Chapter 8: Meeting Again

Just as Tang Zhao thought they were both going to die there, Bai Chen Zhu shook his right hand and thrust the iron bar forward, accurately stabbing into the old zombie’s right eye and piercing through its skull.

Tang Zhao shuddered all over and quickly covered his own right eye.

The old zombie finally seemed to feel pain and let out hoarse growls as it tried to pull the iron bar out of its head.

The little zombie pounced over in that moment, but Bai Chen Zhu kicked the old zombie that was pulling at the bar, sending the two monsters crashing into each other and tumbling to the side.

Bai Chen Zhu tugged at the iron gate twice but couldn’t pull it open.

He turned back to look at Tang Zhao. Tang Zhao hurriedly picked up his jaw in shock, tossed aside the shield in his hand, rushed over, pulled out the key, and tremblingly unlocked the door.

Just as the little zombie pounced again, the two shoved each other in a frantic rush out the door. Tang Zhao slammed the iron gate shut, and the little zombie crashed into it, roaring ferociously with its mouth agape wide enough to see its tonsils.

Having learned their lesson from directly confronting two zombies, neither dared to easily disturb those strong and sturdy monsters again.

The current evolution of the zombies seemed limited to their bodies; their speed hadn’t increased. In fact, compared to normal people, it was like rusty gears—dull and sluggish.

Fortunately, the road was wide, and at this time, most of the monsters were clustered in the city center or inside buildings. There weren’t many in this area near the suburbs.

The two skirted around all humanoid creatures and ran for their lives.

Along the way, people occasionally poked their heads out of house windows, watching the two who dodged and weaved on the road. Bai Chen Zhu and the others also saw those people staying at home.

This was a disaster that was gradually collapsing. Before electricity, water, and even the internet completely failed, most people lacked the courage to step out of their homes. They stayed put obediently, waiting for official news.

Only after they were far from the neighborhood and reached the highway side did the two relax with a sigh.

As soon as he relaxed, Bai Chen Zhu sat down on the ground, clutching his pounding chest, his lips pale.

“Bro!” Tang Zhao unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and shoved it into his hand. Seeing how labored his breathing was, Tang Zhao couldn’t imagine how this man had just stood in front of him fighting the old zombie.

He was truly fierce, but also truly frail.

Tang Zhao was moved beyond words. He clenched his fist, eyes teary, “Bro, you’re like my real brother! If there’s ever anything your little bro can help with, just come find me! Bros forever—up the mountain of blades or down into the sea of fire, I’m there!”

He patted his chest loudly.

Bai Chen Zhu drank a few sips of water, and the chill in his body settled, returning to normal temperature. He lifted his eyelids wearily but didn’t forget to tease, “Cut the chatter, little bro. Big bro needs a rest. Go check the road ahead.”

Tang Zhao nodded eagerly, helped him to the shade of a tree, then trotted off to scout ahead.

Their residential area was near the highway exit, which now made it convenient for them to leave the city.

Tang Zhao looked left and right, spotting a car in a nearby concealed corner. The driver’s door was wide open, and the keys were still in the ignition.

If they had a car as transport, wouldn’t they reach their destination quickly? Tang Zhao’s eyes lit up.

He scurried over, hopped into the driver’s seat, plopped down, and turned the key.

A weird muffled sound came from the back seat.

Tang Zhao’s back went cold. His neck twisted around like a wound-up spring with a click-click, meeting the gaze of a disheveled man and woman.

The key point was that those two ‘people’ had dilated pupils and faces pale to a horrifying degree.

“Fuck!” Tang Zhao yelped in fright, leaning back and tumbling out of the car.

These were some desperate lovers!

“What happened?” Bai Chen Zhu, rested enough, walked over with his bag and nearly collided with the turning Tang Zhao.

Before Tang Zhao could speak, Bai Chen Zhu already saw the two zombies crawling from the back seat to the front and then out the door. He whipped around and ran, “Run fast!”

