Ryan followed behind Olivia, carrying another truck in his hands, his gaze fixed on her as she drove further and further away. He couldn't help but feel worried. Though he had quickly taught her some basic driving skills, how much could she truly grasp in such a short time?
He could only hope nothing went wrong.
In the truck ahead, within just a minute, Olivia had already plowed through dozens of zombies. The heavy truck she was driving crushed them with ease, but because she had to maintain a controlled speed to keep the zombies' attention, hundreds of undead were now trailing behind her. On either side and even ahead, more zombies were converging on her path.
If she were driving at full speed, she might have felt safer. Only a massive horde, thousands strong, could stop a heavy truck moving at full throttle.
But now, with the truck moving slowly to lure the zombies, there was a risk. If too many zombies were caught under the wheels, the vehicle could get stuck.
Olivia shuddered at the thought of what might happen if that occurred. The overwhelming horde would swarm the truck, and she...
She shook her head, refusing to dwell on the horrifying image. Instead, she gritted her teeth and clumsily turned the steering wheel, pressing the accelerator with trembling feet. The creaking sound of the giant wheels crushing bones sent shivers down her spine, and terror gripped her heart.
Still, Olivia stayed focused, her determination fueled by the weight of her master's mission. The heavy truck weaved through the square, drawing nearly all the zombies to her. Even Ryan could see swarms pouring out of the airport hall, joining the horde chasing her.
As Olivia approached the airport control tower, she prepared to slow down. But for a novice driver like her, the truck was still moving too fast. Despite pressing the brakes as hard as she could, the heavy vehicle slammed into the side of the control tower with a loud crash.
The out-of-control truck skidded sideways for several meters, crushing a wave of zombies before grinding to a halt. Olivia's head struck the glass, leaving her momentarily dazed.
It took her a few seconds to gather herself. Shaking off the dizziness, she struggled to free her legs from the cab and pushed the door open. By now, the zombies had surrounded the truck, their guttural howls filling the air. A few were already clawing at the truck's wheels, trying to climb up.
Fear washed over Olivia, her face pale as she fumbled with the pistol Ryan had given her. With a desperate leap, she jumped onto the spiral staircase nearby—the emergency passage attached to the side of the tower, allowing her to avoid entering the building itself.
She scrambled up the stairs, half-crawling, half-rolling, clutching the pistol tightly in her trembling hands. Fortunately, the staircase was clear of zombies. Reaching the top, Olivia slammed the inner door shut, locking herself in. Finally, she collapsed against the wall, her whole body shaking with fear and relief.
Meanwhile, Ryan was driving the second truck, following Olivia's earlier path but taking a different route. Instead of heading toward the control tower, he aimed directly for the airport hall.
Unlike Olivia, Ryan was much more skilled behind the wheel. While not an expert driver, his experience was enough to navigate the chaos with precision. He steered the truck straight toward the airport entrance and, with a deafening crash, rammed it into the doorway, blocking most of the building's main exit.
"Get down here quickly!" Ryan shouted, stepping out of the truck and looking up toward the control tower.
The plan had gone better than expected—Olivia had successfully lured almost all the zombies away, allowing Ryan to approach the airport hall without much resistance. However, he knew he couldn't linger. If the zombies inside the building began to break through, the situation could turn deadly.
On the third floor of the airport, Lily watched nervously. She had just explained the situation to the other survivors, who remained skeptical. Most didn't believe anyone would risk coming to their rescue, but some clung to the hope that it might be true.
Unexpectedly, Ryan had managed to lead most of the zombies away, driving the truck downstairs. Liam couldn't help but admire Ryan's incredible imagination and bold ideas.
What worried them now, however, was that while everything else was in place, breaking the glass on the third floor became a major obstacle. The airport's large floor-to-ceiling windows were made of high-strength tempered glass, not the ordinary kind. Even after several attempts to smash them, it was clear that breaking them with a gun or other tools would be nearly impossible.
Liam, holding a stool, swung it at the glass with all his might, but it left no mark. The group felt a sense of discouragement. The rescue was so close, yet they couldn't break through. They dared not go up the stairs, as while many zombies were distracted by the noise downstairs, others had gathered at the entrance on the first floor.
Ryan observed the zombies crawling out of the doorway, frowning. He raised the axe in his hand, swung it in a circle, and with a whistling sound, hurled it directly at the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor.
With a sharp "click," the axe embedded itself in the glass, shattering it into pieces. The group inside cheered in relief as the window broke wide open in just a few strikes.
Looking down at the sand truck below, they hesitated.
"Sister, jump down, it's okay!" Ryan shouted up.
Although the jump seemed daunting, Lily trusted Ryan and gritted her teeth, deciding to leap. Fortunately, she landed smoothly without injury.
As soon as the others saw someone safely carrying it, they quickly followed suit. In less than a minute, all the survivors on the third floor had jumped into the cargo hold of the truck. By this time, Ryan had already dealt with three zombies that tried to climb up.
Ryan started the truck, shaking off the dozen or so zombies surrounding him, and drove toward the airport tower.
"Olivia, jump over here!"
Olivia's heart lifted when she heard Ryan's voice. She had been worried, fearing that Ryan might leave her behind.
Without hesitation, Olivia leaped from the safety stairs and into the truck's cab, landing in Ryan's arms.
"Woo woo woo... Master, I was so scared. I thought you didn't want me anymore," she whimpered, her earlier reluctance gone. She now clung to him like a puppy afraid of being abandoned.
Ryan gently stroked Olivia's hair, comforting her. For someone who had never killed so much as a chicken, he was impressed that she had completed the task he assigned her.
The truck roared to life, charging forward and crushing zombies in its path as it carved out a route.
It had been dangerously close. If the truck had stalled, restarting it would have been nearly impossible. And if too much time had passed, a massive horde of zombies would have overwhelmed them. Even if Ryan managed to avoid them, the survivors in the back of the truck would have been in serious danger.
The truck surged forward with raw power, smashing through any zombies that blocked its way. Finally, Ryan parked the truck near a gas station, 10 kilometers away from the airport...