Chapter 171: The Woman Ran Away
Chapter 171: The Woman Ran Away
Yun Tao sprints toward a pickup truck loaded with oil drums. Without hesitation, he punches a zombie blocking his path, caving in its skull. As another zombie lunges at him, he spins and slashes it down with his blade. Wasting no time, he smashes the truck’s glass window with his fist, yanks the door open, and climbs into the driver’s seat.
Pulling out two wires from beneath the dashboard, Yun Tao begins hotwiring the vehicle. Sparks fly as he works quickly to start the engine.
Behind him, Anran clutches the baby tightly in her arms, following Liu Yuan closely. The sound of shouts and the clash of weapons from the front of the gas station grows louder, signaling the arrival of some formidable force.
As Anran runs out of the dormitory, she glances back. The two men Yun Tao attacked earlier aren’t as easy to kill as she thought. Perhaps their powers as ability users make them more resilient. One of them, despite having been stabbed, staggers to his feet and begins chasing after her.
The man, blood dripping from his wound, grabs at Anran’s clothing from behind. “Stop running!” he growls, his voice filled with anger and desperation.
Anran spins around, her baby securely strapped to her chest in the sling. Her hand darts behind her back, pulling the sharp knife from her waist in one swift motion. Without hesitation, she plunges the blade into the man’s stomach.
The man groans in agony, clutching at his wound as he drops to his knees. Anran pulls the knife free, her forehead slick with sweat. She turns, her breathing uneven, and freezes for a moment.
Through the open door of the dormitory, she sees a little girl standing behind the iron railings. The girl is naked, her small hands gripping the bars tightly. Her gaze is cold, emotionless, as if the chaos and violence unfolding around her don’t concern her in the slightest.
The men who had been in the room with the girl are nowhere to be seen—they’ve all rushed toward the front of the gas station. But the little girl stays behind, her unblinking eyes fixed on Anran, watching her every move.
For a moment, Anran feels a strange chill. The girl’s expression is unnervingly calm. Life, death, heaven, or hell—none of it seems to matter to her. She simply observes, silently witnessing Anran’s desperate fight for survival.
“Are you coming?” Anran finds herself asking the girl, her voice tinged with urgency. She holds the baby tightly, her grip on the knife trembling slightly.
The little girl’s face remains blank for a moment before she smiles—a faint, hopeful expression breaking through the numbness. Her eyes brighten as she nods. Without a word, she turns, grabs a large sheet from the bed, and wraps it around herself. She opens the door and runs out, stopping next to Anran. Hesitantly, she reaches out and clings to Anran’s clothes, her small hand trembling slightly.
Anran glances down at the girl but doesn’t have time to speak. She turns to face the chaos ahead, one hand holding the baby close and the other gripping the knife tightly.
Suddenly, another man bursts out of the shadows, charging straight at her. Anran reacts instinctively, swinging her knife with all her strength. She feels the blade connect but doesn’t see where it strikes. All she hears is a scream, sharp and piercing, as the man falls.
"Anran, get in the car now!"
Liu Yuan’s voice cuts through the chaos. She has managed to dodge several zombies and is now sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, Heng Heng safe in her arms. She pokes her head out of the window, waving frantically.
By this time, Yun Tao has successfully started the truck. He looks over his shoulder and sees Anran still surrounded. Green Dragon’s men aren’t going to let her go easily.
Yun Tao growls in frustration, opens the truck door, and smashes it into a nearby zombie. Jumping out, he climbs onto the roof of the truck to get a better view of Anran’s position.
Anran, meanwhile, is under the eaves, still fighting her way through. She protects the baby with one hand and slashes at anything in her path with the other. Whether it’s a person or a zombie, it doesn’t matter—she aims for the head every time.
The scene is chaos. Green Dragon’s men are shouting orders, and in the confusion, someone screams out:
"The granary ran away! That woman ran away!!!"
The cry spreads quickly through the ranks, and panic ensues. No one wants to face Green Dragon’s wrath if the mobile granary escapes.
As the shouts grow louder, Yun Tao reaches down, pulling Anran up onto the roof of the truck. She grits her teeth, her face pale but determined. With one last burst of effort, she climbs into the truck, the little girl clinging tightly to her side.
"Go!" Yun Tao shouts to Liu Yuan as he slides into the driver’s seat. The engine roars, and the pickup truck speeds off into the night, leaving behind the chaos of the gas station and the desperate cries of Green Dragon’s men.