A van swayed erratically before coming to a halt in front of the convenience store, its roof laden with a precarious stack of goods. Within its cramped interior, people were packed shoulder to shoulder.
Upon spotting a white-haired girl aiming a crossbow at them from the store’s entrance, the occupants of the van recoiled in fear, their heads ducking instinctively.
The van’s driver, a middle-aged man with a thick head of hair, rolled down his window and offered a wide grin. “Don’t be alarmed, Little Dragon Girl,” he called out. “We’re here to gather supplies. We have quite a few people with us; would you care to join our ranks?”
Recruiting people the moment they arrived? Ling Yechen harbored suspicions about the man’s true intentions. She wondered why he didn’t seem to question her presence.
Notably, Ling Yechen observed the man’s gaze briefly flick to the prone figure of Du Lan.
Du Lan, she surmised, must have discovered Ling Yechen searching for supplies in the convenience store and attempted to tag along, hoping to snatch some for herself—what audacity! Yet, a fleeting thought reminded Ling Yechen that Du Lan’s warning cry of “Be careful!” had narrowly saved her life for a second time. If Du Lan were to perish now, it would at least be a final act of good.
“Help me!” Du Lan, sprawled on the ground, suddenly stirred, struggling to lift her head. She mustered every ounce of her strength to cry out, before her body sagged weakly once more.
The driver’s eyes darted to Du Lan, an arrow still protruding from her abdomen, then shifted to Ling Yechen, who remained poised with her crossbow.
Ling Yechen, of course, knew precisely what thoughts were running through his mind.
“She was shot by the man inside,” Ling Yechen quickly clarified, understanding the urgency of establishing her innocence.
“Which man?”
Ling Yechen pointed towards Old Li’s fallen form by the convenience store’s entrance, though she would never know his surname was Li.
“You killed him?”
“He tried to kill me first.”
The driver remained silent, pushing open his door and stepping out of the van, then strode purposefully towards Old Li’s corpse.
“Let me see if it’s someone I know,” he muttered, picking up his pace.
The instant the driver passed Ling Yechen, she detected a subtle movement from his left hand. It was only then that she realized her crossbow had involuntarily lowered. Just as she moved to re-aim, the driver swiftly drew a Type 92 pistol from his waist and leveled it directly at her.
“Drop your weapon, Little Dragon Girl,” he commanded, his voice firm. “I’m a police officer, and I won’t ask twice.”
Despite the driver wearing no uniform or any discernible identification, Ling Yechen was immediately struck by the sharp, authoritative aura he exuded—his gaze was piercing, his shooting stance textbook perfect. She found herself mildly curious as to why she was instinctively evaluating his form.
First, she released her right hand from the crossbow’s grip, then used her left to carefully lower the weapon to the ground.
“Hands up.”
As the officer spoke, he seemed to recall something, turning his head to instruct, “Old Cao, get that person on the ground into the van.”
From within the van, a man in his fifties with permed blonde hair affirmed with a “Alright,” then pushed open his door and disembarked. A younger man followed, clutching a sharpened length of rebar, its hilt wrapped in cloth—evidently, a makeshift spear for dispatching zombies.
The officer quickly frisked Ling Yechen, tearing off the makeshift cloth armor she wore. Then, producing a pair of handcuffs from seemingly nowhere, he clicked them shut around the girl’s slender wrists.
“That’s a bit much, Officer Niu,” the blonde-haired man remarked, straining alongside the younger man to lift Du Lan from the ground. “Such a cute young lady, and you just… Heavens, this plump girl is incredibly heavy!”
“There’s no more room in the van!” the other young man exclaimed, glancing back at the vehicle.
“Open the back door!” Officer Niu instructed. “Little Cao, you can hang on the back.”
“I might as well just lie on the roof then.”
“Good idea,” Officer Niu conceded, pushing the handcuffed Ling Yechen towards the van. “Keep an eye on her. Old Cao, come with me; we need to grab a few more things.”
Little Cao summoned another tall young man from the second row of the van. Together, they struggled to wedge Du Lan into the seat opposite the second row, propped against the car door. After this, they both exited the vehicle to keep watch over Ling Yechen, who remained handcuffed beside the van.
The edible supplies had already been neatly organized by Ling Yechen, so the two men simply returned, each carrying a heavy bag.
