Chapter 23 His deep gaze was firmly fixed on the driver…

After lunch, the two families strolled around the pedestrian street where the restaurant was located to digest their food.

Song Xiang seemed to want Song Aiguo and Xu Feng to buy him a new pair of sneakers, so he pestered the two of them into a shoe store. Song Rushuang took the opportunity to sit and chat with her parents under the shade of a tree by the roadside.

She left the school with a mission.

The main focus is on the "physical examination" that has been mentioned on the forum these past two days, as well as other things that have been mobilizing parents to prepare for the end of the world.

“Look, you’re getting on in years, and you should be getting screenings for many serious illnesses every year or two,” Song Rushuang earnestly advised.

She then took out a printed sheet, which contained the content shared on the forum by her classmate from a family of doctors.

"I've done some research; these are the check-up items that people in their forties and fifties should start doing. Treat any illnesses that need treatment early. If you have any nodules or hemorrhoids, have them removed early. It's much more difficult to manage once they've grown larger. All illnesses are best treated early..."

Because of Song Rushuang's previous "foresight," Xu Mingyu and Song Jianguo's evaluation of their daughter as reliable rose significantly in a short period of time. So much so that Song Rushuang felt that even if she said she was going to buy some steamed buns, the couple would look at her with the gratified look that said, "Our daughter has grown up and knows how to eat when she's hungry," which gave her goosebumps.

Song Rushuang decided to seize this opportunity and quickly get the things she needed to do done.

She came prepared. Xu Mingyu and Song Jianguo were taken aback by what she said. When they took the form and looked at it, the items were clear and concise. Before leaving, Song Rushuang had marked the items with a highlighter and, referring to the results of their employees' physical examinations before the summer vacation, highlighted several key items.

The two felt both heartwarming and touched.

The daughter is just concerned about their health.

Song Jianguo looked at the list again and again, and even wanted to take a picture to post on his WeChat Moments.

Xu Mingyu glanced through the shop window and saw Song Lao Er's family inside. Song Xiang was speaking intensely, while the couple beside him looked helpless.

Xu Mingyu's smile held a hint of relief as she turned to her daughter, "I understand, we'll go when we have time."

Yes! Song Rushuang hid her joy and crossed an item off her mental list.

"Oh, right, Mom and Dad, I'm planning to enroll in a driving school and learn to drive on weekends." Before the two could speak, Song Rushuang continued, "We and a few people from the next dorm got together for a group purchase, and because there were so many of us, they said they'd give us a 30% discount."

She spoke very logically, and even discussed the group-buying discounts herself. The couple were so happy with their daughter's growth that they agreed without any objection.

Song Jianguo even offered, "How about this, if you pass all your subjects at the end of the semester and keep your grades above 90, your mom and I will buy you another car."

Having her own car would make escaping the apocalypse and transporting supplies much easier. Song Rushuang's spirits lifted, but then she remembered the conditions, and her enthusiasm was dampened.

"Go for it, Xiaoshuang! You can do it if you want to!" Xu Mingyu encouraged.

Song Rushuang: "..."

Mom, I really can't do that!

Others only need to sit in the classroom and sign in on time to get participation points, but she has to run five kilometers every day to get them.

Others can pass an exam by cramming for three days and three nights, but she had to kill five zombies to pass... Is there any comparison?!

You don't know until you compare; once you compare, Song Rushuang realizes how difficult it really was for her to get into school.

She agreed with a wry smile. Xu Mingyu didn't notice anything unusual and habitually took her daughter's hand, only to unexpectedly touch something rough.

Xu Mingyu was taken aback. She turned her daughter's hand over and saw that her palms and fingertips were covered with calluses that had just formed.

When Song Rushuang was at home, the two of them almost never let her do any rough work. They would even remind her to wear gloves when washing dishes. Apart from the calluses from holding a pen, Song Rushuang's hands were always fair and tender.

But now, the skin on her hands is rough and thickened, and her skin tone is darker than before.

At that moment, Song Rushuang withdrew her hand and said casually, "By the way, we practiced rock climbing during our military training. It was so much fun! I'll take you guys to the climbing gym sometime."

Song Jianguo happily agreed.

Xu Mingyu frowned and carefully examined her daughter's changes. She noticed that her daughter had become darker and thinner, but her eyes were brighter than before, and she didn't seem to be having a hard time. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Maybe it really is because of rock climbing.

