Chapter 11: The Farewell

As soon as they managed to escape the bridge, Liushi deactivated the AMF's defense mode. Although it was not a big deal, he preferred that the microbus did not draw attention.

As Liushi slowed down the microbus, Xiaotian finally noticed the metallic structure on Jiang's legs. "What is that, Mr. Jiang?" she asked curiously, remembering that the day they met, he was using a crutch.

"It's a tool to help me walk." Jiang responded with a smile, although he didn't exactly explain what it was, he also didn't lie.

As they got closer to the checkpoint, they could finally see the situation more clearly. Military trucks were placed sideways forming a defensive wall, leaving only three passages through which some cars were passing.

All vehicles and people were being rigorously checked by the soldiers. Whenever a zombie approached the checkpoint, shots were immediately fired by the soldiers, neutralizing the zombie.

Liushi and Xiaotian couldn't help but feel more relieved by the presence of the army, even though he has the Starseed in his mind, until recently he was just a normal person. Knowing that the army still exists, even after the virus outbreak, is a good thing.

Jiang Liushi was moving slowly to the entrance. There were few cars in front of him. However, the number of zombies was slowly increasing, and the shots became more frequent. Hearing the increasing gunfire, Lili left the living room and sat down with Wen Xiaotian.

Although the zombies gathered together had almost filled the street, they still could not advance further. Looking at the numerous army trucks, which could scare them even in times of peace, they felt a great sense of security.

Jiang Liushi was calmly waiting, until a sudden shot was fired not far from his position, so close that it startled them. He saw a car, which was being inspected, and two soldiers pulling the body of the man they had just killed. The body had a bloody wound between the eyebrows and the arm, and the crying of a woman could be heard; she was probably his girlfriend or wife.

"I'll repeat it again. Every car carrying passengers who have been bitten has two options: Do not approach or simply turn back! Once found, they will be executed on the spot! This type of virus is highly infectious. Once someone is bitten, he or she turns into a monster and harms other people!" An officer holding a microphone solemnly said.

Seeing this, most people were frightened, but what happened to the man was nothing, considering the safety of everyone else. There were many people who had witnessed their loved ones or friends turning into a zombie, some even were eaten by loved ones.

The incident did not affect the moving cars, but soon after, a dense burst of gunfire was released. And Liushi saw some soldiers running past the side of the microbus.

Jiang Liushi looked back through the AMF's camera, and he saw a soldier, who had just fired two shots, being pulled down under a truck. Two other trucks were almost covered by endless zombies. Screams could be heard from both sides. To make matters worse, not far away, tens of thousands and even more zombies were gathering from all over the city. These zombies had bloodthirsty, crazed eyes looking towards the highway entrance.

"Hurry up!" The soldiers shouted impatiently.

The zombies continued to accumulate, and the continuous gunfire only served to intensify the situation further. It was obvious that soon, it would no longer be viable to maintain the checkpoint's position.

The survivors were very clear about this, they had anxious looks and felt every minute that passed as if it were half an hour.

Finally, it was Jiang Liushi's turn to pass. The soldier approached the bus and was shocked. "You're driving this to escape?" The soldier said with a perplexed look. Driving this luxury car, with its extravagant interior decoration, accompanied by two beautiful girls.

"Hurry up!" The soldier said impatiently.

Jiang Liushi gave a slight smile but said nothing. Passing through the toll booth window, Jiang Liushi noticed that the glass had been broken and was covered in blood. Traces of torn cloth could be seen hanging, but there was no body there. The virus erupted into the world like madness, and in the blink of an eye, the normal world turned into hell.

The highway was filled with heavily armed soldiers, guarding both sides of the road. From time to time, shots could be heard, and zombies were killed. Jiang Liushi drove smoothly, reaching the traffic in front. The traffic moved for a while but suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Lili asked nervously.

"It seems that continuing to travel on the road in vehicles will no longer be possible." Jiang sighed, pointing ahead. Where people began to get out of their cars, anxious, as several soldiers yelled at them.

Soon these soldiers were moving among the stopped vehicles and helped people to abandon

 them. As soon as they got out, two forklifts pushed the cars to the side of the road and then pushed them directly down the highway. Jiang Liushi understood what he would see next and began to prepare.

A soldier approached the microbus and shouted: "Ahead on the highway, a bus lost control and flipped over. There are a bunch of zombies gathered on the road. This problem is being urgently resolved, but the zombies will soon recover. If everyone drives the vehicle, the road will be blocked. It means we have no way to advance. So, everyone must abandon their vehicles!"

"Women, children, and the elderly can take shelter in the Army's trucks. The guys have to walk! Don't get any funny ideas. We're all the same!"

"From this point to Shenhai Island, we'll accompany you all the way. Anyone must get off immediately, hurry up! After we get to Shenhai Island, there you will have plenty of time to rest! There's water and food, even a safe environment! Now, everybody out of the cars!"

Most of the survivors drove a car with one or two families and without luggage. So, they obediently got out of their cars.

"We should also get out quickly," said Lili.

Wen Xiaotian hesitated and looked at Jiang Liushi, who was still sitting in the driver's seat unmoving, and said: "Mr. Jiang, hurry up."

"Unfortunately, I can't do that. I'm not going to Shenhai Island." Liushi responded calmly. "You should hurry and follow the military."

"Ah?" exclaimed Wen Xiaotian.

"You're not going?" Lili found it strange. He wasn't going to follow the Army? That was madness!

"Yes... The army will accompany you to a safe place, Shenhai Island, but I must head towards the city of Nanjing," said Jiang Liushi. He could not abandon the microbus. At the moment, the AMF was his strongest survival tool, and his plans to rescue his sister had never changed.

"But the highway to Nanjing can't be used." Lili quickly responded.

"I can look for other alternatives, there's always a different way."

"But..." Lili was at a loss for words.

"It's alright, no matter. You can follow the army to the island. You'll be safe, I hope you stay well," said Jiang and shook his head. Seeing Jiang Liushi so determined, Lili had no other way to try to persuade him.