Free Web NovelChapter 195: Chapter 195: Saving the Child
Zhang Aihua’s hand, about to pull the trigger, froze completely when he saw the female zombie was holding a child in her arms.
He didn’t know if the child had mutated or not, and Zhang Aihua didn’t dare gamble with his own son’s life.
"Run! Run!"
Zhang Aihua grabbed his son and bolted, the female zombie chasing after them, shouting, "Save my child! Just give her a little milk! I’m begging you! She’s still alive, alive! Not like me..."
Clutching his son, Zhang Aihua didn’t dare stop. He ran all the way to the hot springs area, and as soon as he saw the group, he immediately screamed, "A zombie! There’s a zombie! Hide, quick! Get in the cave and seal the entrance!"
For a moment, no one reacted. They just frowned and asked strangely, "What zombie?"
Zhang Yiwen yelled, "The kind that turns you into one if it bites you! Get in the cave, now!"
The group had seen plenty of mutated things, and his shout sent a shiver down their spines, making them immediately scramble into the cave.
While taking a headcount, Zhang Aihua noticed Brother Qiu and Lao Er were missing. He roared, "Where the hell did those two run off to now?"
The others thought for a moment. "They seemed to have gone to look for something."
’This area is huge, and we don’t have GPS or walkie-talkies. Fat chance of finding them. They’ll have to fend for themselves.’
Zhang Aihua frowned. "Seal the entrance for now. We’ll open it when they get back."
Song Yufang came over nervously. "Is there really a zombie?"
’Can’t we just have a couple of peaceful days?’
Zhang Aihua sighed. "Yes, there is. When I saw her, she was still conscious. She was holding a baby and begged me to give it some milk."
"I didn’t dare get close. I was afraid they were already infected."
As a mother herself, Song Yufang felt a pang of empathy. Heartbroken, she said, "She must be so desperate!"
The others asked, "Can you kill it with a gun? What if it’s unkillable?"
Fear was written on everyone’s faces.
Zhang Aihua shook his head, a little regretful he hadn’t tried taking a shot.
If the zombie came looking for them, they wouldn’t be so on the back foot.
Suddenly, Song Yufang asked him, "Did you let Jiang Si and her group know?"
Zhang Aihua smacked himself on the head. "Not yet. I’ll do it right now."
The words had barely left his mouth, and before he could even pull out his walkie-talkie, a woman’s voice, raspy like a broken bellows, came from outside the cave. "Is anyone there? Anyone? My child is healthy! I’m begging you, please save my child! She’s still perfectly fine!"
To make them believe her, she even slapped the child twice, causing it to instantly let out a weak cry.
Hearing that faint cry, no one had the heart to open fire. They all looked at Zhang Aihua. "President Zhang, this woman seems pretty lucid. Are you sure she’s a zombie? Maybe her skin is just... rotting?"
Zhang Aihua had the same doubt. In the movies, zombies usually lost their minds right away. ’Could my son and I have been mistaken?’
Zhang Aihua peered through a crack in the cave entrance, and his gaze instantly met a rotting face.
He jumped back in fright. Just as he was about to retreat, the woman’s hand shot through the crack and grabbed him viciously by the neck. "Save my daughter! I told you to save my daughter! If you don’t, I’ll kill everyone!"
To be able to ignore the pain and shove her arm right through a rock wall to grab his neck—this was definitely not a normal person!
The others panicked and pulled at Zhang Aihua, yanking with all their might to free him from the woman’s grasp.
Having survived the close call, Zhang Aihua no longer cared about the bloody red marks on his neck.
He immediately pulled out his walkie-talkie and made an emergency call to Jiang Si.
"Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang! A terrifying monster has appeared here! You have to be careful!"
By the time Zhang Aihua and Zhang Yiwen were yelling, Jiang Si had already found out through Qin Shen.
She wanted to go investigate the situation alone, but Qin Shen wouldn’t allow it.
Jiang Si stroked his large head and couldn’t resist rubbing his ears. "You’re a tiger right now. If you go, they might notice you."
Qin Shen just looked at her silently, his expression clearly saying that her safety was more important than being discovered.
Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, fine. You can come with me. We’ll have Bo Xi look after everyone."
Bo Xi could easily handle any ordinary danger by summoning his insects.
His control power had gotten much stronger since last time.
Qin Shen nodded, lowered his massive body, and tried with all his might to get through the door.
Unfortunately, his head got out, but he got stuck at the neck.
If he forced his way out, the whole house would probably need to be renovated from top to bottom.
Jiang Si sighed. "Maybe you should just stay here after all."
The words had barely left her mouth when, WHOOSH, Qin Shen instantly changed back into his human form—completely naked.
Jiang Si’s sharp eyes spotted Shen Baoying and the others about to head their way. She quickly shut the door, pulled Qin Shen’s clothes out of her spatial inventory, and tossed them to him. "Get dressed, quick."
Qin Shen moved quickly and was dressed in no time.
He went out with Jiang Si, and Shen Baoying and the others asked quizzically, "Where are you two going?"
Qin Shen had just reverted from his original form.
Jiang Si felt it was necessary to give everyone a heads-up.
"Zhang Aihua just radioed in. He said there’s a zombie. We’re going to check it out."
At her words, everyone was stunned.
"A zombie?"
’That’s too terrifying!’
Jiang Si nodded. "We don’t know if it’s real or not yet. According to Zhang Aihua’s description, it looks like a zombie but still has clear human thoughts. All of you should be careful and don’t go outside." Jiang Si then looked at Bo Xi and said, "I’ll have to trouble you to be extra vigilant."
Bo Xi nodded emphatically. "Leave it to me."
Jiang Linhai was worried. "Let us go with you."
Jiang Si shook her head. "We’ll be back soon. We’re just going to scout out the situation."
"Alright."
With Qin Shen’s and Jiang Si’s unusual abilities, the others would only be a burden if they tagged along.
Qin Shen picked Jiang Si up on his back and sped off toward the snow-covered hot springs.
While Zhang Aihua and his group hid in the cave, refusing to come out, Brother Qiu and Lao Er had just returned only to be kicked to the ground by a terrifying woman.
They had just started to get up when two tree branches pinned them to the ground. The woman roared in fury, "If you can’t save my daughter, I’ll kill you two first!"
Lao Er and Brother Qiu hurriedly said, "We’ll save her! We will! Does she need milk? We don’t have any milk, but how about rice water?"
Rice water alone was not nearly enough for a normal baby.
But for now, it would have to do.
Jiao Chunzi pointed at Lao Er. "Get it right now!"
Lao Er scrambled. "I’m going! I’m going right now!"
He yelled desperately to the people inside the cave, "Let me in first to make her a bowl of rice water! Save the child!"
The people inside immediately replied, "Wait! Wait! We have some already made."
Without a rice cooker, they always made congee. Rice was precious, so the thin, watery stuff was basically rice water.
What a coincidence.