Song Rushuang observed her mother's reaction and found that she seemed to believe it, which relieved her.

"By the way, how's your school? Are the teachers alright?" Song Jianguo asked again, unaware of the probing between mother and daughter.

Song Rushuang hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's...very good."

At the same time, images of Mr. Hao's terrifying bald head, Ms. Bai's flamboyant styling, Mr. Zhao, the exam-setting maniac, and Ms. Liu, who could never remember her students' names and walked with a shaky gait, appeared before her eyes.

The final scene... was the principal slamming the drunkard's head against the table, sending splinters flying.

Song Rushuang swallowed silently.

She tried her best to erase the memories of her teachers from her mind, while racking her brains for adjectives that would please her elders: "The teachers at our school, well, they are all very kind-looking, love small animals, are kind to people, and are easy to get along with."

Teaching survival skills to save humanity is, of course, about being kind to people.

They can slit a zombie's throat with a flick of their wrist; who would dare not treat them well?

As for his love for animals, the principal indirectly saved a chubby little dog on his first occasion. Now, its photo is still hanging in the gym as the donor's dog portrait, so everyone can see it when they look up.

Fangzhou has no statues of saints, no wall of fame, no large-scale photo exhibitions of school leaders and outstanding students on bulletin boards; the only photo displayed throughout the entire school is of a Samoyed.

If this isn't loving animals, what is?

Song Rushuang was almost convinced of her own abilities.

Upon hearing this, Song Jianguo was indeed satisfied: "That's good, that's good."

"It's a good thing to like small animals. People who love animals are usually very gentle."

Xu Mingyu casually mentioned an old boss in her workplace who loved catching stray cats to neuter them, unaware that her daughter was practically drenched in sweat.

Just as Song Rushuang was feeling uneasy, Song Xiang and his family came out of the shop.

Song Xiang was carrying a blue shoebox, looking quite smug.

Song Rushuang glanced past him without any surprise, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a figure following behind him.

She was a very beautiful young girl with long, bleached platinum blonde hair, looking like an idol who had just come off stage. She was wearing a cropped top that revealed a section of her fair waist.

With one leg in a thick cast and leaning on a cane, she hopped out of the shop. Like a radiant being with its own light source, she almost drew all the attention on the pedestrian street the moment she appeared.

Song Rushuang admired the beauty for a few moments before noticing a mother and son with the girl. The boy looked to be about 13 or 14 years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, and was also very handsome. She wondered if he was her younger brother. The middle-aged woman beside her looked a little haggard. She was holding the boy's hand, and as they were about to leave, she quickly stepped forward to hold the door open for the girl.

"Thank you," the girl said politely.

They don't seem to be a family.

Song Xiang also noticed the three of them. Holding the shoebox, his gaze lingered on the girl's waist, and he whistled in a lewd manner.

He chuckled exaggeratedly, "Beautiful lady, would you like to exchange contact information?"

Song Rushuang was almost shocked by her cousin's frivolous and foolish behavior.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that he has always had this persona since childhood, and Song Aiguo and Xu Feng have never said anything about it.

Xu Mingyu and Song Jianguo also frowned, but since his parents were present, they didn't say anything, and as relatives, they couldn't interfere. They exchanged a glance.

"you……"

Just as Song Rushuang was about to say, "Are you sick?", she saw the blonde girl, who had been talking to the mother and son while facing away from the group, suddenly grab her cane, free one hand, and smile as she tucked her long hair behind her ear.

Then, in the instant he put it down, he used the action of picking up his cane as cover and quickly made an international friendly gesture to Song Xiang.

She moved so quickly that the mother opposite her didn't even notice anything unusual.

Song Rushuang: "???"

Well done, sister!

Song Xiang seemed stunned as well. After a brief moment of disbelief, he exploded in anger, "What does she mean by this? Huh?"

Xu Feng said with dissatisfaction, "That's so rude! I don't know how her parents raised her. How can a girl be so uncivilized?"

Song Aiguo also said, "Looking at her age, with dyed hair and a shirt that shows her belly button, she's definitely not from a good family. She might just be a local thug."

Song Jianguo and Xu Mingyu couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward together in unison: "Alright, alright, let's go to the next store."

