“Push! Push hard!” Doctor Zheng's hands were covered in blood, his voice already hoarse from shouting: “Hang in there! Hang in there!!”

The pregnant woman's voice was also completely hoarse. Her face was drenched in sweat, and she desperately shook her head. The pain made her expression look somewhat horrifying. A few women who had children were gathered around the side; some were praying with their hands clasped, while others couldn't help but cry out: “Use a little more strength!”

“Hang on, you must hang on!”

Guo Weixiang pushed the door open and entered: “Let's go, go go go! The zombie horde is here!”

The women looked at each other in dismay. The pregnant woman's scream grew even sharper, instantly cutting into everyone's eardrums like a sharp blade.

Guo Weixiang couldn't be bothered with this. He went to pick up the pregnant woman, but Doctor Zheng hastily stopped him: “What are you doing?”

“There's no time, give birth in the car! I'll carry her!”

“She can't be moved! She'll hemorrhage!” Doctor Zheng roared: “I'm not leaving, I'm going to deliver this baby!”

Guo Weixiang panted rapidly. After his roar, Doctor Zheng turned to the pregnant woman, his voice strained, “Push! Hang in there!”

Not far outside the window, the third Signal Flare rose into the night sky, trailing a long flame, illuminating every dazed and desperate face.

The zombie horde was five hundred meters away.

·

The hazmat vehicle shot in from the end of the road, drifting through the entrance and stopping in front of the crowd with a piercing screech. Zhou Rong kicked the rear doors open with a bang: “Get in, get in, get in, hurry!”

“There's not enough room!” Ding Shi poked his head out of the driver's cabin: “I'll take one batch to the dorm building first and have them get on Xiangzi's armored vehicle. Then I'll come back for the rest!”

Indeed, there wasn't enough room. The hazmat vehicle's capacity was limited. Judging by its size, at least ten people would have to wait for the next trip. Zhou Rong's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said decisively: “The rest of you, run along with the vehicle for now, go as far as you can. We won't leave you behind! Women first, you!”

Wu Xinyan straightened up, panting, and was grabbed by the arm by Zhou Rong, who roughly shoved her into the vehicle.

“The elderly, the slow ones, you! You! And you!”

An old man was pushed two steps forward and slowly came to a halt. Urging shouts immediately erupted: “Hurry up!” “Quick, don't dawdle!”

“I'm not getting on.” The old man said slowly, “I'm sixty-eight. It's already a blessing I made it this far. What's the point of shamelessly clinging to life? Let the young people go first, I…”

The anxious crowd immediately interrupted him: “There's room! Get on!”

“Don't say any more, old man, just get on!”

The people around him practically pushed the old man in. The compartment was soon packed to the brim, and it took the combined effort of Zhou Rong and Si Nan to barely close the rear doors.

Now, in the open space, besides Zhou Rong, Chuncao, and Si Nan, there were nine able-bodied young men. Except for a very few who had tried and failed to squeeze in, most were young men with no family, who had voluntarily stayed behind.

Zhou Rong caught his breath and swept a powerful tactical flashlight to the north. Phantoms lurked in the vast darkness, and the foul, rotten stench of the zombie horde was already clearly audible, carried on the north wind.

“Everyone,” Zhou Rong gave a slight bow to the nine survivors, who all wore different expressions, and panted, “Thank you. I won't say any more sappy words, run.”

As soon as his voice fell, a loud explosion boomed not far away.

The vanguard of the zombie horde stepped into the minefield, immediately triggering a series of earth-shattering chain explosions!

·

In the ink-black night, a life-or-death chase, timed by minutes and seconds, was unfolding.

North of the highway, the explosions gradually advanced. The army of the Living Dead staggered forward with a clear objective. Rows of shattered remains fell onto the road, forming a layered carpet of rotting flesh and black blood.

More zombies howled, stepping on this carpet as they continued to advance toward the Fertilizer Plant, one wave after another, tireless.

