The off-road vehicle came to a stop, and Gaoxin and the others quickly opened the doors and climbed in. Jiang Qiqi had blood all over her, and she was wiping it off with a pale face.
"Xing Zi, you have no idea how scary those zombies were," Jiang Qiqi recounted her recent experience, noticing Tan Xinger's pale face. She asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired," Tan Xinger replied with a smile, trying not to let Jiang Qiqi worry.
In the rearview mirror, Gu Jingyong's gaze fell lightly on her, then quickly shifted away as he continued driving.
"Hang in there a little longer," Jiang Qiqi said, comforting Tan Xinger and herself at the same time.
There was silence in the car, only the sound of the engine and the cries of the zombies outside.
Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt, leaving long black marks on the ground. The abrupt braking startled everyone.
As they were thrown forward and then pulled back by their seat belts, Tan Xinger instinctively gripped her dagger, watching the surroundings warily.
The zombies quickly approached, but it wasn't enough to make Gu Jingyong stop the car. Everyone looked at him with serious expressions, asking, "What's wrong?"
Gu Jingyong didn't say anything, just stared ahead with a fierce look in his eyes, as if waiting for something to appear.
Following his gaze, they saw three cardboard boxes suddenly appear on the wide road. Wrapped like gift boxes with white wrapping paper and black bows, they looked like offerings to the dead.
The sudden appearance of these gift boxes, moved out in a short time, was as big as a car, and there were three of them. They seemed to contain endless darkness, making people reluctant to open them.
"Surprise, do you like it?" A voice mixed with crackling electricity suddenly sounded, seeming distant yet close at hand.
The unfamiliar male voice sounded young, and there was a sense of excitement in his upbeat tone.
Tan Xinger felt a strange sense of familiarity with the voice. She lowered the car window and looked outside, seeing speakers hanging on the lampposts on both sides, emitting crackling electrical sounds.
"What is that? Is it part of the game?" Jiang Qiqi felt her heart race just looking at the color scheme of the gift boxes.
"There's nothing related to gift boxes in the game," Gaoxin shook his head. He had studied the strategy of this level, which mainly involved surviving for ten days and finding the escape door. There was no mention of anything as eerie as this.
"It seems like there's something inside," Tan Xinger said, staring intently at the gift boxes. After confirming it several times, she looked at Gu Jingyong. She had a strong premonition that this was aimed at him.
"Stay strapped in," Gu Jingyong glanced at Tan Xinger and then stepped on the gas pedal firmly. The car accelerated without hesitation.
As they got closer to the gift boxes, Gu Jingyong showed no signs of slowing down. Everyone's hearts tightened as they waited for the final moment of eruption.
The bows on the gift boxes were blown by the wind from the speeding car, and one of them fell straight onto the car window.
It was at that moment, as the bow fell, that the car collided with one of the gift boxes. Feeling the resistance, the car accelerated without hesitation, plowing through the middle.
For a moment, the car was engulfed in darkness, as if a sinister shadow flashed by, clinging to the car and refusing to let go.
Tan Xinger opened her eyes to see a piece of paper still hanging on the rearview mirror. With a rustle, it broke completely the next moment, drifting in the air.
"What was that just now?" Jiang Qiqi stared blankly outside the window. Those few seconds felt like minutes. Although it was just a flicker of light and darkness, Gu Jingyong's control made her heart race.
"It was just a few zombies," Gu Jingyong said, looking back at the unscathed gift boxes. However, several of them had been torn apart in an instant, revealing ragged figures inside.
Pieces of paper flew everywhere, and several ragged figures emerged from inside. Then, they rushed towards them at a brisk pace.
Tan Xinger also noticed the movement behind them. The zombies were like the reapers of death, about six or seven of them. Their bodies were like skeletons, with skin that looked like it had been dried by the wind, cracked and covered in sticky fluid.
Sharp teeth and gaping mouths that could almost swallow something the size of a basketball, they looked like monsters from a movie, eager to devour them.
These few zombies seemed more eerie than others, as if they had been carefully selected, presenting a perfect gift.
Tan Xinger quietly glanced at Gu Jingyong's expression. Although he remained calm, showing no hint of emotion, Tan Xinger felt that something was quietly changing.