"What's there to be angry about? Young people are just joking."

Song Rushuang happily ran over to mediate: "That's right, I read an article the other day that said in the primitive tribes of the Amazon rainforest, this gesture means to say hello to you..."

Her rambling was interrupted by a piercing shriek.

Song Rushuang instinctively shrank her neck and turned her head to look at the source of the sound.

Several people tumbled and scrambled out of the corner of the pedestrian street, their high heels, handbags, and various other items scattered all over the ground. They looked back as if they had seen something terrifying.

That thing quickly revealed its true form.

It was a black SUV that sped straight into the pedestrian street filled with pedestrians at a speed that would never be possible in the city!

What everyone had just heard was the deafening roar of an engine.

In Song Rushuang's constricted pupils, the image of the SUV gradually magnified, with a human body prominently displayed on its twisted and deformed front.

The man was wearing a security guard uniform, presumably the guard responsible for stopping vehicles at the entrance. His torso was bent at an unnatural angle, as if all the internal connecting bones had been broken and shattered.

The SUV executed a nimble drift, flinging the body off the windshield. After several rolls, it crashed heavily into the thick trunk of a roadside tree, revealing a pair of horrified, wide-open eyes.

At that moment, Song Rushuang felt that she could clearly see fear and resentment in those eyes.

For him, it might just be an ordinary weekend. Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he could even hand over his shift early, collect the mooncakes from his workplace, and go see his wife and children at home.

He couldn't understand how a routine act of obstruction could cost him his life.

After shedding its burdens, the car started up again without slowing down at all, the engine humming continuously, indicating that the demon inside had pressed the accelerator hard.

The crowd finally came to their senses, screamed, and struggled to run in all directions.

But it was too late.

This luxury car, priced in the millions, boasts exceptional performance that allows it to accelerate instantly.

Death, wielding his scythe, charged into the crowd like a bolt of black lightning.

At extreme speeds, even a slight scrape can cause fatal damage.

The wheels churned into flesh and blood, which, under the powerful force, were then scattered in all directions.

Song Rushuang felt that the lunch she had just swallowed was stuck in her throat.

Fortunately, after this period of training, she has become somewhat accustomed to the bloody scenes and no longer vomits on the spot.

Besides, no matter how terrifying the scene before us is, it won't be as terrifying as hundreds or thousands of zombies rushing at the crowd at the same time during a simulation exercise!

It sounds slow to describe, but in reality, only two or three seconds had passed since the SUV crashed into the pedestrian street.

Many people don't even realize what happened until they die; a shopping street that was filled with laughter one moment can instantly become a slaughterhouse for death.

Song Rushuang suddenly pushed her stunned parents beside her: "Quick, quick, come into the store!"

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that, in order to facilitate the display of goods, the storefronts along the pedestrian street were almost entirely made of large glass windows, which simply could not withstand the reckless collisions of SUVs.

She gritted her teeth: "No, don't go to the store, go to..."

As he spoke, he quickly turned his head to scan the surroundings and soon spotted a narrow back alley: "This way!"

Xu Mingyu and Song Jianguo listened to their daughter's words without hesitation and ran over.

Xu Feng panicked. Seeing that the SUV was still some distance away, she hurriedly tried to tell her son to run in the opposite direction from where the SUV was, but Song Rushuang shouted at her sharply: "Are you looking for death?!"

"Can two legs outrun four wheels? Run to the side of the car, and it won't be able to change direction easily after accelerating!"

After saying that, she grabbed Xu Feng, who was stunned by her outburst, and pushed her into the alley, bumping into Song Xiang along the way. Song Xiang had just opened the door of the shoe store and had one foot already inside when he was bumped into, and his anger flared up: "What are you doing?"

Song Rushuang shouted even louder than him: "I'm saving you! Shut up!"

After saying that, she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out.

Before Song Xiang knew it, he was pulled and stumbled. A thought flashed through his blank mind: his cousin was stronger than he had imagined.

The two families scrambled into the alleyway three or four meters away, and before they could even stand still, they heard a loud bang.

The sound was so loud it made people tremble.

Song Rushuang dared to stick her head out of the alley and saw that not far away, the SUV had crashed into a clothing store.

The glass shattered easily, and the people inside screamed, but it quickly turned into dead silence.

