Chapter 159: Something Has Happened to the Safe Zone?!

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Qin Sheng and the other four moved with great caution, yet their pace was remarkably fast. Within a few minutes, they reached their destination.

Qin Sheng took the rifle from her back and was about to lead the way inside when Shen Shi stopped her and volunteered to go first.

Qin Sheng nodded. Shen Shi truly was a gentleman.

The five of them soon slipped into the supermarket. The underground store was pitch-black, leaving them no choice but to feel their way forward.

Numerous objects lay scattered across the floor. They could sense the chaos as they moved through the store, and all they could do was keep their movements as quiet as possible.

Qin Sheng had prepared in advance. The warehouse of a large supermarket was usually well hidden and inaccessible to ordinary people, so the supplies inside should still be usable.

The trouble was that they did not know the warehouse’s exact location. They could only search by touch, and in such darkness, finding it was genuinely difficult.

Still, a supermarket of this size ought to have a map. Qin Sheng quietly explained her idea to the others.

Qin Sheng’s night vision was fairly good. After seeing them nod, they paired off and went in different directions to search for the map.

Qin Sheng went alone.

She mainly wanted to take advantage of her spatial ability, and it was more convenient by herself.

Even if she failed to find the map, she could still locate the warehouse.

Chu Xingyu and Lin Xing went together, while Shen Shi and Jiang Miaomiao paired up. The five-person team split into three smaller groups to search for the warehouse—or rather, for the map.

Once they had gone far enough, Qin Sheng slipped directly into her spatial realm.

Using its ability to shift instantly from place to place, she quickly checked several different areas. As luck would have it, she really did find the location.

The large warehouse at the far end of the mall’s second basement level was the supermarket’s temporary storage area.

From what Qin Sheng could see, there were still quite a lot of supplies. Although large supermarkets received daily shipments, the warehouse had stored a considerable amount as well. Once she had confirmed the location, they could send a signal to the safe zone, and someone would naturally come to retrieve the supplies.

Put simply, they were only here to scout the route.

To put it less kindly, they were a suicide squad.

After locating the warehouse, Qin Sheng marked the area carefully. She had just turned to look for the others when she heard faint, labored breathing coming from one of the storage cabinets nearby.

Qin Sheng was certain it was not a zombie.

“Come out.”

A moment later, she heard someone sobbing. If she had heard correctly, it was the same person.

Apparently, this person had hidden away when the zombies attacked and had remained in the supermarket warehouse for a long time. Since there was no shortage of food, she had managed to survive.

“Come out. I’m a member of the safe zone’s security force. I won’t hurt you.” When the person still refused to emerge, Qin Sheng could only soften her tone.

Sure enough, rustling came from the corner. The next second, Qin Sheng saw a pair of bright eyes.

“You’re human? You’re not a monster?” The little girl still seemed unable to believe it. She asked timidly.

“My name is Qin Sheng. Of course I’m human.” Qin Sheng knew the girl was still frightened, so she patiently explained.

Only after she was convinced that Qin Sheng was not a monster did the girl slowly approach her.

“Will you take me away from here?” Jiang Ling could no longer bear living in fear. Even the slightest glimmer of hope was enough to make her choose the outside world over hiding here in terror while listening to the zombies roar.

She was terrified of dying.

Qin Sheng understood. She pressed her lips together, freed one hand, and took Jiang Ling’s hand.

“I’ll take you with me.”

Jiang Ling clutched Qin Sheng’s hand as though it were a lifeline, afraid that Qin Sheng might let go when she was not paying attention.

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She was gripping far too tightly. Qin Sheng frowned in discomfort, but she did not stop her.

Using the faint light from her lamp, Qin Sheng led Jiang Ling out of the warehouse. By coincidence, they ran into the other two groups just as they stepped outside.

“We found it. Let’s go,” Qin Sheng explained briefly, then led the way with Jiang Ling following close behind.

Lin Xing and the others exchanged nods and cautiously followed Qin Sheng out of the supermarket.

They were only a few steps from the exit when Qin Sheng suddenly stopped.

Her expression instantly grew tense. She spoke in a low voice.

“There’s movement outside the entrance.”

Even in the darkness, her quiet voice reached everyone’s ears.

Qin Sheng clearly felt Jiang Ling tighten her grip.

She gently squeezed Jiang Ling’s hand in response, signaling that she should not be afraid.

Shen Shi and Lin Xing exchanged a glance. The next second, they opened the doors.

When Qin Sheng heard the zombies roar, she signaled for everyone to fire. In less than a minute, every zombie that had rushed inside was cut down by machine-gun fire.

“Woo-hoo!” Lin Xing was thrilled after getting his hands on a gun. He shouted excitedly as he swept the area with bullets.

One of Qin Sheng’s hands was still being held by Jiang Ling, so she could only fire with one hand. Fortunately, the weapon was easy to handle, and it did not affect her shooting.

Only after every zombie had been killed did Qin Sheng signal for them to stop.

“Let’s get out.”

“Okay!”

