Shao Ming approached the pickup truck and looked inside. The interior was spotless, clean, and free of dust, indicating that it hadn't been sitting idle for long.
Could there still be humans inside the house?
Shao Ming circled the house, checking to make sure all the doors and windows were sealed shut. After a moment of hesitation, he shouted.
"Is anyone here?"
The only response was the distant growl of mutants.
As soon as he shouted, the wooden planks on the first floor started to shake. The mutants inside began to screech, trying to break free.
Were these mutants locked in by someone, or did they lock themselves in and then mutate?
Shao Ming wasn't interested in dealing with the mutants just yet, so he began searching the area around the pickup for the keys. After a thorough check, he found no sign of the keys. There was only one possible explanation—the keys must be inside the house.
Shao Ming circled the building again and could spot five or six mutants through the gaps in the wooden boards. He was about to climb over the wall and return to the tracks when he saw Feng Yusheng and Lambert making their way inside.
Seeing Shao Ming standing unharmed in the yard, Feng Yusheng finally relaxed and sighed in relief.
"You scared us half to death," Feng Yusheng said. "We heard the zombies but didn't hear any gunshots. We thought something happened to you."
"It's nothing serious," Shao Ming pointed to the house behind him. "They're all locked inside."
"Who would lock them in?" Lambert asked, puzzled.
"Probably the mutants themselves," Shao Ming shrugged. "It looks like they sealed up the doors and windows to protect themselves from the zombies."
Feng Yusheng peeked around the back of the greenhouse and quickly noticed the issue. "The planks are nailed from the inside."
Shao Ming slapped his forehead. He hadn't even thought of that.
"Did you find the truck?" Lambert asked.
"The truck's there, but the keys should be inside the house."
The three of them looked toward the house, where the mutants were still growling loudly inside.
"I'm not going in there," Lambert said, shaking his head.
Feng Yusheng didn't say much but turned to Shao Ming. "What do you plan to do?"
"According to the map, this is the only place nearby that's occupied," Shao Ming said. "The city's overrun with zombies. We might as well clear this place out and take a chance inside."
Lambert sighed. "Alright, fine."
The three of them approached the house. As they neared the door, the mutants inside began slamming against it.
"Remember, aim for the head," Shao Ming reminded them, stepping up to the door.
He listened for the movement of the mutants inside, then stepped back a couple of paces. Aiming at head height, he fired his shotgun.
The pellets tore through the wooden door, hitting a mutant in the head.
Shao Ming quickly worked the pump action, ejecting the spent shell and loading a new round into the chamber.
A pitiful scream echoed from the house as the mutant's body dropped.
Without hesitation, Shao Ming fired again.
He emptied all five rounds from the shotgun, then reloaded and continued firing.
Lambert and Feng Yusheng, each holding a hunting rifle, stood by, but their guns didn't seem useful in this situation.
It wasn't until the sounds from inside stopped that Shao Ming lowered his gun and approached the battered door.
The door was riddled with bullet holes, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps, casting eerie shadows in the room.
After a brief inspection, Shao Ming didn't see any remaining mutants. He kicked the splintered door open, only to be taken by surprise as a mutant leapt out from the pile of corpses on the floor, knocking Shao Ming to the ground.
With a shotgun in his hands, Shao Ming was unable to use it effectively in close combat. He could only wedge the barrel between the mutant's jaws, struggling to keep it away.
Feng Yusheng raised her rifle, but with the mutant and Shao Ming tangled together, she couldn't find a clear shot and hesitated to fire.
Lambert reacted quickly. He swung his rifle and smashed the butt against the mutant's head.
Thanks to Lambert's intervention, Shao Ming kicked the mutant off and scrambled to his feet.
Feng Yusheng, without missing a beat, raised her rifle and fired a shot right into the mutant's head.
Bang!
The bullet tore through its skull, turning its brain into a mushy mess.
"This zombie…" Shao Ming murmured, still shaken as he picked himself up. "How did it ambush us like an expert?"
"You okay?" Feng Yusheng lowered her rifle, her hand trembling.
"I'm fine," Shao Ming said, readjusting his shotgun. "Thanks, though."
The mutant had left deep bite marks on the shotgun's wooden foregrip, making it uncomfortable to hold.
The three of them entered the house, stepping through a floor covered in mutant blood and brain matter.
The room was poorly lit due to the wooden planks blocking the windows. Lambert, who was last, pulled out a flashlight and illuminated the room.
It looked like an old bar, but the decor had a clinical, almost medical feel to it.
It didn't take long to find the keys—they were sitting quietly on the bar counter near the entrance.
Shao Ming picked up the keys and grabbed two bottles of liquor from the shelf, stuffing them into his bag.
"What are you doing with that?" Feng Yusheng asked, eyeing the bottles.
"Drinking, of course," Lambert chimed in, answering for Shao Ming.
Shao Ming gave a sheepish smile and adjusted his bag.
The three of them climbed into the pickup, and Shao Ming sighed as he looked at the truck.
"Ugh, another manual."
He started the engine and turned the truck toward the railway.
The pickup bumped down the slope, and the three of them nearly hit their heads on the roof from the sudden jolt.
"That's some aggressive driving," Lambert commented.
Feng Yusheng couldn't help but nod, remembering how Shao Ming had driven the bus wildly through Manchester.
"Hey, there are no traffic cops here," Shao Ming muttered.
Still, he tried to keep the truck between the two railroad tracks to minimize the bumpy ride.
They transferred all the supplies from the train to the truck and set off toward the highway.
"How should we go?" Shao Ming asked, glancing at Lambert, who was in the front passenger seat.
Lambert studied the map for a moment before answering, "We should cut through the middle area; it's the shortest. We could also take a detour south, but that's a longer route. Or we could go north into the city, which is the fastest."
Shao Ming took the map from Lambert, scanned it briefly, and said, "Let's head south. It's a bit farther, but the roads are better, and there are fewer towns."
Lambert took the tablet back and said, "It's your call; the steering wheel's in your hands."
With that, Shao Ming steered the truck south, away from the city.