Chapter 51 - 48: The Shocking Appearance of Zombie Dogs
Just after leaving the city, the sun had already set behind the mountains.
The afterglow of the sunset still lingered, dyeing the distant mountains red.
Li Yu glanced at his watch, 17:21.
In winter, the sun always sets quickly. Once it dips below the horizon, it would be no more than 25 minutes before darkness falls.
Seeing that they were already out of the city with fewer obstructions on the road, Li Yu told Li Tie to speed up the car.
"Speed up! Tiezi!" Li Yu shouted.
Ever since his rebirth, Li Yu had never spent a night outside because he knew all too well how terrifying zombies can be under the cover of darkness.
The same was true for people like Yang Tianlong. As if recalling some bad memories, Li Tie pushed the car to its top speed.
Boom!
The car sped up to its limit, roaring as it raced forward.
The night seemed like an ancient beast, devouring the sunlight.
Two cars, five people, were racing against time!
In the darkness, zombies' sense of smell and hearing became more acute, and in the night, humans couldn't see zombies clearly.
This made the danger level at night several times higher than during the day!
Once surrounded by a horde of zombies in the night, it's hard to get out in one piece.
The car whizzed past on the road.
Along the roadside were farmlands and forests,
and occasionally, some houses.
To avoid being entangled by a mob of zombies, Li Yu and his group chose a route that skirted around the concentration points of villages and towns.
17:35.
The sky had turned dusky, with the light gradually fading, as if the chaos of creation was enveloping everything in a hazy mist.
Up ahead was the gas station they passed by earlier today. According to Li Yu's initial plan, if time allowed on the way back, he would try to bring back some fuel to the base.
But now, it was too late, and they had to postpone it.
After passing the gas station, it was less than 10 minutes away from the base.
However, the sky was darkening rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to see the road with the naked eye.
Li Tie turned on the car's headlights, illuminating the path ahead,
but with that came the heightened excitement of the zombies, swarming from both sides of the road.
"Don't mind them, just ram through! Hurry up!" As Li Yu saw this scene, he quickly said.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The car slid slightly from hitting zombies, nearly crashing into the guardrails.
Seeing the base was not too far away, Li Yu tried to take out the walkie-talkie to contact Second Uncle and the others.
"Li Yu, Li Yu, I'm here. Where are you guys now?" Second Uncle excitedly said upon hearing Li Yu's voice.
"We should be there in about 5–6 minutes. Second Uncle, get ready to open the gates. Are there many zombies outside the base right now?" Li Yu asked.
"Not many, not many. The zombies were drawn away by you guys today and have been few ever since! Why are you only coming back now?" Second Uncle said.
Looking at the pitch-black night that didn't have a glint of light left, Second Uncle was somewhat worried.
Li Yu and the others passed two minutes with bated breath. Seeing the rural road that was close at hand, they allowed themselves a sigh of relief.
Entering the rural road, they slowed down due to its twists and turns—going too fast could easily result in driving off into the fields.
Everything was normal, and soon, they finally saw the small path leading to the base.
Li Tie was about to take the turn off the rural road when the headlights shone on a glaring obstacle—a large tanker truck was parked right in the middle of the road.
Originally for the sake of concealment, the design of this small path could only accommodate one large vehicle at a time.
Now this tanker truck was completely blocking the way forward!
Li Tie gradually slowed down, asking, "Big brother, the road ahead is blocked!"
Li Yu looked up sharply and made a snap decision: "Drive to the side, we'll get out of the car! Hurry."
Li Tie pulled the car over, and Zhao Dapao, who was following behind, also stopped.
Just then, a few zombies from the direction of the rural road started approaching.
Li Yu was the first to get out of the car, taking out a flashlight.
One hand held the flashlight, shining it on the few approaching zombies.
From the other car, Zhao Dapao and Yang Tianlong also got out and turned on their flashlights.
"Quick, let's go! Tiezi, tell Second Uncle over the walkie-talkie to open the gates!" Li Yu said while backing away.
The zombies moved incredibly fast at night, already charging towards them.
Li Yu and Zhao Dapao resisted the zombies from the left and right.
"Dapao, kill that zombie and retreat quickly, don't engage unnecessarily! Nighttime zombies are no joke," Li Yu said.
Again he pointed his knife at the zombie; the oncoming zombie was quick, as if it was headbutting the blade.
The force of the zombie's charge was tremendous, so Li Yu stepped back and the long knife pierced the zombie's skull.
Seeing they had dealt with the two zombies, Li Yu hurriedly caught up. With the concrete road blocked by the tanker truck, Li Yu and the others had no choice but to run along a muddy path beside it.
There are some leaves on the muddy road, making rustling sounds as several people step on them.
Suddenly,
the darkness lights up - Second Uncle has turned on the high beams.
It's somewhat blinding,
and Li Yu slightly lowers his head.
As if moved by some otherworldly force, completely without warning,
Li Yu suddenly rolls forward.
An intuitive sixth sense alerts him to the danger.
His muscle memory kicks in, compelling him to act!
This sixth sense has saved him countless times before his rebirth.
Hearing Li Yu's movement, the people ahead turn their heads as they run.
"Big brother! Be careful!" Li Tie suddenly yells out!
After hitting the ground, Li Yu doesn't look back,
and before standing up, he tilts his head and stabs backwards.
Puchi!
The long knife seems to pierce through something.
A chill creeps up Li Yu's neck,
followed by a foul, nauseating stench.
Ignoring whatever has sprayed onto his neck,
Li Yu sprints forward several steps without looking back.
While running, he glances behind him.
He sees a huge zombie dog lying on the ground, its belly ripped open by a ghastly wound from Li Yu's knife.
And behind it, several more zombie dogs are closely following.
Seeing the fallen dog, the others stop in their tracks.
In their eyes, a greedy look shines as they stare at the fallen zombie dog.
The wounded zombie dog tries to get up with effort, but its abdominal wound is too severe. It struggles a bit, then finally collapses.
The other zombie dogs pounce upon seeing this.
They begin to tear and devour.
"What is that? Is it a dog?" Li Tie and the others ask in shock upon witnessing the scene.
"Back to the base first! We'll talk later." Li Yu, seeing Second Uncle coming down from the Observation Tower ready to open the gate, quickly says.
Soon, they all reach the perimeter wall, with the zombie dogs lifting their heads behind them.
It seems like they want to charge over.
Inside the enclosure, the sound of the gates opening can be heard.
There are two gates; originally, to prevent the first gate from being breached, two gates were installed.
But now, the zombie dogs are charging.
20 meters,
15 meters,
The second small gate outside the wall hasn't opened yet.
10 meters,
Li Yu, at the very back, takes out his submachine gun, ready to fire.
Just then, the gate opens, and everyone streams in.
Li Yu follows close behind.
Bang!
The gate has just closed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The zombie dogs slam against the door.
Li Yu sits down, letting Li Tie and the others through the second gate.
"Shut the door, don't mind me," Li Yu says.
The chill on his neck from the recent zombie dog attack worries him.
Everyone is puzzled.
Li Yu watches his watch anxiously; three minutes pass, he breathes a sigh of relief.
Zombies spread infection through biting; it seems the substance on his neck was the blood of the zombie dog.
Standing up, he faces everyone's puzzled looks.
He explains, "I was just worried I'd been bitten. If I had been, I would have turned into a zombie within three minutes. It seems I'm fine now."
Everyone's expression turns to one of relief, Second Uncle breathes easy, opens the gate, and pats Li Yu on the shoulder.