And in the distance, in the direction of B City, an endless tide of zombies surged, forming an overwhelming wave.

Guo Weixiang escorted everyone remaining in the dormitory building, except for Doctor Zheng and the pregnant woman, into the armored vehicle. He then took in the first batch of survivors brought by Ding Shi, and the entire vehicle was about to burst at the seams.

Ding Shi returned at lightning speed. Before the vehicle had even come to a steady stop, he saw a dozen or so people running madly toward him, backlit by the soaring flames.

“Where's the pregnant woman—!” Zhou Rong yelled.

Ding Shi was on the verge of tears: “She can't deliver! She can't be moved! I had Xiangzi drive the armored vehicle south first!”

“Chuncao, Si Nan, take the others to the back seats!” Zhou Rong flung open the driver's door, gesturing for Ding Shi to move over. “I'll drive. Hurry to the dorm building to get the woman. Damn it, why didn't you move her to the vehicle to give birth? You could've just taken a door off its hinges and carried her out!”

Ding Shi: “I don't know, Xiangzi said moving her would cause a hemorrhage…”

Zhou Rong: “You guys don't get it, that's how it always happens in TV shows! The moment she's on the door panel, the baby comes out!”

Chuncao yelled from the back compartment: “I know, I know, the female lead in the second season of The People's Village Committee gave birth just like that, it's fine!”

Si Nan: “You Alphas shouldn't show off like you know anything about childbirth, so shallow and ignorant… The zombies are coming!!”

The first wave of the zombie horde shuffled their feet, wailing shrilly as they scrambled to squeeze through the gap in the barbed wire fence on the north side of the factory area.

Ding Shi leaped up from the passenger seat, climbed onto the roof with the flamethrower, aimed it behind the vehicle, and pulled the trigger. Instantly, a dragon of fire roared out, descending like a blanket and roasting rows of zombies into cinders!

Zhou Rong slammed on the gas, and the hazmat vehicle roared away.

Chuncao stuck her head out and roared: “Two o'clock ahead, Rong-ge, be careful!”

The flamethrower triggered a second round of nitroglycerin explosions. The millions of glass shards Si Nan had carefully etched burst forth, severing the heads of countless zombies in the hurricane-force blast.

But there were too many zombies. The remaining barbed wire fence couldn't hold and soon collapsed before the overwhelming army of the Living Dead. The zombie horde closed in on the entire factory area from all directions in an encircling maneuver!

One hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gearshift, Zhou Rong executed several consecutive drifts. The hazmat vehicle carved a bloody path with beautiful maneuvers comparable to an F1 race car, mercilessly grinding several zombies into shattered bones.

“Screech—” With a sharp sound of tires rubbing, the hazmat vehicle came to a steady stop at the base of the factory dormitory building. Zhou Rong commanded in a clear voice: “Chuncao, go up and get the pregnant woman! Ding Shi, provide cover!”

Chuncao slung her assault rifle over her back, kicked open the door, and charged out. Suddenly, a hand tapped her shoulder, and Si Nan's hoarse voice said: “I'll go with you.”

In the rearview mirror, Zhou Rong's brow twitched. He looked as if he wanted to say something but held back.

However, no one noticed this insignificant detail. Si Nan turned back, gave Zhou Rong a wave, and jumped out of the vehicle with his submachine gun.

He wouldn't have noticed the complex emotion in Zhou Rong's eyes at that moment, or even if he had, he wouldn't have had the time or mood to savor the mix of guilt, sorrow, and self-doubt.

Ding Shi activated the flamethrower again, instantly clearing away the zombies staggering after the vehicle. Just as he was about to switch to the Type 89 heavy machine gun for burst fire, the people in the compartment suddenly screamed: “Behind! Behind!”

