Chapter 102: They Don't Seem to Be Alive
Thud, thud, thud~! Clang, clang!
The zombie horde surged from both sides of the road, pounding on the sides of the vehicles.
Even with the reinforced vehicle bodies, the impact could still be felt, causing the vehicles to shake.
The sound of incessant hammering echoed through the car's frame.
Under Wu Heng's orders, the convoy accelerated again, violently ramming through the zombies blocking their path as they sped forward.
Severed limbs flew through the air, and foul blood splattered across the windshield and side windows.
Fortunately, the added iron bars prevented the glass from shattering.
Qiangzi, gripping the steering wheel, trembled slightly with each impact.
Glancing at Wu Heng beside him, he asked, "Boss, how did you awaken your abilities?"
Wu Heng, peering out through the gaps in the iron bars, paused when he heard the question.
What kind of title is that?
It seemed he hadn't mentioned his name to them before.
"You want to awaken abilities?"
"Well, who wouldn't? I used to love reading sci-fi novels. Awakening some special powers would be so cool," Qiangzi replied, glancing in the rearview mirror at the skeletons in the back, adding, "Though it's not exactly how I imagined it."
According to what was said on the radio, the most common changes were enhanced physical abilities or heightened senses.
Things like improved hearing or vision.
But controlling skeletons for combat? That was something the radio hadn't mentioned.
At least, no one had brought it up yet.
"The method I know is through consuming corpse cores, but the failure rate is extremely high—at least an 80% chance of failure," Wu Heng shared what he knew.
To be honest, without the antidote,
there was a high chance he would have turned into a zombie as well.
"Yeah, I've heard that. The radio said only those with exceptional physical and mental resilience have a chance of success."
Wu Heng asked, "Are there many successes mentioned on the radio?"
"It sounds like there are some. After all, they're well-trained soldiers over there, not like us," Qiangzi's tone shifted as he added, "Of course, you're an exception. I doubt there are many in the world who could awaken abilities like yours."
Wu Heng didn't say much more.
Profession and awakened abilities were fundamentally different.
But from the conversation with Qiangzi, Wu Heng had an idea.
If he wanted to cultivate his own people, it might not be necessary to have them awaken abilities—they could undergo a job change instead.
Becoming professionals and learning professional skills could, in some ways, be more powerful than awakening abilities.
After all, in the other world, professions had become a form of legacy.
The various skill combinations were well-developed.
Meanwhile, awakened abilities were completely dependent on luck, and their powers were often quite singular, unlike professions.
Of course, this was just a thought in his mind.
The matters of the other world could never be revealed to anyone.
Even those close to him, unless they were like 'Xiaoxiao' or 'Barson,' completely bound to him, he could never disclose such secrets.
The human heart is the hardest thing to gauge.
As the two chatted a bit more,
Qiangzi, who seemed to be quite talkative, continued driving and sharing stories.
At this moment, the radio crackled with static again.
"This is the cargo truck. There seems to be someone on the rooftop of the building to the right. Can't confirm."
Hearing this, the convoy slightly reduced its speed.
"It looks like there's a person up there."
"Could it be another weird mutated zombie?"
The voices of other drivers came through the radio.
Wu Heng, sitting in the small bus, had already passed that building.
Thanks to his enhanced physical attributes, his eyesight had also improved, and he could still see that it was indeed a man.
The man was standing on the edge of the rooftop, waving a red flag.
From his movements and clothing, it was clear he wasn't a zombie, but a survivor.
Having spotted the convoy, he was signaling for help.
Wu Heng picked up the radio and said, "Convoy, slow down and prepare to stop."
The convoy began to slow down gradually, eventually coming to a stop.
Wu Heng then instructed the Big Head Skeleton, "Have the skeletons disembark and engage the zombies."
The skeletons quickly jumped out of the vehicles.
They started to fend off the zombies that were closing in from all directions.
The sounds of battle echoed all around.
Wu Heng released Xiaoxiao, who floated up into the air.
"Xiaoxiao!"
"Oh, you're here," Xiaoxiao's head popped down from above the car.
"Do you see that building over there? Go check if there's any danger inside. There seemed to be a survivor on the rooftop. See how many people are there and what the situation is," Wu Heng instructed, pointing out the window toward the building.
"Okay!" Xiaoxiao nodded and flew off.
...…
Inside the hotel.
Bang~!
The door burst open, and the man stumbled into the room, quickly closing and locking the door behind him.
As soon as the door was secured, a series of thuds echoed from outside.
"Brother, how did it go? Are you okay?" the girl asked.
The man frantically patted himself down, confirming he had no injuries.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine, I didn't get hurt. Check if the rescue team has stopped," the man said as he started moving a chair to barricade the door.
The sister wheeled herself over to the window, looking down. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.
"Did they stop?" the man asked as he continued piling up furniture.
"Um, they stopped," the sister replied, then added, "But they don't seem to be human."
"What do you mean, not human? It's not the rescue team?"
"Not human, like they're not alive!"
The man moved closer, peeking out the window alongside her.
When he saw the convoy below and the mass of skeletons, his eyes widened in shock.
"What the hell!"
...…
On the road.
Amid the roars,
the battle drew to a close.
Corpses were piled all around the convoy, forming a makeshift barricade.
"Attack!" Wu Heng ordered from inside the vehicle.
Rustle, rustle~!
The skeletons, which had been holding a defensive line, began to charge.
They leaped over the corpses, rushing toward the remaining zombies.
In a flurry of blades and spears, they cut down the last of the zombies.
As the final zombie fell, the area fell back into silence.
"Clear the battlefield and move the bodies to the sides of the road."
The skeletons once again moved into action, dragging the bodies to the roadside.
Just then, Xiaoxiao floated back over the bus, saying, "Uncle, there are two people alive in that building."
So, there were survivors after all.
"Is there any danger?" Wu Heng asked.
"No, there are some regular zombies inside the building, but no other monsters."
"Let me take a look," Wu Heng said as he let Xiaoxiao enter his body, immediately seeing the scene through her eyes.
From Xiaoxiao's perspective, he confirmed that there were no mutated zombies.
In one of the rooms on the second floor,
a man and a woman were peering out the window.
After confirming there was no immediate danger,
Wu Heng glanced at the darkening sky outside, picked up the radio, and said, "There's a hotel on the right. There are survivors inside. We'll spend the night there and continue in the morning."
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