Chapter 12

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Chapter 12: A Pure Girl

Zhang Mu looked around. As he thought, he had been surrounded by over 200 zombies. The closest one was only about thirty meters away.

If there was nothing out of the norm, these zombies should’ve already pounced on him to tear him to pieces without any hesitation. However, they only stared at Zhang Mu viciously, but none of them took a step forward. Zhang Mu thought that it was because the white light column behind him was gradually stabilizing. Being bound by the rules, they couldn’t cross the border.

Over 200 zombies with strength about three times stronger than common first-ranked zombie… Even though Zhang Mu had strengthened himself by using the potions, he didn’t dare to look down on them. He rapidly analyzed the best escape route in his mind.

Sigh. If he could hide in the Era shop till the end of the debugging period, that would be great.

But Zhang Mu immediately gave up this idea. The Era Trade Caravan didn’t need waste, whether it was of time or of resources. You must show your own potential of evolution or business ability to them so that you wouldn’t be eliminated by their rules.

Zhang Mu had a feeling in his heart that No. 37 was related to this. Perhaps he had made No. 37 lose too much profit, so No. 37 decided to let these zombies teach him a lesson.

Well, I did take away your most expensive goods, but why are you being so stingy? Zhang Mu remembered that in his previous life, No. 37 normally would clean up the nearby area, creating a security zone for him after each trade.

Zhang Mu scolded No. 37 in his heart, but now, he did not have a second choice.

Suddenly, the white light column behind Zhang Mu narrowed the range and reduced the pressure it put on the zombie. With that, the zombie immediately came closer. Zhang Mu could clearly see several zombies’ bloody faces and their dark yellow sharp teeth.

Oh, shit. It was really No. 37’s trick! Zhang Mu shouted all the filthy words he could remember in his heart.

Are you trying to kill me?!

Staring at the swarm of zombies, Zhang Mu looked back from time to time. The white column behind him flashed again. Taking this chance, Zhang Mu drew out the tailored Tang sword from his back and tightly held it in one of his hands. The cold sword handle made his impetuous heart quickly calm down. His eyes glanced around quickly.

Got it!

Zhang Mu had an idea. He moved while holding the sword aslant, the tip was close to the ground, but did not touch it. He ran with a normal speed towards the southwest, where it looked easy to break through the zombies’ encirclement.

Although the zombies didn’t dare to step forward due to the white column, since the delicious food was walking to them by himself, they naturally wouldn’t waste this opportunity. They opened their bloody mouths wide and waited for Zhang Mu to fall into their snare.

At the same time, the zombies at other places also saw this. They didn’t want their food to run away, so they all flocked to this direction.

Zhang Mu was getting closer and closer to the barrier of bodies.

Under three seconds, the distance between Zhang Mu and the zombie was already less than ten meters. If the other zombies also reached here and surrounded him, his escape plan would totally fail.

I hope this idea is successful.

Zhang Mu whispered in his heart.

Fortunately, the situation went exactly according to Zhang’s guess.

In zombies’ atrophic brains, they didn’t understand what “same kind” was. In their eyes, there were only two things in the world: food and obstacle. Other zombies were obvious obstacles in their eyes. The zombies in the southwest didn’t move. They were waiting for Zhang Mu to come into their mouths by himself. However, others of their kind just wouldn’t let it become true. They pushed away the zombies in the southwest. Some were even pushed to the ground and crushed by others.

The zombies in the southwest were lesser in number, but they naturally refused to be robbed of their food. They immediately stood up and shoved away all the other zombies they could see. Everything became a mess. In addition, the zombies also feared to get closer to the white column and this finally allowed a great opportunity for Zhang Mu to appear.

Zhang Mu suddenly sped up. He increased his speed by four times instantly, then ran towards the side of the encirclement.

The zombies were provoked by his actions. They formed a mighty torrent and flowed to Zhang Mu. Some zombies had been crushed by the flow even before they had realized what happened.

Zhang Mu ran at full speed along the circle of zombies, chopping down one zombie’s head after another. However, even though there were no zombies that could stop him, his speed was still slowed down due to that. The zombies were going to surround him again.

Two seconds later, Zhang Mu finally ran to the weakest point of the siege. There were only two layers of zombies in front of him now. He brandished his sword, chopping down one of the monster’s head, then stomped and jumped on the headless body, kicking backward with his full strength. With the force he gained from the push, he leapt through the last circle of zombies and easily escaped from the circle.

The zombies immediately turned around and pounced at Zhang Mu. Naturally, he wouldn’t get caught by them. He increased his speed several times again. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

“Huff… huff…”

Zhang Mu couldn’t run at his full speed for too long. He found a direction that looked free of potential pursuers and kept running. Only when Zhang Mu had rushed into an alley did he finally stop. His face was red due to the strenuous activity. He gasped for air for a while, then gradually adjusted his breathing.

Zhang Mu walked through the alley and didn’t see any zombie. It seemed that this was really a remote place.

