The half-open fire door was only a few meters away. Despite Lin Tao and Bai Ru running at full speed, they couldn’t outpace the Hunter. As the creature closed in, Lin Tao knew it would catch them before they could escape. With a fierce look in his eyes, he mustered all his strength and hurled Li Li, who was still in his arms, toward a stack of beverage crates outside the door. Without hesitation, he grabbed Bai Ru by the waist and threw her out as well.

  Unlike the mindless zombies, the Hunter dispyed a chilling intelligence. It ignored the two women Lin Tao had tossed aside, focusing solely on him—the one who had wounded it. The creature sprinted on all fours, its crimson, muscle-bound body resembling a grotesque hunting dog. Its sharp cws gouged deep scratches into the concrete floor as it closed the distance. Just as it was about to pounce, the Hunter leaped, its right cw sshing toward Lin Tao’s back.

  The moment Bai Ru left his grasp, Lin Tao felt the foul, rushing wind at his back. Without thinking, he kicked off the ground, unching himself forward after Bai Ru. But even with his speed, he was a fraction of a second too slow. The Hunter’s cw grazed his back.

  *Bang!*

  Miraculously, Lin Tao twisted his body mid-air, firing his gun at the Hunter’s throat as he flew backward. The creature’s cw narrowly missed his brow, slicing off a bead of sweat. The powerful shot from his M1911A1 sent the Hunter sprawling.

  Lin Tao nded heavily on the two women amidst the beverage crates. There was no time to appreciate the softness beneath him—the agile Hunter was already back on its feet, snarling like an enraged pit bull, its drool flying as it charged again.

  *Thud!*

  The steel fire door, now shut, dented violently as the Hunter smmed into it. Three cws pierced through the metal, stopping just centimeters from Lin Tao’s eyes. The cws retracted, followed by furious scratching and pounding. The heavy door, though battered, held firm—for now.

  Lin Tao locked the door with the key still in the lock, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and pulled Bai Ru and the now-conscious Li Li to their feet. “Move! That door won’t hold forever!”

  Bai Ru, pale and shaken, nodded and followed Lin Tao, dragging Li Li along. As they reached the third-floor fire escape, a red blur shot up the stairs. Bai Ru and Li Li froze, ready to bolt, but the figure spoke, and Li Li let out a relieved sigh, clutching her chest.

  “Master, are you okay? What did you run into?” The red blur skidded to a halt in front of Lin Tao, panting heavily. It was none other than Michael, the dog-man hybrid.

  “Get down! There’s a Hunter in there!” Lin Tao shouted, already racing down the stairs.

  “What? That skinless monster that even I can’t bite through?” Michael yelped, his ears fttening. He let out a panicked howl. “Wait for me! I came to save you, don’t leave me behind!”

  ---

  On the first floor, A Xue, Zhang Hong, and the others were anxiously waiting by the entrance. Boss Hu, who had fled earlier, was loudly arguing with Cao Mei. When they saw Lin Tao and the others return safely, the women collectively exhaled in relief. Cao Mei shot Boss Hu a gre before rushing to Lin Tao’s side.

  After Michael emerged from the stairwell, Lin Tao smmed the fire door shut and waved at the group. “No time for questions. We need to leave now!”

  Cao Mei swallowed her questions and asked instead, “Mr. Lin, the zombies in the square were lured away by Michael yesterday. Should we take a car?”

  “Yes, yes! I saw a Ferrari in the parking lot! Let’s take that! I’ve never ridden in a Ferrari before!” A naive young girl piped up, her face glowing with excitement.

  “Are you kidding me? The roads are as bad as the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. You think a Ferrari can handle that? Either you’re crazy, or the car is!” Boss Hu scoffed, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. He seemed unfazed by his earlier cowardice.

  “Oh, shut it! You’re just a cook. What do you know about cars?” The girl shot back, rolling her eyes.

  “A cook? What’s wrong with being a cook? I’ll have you know, I used to have stacks of *Auto Fan* magazines that could crush you!” Boss Hu retorted, his face red with anger. He waved his shotgun menacingly, clearly itching to teach the girl a lesson.

  “Enough!” Lin Tao snapped, his voice cutting through the argument. “We’re not here to shop for cars. We’re taking that armored truck.” He pointed to the white armored vehicle parked nearby, his tone leaving no room for debate.

  “What? That piece of junk? What about that Mercedes G55 over there? It’s big, powerful, and looks badass!” Boss Hu protested, pointing to the dark green SUV.

  “If you want to drive it, go ahead. But remember, we’re heading toward Jiangcheng. Who knows what we’ll encounter? Do you think the G55’s windows can withstand a zombie attack?” Lin Tao replied coldly, already heading toward the armored truck.

  “Fine, the armored truck it is,” Boss Hu muttered, his shoulders slumping. He shot a resentful gnce at Lin Tao’s back, his expression unreadable.

  “What’s it to you anyway? Weren’t you supposed to be getting help? Bai Ru said you just ran for your life!” Cao Mei sneered, picking up her bag and gun. She shot Boss Hu a disdainful look as she walked past him. “Useless.”

  “You—” Boss Hu gred at Cao Mei’s retreating figure, his grip on the shotgun tightening until his knuckles turned white.

  ---

  The white armored truck, essentially a modified Iveco Daily, wasn’t the most professional vehicle, but its bulletproof gss and reinforced steel made it far sturdier than an ordinary car. More importantly, it was spacious. After removing some unnecessary components, the truck could comfortably fit over a dozen people.

  Lin Tao had already refueled the truck earlier that morning while scavenging for shotguns. However, he was disappointed to find only a dozen or so shells for the three shotguns inside. Still, guns were better than knives in most situations, and something was better than nothing.

  After Bai Ru and Li Li recounted their harrowing encounter with the Hunter, the group grew tense. Bai Ru worried that if the creature couldn’t break through the door, it might escape through the hole in the roof, putting them all in danger again. Under Zhang Hong’s stern orders, the women reluctantly discarded their impractical luxury items and hurried into the armored truck.

  With a loud crash, the white truck plowed through a wire fence and left the supermarket behind. The main roads were clogged with abandoned vehicles, resembling a graveyard of cars. Lin Tao had no choice but to take a side road, hoping to find a way onto the main highway ter.