Wasteland Rebirth

Chu Xiang raised his hand and fired at the T3's head with his other rifle, but click, click—the 03 assault rifle was out of ammunition! A surge of panic struck his heart. This was life-threatening; had he known, he would have used this very rifle to bash the T3 earlier. Seeing the T3 lunging towards him, he swung the rifle butt towards its head.

Thud! The brain matter splattered. The T3 barely managed to sink its long fingers into Chu Xiang's arm before it collapsed to the ground. The brain was its central system—only one method could deal with it. But the T3's swift reflexes made it incredibly difficult to strike this vital point. This was only the second one. Who could know how many more T3s, or even T4s and T5s, were lurking ahead?

Song Jun was the first to rush over. "Chu Xiang, are you alright?" He had already noticed the blood splattered on Chu Xiang's face. That blood could contain the highly infectious T-virus.

Chu Xiang removed his shirt and wiped his face, saying, "I'm fine. This blood won't infect me. Search the area for any other zombies, especially any T3s."

Earlier, Chu Xiang had explained the zombie classification to Song Jun when they were searching for a vehicle, so Song Jun was not surprised or unfamiliar with the information. He picked up a discarded 03 rifle and began surveying the surroundings. Zhang Jingyao and Su Yulian, though frightened, walked to Chu Xiang's side. Upon seeing the brain matter on his face, Zhang Jingyao quickly returned to the vehicle to fetch some water to clean him.

At that moment, Gu Hai and Zhao Yang stepped out of their car. When they started the vehicle, Chu Xiang had already killed the T3. Now that the danger had passed, there was no need to flee, especially since Zhao Yang was still concerned about the unconscious Xie Shanshan. Chu Xiang had considered carrying her, but in the end, he refrained. After all, Xie Shanshan hadn't recognized him, and she now had a boyfriend. His appearance at this moment seemed inappropriate.

As the leader, Gu Hai quickly organized his men. Long Beard had been killed, and three others were fatally injured by the T3. Even if they didn't die immediately, it was inevitable that they would turn into zombies in a few hours. So, Gu Hai put them out of their misery. Chu Xiang opened his mouth but remained silent, pressing his arm against his mouth to stifle the words.

Others might not know, but Chu Xiang was well aware that the T3 had injured him. However, as White Xiao Wei's program had stated, his immune system was strong enough to resist infection. Besides, he had survived an infection after being injured by a shelf before. Still, he knew that while he understood this, others didn't, and Gu Hai's team still had four men left. If they didn't believe him and insisted on eliminating him, it would be a pointless move.

Xie Shanshan woke up and her first sight was Zhao Yang. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Zhao Yang. I knew you wouldn't leave me behind."

Zhao Yang's face flushed, but he shamelessly took the credit for saving her, saying, "Of course, Shanshan, how could I leave you behind? You don't know how much I love you..."

Standing not far away, Su Yulian and Zhang Jingyao exchanged looks of disdain. Both girls instinctively glanced at the real savior, Chu Xiang. However, Chu Xiang said nothing and instead called out to Zhang Hongbing to prepare to carry Zhang Debing and leave the area.

At this moment, Gu Hai, having gathered his team, approached them. "Hey, don't go yet. We can do without that woman. But you two seem capable. We could use more people on our side. Stay with us."

Chu Xiang and Song Jun's expressions shifted. Staying with this group was not ideal, but Gu Hai's expression was resolute, and his four men subtly aimed their guns at them. The T3 wasn't afraid of bullets, but Chu Xiang and Song Jun certainly were, let alone the other team members who had no combat experience.

Su Yulian suddenly spoke up, "Sorry, we're heading to Tong City. We'll be taking a different route. It's better if we part ways here."

Gu Hai raised an eyebrow, "Tong City? Isn't that still intact?"

At that moment, He Er, who had been quietly standing at the back, spoke up in a conciliatory tone, "Yes, we listened to the satellite broadcast. There's a human outpost in Tong City, a place where we can seek refuge."

Gu Hai glanced at Zhao Yang and then burst into laughter. "In that case, we'll go to Tong City too. It seems we're on the same path after all."

Zhao Yang didn't object. His initial guess had been to head to Stone City, but now that it was confirmed that Tong City had a human outpost, there was no need to travel further. A few minutes ago, he might have considered whether Tong City was suitable for his status, but after witnessing the T3's power, he now just wanted safety. As long as he could be safe, he didn't care if it was Bird City.

With no better option, Chu Xiang and Song Jun wisely refrained from protesting. Moreover, Chu Xiang still harbored some hope. Though Xie Shanshan had become someone else's girlfriend, that didn't change his feelings for her. As for Zhang Jingyao's earlier offer to be Chu Xiang's girlfriend, he hadn't taken it to heart. In comparison, Xie Shanshan still held a deeper place in his heart, after having spent over a decade together. Though she had changed a lot over the past seven years, the memories remained unchanged.

Since they had no choice but to join Gu Hai's group, they couldn't take the vehicles by force. Chu Xiang arranged for Zhang Debing and Su Yulian to get in the car, while he and Zhang Jingyao rode together on the motorcycle. The bus had a flat tire, so they abandoned it. He Er joined Gu Hai's group, and Zhang Hongbing, who disliked them, squeezed into the Pajero.

Zhao Yang, still uneasy, pulled Gu Hai aside. "Captain Gu, I saw that kid got infected by zombie blood earlier. Shouldn't we get rid of him, just in case…"

Gu Hai snorted. "I saw it too. But no one can be sure if that kind of contact will definitely lead to infection, right? The kid's pretty skilled. I'll keep an eye on him to see if he turns into a zombie. I won't let him cause trouble... Heh, you're really something, aren't you? The guy saved your girlfriend's life, and you want to take him out?"

Zhao Yang glanced around furtively, seeing that Xie Shanshan was far enough away to not overhear their conversation, and then awkwardly replied, "Heh, I'm just thinking about the safety of the whole team. Besides, he has nothing to do with Shanshan. There's no need to let him steal the credit. But that zombie we encountered was really tough. Captain Gu, maybe you should think about it again."

Gu Hai hadn't seen the T3 wound Chu Xiang's arm before it fell, and according to standard procedure, unless a wound was sustained, infection wouldn't occur. So, he waved his hand dismissively, "No need to worry. I plan to use his skills to clear the way for us. If you're jealous of him, then I'll get rid of him and let you lead the way."

Zhao Yang immediately fell silent. The T3 had nearly scared him to death. Letting him be the vanguard? That was more likely to get him killed. Just then, Xie Shanshan called out to him from the vehicle. Zhao Yang could only cast one last uneasy glance at Chu Xiang before turning to leave. This scarred kid always made him feel uneasy, though Zhao Yang couldn't pinpoint why.