Right now, Zhang Mu was standing in front of an old, dilapidated bungalow. It should be a warehouse. The doors had been opened and looked like it had been searched by wandering zombies before. Zhang Mu hesitated for a while, considering whether or not he should go in and take a rest.

Zhang Mu looked around and sighed. There seemed to be no better choice than this warehouse. He held his sword in front of his chest, then pushed the broken wooden door open, stepping into the warehouse.

Once he walked into the house, the lights from the street were completely drowned by the darkness. In the gloom, Zhang Mu carefully tried to identify any sound that may be around.

Suddenly, with his approach, he heard a faint breathing sound.

Zhang Mu’s footsteps were steady. He walked forward step by step, listening to the breathing that gradually becoming hard.

It was a human!

Zhang Mu immediately stopped. He drew out a lighter from his backpack and lighted a white candle, observing his surroundings with the candle’s leaping flames.

There was another door!

It was thickened with a layer of aluminum alloy. There were only a few scratch marks on the door. No wonder the person behind the door could escape from the zombies’ hunting.

He said in a gentle voice, “My friend, I’m not a monster. I’m just passing by here and will rest for a few hours.”

Hearing Zhang Mu’s voice, the people on the other side of the door seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. With the sound of the door unlatching, a girl that was about the same age as his appeared and immediately hid behind the door. She left open a little crack between the door and its frame for Zhang Mu. She said to Zhang Mu in an anxious tone, “Be quick! The monsters will eat you!”

At the beginning of the new era, humans still had the thing called “humanity” in their hearts, which Zhang Mu hadn’t seen for a long time. In his previous life, if Zhang Mu walked so close to another person’s residence, it would be his luck if they didn’t try to murder him.

Zhang Mu sighed in his heart, then squeezed past the door through the crack.

With the light of the white candle, Zhang Mu carefully looked at the girl, who was chewing carefully and slowly swallowing the food he gave her.

She had long eyelashes and a delicate oval face under her fringe. The different parts of her face weren’t very attractive on their own, but when put together, her face looked pure and clean.

The girl felt embarrassed from Zhang Mu’s observing gaze. Her body subconsciously slipped back as she asked in a cautious tone, “What do you want to do?”

Zhang Mu laughed out, thinking that his behavior was indeed a bit improper. He shouldn’t stare at a girl like that.

He hurriedly asked, trying to change the topic, “I saw that there were a few scratch marks and traces of collision on the door. Did some zombies come here before?”

“Yes! Oh, zombies? Do you mean those monsters? They really looked like what I saw in the movies, but they were faster. I almost couldn’t escape back then. There was a zombie that kept knocking on the door for a long time. I was terrified by the pounding and it was terrible. Even though it had gone, I still didn’t dare to go to sleep.”

The girl was very easily distracted. She had completely forgotten Zhang Mu’s rude actions and just patted her chest with fear.

She finally met a human who wasn’t going to bite her. The joy made her open up to Zhang Mu without any alertness.

“Did you come from the outside? Are there any other monsters out there? And what exactly was that sound this evening? Was the voice telling the truth?” The girl blinked her eyes and asked Zhang Mu quickly.

In the girl’s eyes, Zhang Mu was a guy who could return from the horrible outside world. Besides, he had a cool longsword. The girl felt very curious in her heart.

Although Zhang Mu was tired towards the questions of such a simple and inexperienced girl, Zhang Mu had to resist his fatigue and answer.

Suddenly, Zhang Mu stopped. He looked at the girl and asked, “My name is Zhang Mu. What’s your name? Oh, and is this your home?”

“Oh, my name is Yuan Rui. I just graduated from college and opened an online shop. This is my warehouse, and I live here too. I purchase goods, answer customers’ questions, and mail my products all by myself. I tell you, I’m super awesome!”

The girl named Yuan Rui showed a trace of pride on her face. Zhang couldn’t help but admire her. Indeed, it was not easy for a girl who had just graduated from college to earn money all by herself.

“Uncle, what about you?”

…What?! Uncle?! I?! Zhang Mu’s admiration immediately disappeared. His current body was just eighteen years old! Even if it was in the past life, he was only twenty-eight years old, only a few years older than this girl. How could he be an uncle?!

In fact, he shouldn’t blame the girl. Although he had changed his clothes, his stubble and long hair were still unclean, plus with his hoarse voice and the vicissitudes in his eyes, he looked actually like an uncle to the girl.

Zhang Mu coughed with embarrassment. He looked around the house and thought for a while, then walked to a corner and sat down. He closed his eyes, then said slowly, “Yuan Rui, thank you for your trust. I will sit here and rest for a while. I have something to do tomorrow, so I will have a rest first. You’d better go to sleep too. Don’t worry, I will only stay here.”

“You…”

Yuan Rui still had plenty of questions in her heart, but Zhang Mu had already closed his eyes. The little girl pouted, covered herself up, then turned around.

“What a bad man!”

The girl’s whisper was still heard by Zhang Mu. The corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly.

Yeah, you’re right. I’m a bad man. Zhang Mu silently repeated in his heart.