Gu Jingyong's hand on the steering wheel clenched tightly, his veins bulging, like a dormant python slowly awakening.
In her mind, Tan Xinger sighed, "Seems like we've stirred up someone serious."
"The zombies are catching up," Gaoxin said, glancing outside. The zombies emerging from the gift boxes looked even more terrifying, with tattered clothes hanging off their bodies, as if they had survived countless battles.
About six or seven zombies rushed towards them, their grim expressions vividly etched in everyone's minds. They all tensed up, preparing themselves mentally for the encounter.
The speed of the off-road vehicle was fast, but there were many zombies blocking the way ahead, and abandoned vehicles were randomly parked in the middle of the road, greatly slowing down their progress. They could only snake their way through.
The zombies behind them gradually closed the distance. They watched as one of the zombies stepped onto a car and leaped towards them.
Gaoxin no longer waited idly. He lowered the window and leaned out of the upper body, hanging on the car door with a dagger aimed at the zombie's heart.
Unexpectedly, the zombie's movements were extremely agile, and it dodged the dagger's attack with a slight tilt of its body.
As if angered, the zombie extended its tongue towards Gaoxin.
Gaoxin dodged the tongue's attack, but the tongue missed and hit the car, instantly corroding the paint with its sticky fluid, leaving behind a patchy mess.
Gaoxin took a deep breath and motioned for Jiang Qiqi to hand him the steel pipe.
He felt a bit shocked looking at the zombies behind him. Even though it was the last day, the zombies' aggressiveness had evolved to such a terrifying level.
If it weren't for him being in the car, with the car's speed and Gu Jingyong's timely adjustment of direction, he might not have been able to avoid that tongue attack just now.
Thinking of this, Gaoxin glanced at the man in the driver's seat. He wasn't stupid and naturally could tell that these zombies were targeting someone. His suspicion of Gu Jingyong's identity increased by another notch.
"There are two more bundles of rope in the bag," Gu Jingyong said, looking out the window and tossing the backpack to the back. Sijiao took out the rope and handed it to Gaoxin.
Understanding his intention, Gaoxin tied a knot at the front end of the rope, swung it a few times in his hand, and then aimed at one of the zombies behind.
The zombie was very alert. The first throw missed, kicking up a cloud of dust on the ground.
Gaoxin retracted the rope and threw it again.
Gu Jingyong had been paying attention to the situation behind them. Seeing the rope loop around the zombie's neck, he immediately turned the steering wheel sharply, making the car swerve.
Everyone in the car was thrown off balance by the sudden turn. Tan Xinger held onto the car door tightly to steady herself.
Gu Jingyong's turn successfully tripped the zombie caught by Gaoxin's rope, causing it to fall to the ground weakly. It tried to get up but couldn't match the speed of the car, dragging itself helplessly on the ground.
Only one zombie was caught in the rope, and the others continued to charge forward tirelessly, attempting to jump onto the car with the help of their companions.
With one hand still holding the rope, Gaoxin felt unsteady in the moving vehicle.
Sijiao opened the sunroof and stood up, observing the current situation.
Apart from the zombies emerging from the gift boxes, the rest of the zombies had also gathered around the car.
The car was surrounded by the hungry gazes of zombies on all sides. In this situation, they couldn't possibly leave the car. They could only attack from a distance.
Realizing this, Sijiao climbed back into the car and said to Gu Jingyong, "We need to find another car; otherwise, we won't be able to break through."
Gu Jingyong looked at the stream of zombies ahead. The front windshield was already showing fine cracks, and the car windows were blurred by the blood of countless zombies. They could only see the road ahead through the gaps.
He nodded, indicating his agreement to cooperate with Sijiao.
Sijiao climbed out of the sunroof again, scanning the surroundings and looking at the parked vehicles, searching for the one that was suitable.
The zombies behind temporarily couldn't catch up. Tan Xinger retracted onto her seat, keeping an eye on the situation behind through the rearview mirror.
At this moment, Gu Jingyong made an abrupt brake to avoid a car blocked by zombies, causing everyone to stagger.