Ding Shi looked back and saw that Si Nan and Chuncao had just rushed into the dormitory hallway. Right on their heels, a tide of zombies appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Within seconds, they had spread across the small open space between the dormitory building and the front of the vehicle, blocking the escape route for the pregnant woman.

“Damn it!” Ding Shi grabbed the flamethrower and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

—The high-octane gasoline was gone. No more fire!

“Rong-ge!” Ding Shi nearly had a mental breakdown on the spot. He looked back again and saw the zombie horde behind the vehicle was also getting closer, less than a hundred meters away!

The armored hazmat vehicle they were driving was already riddled with holes. The bulletproof windows had been shattered by one of Chuncao's rockets when they entered central T City, and had since been replaced with ordinary glass.

Not to mention, the vehicle had a low chassis. Once surrounded by the zombie horde from front and back, it would be nearly impossible for anyone in the vehicle to survive!

Amidst the terrified screams of the people in the vehicle, although Zhou Rong's expression was calm, his face was uncontrollably pale, and cold sweat rolled down from his always-stiff, unruly sideburns.

“Si Nan, attention. Si Nan, attention.” He turned on the vehicle's loudspeaker and asked in a heavy voice, “You may not be able to retreat. Report the pregnant woman's situation, report the pregnant woman's situation.”

Meanwhile, inside the dormitory building, the pregnant woman's dying screams grew more and more urgent. Half of Doctor Zheng's body was soaked in blood, his eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly burst into an ecstatic roar: “I see the head! I see the head!!”

Si Nan and Chuncao looked down at the dense tide of zombies below. They exchanged a glance, neither showing any joy in their eyes.

“Si Nan, Chuncao.” The end of Zhou Rong's voice trembled slightly: “Report the situation.”

Crash!

The Type 89 heavy machine gun roared like a storm amidst Ding Shi's furious shouts, but ultimately, it couldn't stop the advance of death. The first zombie slammed against the side of the vehicle, numbly hammering its fists and shattering the rear window.

Shattered glass rained down on the back seat with a bang. Everyone scrambled to crouch on the floor, letting out terrified cries!

“One more push!” Doctor Zheng screamed his lungs out: “Push! Just one more push!”

“Go, Rong-ge.” Si Nan murmured.

He took a deep breath, suddenly leaned out the window, and roared with all his might: “Go, Rong-ge! Go!!”

In the driver's cabin, Zhou Rong closed his eyes.

More and more zombies gathered. Both side windows were smashed, and the zombies scrambled to reach their hands into the vehicle, clawing at the survivors' heads. Some zombies even grabbed the ladder on the back of the vehicle, trying to climb onto the roof to get Ding Shi.

Zhou Rong opened his eyes and stepped on the gas.

The hazmat vehicle slowly turned around in the zombie horde. Rows of the Living Dead were ground under its wheels, as if carving a bloody channel through an ocean.

“Si Xiaonan, wait for me.” Zhou Rong's concise and powerful voice came through the loudspeaker, saying: “Rong-ge will be back soon.”

Si Nan leaned against the windowsill, watching the hazmat vehicle slowly drive away until it became an inconspicuous black dot amidst the endless waves of zombies.

“…” His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but the sound was so faint that even he couldn't hear it: “Okay.”

·

The zombies, having lost the hazmat vehicle, milled about, but their confusion only lasted for a few seconds. Then, the faint scent of blood in the air stimulated them. Following the source of this bloody smell, the zombie horde found a new target.

“Roar!”

The first zombie began to ram the iron gate of the dormitory hallway. Following it, more and more of the Living Dead came, and the iron gate let out a strained creak!

Chuncao's face was pale, but when she spoke, the young girl's clear voice was very calm: “I have nine hundred rounds left, what about you?”

“Sixteen hundred,” Si Nan replied.

Chuncao nodded: “Okay, you can use a dagger for suicide, no need to save a bullet. Remember to help me before you die, just like you helped that girl in T City. Make it quick.”

