Chapter 45: You Were Used as a Pawn

After discussing the matter, the group deemed the plan feasible and found a suitable vehicle in the underground parking garage.

Yang Sen was busy loading food, ensuring they would have sustenance if they encountered trouble on the road and failed to reach the farm by the end of the day.

Lu Qingyun was instructing Wang Jiahuan on how to use a firearm. On the other side of the garage, Yang Lin brought Xiaole over.

Xiaole was the younger sister of the Yang brothers, currently a high school freshman.

It was only after entering the safe zone that the brothers finally had sufficient resources to drive to the school and look for her, but it was already too late.

Yang Le was tightly bound, wrapped entirely in various bedsheets and blankets, with a metal box strapped over her head to prevent her from accidentally biting anyone.

As she was being loaded into the vehicle, she constantly thrashed and let out low growls.

Lu Qingyun frowned in displeasure, "If you wrap her up like this, what will the zombies even be able to smell once we drive out? Cut off one of her arms and smear the flesh pulp all over the car body."

Yang Lin blurted out, "No!"

Yang Sen closed the trunk door, his expression solemn as he remained silent.

"Is our survival more important right now, or protecting a—"

Clutching her gun tightly, Wang Jiahuan tiptoed back to Lu Qingyun's side. "Stop talking. Did any of you hear a noise?"

Everyone grew alert. Out of the gloomy garage, a dark figure darted forward, and Lu Qingyun fired without hesitation.

After confirming that the figure had collapsed and was motionless, Lu Qingyun stepped forward to inspect it. "It's a zombie."

With that, she drew a knife and dismembered the corpse, tossing a severed hand to Wang Jiahuan. "Don't just stand there. Smear it all over the car body."

Suppressing her nausea, Wang Jiahuan did as she was told. Once the coating was finished, Yang Sen urged everyone to get into the car and started the engine, speeding toward another exit of the safe zone.

The vehicle roared down the road, colliding head-on with converging zombies, causing everyone to break out in nervous sweat.

The swaying zombies merely glanced at the car body for a few moments before bypassing them to continue on their path.

Yang Sen slowed down, gently steering through the horde of zombies.

The sun should have risen hours ago, but now, the distant horizon was bathed in an eerie red glow, and the tip of a crimson sun crested the edge.

That red light enveloped the car, casting its reflection on Tang Miao's pale lips. Taking advantage of the chaos, she had climbed up to the roof, watching the people below attack one another.

Amidst the crowd, a jade Buddha pendant was being tossed and grabbed back and forth.

"Tang Miao, are you alright?"

Lin悦's face was covered in blood. Having somehow acquired a handgun, she slowly approached Tang Miao from behind.

Tang Miao sat down right where she was, glancing back at Lin悦. "You're being used as a pawn."

Tang Miao believed that Song Mingchen had no intention of actually taking action at the farm or collaborating with Lin悦 from within.

He simply wanted to create some trouble for Tang Miao, weakening her forces to facilitate his own future plans.

Lin悦 was startled for only a fraction of a second. "So what if I knew about our plan? I'm about to become the owner of the farm, and I knew the one they were fighting over was fake!"

Lin悦 stepped around to face Tang Miao, staring at the pendant hanging from her neck with glowing eyes.

Tang Miao took the initiative, tossing the necklace to Lin悦 before lying flat on her back on the ground.

She turned her head sideways to gaze at the red glow on the distant horizon. Today was Thursday, August 21, 2025—the 38th day since the apocalypse descended, leaving exactly 3 days until the second release of the new human gene.

She wondered if she could recover within these three days and make it back to the farm in time.

If Yang Sen was calm and rational enough, the group should be on their way to the farm by now.

Tang Miao was too exhausted; she lacked the energy to mobilize her mental sea to check the map and her location.

Ecstatic upon getting the pendant, Lin悦 ran forward a couple of steps before freezing in her tracks. "Is this one real or fake? Speak!"

Tang Miao laboriously lifted her eyelids, her voice slightly breathless. "You've been bitten by a zombie..."

"I haven't! You're talking nonsense! I haven't been bitten! Tell me right now, is this one real?!"

Tang Miao pulled out two more jade Buddha necklaces from her pocket—one with a red cord, one with a black cord, and one with no cord at all.