“Fuck fuck!” Tang Zhao chased urgently behind him.

The two zombies crawled out, mouths open emitting intermittent ‘ah’ sounds—high-pitched and shrill, as if trying to speak but the words stuck in their throats.

They flailed their arms and shuffled after the two, not fast, but at a speed the pair couldn’t shake.

As the saying goes, when truly fleeing for your life, you don’t need to run faster than the pursuer—just faster than your teammate. Tang Zhao was the unlucky one.

The lagging Tang Zhao saw he was about to be caught. He gritted his teeth, veered off in another direction where there was cover, planning to take a gamble.

Unexpectedly, the two zombies ignored the nearest Tang Zhao who had turned and run, single-mindedly chasing Bai Chen Zhu. After ‘ah’-ing for a while, they finally gurgled out a clear word: “Hungry!”

Just like that mutant flower.

Bai Chen Zhu still couldn’t figure out why these mutated monsters chased him shouting about hunger. Was he some delicious little cake in their eyes?

His stamina was draining faster and faster. These few hundred meters tired him more than the two or three thousand meters he’d once run. His throat tasted metallic from the cold wind, and his legs felt heavy as if sunk in mud.

This wouldn’t do.

Bai Chen Zhu’s sharp eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

Fifty meters ahead, a motorcycle lay on the ground, keys in it, stuff scattered everywhere. It looked like one of those for long-distance touring, good for a while.

Bai Chen Zhu changed direction and rushed to the motorcycle, righted it, twisted the throttle, and the engine roared like a beast breathing.

He kicked up the stand, leaned low over the body, whipped a 180-degree turn—the tires screeching in a huge drift that nearly flung the speed-unaccustomed Bai Chen Zhu off.

But the situation allowed no time to adjust. The two zombies were just meters away. Bai Chen Zhu gunned the throttle, and the motorcycle shot off like a swift cheetah.

Tang Zhao, hugging his backpack and miserably chasing in the direction Bai Chen Zhu had gone, was panting like he was dying when suddenly a motorcycle sped from afar, whistling to a stop beside him.

“Bro!” Tang Zhao’s cheeks flushed with excitement as he looked at the ‘savior’s’ nearly transparent face, “Awesome, where’d you get it?”

Bai Chen Zhu’s long legs straddled the ground diagonally. He quickly donned his helmet and tossed one to Tang Zhao, “Get on, hurry!”

Tang Zhao clumsily mounted the back. He fumbled out the phone with the downloaded maps, tinkered a bit, and an electronic voice sounded, “Bro, navigation for you.”

“Good.”

On the straight highway, a black shadow streaked by. The passenger let out monkey-like cheers, “Whoo-hoo! Yeah~”

There were few people on the highway, occasionally a few cars parked on the side.

To still be this optimistic at a time like this, Tang Zhao was interesting in some ways.

Bai Chen Zhu observed the road conditions. Under his helmet, his eyes were deep as an abyss. His distinctively knuckled hands gripped the handlebars, his T-shirt billowing in the wind, making him look even slimmer.

His body couldn’t handle prolonged driving fatigue. So whenever Bai Chen Zhu felt tired, they rested on the roadside. Drive a stretch, stop a stretch, and the afternoon passed.

At dusk, the motorcycle stopped at the highway entrance to Jiangzhou City.

Jiangzhou City had many rivers and lakes nearby, beautiful scenery that attracted residents. There were surely plenty of monsters inside, and Bai Chen Zhu had no intention of accompanying Tang Zhao in.

After dismounting, Tang Zhao didn’t leave immediately. He clutched the helmet reluctantly. Following Bai Chen Zhu had given him a sense of security; now facing the road alone, he was a bit scared.

“Be careful on the way back,” Bai Chen Zhu said calmly, instructing him. “If you encounter mutated plants or animals, run. If zombies surround you, hit them here.”

He pointed to his temple.

Facing Tang Zhao’s confusion, Bai Chen Zhu didn’t explain.

