Chapter 62
Chapter 62
“…They’re here?”
Lin Hao finally raised his head, the glow of the screen still lingering in his eyes as though his mind remained somewhere far away. He stared blankly at Chen Yuhui, failing to understand her at first.
“The Madmen are here,” Chen Yuhui repeated in a low voice. She quickly backed away and pulled the door shut behind her. The lock clicked into place. Her injured leg made her stumble slightly, but her gaze remained calm.
She turned to Lin Hao and spoke rapidly. “Where’s the Bluetooth speaker? The one you set up nearby?”
Lin Hao instantly understood what Chen Yuhui intended. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out his phone. His fingers were still trembling slightly as he quickly opened the app and played the recording.
“Help… Ah…”
A weak cry for help, interspersed with bursts of static, sounded nearby.
“Did they leave?” Chen Yuhui held her breath and listened.
But the answer she received wasn’t the sound of footsteps fading into the distance. It was–
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heavy blows slammed into the flimsy door!
There was no shrill laughter, no stream of obscenities. Only that mechanical pounding, blow after relentless blow, each dull impact filling them with dread.
All the color drained from Lin Hao’s face.
Acting almost entirely on instinct, he rushed forward and braced his shoulder against the door with all his strength.
Molotov cocktails… If only they still had Molotov cocktails! Chen Yuhui’s mind raced through her terror. The earthquake had destroyed most of their preparations, and Qingshui’s group had taken the only two that remained.
What could they do?
What else could they use?
Then an idea flashed through her mind-gasoline!
Half a bottle of the gasoline Ji Feifan had collected was still here! He hadn’t taken it with him!
“Lin Hao! The backpack! There’s gasoline in it!” Chen Yuhui screamed with all the strength she could muster. “Get the gasoline! Burn them!”
At her shout, Lin Hao scrambled toward the backpack in the corner on all fours. He rummaged through it frantically. The instant his fingers touched the cool plastic bottle, it was like grasping a lifeline. He yanked out the half-full bottle of amber liquid.
“Pour it by the door! Hurry!”
Lin Hao rushed back, twisted off the cap, and splashed the acrid gasoline across the floor beneath the door.
The liquid spread rapidly.
At the same time, the pounding outside reached a crescendo!
Crash-!
The flimsy lock finally gave way. The door was smashed open a crack, and a grinning face with a mouth stuffed full of stones pushed through.
At that very instant, Chen Yuhui’s trembling hand struck the lighter. Her thumb pressed down hard–
Click!
A tiny flame sprang to life.
Without the slightest hesitation, she tossed it onto the gasoline-soaked floor.
Whoosh-!
Orange-red flames roared upward, instantly forming a churning wall of fire across the doorway! A scorching wave of heat rushed toward them as the flames swallowed the hand reaching through the gap and the distorted figure barely visible behind it.
But before Chen Yuhui and Lin Hao could catch their breath, their pupils contracted sharply.
In the flickering fire, they could clearly see that only one figure was writhing within the burning doorway!
No!
Why was only one of the Madmen there?
A deathly chill swept through them as they whipped around.
Two shadows had silently appeared at the window behind them!
Two horrifying, grinning faces, their mouths unable to close, had already climbed into the room!
And directly in front of them stood the trembling Zhou Yaping.
The two terrifying faces loomed closer and closer, clearly reflected in the little girl’s wide, terrified eyes.
“Pingping!”
Lin Hao roared and hurled himself recklessly at the closest of the Madmen to Zhou Yaping.
He kicked it hard in the side, knocking it to the floor. Before he could pounce and finish it off, another cold hand clamped around his arm!
One of the other Madmen had grabbed him!
Its face was smeared with dried blood, and its eyes bulged so violently they looked ready to split apart. With stones wedged in its mouth, it could only release excited, guttural gasps.
It was unbelievably strong!
Lin Hao felt as though his arm were about to be crushed. He twisted and struggled desperately, but the Madman merely jerked its head. Its other hand rose high, clutching a sharp knife stained with filthy blood!
The tip of the blade was aimed directly at Lin Hao’s chest.
Time seemed to stretch out at that moment.
Lin Hao could make out every patch of rust along the blade. He could smell the overpowering stench of blood and decay coming from his attacker. He could feel death engulf him in an instant.
At that critical moment–
“Close your eyes!”
A hoarse but resolute woman’s voice rang out. It was Chen Yuhui!
At some point, she had raised the axe An Xiaolin had left behind with both hands. Her face, already pale from blood loss, was twisted with agony and ruthless determination. Without a second’s hesitation, she summoned every last ounce of strength and brought the axe down viciously on the back of the knife-wielding figure’s head!
Squelch-!
A muffled impact sounded. Hot liquid, fragments of bone, and soft tissue sprayed all over Lin Hao. He instinctively wiped at his skin in a frenzy, the sticky warmth making his stomach churn.
Trembling, Lin Hao opened his eyes and frantically searched for Chen Yuhui and Zhou Yaping.
The sight before him nearly froze his blood.
The Madman he had kicked down earlier had cornered Chen Yuhui against the wall! Clutching a length of rebar, it thrust the metal rod viciously at her!
Chen Yuhui stood with her back against the wall, nowhere left to retreat. Her injured leg made it almost impossible for her to remain standing. Sweat and blood smeared her pallid face, but her eyes remained fixed on the monster before her, never once looking away.
