Chapter 13: Mountain Path and First Combat

"I always accompanied my father on his trips, I still remember the paths," Xiaotian said with a nostalgic smile.

"We have two options," she began, looking at the deserted road ahead. "We can take the fastest route, which is definitely shorter. However, it passes close to some towns."

"But there is another path. It goes through the mountains, it's longer and the road is difficult, but it should be safer," she said.

Jiang didn't hesitate in his decision. "Let's take the mountain route. I'd rather lose some time than pass near the cities right now."

As he drove, Jiang mentally consulted the Starseed, checking the gasoline level. After the recent update, the tank now held 1000 liters, but with the use of the air cannon and continuous running, less than 300 liters remained. 'That won't be enough,' he thought worriedly. 'Acceleration and collision mode consume a lot of fuel. I need to refuel as soon as possible.'

Turning to Xiaotian, he confirmed the route choice. "As soon as we find a gas station, we'll refuel and spend the night there, if it's safe. The sky is beginning to darken."

Looking toward the horizon, the sun was beginning to set. It had been hours since the chaos of the outbreak erupted. And fatigue was starting to catch up with him.

After some travel time, they reached a fork that led to the mountain route. Jiang, without hesitation, took the mountain path.

As they drove, they saw few zombies on the road. Some came from overturned cars or nearby houses. The situation would not have been the same had they chosen the other path.

After some time, Liushi finally spotted a gas station. Slowing down the AMF, he cautiously entered the station. The place seemed abandoned, with an abandoned car and blood trails leading to the convenience store and there was a workshop on the side, but the doors were closed.

Observing Xiaotian, who seemed increasingly apprehensive, Jiang decided to act to ensure safety. He honked twice, an attempt to draw the attention of anything that might be lurking.

*Roar*

Almost immediately, roars emanated from inside the convenience store and three frenzied zombies emerged, running towards the AMF.

With calm precision, Jiang waited for the zombies to get close enough. At the right moment, he accelerated, hitting the zombies hard and crushing them under the heavy wheels of the AMF.

After dealing with the immediate threat, he honked again. This time, silence followed, with no more roars or signs of imminent danger. But, he had to be sure the area was secure.

Gritting his teeth, he spoke to Xiaotian: "Stay inside the microbus, I'm going to check the place." Standing up from the driver's seat.

"But, Brother Jiang!" Xiaotian immediately exclaimed with concern.

"I'll be fine, just stay in the microbus." He reassured her. Xiaotian nodded, trusting him.

As he stood up and walked toward the door, Xiaotian finally got a full view of the exoskeleton attached to Liushi's legs. She was surprised by its functionality, even more so by Liushi's ability to build something like that.

He had said it was just a tool to help him walk, but she had never seen anything like it, except in commercials from tech companies and science fiction movies.

Jiang cautiously opened the microbus door, casting a vigilant glance over the gas station. The silence enveloping him was disturbing, punctuated only by the gentle wind moving dry leaves across the cracked asphalt.

Paying attention to the surroundings, Jiang cautiously stepped down from the microbus and went to the side. Placing his hand on the side of the vehicle, with a thought, the tool drawer opened. From there, he pulled out a long steel bar, originally used for auto repairs, but now it would serve as his weapon.

Firmly holding the bar, Jiang moved toward the convenience store while Xiaotian watched him, nervous, through the microbus glass. As he pushed the store door, he looked inside, noticing several blood stains. Moving silently, sliding between the shelves, he checked for other zombies.

After confirming the convenience store was safe, he walked toward the door that connected to the workshop area. However, the moment he opened the door, a shadow lunged at him.

*Roar* Reflexively, he raised the steel tool, stopping the zombie hidden in the workshop from biting him.

"Damn!" he cursed, using the tool to pin the zombie's mouth and keep it at a distance. The zombie had remained silent, even with all the previous noise, catching Jiang by surprise. If not for his quick reflexes, the situation could have been fatal.

With a swift move, Jiang raised his leg, using the strength of the exoskeleton, he delivered a powerful kick to

 the zombie's abdomen. At the same moment, he heard the sound of bones breaking, and the zombie was launched several meters back, hitting against the wall. The zombie tried to get up, but its spine seemed to have broken, and all it could do was lift its torso and crawl towards Liushi.

"Damn! That was close." Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Jiang cautiously approached the incapacitated zombie. And with a decisive strike of the steel tool to the zombie's head, he definitively ended the threat. The sound of the impact echoed through the silence of the workshop, reminding him that this is his new reality and that he must never let his guard down.

Moving to the workshop, the space was relatively large, and the AMF fit perfectly inside. The door had no power, but using his newly acquired ability, he placed his hand on the control and a slight arc of energy leaped from his hand, and the door opened.

Returning to the microbus, Xiaotian spoke worriedly, seeing the bloodied tool in his hand. "Brother Jiang, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, a zombie just caught me by surprise." Liushi reassured her. "The workshop is secure, we're going to park the microbus inside, then we'll close the convenience store doors, it'll be safer that way."

Later, he maneuvered the AMF into the workshop and closed the door. When they finally shut the convenience store doors, Liushi finally lowered his vigilance.

He gathered some materials he found in the workshop, including some gas cylinders and other tools. With the recent experience, he realized he was very vulnerable outside the AMF. If it weren't for the exoskeleton, he would be dead.

As the Starseed had said, his ability was much more than just controlling machines. And he could feel it.

"Star, analyze the materials. It's time to create some toys," he said, looking at the tools on the table.