Chapter 177: She Is My Life
Chapter 177: She Is My Life
Calm down. Calm down. What you need to do is stay calm.
Anran keeps repeating these words to herself, forcing her breathing to steady. Slowly, she begins to regain control over her fear. She assesses the situation, counting the zombies surrounding the car—fortunately, there aren’t many, only about ten.
She realizes that Yun Tao must have deliberately wedged the car into the wall before collapsing from exhaustion. The front of the truck has lodged into the entrance of a large underground supermarket. The store appears untouched, its supplies intact, and there are no signs of any survivors inside.
The zombies surrounding the vehicle are all dressed in supermarket employee uniforms. It’s clear that when the apocalypse broke out, it must have been nighttime. The store had already closed for inventory, trapping the staff inside.
The vehicles that had been following them are gone now, and although a crowd of zombies presses against the rear wall of the truck, they haven’t managed to break through yet. As long as Anran can eliminate the dozen zombies at the front of the car and lead everyone upstairs, they still have a chance to survive.
If not, everyone in the vehicle will be doomed.
"Hold my daughter."
Anran carefully removes her sling and hands Doll, wrapped inside it, to the little girl beside her. She looks at the girl with an unwavering seriousness, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Protect her well. She is my life. If anything happens to her, I won’t survive, and neither will you."
The little girl nods solemnly, tightening her arms around Doll. She promises Anran with a steady voice, "I’ll protect her."
"Good. I’ll take care of things outside the car."
Anran smiles and gently touches the little girl’s head, her gesture warm and comforting, like an older sister offering reassurance. The little girl’s lips curve into a smile as she nestles into the car, holding Doll even closer.
Satisfied, Anran withdraws her hand. She takes a deep breath, reaches back to gather her loose hair, and ties it up with a rubber band. Her focus shifts briefly to Liu Yuan, who is busy tending to Yun Tao. Blood is seeping from a wound on his back, and Liu Yuan presses her hands firmly against it to slow the bleeding. Her son, Heng Heng, sits nearby, a large bump forming on his head from the impact of the crash. Liu Yuan has her hands full, splitting her attention between Yun Tao and trying to console Heng Heng.
Anran turns her attention back to the task at hand. With her hair secured tightly, she opens the car door. Following Yun Tao’s earlier example, she kicks the door open with one powerful motion and jumps out.
Drawing her military knife from her waist, she springs into action. With a swift, decisive motion, she slashes through the arm of a zombie reaching for her on her left. Then, in a seamless movement, she spins around and plunges the blade into the head of another zombie on her right.
Wrenching her knife free, Anran kicks the corpse blocking her path, stepping over its fallen body. She sprints a short distance ahead, purposefully drawing the attention of the zombies surrounding the truck. Her shouts echo through the empty supermarket, taunting them as she runs toward the aisles filled with food.
The horde of zombies chases after her with guttural growls. Anran darts into the snack aisle, ducking behind a shelf stacked with colorful packaging. She holds her breath, crouched low, and waits.
The zombies, oblivious to her hiding spot, stumble past her and continue forward. As soon as the group has passed, Anran springs out from behind the shelf. With a fierce cry, she leaps onto the back of a nearby zombie, pinning it down. Her knife comes down in a swift, brutal strike, stabbing into its skull.
The sound of the attack alerts the rest of the zombies. They turn as one, emitting hoarse, guttural noises. The once-scattered horde now focuses entirely on her again.
Anran doesn’t hesitate. She rolls off the corpse beneath her, twisting her body mid-movement. As she lands, she swings her blade, severing the foot of an approaching zombie with precision.