In fact, he himself wasn’t entirely clear on the principle. He only knew that for both ability users and zombies, the source of mutation was the brain. As long as the brain took heavy damage, the zombies would be hurt.

Tang Zhao committed these words to memory and nodded, “Bro, will we meet again?”

In his heart, they were already brothers who had gone through life and death.

Bai Chen Zhu patted his shoulder without committing, “If it’s fate, we will.”

“Then I’m heading home.” Tang Zhao scratched his head reluctantly and walked off.

Halfway, he suddenly turned back and waved from afar at Bai Chen Zhu, “Thanks, teacher!”

He grinned and ran forward, as if heading not to a city of nearly ten million but to a safe, warm home. His figure soon blended into the darkness.

The orange hue on the horizon had fallen halfway.

The motorcycle ran out of gas shortly after leaving Jiangzhou City, and there were no gas stations nearby. Bai Chen Zhu had to abandon it and sit by the roadside.

Power facilities were out along this stretch, the standing lampposts gray and dim.

He’d wanted to hole up at home for a while, but that didn’t work. Stumbling into Tang Zhao’s home had forced him out to survive too. In this chaotic time, everyone was scrambling for themselves, bases hadn’t formed yet—could he really find a way out in Floating Cloud City?

Bai Chen Zhu felt some confusion.

A gust of wind made him sneeze. He huddled in his short sleeves, pushed aside the messy thoughts, and decided to take it one step at a time.

Bai Chen Zhu sighed, pulled a piece of bread from his single-shoulder bag, and nibbled at it absentmindedly. His eyelids drooped as if he might fall asleep any moment.

The highway wasn’t comfortable, but safer than a zombie-infested residential area.

On the desolate, open road, he sat cross-legged in disheveled fashion, his slim figure striking. Normally, he’d draw open stares and whispers.

But now, probably only zombies would chase him.

A car’s headlights swept over, nearly blinding Bai Chen Zhu.

Bai Chen Zhu raised a hand to block the light, cursing the unethical driver inwardly. Unexpectedly, the roaring car turned back and stopped in front of him.

The door opened, and two people got out.

Some rich kid? Bai Chen Zhu lifted his eyelids for a look. At a glance, the flashy multicolored clothes seared everyone’s eyes equally.

No coincidence like enemies meeting. Jiang Ye, in a floral shirt, white tank top, and beach pants, walked toward him.

Two meters behind Jiang Ye stood an off-road vehicle, quietly parked by the roadside in the dusk like a beast lurking in the night. A woman leaned against it, silently watching the two.

Bai Chen Zhu narrowed his eyes, gaze skipping past Jiang Ye to the back. The woman was expressionless, ponytail, silver-framed glasses, slim build.

He vaguely guessed her identity.

One of the male lead’s fixed harem members: childhood sweetheart, the early-dying white moonlight.

Even in the apocalypse, it didn’t stop the male lead from touring with his harem. Bai Chen Zhu sneered inwardly, finished the bread in big bites, brushed the crumbs off his hands, packed up to leave—when a shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Jiang Ye bit a cigarette, the tip’s glow bobbing up and down in the evening light. He greeted sarcastically, “Yo, Young Master Bai.”

Bai Chen Zhu pretended not to hear and moved to stand. Jiang Ye stepped on his ankle—not hard, but enough to pin him down.

The man pinched out the slim cigarette, held it in his right hand, squatted loosely, deliberately blew smoke at Bai Chen Zhu’s face, and smugly watched him cough. He drawled, “You’ve got a today too, huh.”

“Still recognize me?” Jiang Ye’s lips curved in a meaningful arc as he leisurely regarded the weary Bai Chen Zhu.

His curiosity about Bai Chen Zhu hadn’t faded with time. Today, he’d finally caught him.

An unexpected bonus from heading out. Jiang Ye took a deep drag to ease his irritability. Now, what to do with this guy? Torture? Interrogate…

In an instant, countless methods from his past life flashed through Jiang Ye’s mind, cold intent in his eyes.

