Chapter 17: A Horde of Zombies Approaches

“Damn it, what the hell is going on!” Du Yun stared at the map where a whole cluster of little red dots had suddenly appeared—there had to be at least a dozen of them. She felt ready to snap. Was this some kind of Plants vs. Zombies 10.0? What was the meaning of so many zombies showing up all at once?

“Little girl, get up, get up! We need to run!” The thought of a horde of zombies closing in sent a chill down Du Yun’s spine. She hastily roused the young girl beside her, preparing to flee.

“What?” The girl, apparently exhausted, had fallen into a deep sleep. Though she woke at Du Yun’s call, she remained groggy, only stumbling out of their makeshift shelter several seconds later, dragged along by Du Yun.

Du Yun’s mind was clear: the zombies were heading straight for them. If they were caught, they’d be dead for sure. If they wanted to survive, the only way was to slip away as quietly as possible, without drawing any attention.

To her credit, Du Yun’s nerves were made of steel. Even with a massive wave of zombies approaching, she managed to analyze their movement and decided to run sideways. Running toward the zombies would be suicidal, and running in their direction would just get them caught sooner. Only by veering to the side, hiding in the fields, and keeping out of sight could they hope for a chance.

The night was pitch-black and Du Yun moved swiftly, dragging the girl toward the side. But it was already too late—a mass of figures was charging toward them, barely visible in the shadows.

Too late! Du Yun’s heart went cold. The nearest cornfield was still several meters away. With the zombies in sight, dragging a small child meant they’d never make it. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to toss the girl out as bait to slow the zombies down—that was something she could never do.

In a split second, Du Yun gritted her teeth and hurried back. At least their little shelter was some kind of cover, and she still had a hoe in her hand—better than nothing for a defense. There was no time to think of anything else; even daring to imagine more was out of the question.

She had barely reached the doorway of the shelter when the sound of someone running fast reached her ears. Alarmed, she spun around and saw three human men approaching. Relief flickered through her—they weren’t zombies, at least not yet.

But that relief was fleeting. Du Yun’s smile had barely touched her lips before she darted back inside, for in the distance she could already make out red, fast-moving eyes cutting through the darkness.

She was about to slam the door shut when a strong hand seized the flimsy branch that served as the door. In the blink of an eye, the three men were right in front of her.

“Boss, there are two little girls here!” one of them, panting heavily, called out in surprise.

“Defend! Counterattack!” The man called Boss glanced at the speaker, gave no answer, and instead issued an order with brisk authority.

Another man slipped inside the shelter, pulling the door shut from within and quickly piling broken boards and whatever debris he could find against the entrance.

“We just let them in here?” Du Yun stared at them, shocked to realize how precarious her situation had become. A massive horde of red-eyed zombies was upon them, and now, though she’d hidden in the shelter, these three had brought the threat straight to her.

They had led the zombies here. If the undead discovered them hiding inside, wouldn’t she be doomed along with them? Zombies couldn’t tell who had provoked them and who was just an innocent bystander!

Well, in a zombie’s eyes, there were probably only two categories: edible and inedible. The idea of a harmless bystander was meaningless—if anything, maybe “bystander-flavored” human flesh was more to their taste!

“There’s a hoe here! Great, we’ve got a weapon!” Before Du Yun could finish venting her frustration mentally, the same man who had shouted earlier let out a delighted cry.

“A hoe!” As if things couldn’t get any worse, the sound of that voice struck Du Yun’s heart again. In her panic, she had left the most important weapon behind while dragging the little girl.

“Oh my god!” Du Yun felt as if she’d plunged into an ice cellar. In this drafty little shelter, with a zombie horde closing in, she was now left weaponless and weak. Wasn’t this just a recipe for death?

It’s all your fault! Why did you have to bring the zombies here? Her gaze was full of resentment, but she knew this was no time to settle scores—survival was all that mattered.

Hastily, she pulled the little girl to what looked like the sturdiest mud wall, pressing their backs tightly against it in search of any shred of safety.

With no hoe in hand, panic gnawed at Du Yun. Glancing around, she spotted a broken jar in the corner and grabbed it. Everything else was pointless—clinging to her life was all that mattered!

By now, the man called Boss had seized the hoe, swinging it back and forth, and took up a formidable stance at the shelter’s entrance. Though the poor lighting obscured his features, his broad, V-shaped back and powerful arms were unmistakable. In the midst of such terror, that figure gave Du Yun an odd sense of reassurance.

While those inside the shelter hurriedly prepared their defenses, the zombies had already reached the door. Their crimson eyes blazed as they charged forward with a frenzy that made the blood run cold. Their brute strength was terrifying—some were smashing away chunks of the mud-brick walls with their bare hands. One blow from them would shred a human open.

Countless arms reached inside from all sides, their twisted hands stretching wide, glowing ghostly pale in the moonlight, as if clawing up from the underworld. Even worse, some were smeared with fresh blood—who knew what horrors they had already torn apart. The nauseating stench made Du Yun’s head reel.

Fortunately, the shelter held up against the first assault and didn’t collapse instantly. The three men each defended a side, fiercely repelling the zombies.

Their movements were swift, and none showed any sign of despair, but their heavy breathing betrayed the strain. They were far from as calm as they appeared; their strength was being drained rapidly.

Outside, the scraping and scratching sounds were enough to set one’s teeth on edge. Du Yun couldn’t help but tremble violently, while the little girl in her arms had already broken down, sobbing uncontrollably.

The resistance and crying from inside the shelter seemed to agitate the zombies even more, and their attacks grew fiercer.

“Don’t cry!” Du Yun clamped a hand over the girl’s mouth, a sudden sense of dire danger swelling within her. As she ducked her head, she felt a cold gust behind her. Spinning around, she saw that a blood-smeared, ghastly white hand had appeared exactly where she’d just been sitting.