They truly owed Ling Yechen a debt of gratitude. Even with the brief two minutes it took to collect the supplies, zombies were already beginning to converge. Had she not organized everything in advance, they would have been forced into an even earlier retreat.
Little Cao, for his part, had never once deployed the rebar spear he carried, nor had he ever received formal training. It was entirely possible that his first use would also be his last.
“Hurry up, everyone! There are maniacs coming!” Little Cao yelled, clutching his spear as he stood guard beside Ling Yechen. His other hand gripped the van’s roof edge, poised to spring onto the top at a moment’s notice.
Ling Yechen’s gaze swept over the large bag of supplies Officer Niu and Old Cao were hauling, then shifted to the van’s second and third rows. The second row already held four individuals, while the rear was crammed with six.
A single van, now expected to accommodate thirteen people.
Furthermore, supplies weren’t limited to the roof; the interior was also cluttered with numerous items, haphazardly stuffed into every available corner.
With the addition of the new, bulky bag of supplies, it seemed there would be virtually no space left for her.
If Officer Niu considered her a killer—though Ling Yechen doubted the concept of “murderer” held much weight now—he would undoubtedly deem transporting her a risk, especially with zombies closing in. And if he abandoned her without removing the handcuffs, Ling Yechen would surely be doomed.
Thus, as Officer Niu and Old Cao began to cram the large bag of supplies into the already crowded van, with Officer Niu even turning to assure Ling Yechen, “Just wait, we’ll get you in there soon,” Ling Yechen’s patience finally snapped. She whirled around and sprinted to the opposite side of the van.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
With a swift pull, Ling Yechen yanked open the door. Du Lan, unconscious and leaning against it, tumbled out of the van and hit the ground with a sickening thud.
‘Even if I die, I won’t let this person be saved!’
A surge of fury consumed Ling Yechen. She scrambled into the van, her handcuffed hands gripping the seatback with desperate strength. The man seated in the middle pushed her, then, turning his head to see several zombies rapidly approaching, he shot Ling Yechen a furious glare. “You’re ruthless!” he spat. “Officer Niu, forget about her! Just drive!”
Officer Niu, having just processed the scene, froze for a split second. He stomped his foot and cursed, “You wretched girl! Get out of my damn van!” Yet, he instantly realized the futility of trying to drag the white-haired girl out; the zombies were too close. With circumstances as they were, he had no choice but to take the white-haired girl, despite her suspected involvement in a killing.
Reflecting on the situation, Officer Niu couldn’t help but marvel at the frail-looking white-haired girl’s swift and ruthless decisiveness, which almost resembled that of a seasoned ex-convict.
Suddenly, the rear door of the van swung open again. A tall young man leaped out and rushed towards Ling Yechen’s side.
“She can be saved! I’ll just hang on the back of the van!” he declared, frantically rapping on Ling Yechen’s window.
“Sister! Don’t be stubborn now; every life saved is a victory!”
“Zhao Long! What are you doing?!” Officer Niu, who had just settled into the driver’s seat, roared, twisting his head around. “Get in the van!”
Zhao Long pushed open the door on Ling Yechen’s side. Gritting his teeth, he reached under Du Lan’s armpits and began to hoist her up.
“Everyone, squeeze towards my side! Young lady, lend a hand! Whatever grievances you two have, you can sort them out later!”
“This is insane! Zhao Long! Move it!”
Officer Niu, witnessing the zombies’ rapid approach, dared not exit the vehicle. He could only pound the steering wheel and roar in frustration.
Gazingo at Du Lan’s unconscious face, Ling Yechen felt not a flicker of pity.
Yet, she knew that if she didn’t offer assistance, Zhao Long would continue to hold Du Lan aloft until the zombies overwhelmed them.
Zhao Long was oblivious to Du Lan’s unsavory actions, his act of rescue driven purely by a sense of justice. Ling Yechen couldn’t allow him to suffer for it.
Gripping Du Lan’s collar with her handcuffed hands, Ling Yechen strained alongside Zhao Long, together heaving the plump, unconscious woman into the van.
Zhao Long yanked the door shut and yelled, “Drive!” Officer Niu stomped on the accelerator, and the van rumbled to life with an unhappy whine. Zhao Long sprinted to the back, clinging directly to the rear window, his hands scrambling for purchase on the roof rack, his feet braced against the protrusion beneath the license plate.
And so, a van laden with fifteen people and a mountain of supplies lurched forward, beginning its bumpy escape.