Chapter 74 The Automobile Is Truly a Great Invention

"A car?!" The news instantly sent a surge of excitement through everyone. They’d been trudging along, burdened with supplies strapped to their backs, struggling even after managing to haul everything on a handcart. Without it, there was no way to carry enough food for so many people. But with a car, things would be different—just add some fuel and drive, sheltered from wind and rain, spared from exhaustion. Most importantly, they wouldn’t have to stay constantly on edge, wary of the endless hordes of zombies outside.

"Let’s go see!" Originally, they’d planned to venture into the heart of the town to try their luck at finding a large bus; if one happened to be right here, all the better.

Cautiously, ever on guard for any lurking zombies, the group moved in the direction Qingguo Dong had indicated. Sure enough, less than a hundred meters from the transfer warehouse, a large bus stood among the wandering undead.

"It’s like searching high and low only to find it right under your nose!" Mediterranean, flushed with excitement, could hardly contain himself. The young men hadn’t found the journey too taxing so far, but for him, older and weaker, just carrying supplies and walking had sapped his strength. If they were forced into a fight, he might lose his life any day now.

With a car, everything would change—they could rest safely, and if they ran into a small group of zombies they couldn’t handle, they could simply drive away. Their safety would be magnified many times over.

Everyone else was thinking much the same, their anticipation for the bus burning brighter than ever. Even the dozen or so zombies shambling nearby seemed less fearsome.

"Stay quiet. There might be other zombies around. First squad, cover the rear and get ready to board the bus. Second squad, move up and clear the area." Skinny Monkey, always talkative, had caught on to the leader’s intentions and now naturally took on the role of issuing assignments and explanations.

Under his direction, everyone sprang into action. The two squads in front wielded melee and silent energy weapons; those holding the rear also used silent weapons. Their aim was to dispatch the zombies with minimal noise, so as not to attract more from other areas.

Du Yun was among the two squads at the front. Compared to the others’ short knives and similar weapons, she was far better equipped. In her hands was a bow her grandfather had crafted; at her waist hung a slender, razor-sharp Tang sword found in the armory; and two energy guns were strapped to her thighs.

As their movements drew attention, the zombies encircling the bus began to lurch toward them, eyes bloodshot, faces twisted and ferocious, their clawing gestures almost erasing all traces of their former humanity.

"Now!" At the leader’s command, both squads sprang into action.

Seeing the zombies were still some distance away, Du Yun nocked an arrow and fired at the oncoming horde. With each arrow, a zombie fell.

From afar, no one noticed that after a zombie fell, the arrow in its wound vanished as if by magic. Were it not for the blood flowing from the wounds, it would appear as though the arrows had never existed.

In truth, at Du Yun’s mental cue, each arrow returned to her storage pouch—a new technique she had been practicing. Her grandfather had made her several bundles of arrows, a generous supply, but still finite. There were countless zombies to fight, and if the arrows could be reused, all the better.

When she’d mentioned the idea to Dou Zhi, he was all for it; after all, he had the ability to retrieve objects within several dozen meters. As Du Yun fought valiantly, Dou Zhi devoted a sliver of his attention to collecting all the intact arrows from the fallen zombies and returning them to her storage pouch.

The others weren’t idle either. Though they lacked bows, they used energy weapons salvaged from the armory. Energy weapons required power cells, each person had only a few, so they used them sparingly. Even though these weapons were easy to handle and deadly, the number of zombies they killed was far fewer than Du Yun’s tally.

By the time the zombies drew within a dozen meters, Du Yun’s bow was no longer effective. She slung it across her waist, grabbed the energy gun from her thigh, and resumed firing.

Her psychic ability gave her a significant edge in aiming; whether with bow or gun, her accuracy was leagues beyond the others, and her lethality matched. As the zombies closed in for hand-to-hand combat, more than half had already fallen—one third by Du Yun’s hand alone.

Once her energy cell was spent, Du Yun tossed the gun back into her storage pouch and, in a flash, drew her Tang sword from her waist, swinging it forward.

This sword, taken from the armory by Dou Zhi, was slender and lethal—a rare treasure. Its lightness and keenness made it Du Yun’s weapon of choice for close defense.

With each slash, the blade flashed coldly and blood spattered. Any zombie hit fell instantly, blood trickling from the groove in the shining blade as Du Yun turned toward her next foe.

Perhaps it was the countless brushes with death, but Du Yun had grown ever more familiar and adept at this kind of fighting. In moments, the remaining six or seven zombies were dispatched.

Seizing the lull before more zombies arrived, the group hurriedly hauled their supplies onto the bus. Fortunately, the bus hadn’t been in use when abandoned—there were no passengers, only a blood-smeared hole in the glass near the driver’s seat, but otherwise, everything was intact.

Once all the supplies were onboard and the doors shut, everyone breathed easier. Da Zhuang slid into the bloodstained driver’s seat, found a board to shield the window, and busied himself under the steering wheel. The engine roared to life.

The engine wasn’t overly loud, but its sound still carried to distant zombies. Suddenly, those that had been aimlessly shuffling about snapped to attention, and with wild frenzy charged toward the bus—a horde of a hundred or more, faces twisted, bodies agile, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Drive! Hurry!" Shouts erupted from within the bus. If they were surrounded, there’d be no hope—even with energy guns, survival was not guaranteed. Escape was their only chance.

A bead of sweat trickled down Da Zhuang’s brow; the nearest zombies were less than a hundred meters away. Life and death hung on these few seconds. He took a deep breath, floored the accelerator, and the bus surged forward like a beast roused from slumber.

With a series of thuds, several zombies were sent flying as the bus barreled down the road toward the city. More and more zombies gave chase, but could only run in vain behind the speeding bus, powerless to stop it. Cheers erupted from the passengers.

Du Yun was jubilant as well. Since coming to this zombie-ridden world, she had never felt hope for survival so close at hand. The automobile truly was a magnificent invention!