Song Rushuang felt the person next to her trembling. She turned her head and saw Xu Feng.

She also stuck her head out to look, her body trembling like a leaf, and glanced at her niece beside her.

If, if my son had gone into the store just now, maybe he would have died too...

Her lips trembled, and then she suddenly remembered that her son had been so focused on hiding inside the shop that he hadn't even bothered to call her.

Then look at Song Rushuang. She called for her parents and then pulled her and Song Xiang. Seeing that everyone had entered the alley, she was the last one to come in.

Xu Feng had always believed that although her son wasn't very good at studying, he would definitely succeed in other areas. But now, looking at Song Rushuang, a complex feeling suddenly arose in her heart, which was already shrouded in fear.

“Look over there,” Xu Mingyu suddenly said in a trembling voice.

Several uniformed police officers struggled through the crowd, maintaining order while also helping the injured to prevent a stampede. The surrounding crowd scrambled and fled in all directions; the scene was so chaotic that some raised their guns, hesitated, and then lowered them. The next second, an SUV sped straight towards them.

Song Rushuang and the others had overreacted and their hearts were pounding so hard they dared not look anymore.

The SUV drove recklessly, paying no attention to the surrounding obstacles, only pausing slightly at each turn. A policeman seized the opportunity, quietly approaching from the other side, leaping in, and attempting to open the driver's side door.

However, even with a strong pull, it wouldn't budge. Song Rushuang muttered, "Oh no!"

Sure enough, the next second, the SUV suddenly changed direction and approached the wall on the driver's side.

The onlookers were on the edge of their seats, but thankfully the policeman jumped off in time. The metal frame of the SUV collided with the wall, sparking bright flames. The policeman, having landed from the speeding vehicle, rolled several times before coming to a stop.

Song Jianguo withdrew his gaze, trembling as he said, "No, this is just a pointless sacrifice..."

Without deploying riot control vehicles and spike strips, there's no way to stop this crazed monster!

Several elders watched with fear, but Song Rushuang quickly pressed the button on her watch and used the emergency call function.

Unlike the time at the hotpot restaurant when Qin Yufei was in a standoff and couldn't type, Song Rushuang quickly typed a line this time: [An SUV has rammed and killed someone on Yongxin Road Pedestrian Street! Stay away!]

She wanted to use the setting that the emergency call would be automatically sent to the nearest person to alert the surrounding classmates and prevent them from getting close.

After pressing send, Song Rushuang peered again at the unstoppable SUV, her heart pounding.

She couldn't help but realize that besides telling her classmates to stay away, she had another purpose in sending this message.

She wanted someone to see it.

No, what is she thinking? The smartest thing to do at this moment is to stay in a safe place and wait for police backup. Individual efforts are practically useless in this situation…

Song Rushuang took a deep breath and banished the inexplicable thought from her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the scene outside the alley and suddenly stopped, horrified to see that there was still one person in the middle of the almost empty road!

The SUV hadn't passed by yet, so it wasn't a corpse. Song Rushuang looked closely and realized that the person had long, light blonde hair and was actually the girl she had just seen.

She fell to the ground, probably knocked down by someone while running away. Her crutch was lying in the distance. She was now struggling to stand up, but her leg, which was in a cast, could not touch the ground. Forcing herself to walk caused the girl's face to twitch with instinctive pain.

She glanced at the distance to the roadside and probably judged that she couldn't move to the alley entrance in a short time. If she walked rashly, she might lose her balance and fall. So she cleverly turned around and lunged at the tree in the middle of the road that was closest to her.

She almost fell during the process, but fortunately she managed to grab the tree trunk with her hands in time.

Song Rushuang gasped sharply as she watched. She glanced at the SUV not far away, which was repeatedly reversing and running over a motionless person on the ground.

She could almost imagine what would happen to the girl if she didn't leave in time.

But... Song Rushuang looked at the roadside tree the girl was leaning against.

An ordinary person can use a tree trunk as cover to move nimbly and avoid being hit by a vehicle, but she was clumsy with her leg in a cast. Given the ruthlessness of the SUV driver, he might have repeatedly tried to ram her.

The girl seemed to realize this herself, and tried to grab a protruding section of the tree trunk to climb up and escape, but she could only use one leg and couldn't climb at all. She jumped in place several times but failed, and became so anxious that she was covered in sweat.

