Chapter 17 Crisis on the Road

Like caged beasts breaking free, the convoy finally broke through the last dense cluster of buildings on the edge of the city. However, the scene before them cast a shadow over the glimmer of hope that had just risen in the hearts of all the survivors.

On a relatively open road outside the city, five or six military trucks covered with heavy tarpaulins were parked, each with armed soldiers standing guard beside it. The truck tires were deformed from being crushed, indicating that they were carrying heavy loads.

Those were valuable supplies that the army had collected early in the morning from several key targets in the south and west of the city (which may have been granaries, logistics centers, or large supermarket warehouses).

Gathering supplies and rescuing survivors, the army is simultaneously undertaking two arduous tasks.

"All vehicles, keep up! Maintain speed! Don't fall behind!" The officer's shout came through the loudspeaker, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency.

The massive convoy started up again, with military trucks mixed among the survivors' ragtag vehicles, inevitably slowing down.

The heavy trucks, like cumbersome behemoths, are an irresistible temptation for zombies, with their noise and the "human presence" they carry.

"Attention! There's a horde of zombies at the intersection ahead!" the scout's voice was urgent.

Ruan Ning's gaze sharpened as she looked ahead.

It was an interchange ramp leading to a highway, and at that moment, a dark mass of zombies was surging in from under the bridge and up the ramp! The number far exceeded the scattered zombies encountered in the city before, probably numbering in the hundreds!

They seemed to be driven by an invisible hand, or attracted by the huge commotion here, forming an encirclement!

"Fire!"

The guards' faces turned grim, and the gunfire instantly intensified like a rainstorm! Bullets whistled through the horde of zombies, the front tier falling like wheat being harvested, but those behind immediately filled the gaps, fearless and endless!

Bang! Thud!

The zombies began charging the convoy! They rammed the vehicles with their bodies, especially the slower, larger military trucks! The tarpaulins were torn apart, and zombies tried to climb onto the trailers!

"Hold the supplies!" The officer's eyes were bloodshot with rage. The soldiers fired desperately, and some even jumped off the vehicles to fight the approaching zombies with bayonets and entrenching tools!

The survivor convoy was in complete chaos.

A car was hit by several zombies at the same time, overturned, and was instantly buried. The screams coming from inside were terrifying.

Some people tried to speed past, but crashed into vehicles that had lost control while trying to avoid them, causing a chain-reaction collision that blocked part of the road!

"Go around it! Go through the wasteland next to it!" someone shouted hoarsely.

Several high-performance off-road vehicles, including Ruan Ning's, immediately swerved and plunged off the roadbed, bumping along the uneven wasteland, trying to bypass the densest horde of corpses and the traffic jam on the main road.

But this wasteland is not safe either!

Pfft!

A zombie, hidden in waist-high weeds, suddenly lunged out, its rotting arm piercing the window of a car next to Ruan Ning! The survivors inside screamed in terror!

Ruan Ning's eyes were cold. He didn't slow down the accelerator, but made a slight adjustment to the steering wheel. The heavy chassis of the SUV ran directly over the zombie, and a sickening sound of bones cracking echoed.

Looking in her rearview mirror, she saw the attacked car instantly lose control, veering and crashing into a ditch, and quickly surrounded by other zombies that emerged from the bushes.

Do not linger in the wild!

All vehicles attempting to detour were trapped in the same predicament! Overgrown weeds obscured visibility, making it impossible to pinpoint where a deadly threat might suddenly appear! The roar and jolting of the vehicles also attracted the lurking zombies!

roar--!

A particularly deep and powerful roar came from the depths of the wasteland!

Ruan Ning's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition welled up inside her.

The grass shook violently, and a figure, noticeably larger than a normal zombie, with an unnatural bluish-black skin and unusually thick arms, suddenly burst out! It was incredibly fast and had a clear target, lunging directly at a military jeep that was struggling to move forward!

boom!

Its massive arm slammed down on the jeep's hood, denting it and sending white smoke billowing out! The soldiers inside fired desperately, but the bullets seemed unable to inflict fatal damage, only making it more ferocious!

"It's a strength-type mutant!" a knowledgeable soldier shouted in alarm. "Watch out! It's incredibly strong!"

The appearance of mutated zombies instantly worsened the already precarious situation!

Ruan Ning gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

She watched the powerful zombie rampaging through the convoy, causing massive destruction, and then glanced at the soldiers and survivors struggling under the combined pressure of the horde of zombies and the mutants, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Watching that powerful mutated zombie rampage through the convoy like a heavy tank, its thick arms swinging with terrifying force with each swing, sending soldiers who tried to stop it flying along with their weapons, and even smashing the side of a military jeep into shape!

The soldiers' bullets mostly left shallow dents on its bluish-black skin, failing to cause fatal wounds and instead further enraging it.