“Chen Yuhui-!”
Lin Hao’s eyes instantly went bloodshot.
Fear and rage fused into a savage force that shattered every last trace of hesitation.
His gaze snapped to the sharp knife lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
Like a crazed beast, he lunged forward and snatched it up. Then, putting every ounce of strength he had into the blow, he drove it deep into the back of the head of one of the Madmen.
The blade punched through flesh with a sickening, muffled crunch.
One of the Madmen froze. The raised steel bar slipped from its hand and struck the floor with a clang. It tried to turn around, but Lin Hao viciously twisted the knife, then bore down with all his strength once more.
Lin Hao released the handle, and it toppled to the floor. He staggered back two steps, gasping for air. His hand and entire arm shook violently beyond his control, while his heart hammered so hard against his ribs that it hurt.
Leaning against the wall, Chen Yuhui was suddenly overwhelmed by the weakness that followed her narrow escape. Her vision repeatedly went black.
Lin Hao dropped the knife and rushed over, pulling the petrified Zhou Yaping tightly into his arms. “It’s okay now… Pingping, it’s over… Don’t be scared. Don’t be scared…”
He repeated the words hoarsely, stroking the child’s hair with a trembling hand. It was impossible to tell whether he was comforting Zhou Yaping or trying to calm his own frayed nerves.
Chen Yuhui slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor. The adrenaline drained from her body, replaced by crushing weakness and a delayed wave of excruciating pain.
It felt as though every bone in her body had come apart and every muscle was screaming. Her vision kept fading to black, and her ears rang incessantly.
The cramped space reeked of blood and the acrid smoke from the flames by the entrance, which had yet to die out completely.
“We… have to get out of here right now,” Chen Yuhui said through clenched teeth, her voice weak but clear. She tried to push herself up, but her injured leg could not bear any weight. A muffled groan escaped her as the searing pain sent her crashing back down, fresh beads of cold sweat instantly covering her forehead.
“I’ll carry you.” Lin Hao let go of Zhou Yaping and wiped the blood from his face. After quickly scanning their surroundings, he picked up the bloodstained fire axe from the floor and crouched in front of Chen Yuhui. “Hurry!”
There was no time for hesitation or politeness.
Chen Yuhui knew she had already become a burden. If she stayed behind, they would all die with her. Gritting her teeth, she used the last of her strength to climb onto Lin Hao’s back.
Lin Hao hoisted her up securely. His entire body ached and his arms were still trembling, but a sudden surge of strength kept him going.
He turned to Zhou Yaping and made his voice as steady as possible. “Pingping, hold on tight to my clothes and stay close. Whatever you do, don’t let go or make a sound, okay?”
Zhou Yaping nodded hard. Her small hand clutched the hem of Lin Hao’s shirt. Fear still lingered in her wide eyes, but there was even more trust.
Carrying Chen Yuhui on his back and leading Zhou Yaping, Lin Hao quickly left the area.
He found shelter in a narrow triangular space formed by concrete pillars and stone slabs. It was dark and damp, but relatively well concealed. Lin Hao carefully lowered Chen Yuhui and helped her lean against a rough concrete pillar.
“How are you?” His heart sank as he stared at the vivid red stain covering her leg.
“Not… dead yet.” Chen Yuhui kept her eyes closed. Her bangs were soaked with cold sweat, and her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“Good.” Lin Hao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He pulled out the controller. Its screen was still lit.
He rapidly switched between camera feeds, searching for Qingshui and the others.
But the rooftop was completely deserted.
Lin Hao’s heart plummeted, and panic flickered in his eyes. He sent the drone racing along their previous route, over apartment buildings and across streets…
Nothing. There was no sign of the three of them anywhere!
Panic wrapped around his heart like icy vines.
Could they have… No, that was impossible! Qingshui was so strong…
He desperately forced himself to think. The pharmacy… Check the pharmacy!
The drone changed direction and sped toward the commercial district. The image on the screen swept over devastated streets until the green storefront sign finally came into view.
He lowered the drone and searched carefully.
There!
He saw a familiar figure lying facedown on the ground, perfectly still. She seemed to be watching and waiting. Nearby, two figures in filthy white coats were shambling toward her.
Qingshui was in danger!
Without time to think, Lin Hao sent the drone into a steep dive. It shot past just above the heads of the two white-coated Madmen. With practiced ease, he lured them away, then stopped a short distance off to wait for Qingshui.
On the screen, Qingshui seemed to seize the opportunity and quickly began moving.
Lin Hao did not dare fly the drone too far away. He kept it hovering at the edge of the range from which he could still follow her movements.
He watched as she deftly crossed the streets and safely reunited with An Xiaolin, Ji Feifan, and the others.
On-screen, Qingshui seemed to glance up at the sky and immediately pinpointed the drone’s location. Facing the camera, she made several quick, precise hand signals.
“We’re heading back.”
Lin Hao understood. He flew the drone in a circle to signal that he had received her message.
But by now, dawn had broken.
Daylight offered better visibility, but it also multiplied the risk of exposure.
The Madmen wandering the streets seemed even more active than they had been at night.
Returning now would be extremely dangerous.
But they had no choice.
Lin Hao drew a deep breath, then sent the drone climbing higher. He needed to scout out a relatively safe route back for Qingshui and the others.