Chapter 29
Like a huge fireball, when the sun dropped below the horizon, a green leather car drove into Silver Tree City.
His eyes were always drawn to the soldier sitting across from him.
The guy who had picked her up with one hand, Zian would never forget the way he had looked at her.
There was no anger, no contempt, no violence, no pity.
All that was left was a calm feeling akin to the autumn waters.
The calmness was chilling. It meant that in the eyes of the owner, Zian was no different from a corpse by the roadside.
At the time, when the thumb and forefinger clasped around his throat, he believed it would easily crush his Adam's apple.
Even breaking his neck.
However, after getting him and the young woman into the car, the soldier handed the 20 RMB to Teddy, even if Teddy didn't dare to take it.
There was no law in the turbulent times.
There was no order in the wilderness. Whoever had the bigger fist was the law.
The force of Zero could drive them out of the car or even kill them, then snatch the car and drive off.
But he didn't, he just silently pulled his female companion into the car, then chose a seat by the window and sat quietly.
Even so, no one wants to approach zero.
Sitting next to him was no easier than sitting next to a corpse wolf.
Zero looked out the window as the car pulled into Silver Tree City.
Silver Tree City was not much different from two years ago. The streets of the city were full of cracks, and the blood of humans and beasts could be seen under a street lamp or a stop sign. It was brown spots due to the fading of the lights.
The vegetation in the city was gone, and the grass in front of the houses was now covered with dry sand.
In those dark windows, there was a faint sense of danger.
However, the sense of danger was much weaker than it had been two years ago. The number of monsters or mutated beasts in the city had been greatly reduced.
This reminded Zero of the migration of the Zombie Wolves and the monsters in Silver Tree City. Most of them had probably already left the abandoned city.
But even so, it was not a good idea to come into the city with a big thorn.
Even if the car had been remodeled, the machine gun on top of the roof of the car could easily tear apart the monster that dared to provoke it, and the barred window could be used for attacking flexible creatures like living corpses.
The car ended up in front of a gas station on the side of the road. Gian and a few other men got out of the car with hunting rifles and pistols while Teddy, the chauffeur, checked a few gas tanks.
Leaving Leah in the car, he got out himself.
Although it was evening, the temperature of the ground was terrifyingly high, and the heat rising from the soles of the feet was palpable.
The men subconsciously pulled away from Zero, but Teddy wasn't that scared of zero.
The young driver took off his cap and shook his head. "Hell, there's no gas in the tank."
"Nonsense, this city has been deserted for so long, it would be strange if there was gasoline."
However...
"There should be something else in there that can be used, like food or laxatives."
He waved at the convenience store, and the men started to follow.
Zero stopped them. "I'll go, you protect the car and the woman."
Taking a step forward, Zero turned around and scanned everyone with an ice-cold gaze, "If I discover anything strange that you guys are doing, believe me, I will make you guys regret it."
With that, he disappeared into the darkness of the convenience store in Leah's line of sight.
In the jungle, no pack of wolves was stronger than a bear.
In this resource-poor era, teams were far easier to survive than individuals.
It was still a long way to Remutt, and he would be spending some time with Teddy and the others.
The deterrence of force alone could only last for a short time, and was extremely unreliable.
Therefore, if Zero wanted to make them his companions, he could only try to win their trust and make some contributions.
This was the best way to integrate into a guild, and only by participating would everyone recognize you.
Naturally, or only a single person, he didn't need to go through so much trouble.
However, he still had Leah. For the sake of the girl's safety, he could only do some unnecessary things.
The store was dark and quiet at the same time.
He fished out the revolver and held the pocket flashlight in his other hand to serve as a light.
He felt his way through the front door. The shop was in a complete mess.
He chose some food and medicine from the well-kept cabinets, but he didn't think too much of them.
As long as he brought it back, there would naturally be people who would distinguish and choose.
There was no danger in the store, but just as he was ready to leave, an almost inaudible sound reached his ears.
The voice came from the lounge behind the convenience store.
Zero walked over and nudged the door open with the muzzle of his gun.
There was a small room behind the door, the last rays of the setting sun falling on the windowsill, and the room was shrouded in a layer of dim yellow light.
What caught his eye was a picture frame. The picture frame was not big.
The photograph was faded, but it wasn't hard to make out an elderly couple leaning affectionately against each other.
It was a simple and simple happiness.
Beneath the frame was a single bed with the corpse of an old woman lying on it.
The body was stripped of its moisture, leaving only its skin.
The limbs, wrists, and ankles of the body were tightly bound with cowhide ropes, and from the rumpled marks on the bed one could tell that the old woman had struggled violently before she died.
Beside the bed was an aged corpse.
The living corpse's hair had been stripped off, and from the looks of it it was the old man in the photograph.
The living corpse was lying on the ground, unable to move, because the area below the root of the thigh had disappeared.
Even when he sensed the arrival of zero, the old corpse did not attack. He only used his hands to dig out the rotten flesh on his thigh and then put it into his mouth to chew.
Lingcun was surprised. Two years ago, Mary, who had become a living corpse, remembered that her ex-lover had already surprised Lingcun.
Two years later, a living corpse devouring his flesh and blood once again touched a soft spot in Zero's heart.
From the intact body of the woman in bed, he knew that this old living corpse would rather eat his own flesh than hurt a hair on his wife's head.
Do you still remember the oath in front of the Sacred Hall?
Be it rich or poor, be it old or dead, I will stand guard by your side and never leave you!
Zero sighed, put down the pistol, and took out the dagger.
He stepped forward, and the dagger flashed a pale yellow light across the sunset, brushing past the old corpse's throat and taking his entire head off.
Holding the head, he placed it quietly beside the corpse, then gently pulled the quilt under the corpse to cover them.
This way, he would be able to sleep forever.
It was just like the countless nights from many years ago, they embraced and slept until the end of time!
After doing all of this, he quietly left the room and the convenience store.