Chapter 382: Calm
Chapter 382: Calm
In the chaos, An Ran holds Doll with one arm and braces herself against a car hood with the other. With a graceful leap, she lands on the hood, twisting her body to dodge the two men charging at her. As soon as her feet touch down, another man rushes forward, wielding a large black sack.
It’s clear—someone is trying to kidnap her and Doll. Why should An Ran show mercy?
Still cradling Doll with one arm, she draws the military knife from her waist with the other. One slash to the left, another to the right—swish, swish, swish—she slices through the sack-wielding man’s arms, leaving them dangling, and blood gushes from his neck where her knife plunges in. He drops to the ground, dead.
More men chase after her from behind. An Ran keeps running, occasionally turning back to swing her blade and cut down one or two pursuers. But every delay pushes her farther behind the group of survivors.
Suddenly, Zhan Lian bursts out from thick smoke and charges toward her. A throwing knife flies from his side, hitting and killing the two men chasing her. Behind him, a zombie covered in rotting flesh lunges, its mouth wide open and long tongue stretching toward his waist. Without even looking, Zhan Lian sends a golden flying knife spinning backward, slicing off the tongue cleanly. By then, he’s already behind An Ran.
He reaches out, grabs a male pursuer by the hair, and slams him to the ground, killing him instantly.
"You okay?" Zhan Lian asks, sweat beading on his forehead.
An Ran doesn’t respond. Instead, she shoves Doll into his arms and, without a word, plunges her knife straight into the spine of a man trying to flee beside them. Her movement is swift and vicious—so much so that Zhan Lian is momentarily stunned.
"What are you standing there for? Run!" Luo Feifan rushes past them, shouting. He sprints forward, setting fires as he goes.
Behind him, Tang Siluo follows, looking disheveled, her military cap lost somewhere in the chaos.
In the sea of flames trails Zhang Boxun, with two sensory zombies chasing behind.
One is a bronze-skinned zombie whose flesh has been melted by Luo Feifan’s flames. The other is just an ordinary zombie, its body engulfed in fire, but showing no sign of pain as it chases after Zhang Boxun.
After a few steps, the ordinary zombie suddenly turns and spots Zhao Qianrong ahead. She sits calmly in a wheelchair, reaching out to open the door of a medical vehicle. Behind her stands Lao San, missing an arm.
When Lao San sees the zombie’s attention shift toward them, he screams in terror, tumbling out of the medical vehicle and fleeing in a panic, clutching his severed arm.
Ordinary zombies don’t have the best eyesight, but their hearing is the first sense to sharpen after turning. The farther behind a zombie is, the more sensitive its hearing. Initially, the zombie doesn’t notice Zhao Qianrong—but Lao San’s scream gives her away.
Zhao Qianrong freezes, panic flashing briefly across her aged face. But soon, she goes still. It’s a calmness born from having seen life and death clearly—a quiet acceptance of the end.
In the distance, Zhao Ru pushes through a crowd of survivors, running toward Zhao Qianrong in desperation.
Just then, a zombie emerges in front of her, cutting her off. Afraid it will harm Zhao Qianrong, Zhao Ru screams and deliberately lures the zombie away, drawing it toward Luo Feifan.