11 No Escape

Yu Sying's face screamed embarrassment as she looked at her chest area. She glared at me with tears in her eyes, as if telling me I was a scum whereas I just saved both her and her daughter's lives.

It's not like I can't help it, you know. I just did that out of impulse. It's not like I did it on purpose! Or so that's what I said in my mind but before I could even defend myself, she did something I'd never think of doing in the middle of the apocalypse.

That's right, she spoke out loud in surprise. It wasn't a scream but it certainly attracted all the nearby rabid humans around us.

Sigh~

"W-w-where are you touching?!" She cried out of embarrassment. Her face reddened due to embarrassment and slight anger.

"Shut up, old woman!" I hissed at her in vexation. "I did it to save your lives and you just had to give away our locations to the rabid humans we badly wanted to avoid!"

The look of despair on her face after realizing what she just did almost made me want to leave the two of them alone. I'm a rational man and I do everything rationally. I might've been killed because of my irrationality but I am really rational, deep inside.

And yeah, I'm contradicting myself.

I mean, it's not like my hand touched it. My arm barely grazed it! And it was a reflex since she wasn't being mindful of her surroundings.

Phew... why am I making up excuses in my head? For now, I have to get them out of here.

"This way!" I gritted my teeth as my impatience started to get the better of me. Grabbing Sying by her wrist and dragging her as she dragged her daughter. A series of groans echoed everywhere as the rabid humans gave chase. They were especially fast that if I trip right here right now, they'd be able to catch up to us and pounce on me.

What a pain.

"You didn't have to raise your voice, you know!" I shot back at Yu Sying who was already regretting her past actions. She looked towards the ground as I mindlessly dragged her and her daughter around.

A rabid human came up to us with its mouth wide open. It looked as if it was ready to bite me.

And to my surprise, it didn't bite me! It just avoided me like how a river flows around a rock in the middle of it. It just went around me as if I wasn't there.

Due to shock, I turned around to see where the rabid human was headed and that's when it jumped towards Yu Sying and Yu Yan.

Without a split second to spare, I tugged at Yu Sying's hand, forcing her to fall into my arms as I grabbed both her and her daughter. I immediately slung Yu Yan on my back. "GRAB ON!" I shouted as I got Yu Sying and carried her like a princess.

"W-w-what are you doing?!" She bashfully exclaimed, averting her gaze from me.

"Do you want to die? I take it your daughter doesn't want to die, right? I can just take her and leave you here with the rabid humans." I sharply asked her one of the most obvious questions I know.

Of course, she doesn't!

After shaking her while carrying her in my arms, I took off as the horde of rabid humans chased after us. Our goal was to enter one of the abandoned buildings nearby and lock ourselves inside to avoid the wrath of the rabid humans. Although I'm strong enough to fend them off, I doubt that I could protect them at the same time. Because of that, I decided to tactically retreat.

Out of all the structures that towered all over us, I preferred finding a small shop with food supplies so we won't have to worry about our complaining stomachs. But if there aren't any options, it's fine wherever we find ourselves as long as we won't end up in a rabid human's stomach. That's the only exception.

As a little bit of a fun fact, it should be mentioned that rabid humans don't digest their food. The myth that everything that rabid humans consume would come out of their digestive tract is a misunderstanding. What they consume would remain inside their stomach as it continued to expand. If someone was eaten by a rabid human, that someone would rot inside the rabid human's stomach and will stay there until the rabid human eats too much flesh.

If you were wondering what would happen if rabid humans eat too much, then contemplate on why there are a lot of rabid humans with a ruptured stomach.

Gah! I hate just thinking about it.

And how did I just know that? Simple, common sense. Since rabid humans are basically dead, their bodily functions cease to function as well. That's just how it goes.

Still, one could say that their motor functions are still enabled, how could they not be alive? Well, that's because the virus has taken over the brain, making the body do simple and default movements like moving the appendages, and eating.

"Over there," I muttered in relief upon sighting a shopping mall just on the other side of the street where I was. Although it's larger than I wanted, there would be plenty of hiding spots and a possible abundance of food supplies. But I wouldn't expect too much since the shopping mall hasn't been resupplied for the past five years.

The feeling of running away somehow irked and frustrated me to the core. It was quite new to me since I've never ran away in all my life as a Sect Master. When I was at the peak, I could effortlessly knock most people down in one shot. But now, I don't even have the strength to face a handful of rabid humans, let alone a massive horde. Being on the First Stage of the Spirit Realm once again, I felt as powerless as a newborn chick. At my age, I should've been on the final realm by now. If I don't hasten my cultivation, then it won't be long before I waste my second chance and die a second time.

And I just got my second chance, there's no way I'm giving up now!

Still, I need to get used to this exhaustion. I've never felt tired before ever since entering the Dao Realm five years ago, so fatigue needs some getting used to. Before, sprinting for hours is nothing but child's play, but now a five-minute sprint is enough to exhaust me.

That's probably because I'm carrying this mother-daughter duo.

Seeing the last stretch, I pushed myself to run even faster. The shopping mall was now well within my reach. A brief feeling of exhilaration swept me as I reached out for the shopping mall door and turned its knob. "Yes!"

And... I celebrated too early.

Click!

Click! Click!

Colors drained out of my face as I realized the door was either stuck or locked. I tried pulling at it again but it was all for naught. The shopping mall— our only escape route— was blocked and we have nowhere else to go. By the time I looked for another way, every nook and cranny was already filled with rabid humans.

And they were fast to boot!

With nothing else to do, I grabbed the door handle once again, hoping that I could force it open with brute strength. The zombies were closer now but I decided not to look at them. I know that I won't be able to take all of them on, not with the mother and daughter with me.

Don't tell me I have to die again as soon as I came back to life?!

Click!

Slam!