This won't do. Song Rushuang gritted her teeth and said, "I'll be right back. You guys stay hidden!"

Then he rushed out quickly.

Xu Mingyu cried out, "Xiao Shuang!!"

"I'll go, you stay here." Song Jianguo quickly grabbed her. He wanted to follow Song Rushuang out, but just as he poked half his body out of the alley, the SUV sped past him.

Song Jianguo lost his balance and sat down on the ground with a thud, his face pale as he watched the car rush towards Song Rushuang.

A few seconds earlier, Song Rushuang rushed to the girl at the fastest speed she had ever seen. When the girl tried to climb the tree again, Song Rushuang decisively supported her and gave her a strong upward push.

The girl gasped, not having time to turn around to see who was helping her. She managed to use her foot to push off a protrusion high up in the tree trunk that she couldn't reach, and felt her body leap upwards. At that moment, Song Rushuang squatted down, hugged her legs, and helped her maintain her balance: "Quick!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the girl switched hands, grabbed a thicker branch higher up, exerted force with both hands, and pushed off with her feet. At the same time, Song Rushuang pushed her from the soles of her shoes. With the combined force, she finally stood firmly on the tree.

Song Rushuang turned her head and saw the SUV restart. The windshield was facing her, and the person in the driver's seat had a blurry face.

Her mind went blank for a moment. Without thinking, her instinct to evade pursuit during physical education class kicked in, and Song Rushuang rolled over in a disheveled state, hiding her body behind a tree.

The car brushed past her for a split second, then drove several dozen meters further, emitting a screeching sound of tires rubbing against the ground.

After it stopped, it reversed, turned, and then, as expected, accelerated and charged towards her again.

This guy is a complete madman!

Song Rushuang turned around and climbed the tree without hesitation.

At this moment, she was incredibly grateful that she had made a bet with her two roommates. They bet that whoever could be the first to climb to the top of every building on Fangzhou campus and complete the grand slam would not have to take out the trash for two weeks—this bet had led Song Rushuang to consciously practice several times over the past week, in addition to PE classes, which is how the rough marks on her hands were left.

Song Rushuang was surprised to find that in just three weeks, a mere twenty days, her skills had improved significantly; she could climb trees in no time. Her movements when rushing towards the girl were also much more agile than when she was doing morning exercises in high school.

Song Rushuang saw her progress, and she had never been so grateful for the principal and teachers' rigorous training.

Just then, accompanied by a loud bang, the tree trunk beneath their feet suddenly shook violently, so violently that it almost knocked Song Rushuang, who had just climbed the tree and hadn't even gotten a firm footing, off the tree.

Fortunately, a hand reached around her waist and held her tightly.

Song Rushuang, still shaken, looked at the girl and said, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? I'm the one who should be saying thank you." The blonde girl said, her face pale. "Hold me tight."

The two stopped talking and clung to each other like conjoined twins, looking down at the SUV crashing into the tree trunk.

Fortunately, it didn't travel far enough to regain speed after restarting, and the tree's trunk was thick enough to withstand the impact. But...

Song Rushuang quickly scanned the pedestrian street. Apart from the corpses lying haphazardly, the remaining wounded who could still move had all been moved to the surrounding alleys. As far as the eye could see, only the two of them remained as living targets.

The SUV seemed to have locked onto them as well, and it began to slowly reverse, like a death knell.

Why are the police cars taking so long to arrive? A thought popped into Song Rushuang's mind, but she quickly dismissed it: No, it's not that the police are slow to react. Only a minute or two has passed since the SUV crashed into the pedestrian street. We can't just wait for rescue; we have to think of a way to save ourselves...

Is there any way...?

The pervasive wails and groans grew stronger, disrupting Song Rushuang's thoughts.

She felt despair creeping into her heart little by little.

In Song Rushuang's peripheral vision, a figure suddenly appeared on the pedestrian street that should have been empty.

Song Rushuang turned her head slowly.

In an instant, all the groans and desperate cries faded from her ears.

"boom!!!"

The window of a roadside shop that was closed for renovation suddenly shattered, turning into countless fragments that poured down like a torrential rain.

It instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Fu Qing tossed aside the stone he had picked up, his deep gaze passing over the window of the SUV and locking onto the person in the driver's seat.