Si Nan smiled slightly: “I can do that.”

The two looked at each other and smiled, then simultaneously drew their guns, aimed downstairs, and opened fire without hesitation!

Muzzles spat angry tongues of flame. The assault rifle and submachine gun laid down a crisscrossing storm of bullets, instantly felling a large swath of zombies blocking the hallway entrance.

However, their heavy firepower was limited, while the Living Dead were limitless. More zombies tirelessly charged forward. The sound of impacts grew heavier and more urgent, until finally, after a few exceptionally loud clangs, the iron gate was battered down!

Boom—

Even the ground trembled slightly. At the same moment, the clear cry of a baby finally came from behind them: “Waaaah—!”

“It's out, it's out!” Doctor Zheng wept with joy, holding the baby and crying his heart out: “It's finally born!”

Downstairs, zombies flooded into the hallway like a tide, surging upstairs wave after wave.

Si Nan and Chuncao burst out the door at the same time and shouted sharply: “Prepare to retreat!!”

·

Thirty kilometers south of the Industrial Zone, from the Fertilizer Plant.

The zombie horde hadn't spread this far yet; only a few scattered zombies wandered in the distant wasteland.

Zhou Rong hit the brakes. Twenty meters ahead, Guo Weixiang ran off the armored vehicle like a madman: “Rong-ge! Da Ding! Where's Chuncao? Where's Si Nan? Where are our people?!”

He seemed to have a premonition. By the last question, his voice was tinged with incredulous grief.

“They…” Before Ding Shi could answer, Zhou Rong clapped him on the shoulder, opened the door and jumped out, then clapped Guo Weixiang's shoulder as well.

“Rong-ge?” Guo Weixiang asked in alarm.

Zhou Rong slung a tactical bag over one shoulder and a heavy machine gun over the other, walking toward the highway. Among the endless line of abandoned vehicles leading out of the city, he selected a modified jeep, pulled open the door, and pushed out the long-decayed owner.

Ding Shi scrambled out of the vehicle: “Rong-ge, what are you doing?!”

“I'm going back,” Zhou Rong said flatly.

He got into the driver's seat, started the jeep, slowly turned it around amidst the congested traffic, and stopped in front of the dumbfounded Ding Shi and Guo Weixiang.

“My team members are in the Fertilizer Plant,” Zhou Rong said. “I promised Si Nan I would go back for them.”

Guo Weixiang shook his head, unable to say a word, as hot tears streamed from his eyes.

“If Yan Hao wakes up, have Yan Hao succeed me as the captain of Unit 118, 6th Squadron. If he doesn't wake up, you two figure out what to do next. The Serum must get to the South Sea.”

“Find a place to cremate Yingjie. Take his ashes back to his wife and kids.”

“Rong-ge has been captain for so many years, but I haven't been able to get you many benefits, nor could I lead you all to fortune and fame. In the end, I've just sent you to your deaths one by one. Rong-ge has let you down.”

Zhou Rong reached out from the car window, hugged Ding Shi's and Guo Weixiang's heads one by one, and smiled: “Stop crying, it's embarrassing, okay? I hid two cartons of cigarettes under the driver's seat. If I don't come back, they're for you two.”

The survivors poked their heads out of the windows, watching all this with dazed and sorrowful expressions.

If circumstances allowed, if Zhou Rong could wash his face and change his clothes, he would probably be a stylish, handsome, and rebellious hero, like one of those that captivate the masses in Hollywood blockbusters.

But right now, this hero was truly a mess. His combat fatigues were filthy, the soles of his military boots were caked with who knows how much dried blood and mud, his hair hadn't been washed in days, and there was some stubble on his chin.

Zhou Rong gave them a final wave, an indescribably dashing gesture:

“Tell that idiot Yan Hao he lost again.”

With that, he started the car. The modified jeep roared to life, tearing through the bloody night as it sped toward the zombie-surrounded Fertilizer Plant.