Under the "leadership" of the mutants, the ordinary zombies also became more frenzied, like piranhas that had smelled blood, constantly attacking the crumbling defense line.

A young soldier, trying to cover his comrades' retreat, was pounced on by several zombies and instantly overwhelmed, only managing to let out a short scream.

Ruan Ning gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter.

Fragments of memories from a past life overlapped with the horrific scene before him.

She remembered that in the initial, most chaotic and desperate days, it was indeed these people in military uniforms who built the first line of defense with their own flesh and blood, protecting the survivors behind them, even at the cost of their own lives.

She knew she couldn't be so selfless. She was reborn, her heart filled with hatred and a strong desire to survive, but that didn't diminish her respect for these people.

She couldn't stand idly by and watch these people who were still upholding their duties fall one by one.

"Tsk..." She clicked her tongue impatiently, as if she was disgusted with her own inability to completely harden her heart.

With a sharp look in her eyes, she no longer hesitated!

With a sudden turn of the steering wheel, the SUV roared and came to a stop in a position relatively close to the flank of the battlefield, with abandoned vehicles serving as cover.

She quickly got out of the car, avoiding exposure in open areas, and instead used cover to lock her eyes on the powerful mutant that was wreaking havoc!

At that moment, the mutant grabbed a soldier who was trying to attack it with an entrenching tool, and was about to tear him in two!

Now!

Ruan Ning took a deep breath, and the water-based energy within her body, which had reached the peak of level one, began to circulate wildly at an unprecedented speed! She did not choose to launch a series of water arrows with great fanfare, as that would be too conspicuous and consume too much energy.

She chose a more covert, more precise, and more demanding method of self-control!

She raised her hands slightly, her mind highly focused! The thin moisture in the air and the residual dampness in a dried-up ditch in the distance were rapidly drawn in and condensed!

Instead of condensing into water arrows, two extremely thin, fine, high-speed rotating ring-shaped water blades instantly formed around the thick neck of the power-type mutant!

The water blade was a nearly transparent pale blue with incredibly sharp edges, emitting a subtle yet sharp hum!

go!

Ruan Ning gave a low shout in his heart, urging it on with his will!

Sizzle—!

Two high-speed rotating water blades, like the noose of death, crossed and slashed fiercely at the mutant's neck, one on the left and one on the right!

The mutant seemed to sense the danger and suddenly turned its head, but the water blade was too fast!

The dark blue skin, tough enough to withstand ordinary bullets, emitted a teeth-grinding scraping sound as it was cut by the highly compressed, extremely sharp water element! Dark red blood spurted out instantly!

Roar—!!!

The mutant let out a painful and furious roar. It released the soldier it was holding and wildly clawed at his neck, only to find empty air and a hand full of sticky, filthy blood! The water blade had exhausted its energy and dissipated after completing the cut.

This attack did not directly sever its head, but it clearly severely injured it!

Two deep, bone-revealing wounds were cut open on his neck, and dark red blood gushed out like a small waterfall. His movements instantly became sluggish and stiff!

"A good opportunity!" An officer next to him reacted quickly. Although he was shocked by the sudden assistance and did not see where the water blade came from, his combat instincts made him seize the opportunity immediately!

"Focus fire on its neck! Quickly!"

The surviving soldiers immediately turned their guns around, unleashing all their firepower on the horrific wound on the mutant's neck!

Bang bang bang bang!

The bullets were like a storm of metal, tearing apart the already severely damaged muscles and bones!

Boom!

That arrogant, power-type mutant finally collapsed under the concentrated fire, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The sudden turn of events brought the battlefield to a standstill. The soldiers, panting, looked around in surprise and uncertainty, searching for any trace of the mysterious help they had just received.

As for Ruan Ning, the very next second after the water blade was released, he had already gotten back into the car like a ghost, started the engine, and the off-road vehicle silently slid into the convoy that was still struggling to move forward, as if he had never left.

Her face was slightly pale; those two highly compressed water blades had taken a heavy toll on her mental and physical energy. She leaned back in her chair and let out a soft breath.

She acted not to seek gratitude, but simply because... she wanted to. Admiring selfless people doesn't mean one must become completely cold-blooded oneself.

Do what you can, and have a clear conscience—that's enough.

As for being exposed? Those two water blades were extremely fast, and they were launched from the flank of the chaotic battlefield; few people would likely be able to see their source. As long as she continues to keep a low profile, there shouldn't be any major problems.

After paying a heavy price, the convoy finally broke through the horde of zombies and mutants, dragging its battered bodies as it continued its journey toward the safe zone.

After experiencing this minor incident, Ruan Ning felt even more at peace.

She knows who she is, what she wants to do, and where her bottom line is.