Tan Xinger almost hit the window but was pulled back by the seatbelt just in time. Before she could say anything, something in the rearview mirror caught her attention.
Once she saw what it was, Tan Xinger's whole body went cold, quickly turning to look at Gu Jingyong.
"There's a zombie under the car!" she exclaimed.
Tan Xinger's words stunned everyone for a moment. Gaoxin instinctively looked down, but it was too late.
A shriveled face lunged towards him, sharp teeth aimed straight at him. He was trapped by the car window, with nowhere to retreat. He could only fight desperately, swinging the steel pipe in his hand.
In a split second, the position in the car changed. With a dull sound, Jiang Qiqi pounced from the middle position to the window.
She grabbed Gaoxin's leg tightly, while Gaoxin, losing his balance, leaned outward, his upper body propped against the car door, trying to find balance with the steel pipe.
Tan Xinger also joined in, opening the window and attacking the zombie lurking under the car with a wooden stick.
The zombie's legs hooked onto the underside of the car at a strange angle, while its upper body attacked everyone.
It spat out a crimson tongue, splattering viscous fluid everywhere. Tan Xinger instinctively withdrew her hand but then forcefully struck the zombie's face with the stick.
Seizing the opportunity, Gaoxin thrust the steel pipe into the zombie's chest with all his might. The pipe wasn't sharp at the front, but driven by the instinct to survive, Gaoxin exerted all his strength, piercing the zombie's heart with the steel pipe.
The zombie stared at him with wide eyes, its tongue protruding once more, carrying its last bit of strength.
Exhausted, Gaoxin, hanging outside the speeding car door in a twisted posture, could hardly muster any more strength. Seeing the crimson tongue about to strike again, Tan Xinger couldn't reach it and could only watch helplessly as it aimed at Gaoxin.
At the critical moment, Gu Jingyong reached over Tan Xinger, half of his body leaning out of the window, and grabbed the zombie's neck.
There was a crisp sound, and the zombie's neck snapped like a broken string, its wide eyes still staring at the ground.
Losing control of the steering wheel, the car veered uncontrollably to the side. With a loud bang, everything came to a stop.
As soon as the off-road vehicle stopped, the zombies swarmed up. Gu Jingyong snapped back to his senses from the impact, quickly pulling Gaoxin back and swiftly closing the window.
Sijiao also climbed back into the car. Outside the enclosed space, the zombies pressed against the car, their withered faces smashing against the window, making the already blood-stained glass sticky and corroded by the viscous fluid, gradually changing.
The sound of everyone's breathing mingled together. Gaoxin gasped heavily, while Jiang Qiqi, overturned by Gaoxin's uncontainable force, sat under the seat without the strength to move.
Tan Xinger was pressed under Gu Jingyong, her hair sticking to her face, still unable to react. In less than three minutes, the group had gone through multiple ordeals as if passing through the gates of death several times.
Gu Jingyong glanced at everyone and then shifted his gaze to the zombies outside the car. He noticed the few zombies emerging from the gift boxes approaching and immediately started the car, stepping on the gas pedal and speeding away once again.
"Eh!" Jiang Qiqi hadn't reacted yet and was thrown to the edge, completely bewildered.
Tan Xinger was no exception, holding onto the car door tightly to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
"Those few zombies seem to have been selected. They should be stronger than ordinary zombies. I'll shake them off first, and then you guys go find another car," Gu Jingyong said quickly, eyes fixed ahead.
Gaoxin and Sijiao nodded in understanding, their faces serious, no longer underestimating those zombies.
Sijiao opened the sunroof again, looking at the zombies behind with a calm face but frost in his eyes.
His gaze quickly scanned the surroundings and soon found a suitable car.
"There's one at ten o'clock," Sijiao said, and Gu Jingyong immediately drove towards it. As they approached, the car swerved to the left and stopped parallel to the black car.
Gaoxin quickly opened the car door, taking a big step to grip the other car. After confirming that there were no zombies inside, he glanced at Sijiao, who promptly kicked away a nearby zombie and swiftly climbed into the car with Jiang Qiqi.
After making sure they were okay, Gu Jingyong stepped on the gas pedal. He looked at the zombies chasing them relentlessly, the cold light in his eyes no longer hidden.