19 Chapter 19 Silhouette

The Black Zombie, with mane all black and with only one eye remaining, gave Li Ang a venomous glare before leaping out of the hall as if on a spring from its feet. It sprinted furiously along the two-lane rural road to the left of the gate and swiftly disappeared into the night.

Even hand grenades couldn't kill it....

Li Ang, peeking out from behind piles of chairs, exhaled turbid air, brushed off the sawdust and dirt from his body, and stepped out the door.

At this moment, the three villagers who had been playing cards earlier had already led the strong men of the village, racing over on motorcycles, tricycles, and bicycles along the road to the right, and hurried to the entrance of the hall.

At a fierce glance, these villagers wielding flashlights, torches, prongs, pitchforks, woodcutting knives, and even Earthy Fire Guns for hunting, formed a daunting line in the night, possessing a certain deterrence.

Tough environments breed tough people—living in a place as perilous as Hidden Mountain Village, it was impossible not to be fierce and resolute in combat.

Unfortunately, this bravado was somewhat handy in disputes over water sources or fights between villages but was practically useless against Black Zombies, resistant even to assault rifle fire—it was tantamount to delivering themselves on a platter.

"Hammer, where did that thing go?"

The bulky man leading the group descended from his motorcycle, waved his fire gun, and asked Li Ang.

Li Ang glanced at the villagers with doubtful combat strength, shook his head, and said expressionlessly, "Where does the road on the left lead?"

The muscular man, swept by Li Ang's calm gaze, subconsciously replied, "To the provincial city."

Li Ang nodded, strode forward, directly mounted the muscular man's motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and pursued the Black Zombie's trail.

————

Feng Tiegen drove a silver-gray Wuling mini truck with the headlights on, navigating along the winding mountain road.

The night was profound, and the dense branches draping from the low mountain walls, like an intricate fishing net, blocked out the cool moonlight.

Feng Tiegen was on his way to the county town to handle his mother's funeral certificate.

His wife, Zhang Cuifang, sat in the passenger seat. Her face was gaunt, cheekbones protruding, with brown-dyed hair and heavy makeup, idly scrolling and laughing at short videos against the window.

The inexplicable laughter and the noisy music from the short videos echoed in the confined space of the car, leaving Feng Tiegen annoyed and restless. He took a deep breath and said to his wife, "Can you keep it down a bit?"

Zhang Cuifang continued to scroll and laugh as if she hadn't heard him, adjusting her position and even turning up the volume of her phone.

Anger surged suddenly, and Feng Tiegen turned and shouted, "Turn the volume down! Didn't you hear me?"

Zhang Cuifang was stunned for a moment, looking at her normally timid and fearful husband with disbelief, "You dare to yell at me?"

"Yes, I'm yelling at you," Feng Tiegen clenched his teeth, "If it wasn't for you, would my mother have died?...."

"What did you say?" Zhang Cuifang's eyes widened in anger, the whites of her eyes nearly bulging out, "Feng Tiegen, you've really become more and more shameless. Who said that medical treatment was too expensive? Who said that taking care of the old lady was too tiring? And who was the one who put their own mother into the cattle shed?

You go off to play cards and drink until you pass out, and you blame others for not feeding your mother?"

Feng Tiegen gripped the steering wheel tightly, veins bulging on his fingers as if he was about to crush it.

"Oh, what's this, you want to hit someone?" Zhang Cuifang glanced at her husband, casually placed her phone down, twisted herself to lie back in the seat, and scoffed, "Hey, Feng Tiegen, I've been wondering, how did I go blind to marry such a useless coward like you..."

Sarcasm, mockery, and all sorts of biting and harsh words spilled out of Zhang Cuifang's mouth like bullets from a machine gun.

Suddenly, the storm of mockery ceased in an instant, and Feng Tiegen subconsciously looked back, only to see Zhang Cuifang staring intently at the rearview mirror, her already heavily made-up face turned deathly pale.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Rhythmic running sounds erupted from behind the truck, and through the rearview mirror, Feng Tiegen saw a gaunt shadow dressed in brown burial clothing, sprinting furiously along the winding mountain road.

The shadow's running rhythm was not quick, but the strides were extremely long, covering seven to eight meters with each leap, giving the appearance of gliding through the air at low altitude.

And its pale hair trailed behind in a straight line, the hem of the brown burial clothes violently fluttering, managing to keep up with the truck's speed even in the darkness of the night.

It only took a few breaths for the shadow to close to just a few body lengths away from the truck. As the distance between them narrowed, Feng Tiegen could finally make out the face of the figure.

His mother.

"Heh... heh...," Feng Tiegen was so horrified he could barely contain himself, while the equally petrified Zhang Cuifang pushed her husband hard and yelled, "Drive faster!!"

Feng Tiegen snapped out of it, disregarding his wildly pounding heart ready to burst, and slammed on the accelerator, leaving the zombie behind.

The mountain road was winding and treacherous, with sturdy rock faces on one side and sheer gorges on the other. Even in daylight, one would have to drive cautiously, as any carelessness could lead to a deadly plunge down the cliff with both the vehicle and its occupants. And this was late into the night.

But Feng Tiegen couldn't worry about that now, his sweat-drenched palms gripping the steering wheel firmly, his feet switching between the gas pedal and the brake.

A race against death.

The sound of running gradually faded and finally disappeared completely. Feng Tiegen breathed a sigh of relief and asked his wife without looking back, "Did we lose it?"

There was no response. Feng Tiegen turned to look at the passenger seat, only to see that hair-disheveled, monstrous-faced zombie leap onto the rock face with lightning speed, clutching at the branches that protruded and scaling it like an ape, reaching the front of the truck in just a few moments.

Before Feng Tiegen could react, the zombie leaped from the treetops, its gaunt figure crashing down with a heavy thud onto the window of the truck's cabin.

The glass shattered on impact, and the vehicle involuntarily swerved to the side, crashing into the stone barriers at the edge of the cliff.

The truck's steel frame twisted and contorted, emitting a deafening roar. Feng Tiegen, who didn't wear a seat belt, was thrown out of the cabin and rolled unconscious to the ground.

...

After a while, Feng Tiegen came to, with blood dripping from his forehead, half of the skin on his face and palms scraped off, and every part of his body was in excruciating pain.

The chaotic memories in his mind slowly pieced together, and Feng Tiegen struggled to rise from the ground.

The truck's headlights were still dimly lit, and within those twin beams of light, Feng Tiegen saw his wife lying in front of the vehicle, and his... mother.

The woman named Zhang Cuifang was already dead, her silent pupils staring at the pitch-black night sky. The zombie, covered in black fur, crouched beside her, searching through Zhang Cuifang's body, rummaging inside her.

Literally rummaging through her intestines.

The pungent smell of blood overwhelmed Feng Tiegen's nostrils, making him nearly vomit, but a strong will to survive made him cover his mouth to prevent the sickness and turn away.

He had to escape for his life.

It seemed his left ankle was fractured, and with each step, sharp pain caused Feng Tiegen's back to spasm involuntarily. He staggered along in the pitch-black night.

Eventually, the sound slowly stopped, and the Black Zombie stood up. Its dull, lifeless pupils reflected the silhouette of its son walking away.