Jiang Ling remained timidly behind Qin Sheng, clutching her hand. Even knowing that all the zombies outside were dead, she still did not dare walk ahead.

When she saw the light outside, Jiang Ling rubbed her eyes, feeling almost dazed.

She had not seen sunlight in a very long time. After suddenly being exposed to it, she found it somewhat painful to look at.

“I’ll take you to the safe zone. Don’t worry.” Qin Sheng comforted her, then turned to remind her companions, “We need to leave quickly. The noise will attract more zombies.”

“Okay.”

“Got it, Shengsheng.”

But when the roar of zombies sounded once more, Qin Sheng realized that she had misjudged how much time they had. She had never expected the zombies to arrive so quickly after hearing the gunfire.

“We’re surrounded!”

In an instant, the horde encircled Qin Sheng and the others. They advanced step by step, staring at the group as though they were prey, ready to pounce and tear them apart at any moment.

“This is bad. We have no chance to dodge them!”

The zombies were incredibly fast, and there were far too many of them. Without a breakthrough point, they had no hope of forcing their way out.

“Then we’ll shoot our way through!” Qin Sheng pulled the rifle from her back and fired at the nearest zombies.

The gunshots sent the horde into an uproar. If the earlier clash had merely been a test, then the true battle had now begun.

A massive battle erupted without warning.

The roars of the zombies and the thunder of gunfire were deafening, accompanied by the creatures’ shrieks of agony. The ferocity of the fight was plain to see.

But their ammunition was limited. Sensing that they would soon run out of time, Qin Sheng stowed the rifle on her back and drew her Tang sword.

Having one hand occupied by Jiang Ling made it difficult for her to fight at full strength.

There was nowhere to put Jiang Ling, so she could only let the girl cling to one hand while protecting her with the other. Qin Sheng had intended to keep Jiang Ling beside her, where she would be safe. But the moment Jiang Ling saw the zombies, something in her clearly began to break down. Her eyes widened in terror, and she could not utter a word, only whimper helplessly.

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Qin Sheng swung the Tang sword in her right hand so rapidly that it seemed sparks might fly from the blade. Even so, not a single zombie managed to approach either of them. Jiang Ling was protected perfectly.

Yet Qin Sheng could clearly feel Jiang Ling’s grip tightening further and further, squeezing her arm until it hurt.

Qin Sheng frowned slightly and reminded her, “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe. You don’t need to hold me so tightly.”

No matter how Qin Sheng explained, Jiang Ling seemed unable to hear her.

Left with no other choice, Qin Sheng endured it. Fortunately, the grip did not interfere too much with her fighting.

Everyone was in excellent condition, and with the support of their heavy weapons, it did not take long for the zombies to be wiped out.

Qin Sheng’s hand had gone numb. She pulled it free from Jiang Ling’s crushing grip.

“We don’t have time to rest. Move!”

At her command, the team shouldered all their belongings and quickly withdrew.

Jiang Ling, however, remained motionless.

Qin Sheng frowned deeply and patted her.

“We need to go…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Ling turned around and lunged at Qin Sheng, trying to bite her. Fortunately, Qin Sheng reacted in time. Realizing that Jiang Ling had mutated, she swiftly kicked her away.

How had Jiang Ling been bitten?

Qin Sheng had protected her carefully. The zombies had never had a chance to get close to Jiang Ling. So why had she mutated?

When Jiang Ling charged at Qin Sheng again, Shen Shi swiftly shot her in the head.

Watching Jiang Ling collapse before her, Qin Sheng did not know how to describe what she was feeling.

It was complicated—and painful.

She had promised to take Jiang Ling to the safe zone.

But time did not allow Qin Sheng to wait even a few more seconds. She quickly regained her composure, gathered their belongings, and led the team away.

They had already planned a place to meet.

Fortunately, they did not encounter another large horde along the way. The few stragglers they ran into were dealt with quickly.

The meeting point was an abandoned factory in the eastern part of the city. Few people had ever come there before the apocalypse, let alone after it began. Not a single zombie could be seen.

“Shengsheng, I observed Jiang Ling earlier. There were no bite marks on her, but she did have a wound. She may have accidentally gotten zombie blood into it.” The first thing Jiang Miaomiao did after returning was report what she had seen to Qin Sheng.

“All right. I understand.” Qin Sheng pressed her lips together, as though contemplating something.

“It’s all right, Shengsheng. Don’t blame yourself. This wasn’t your fault.” Jiang Miaomiao approached her and comforted her softly.

Qin Sheng gave a faint smile and nodded.

“I’m fine. I just feel a little uneasy, but I don’t know why.”

Ever since leaving the safe zone, Qin Sheng had occasionally felt a tightness in her chest. She had been plagued by a vague sense of foreboding, and during that day’s battle with the zombies, the feeling had grown even stronger.

“Maybe you’re just too tense. Get some proper rest. You may feel better afterward.”

Qin Sheng nodded lightly and answered, “All right.”

She had been sitting for only a short while when Yang Lin returned with his team. His expression, however, was grim.

“Qin Sheng, something has happened at the safe zone…”

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