The people surviving in this safe zone would only bring more chaos to the world; she might as well send off a few more while she had the chance.

To Tang Miao, people could be enemies or friends, but zombies would always obey her and Zai Zai.

She hurled one jade Buddha down into the street and scattered the others in front of Lin悦.

"Tang Miao! What are you playing at? Which one is actually real?!"

Tang Miao rolled over, resting her head on her arm to sleep, ignoring her completely.

Kneeling on the ground, Lin悦 gathered up all the jade Buddha pendants, and in a fit of rage, fired numerous shots into Tang Miao's back.

"Tang Miao! You deserve to die! Urgh!"

Someone tackled Lin悦 from behind, snatched the pistol, and aimed it right at her.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot."

Clambering up from the ground, Lin悦 glanced at the strange man before her, then stared fixedly at the muzzle of the gun, not daring to make any sudden movements.

"Get lost! Get lost right now!"

Clutching the pendants, Lin悦 fled in a panic. Luo Hong wanted to pull the trigger, but halfway through, he released it instead.

"Ms. Tang, Ms. Tang, are you alright?"

Tang Miao dazedly opened her eyes. It was that veterinarian from yesterday.

"I need to sleep for a bit. Watch over Zai Zai for me..."

The contamination source had been completely eradicated, and the effects on Zai Zai had mostly faded. It was already on its way to find Tang Miao and would be here soon.

"Just now, I—I saw you get shot, Ms. Tang? Ms. Tang?"

Tang Miao fell silent, terrifying Luo Hong to the core.

Gunshot wounds had to be treated; the bullet couldn't just stay inside the body, it needed bleeding stopped and disinfection...

"Offending you, please forgive me..."

Muttering to himself, Luo Hong cautiously lifted the clothing on Tang Miao's back. Her skin was smooth and clean, without a single wound.

With trembling hands, he picked up the bullet that had fallen near Tang Miao's waist, looking back and forth between her back and the bullet.

No, that wasn't right. He had clearly seen the bullet strike Tang Miao's back. How could this...

Just then, Zai Zai arrived. Seeing a stranger near Tang Miao, she instantly assumed an aggressive posture, letting out a low growl to warn Luo Hong.

Zai Zai was covered in blood, and splatters of gore stained her pure white eyes.

"Ms. Tang! Ms. Tang!" Luo Hong shouted while raising his gun. "Your daughter has turned into a zombie! Stop sleeping, what am I supposed to do?!"

Sensing that the man meant no harm, Zai Zai slowly calmed down. "Abah abah."

"Don't come any closer! If you take another step, I'll shoot!"

"Bang!"

The bullet curved in mid-air as Zai Zai scurried over to Tang Miao's side. Her little hands reached out to hug her, but halfway there, she pulled them back.

The last time she bit someone, Big Brother said it was very dirty. But she—she had just eaten so much; what should she do? If she made a mess, would Mom not want her anymore?

"Abah abah..." Mom, I'm sorry, Mom...

Zai Zai's shoulders hitched as she used both little hands to rub her face, trying to wipe away the filthy blood, only to smear her face even more.

Luo Hong was dumbfounded. Was this zombie child... crying?

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he understood Zai Zai's intent. He took off his jacket and inched closer.

"I—I'll help you wipe it..."

When Luo Hong had escaped, he had only managed to stash away a few compressed biscuits. He stuffed two of them into Tang Miao's pocket, unwrapped another one, and shared half with Zai Zai.

Zai Zai was still sobbing and pushed the biscuit away; she didn't want any biscuits.

She then looked at Luo Hong's hands. What should she do? She had bitten so many people's hands. What if Mom woke up and got angry? Wuuu...

Mistaking Zai Zai's gesture as a desire to bite his flesh, Luo Hong retreated in terror, hiding behind Tang Miao.

The commotion downstairs continued unabated. Luo Hong didn't dare stick his head out to look, terrified of being discovered.

He spent two days trembling with fear on the rooftop, growing so desperately hungry that he took back the compressed biscuits he had tucked into Tang Miao's pocket and ate them.

Along the way, he occasionally heard people mentioning coming up to the roof, only to change their minds and leave because zombies blocked the path.

On the distant horizon, the surrounding clouds were as red as blood, and half of that crimson sun had already risen.