“How could I not.” Bai Chen Zhu sensed the faint killing intent but feigned ignorance. He withdrew his ankle from under Jiang Ye’s foot, casually brushed off the footprint, and said lightly, “What a coincidence. You passing by?”

“Passing by.” Jiang Ye smiled, rubbed his fingertips as if concerned, “Can that junk motorcycle of yours still run? Late at night, no city nearby front or back. If something happens, no one’s collecting your corpse.”

“No need.” Bai Chen Zhu replied coolly, “If I’m a zombie, I’ll crawl up and eat people myself.”

Their casual words carried back-and-forth probing.

Jiang Ye looked at his face and suddenly changed his mind.

How about keeping this butterfly that caused endless surprises? Jiang Ye lightly, casually eyed his ‘new toy’ up and down, “Alumni after all. Though you’re weak and useless, at least you’re decent-looking—barely qualify as a vase. Come with me.”

Weak and useless? Bai Chen Zhu’s brow twitched, but he said nothing, twisting open a bottle cap and taking two sips to moisten his throat.

Jiang Ye watched the man before him silently, invisible pressure settling on him.

He squinted his eyes. “What, you unwilling?”

Bai Chen Zhu screwed the cap back on the bottle, turned his face sideways, and let his gaze fall on Jiang Ye’s unusually amiable face. Yet those fierce brows and eyes looked malicious no matter how he saw them.

“Sure.” Bai Chen Zhu twisted the bottle cap casually, brushing it off. “Room and board included, plus protection.”

Jiang Ye, who thought he was demanding tribute, laughed. He stood up, tossed the cigarette butt under his foot, and stamped out that tiny spark. “You know how to cook?”

Bai Chen Zhu looked up at Jiang Ye—clearly gazing up at him—yet his momentum didn’t fall short. A layer of sarcasm floated across his aloof features. “No, you’ll cook for me. Surely the great Boss Jiang doesn’t lack even this bit of skill?”

Jiang Ye’s foot paused mid-stomp on the cigarette, and the woman who had been staying out of it behind him froze.

As if finding it amusing, the woman turned her face sideways and covered her mouth with a soft chuckle.

Bai Chen Zhu had rested enough and didn’t want to argue with this man anymore. He pushed off the ground to stand, lifted his leg to leave, but Jiang Ye grabbed his wrist, forcing him to halt.

Those fingers were like steel bars. Bai Chen Zhu pried at them one by one but couldn’t budge them. Thinking of something, Bai Chen Zhu stopped trying to pry Jiang Ye’s hand loose.

Something was off. His own strength hadn’t changed—what had changed was Jiang Ye’s.

Bai Chen Zhu felt some surprise, a bad premonition rising in his heart: Jiang Ye shouldn’t have awakened his superpower yet at this point, right? But this strength was undeniably real.

Jiang Ye watched him struggle to break free, his expression smug, a half-smile on his face as he looked at him. “Sharp-tongued but all show—what makes you think you can negotiate terms?”

That look in Jiang Ye’s eyes was a knife hidden in a smile. Bai Chen Zhu had no doubt the man wanted to kill him.

In the end, Jiang Ye opted to give him a stay of execution.

Thus, that wild and untamed face tried hard to show magnanimity, but the forced grin made it look all the more ferocious.

“Come on then. As one of my people, you think I can’t spare you a bite to eat?”

“Your food’s too tough.” Bai Chen Zhu studied him warily, guarding against any sudden move. His pitch-black eyes were icy and inscrutable. “My stomach can’t handle it.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Ye released his hand.

Just as Bai Chen Zhu twisted his wrist, planning to leave, he saw Jiang Ye idly pull a folding knife from his pocket and toy with it.

With a flick of his thumb, the blade sprang out. He casually straightened his bangs against the gleaming blade’s surface, saying in a caring, mild tone: “Man is iron, rice is steel—if you don’t eat, you’ll die, you know.”