instantly materialized and smashed down violently on the zombie’s head.
Boss Pi, electrocuted by the grid that had appeared from nowhere, was charred black. He had just managed to howl and throw it off when the spiked plate smashed down hard on his head.
With a wave of her hand, Xie Ning retracted the metal grid. Simultaneously, the spiked iron plate began to morph with a WHIRR, responding to the roiling waves of her superpower energy.
A Metal Beast Capture Circle, lined with sharp spikes, suddenly clamped down over Boss Pi’s head. The circle was attached to a metal chain, the other end of which Xie Ning held firmly in her hand.
With a sharp tug, the capture circle flashed. At Xie Ning’s command, it snapped shut with a CLICK.
A ring of metal spikes dug deep into Boss Pi’s neck.
The crowd of onlookers behind her watched with wide, horrified eyes, their breath catching in their throats.
Zombies didn’t feel pain, but just watching was enough to make the crowd feel an unbearable ache.
The young woman stood before the mountain road, her face a mask of indifference. She gave the metal chain a powerful jerk, ripping the zombie’s head clean off its neck.
Dark red blood sprayed as the zombie’s head flew high into the air, soaring against the brilliant morning sun.
In its final moment, Boss Pi let out one last, wretched howl.
