David drove the off-road vehicle recklessly, crashing through obstacles along the way. Even when faced with zombies blocking the path, he didn’t slow down and instead accelerated to ram through them. Countless zombies foolishly approached, only to be violently thrown away by David’s aggressive driving.
David knew he couldn’t slow down. If the vehicle got surrounded and broke down, it would be even more dangerous. The windshield quickly became splattered with blood. Although David’s intense driving terrified the passengers, he felt steady and accustomed to it. After all, in the apocalypse, speed limits and traffic lights were irrelevant.
David didn’t have a driver’s license. He learned to drive after the apocalypse began. As the vehicle passed through the city center, the number of zombies decreased. The people in the car breathed a sigh of relief.
Angus played with a sheet metal hammer he found near Arnold’s shop, thinking to himself. He had picked up the long-handled sheet metal hammer as a weapon from a nearby auto repair shop.
Angus looked at Sally, who sat in the front passenger seat, and discreetly licked his lips. His eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, Angus asked, “Sally, were you a celebrity before? I think I’ve seen you on TV.”
Sally hesitated for a moment and replied, “No, I run a clothing business.”
Angus laughed, “Then I must have mistaken you. I didn’t expect you, Sally, to be so beautiful and also business-savvy. Truly talented and attractive.”
Sally felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s just a small business.”
Angus continued, “David is really lucky to have such a beautiful and capable girlfriend.” Sally’s face blushed instantly as she discreetly glanced at David beside her. But David didn’t respond or show any expression, leaving Sally slightly disappointed.
Angus noticed that David ignored him, feeling a bit annoyed. A barely noticeable hint of irritation flashed in Angus’ eyes. Zoe’s expression also became strange. She felt something was off with Angus’s words, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. She glanced at Angus with a trace of resentment, but Angus ignored her.
For a while, the atmosphere in the car became heavy, and everyone fell into silence. Arnold held Sophie’s hand, anxiously gazing out the window, lost in thought.
After about an hour, David successfully drove the car back to his residential complex. The gate of the complex was wide open, and the security booth was abandoned. Bloodstains were scattered around, but there were no signs of zombies.
David drove the car into the underground parking garage. Perhaps due to the low population in David’s residential complex, there were no traces of zombies in the underground parking garage. David found a spot close to the building entrance and parked the car.
Once everyone got out of the vehicle, they felt nervous again without the protection of the car. They anxiously looked around, afraid that a zombie might suddenly emerge from the shadows. “Let’s take the stairs,” David suggested.
If something happened to the elevator and they got trapped inside, it would be troublesome. At this time, there was no one who would come to their rescue. “I’ll lead the way. I’ve had some training, and I can handle zombies if we encounter any,” Angus volunteered, eager to take the lead. David smiled faintly, stepped aside, and gestured for Angus to go ahead.
Angus swaggered past David and walked ahead. As he passed by David, he lightly bumped his shoulder against David’s chest, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
With his muscular body and a powerful sheet metal hammer in hand, he looked the part. David knew that Angus was trying to demonstrate his strength and subtly reinforce his position within the team.
Over time, Angus could potentially take over David’s leadership position in the team. Angus was indeed a natural-born leader. Although David knew that Angus probably didn’t understand power struggles, his actions were driven by vanity.
However, David had to admit that Angus had the qualities of a leader. David and Sally both lived on the 5th floor, with their rooms across from each other. They made their way upstairs, and fortunately, the hallway was well lit, avoiding excessive fear. Just as they reached the corner of the 2nd floor, about to reach the 3rd floor, they suddenly heard a low growl.
Suddenly, a zombie appeared in the hallway on the 2nd floor and rushed towards them. The zombie was wearing a black dress, likely a young woman in her former life. Angus tightened his grip on the sheet metal hammer, let out a roar, and charged forward. He raised the hammer and struck the zombie’s head with a powerful blow.
The zombie, lacking intelligence, didn’t dodge the iron hammer and lunged straight at Angus. “Bang!” With a crisp sound, the hammer smashed fiercely into the zombie’s head, and it fell to the ground, blood staining the floor.
Angus’s hands and body trembled violently. Under the influence of adrenaline, his heart raced, and his mind went blank. “Is it… dead?” He looked at the motionless zombie on the ground, then turned to look at the others. Angus’s expression gradually changed from nervousness to triumph.
“Nice job, Angus. I didn’t expect you to be so capable. Your well-built physique wasn’t for nothing,” Arnold praised.
Angus chuckled. “Hehe, thanks for the compliment, Arnold. This zombie wasn’t much of a challenge. Since you were in the military, I bet you could handle it easily too.”
Arnold smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he couldn’t do it. Angus’s gaze turned to David, seemingly with a hint of provocation. David wasn’t surprised by this. After all, Angus was a local boss. If he didn’t have this level of ability, he wouldn’t be a gang leader. ｂ𝚍ｏｖ𝚕．𝚝
Moreover, the current zombies weren’t particularly strong, and ordinary people could easily kill them as long as they overcame their fear. Sophie also praised, “Angus, you’re really strong. With you protecting Zoe, she’ll feel safe.”
Zoe also looked at Angus with admiring eyes, which made Angus feel gratified. His face showed even more pride, and he confidently said, “These zombies don’t seem as terrifying as we thought. Everyone, rest assured, I’ll protect you all.”
Angus unintentionally glanced at Sally but was disappointed by her indifferent expression. Sally was curiously looking at David, who showed no intention of collecting crystallized energy.
“Does he want to keep it a secret?” Sally didn’t say much. Since David didn’t speak, she saw no need to say anything.
Feeling annoyed by Sally’s continuous gaze, Angus turned around and continued leading the way with the sheet metal hammer. The group proceeded smoothly and didn’t encounter any other zombies.
This wasn’t surprising since most people stayed at home when the virus broke out. It was normal to have few zombies in the hallway. Soon, they arrived at David and Sally’s doorstep.