Chapter 12: Leaving the Highway

Seeing this, Lili had no choice. "If that's your decision, I will respect it. I am eternally grateful for saving my life. And I hope you reach your destination safely," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Jiang replied.

"Come on, Xiaotian," Lili said softly.

But what she did not expect was that Wen Xiaotian would shake her head and refuse as well: "I'm not going either."

"Xiaotian!" Lili was shocked.

Wen Xiaotian looked at Lili and said, "Lili, my home is on the way to the city of Nanjing. If I had no choice, then I would go to the safe island, but since Mr. Jiang wants to go to Nanjing, I would like to take that path as well." Wen Xiaotian felt a little sad and said, "Even if my family may be dead, I need to know."

Turning to Liushi, she spoke, "Mr. Jiang, could you take me with you? I swear I won't be a burden. I know the best roads and shortcuts we can use, I can be your guide."

Looking at the girl, Jiang thought for a few moments. He was not very familiar with the roads, having someone like Xiaotian could be beneficial. So, he nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang," she thanked him with a smile. She stood up and hugged Lili, saying, "Lili, please take care of yourself. I hope you find safety on Shenhai Island."

Tears started flowing from Lili's eyes; she didn't know the situation of her parents. But her hometown was far, so she couldn't go there. And to make matters worse, she had no choice but to escape without her good friend.

"Hurry up and get off the vehicle!" a soldier interrupted the farewell moment, banging on the microbus window.

Reluctantly, Lili stepped down from the microbus. The soldiers focused their attention on Jiang Liushi and Wen Xiaotian, who were still inside the microbus. Jiang Liushi was calmly sitting in the driver's seat, then a soldier suddenly roared, "Get out immediately! You can't stop on the road. You're blocking the way!"

"Sorry, I will clear the way," Jiang replied.

Seeing Liushi's polite response, the soldier calmed down. Then he said, "Well, you should drive to the side of the road. It will be convenient for us to push you."

Suddenly the sound of sirens echoed, catching the attention of everyone on the road, making them anxious. Some people became frightened and started to pick up the pace.

"Keep calm! Keep moving!" the soldiers shouted.

At that moment, gunfire from the rear began to get more intense and closer. The soldiers rushed to the rear while hurriedly evacuating the people.

Seeing this, people began to run. The zombies were breaking through the rear lines, and if they stayed there, they would be torn apart.

"Xiaotian, fasten your seatbelt. We're getting out of here," Liushi said seriously, seeing the situation.

Though worried about Lili's survival, Xiaotian did as he instructed. After all, Lili was already too far away for her to change her mind.

*Vroomm*

The microbus's engine let out a loud roar, startling all the nearby soldiers.

'What the hell?! What kind of engine is that?' one of the soldiers exclaimed in his mind, shocked by the roar of the microbus's engine.

Still under the surprised gazes of the soldiers and nearby people, the microbus leapt like a beast heading for the side of the road. Even as it approached the barriers, the vehicle didn't seem to be slowing down.

"Mr. Jiang, the barrier!" inside the microbus, Xiaotian exclaimed, gripping the seat tightly. Bracing for impact.

Jiang didn't hesitate for a moment, with a thought. The front bumper of the microbus emerged, and the microbus hit the barrier hard, breaking through it to the surprise of onlookers.

Under the astonished gazes, the microbus leapt off the road and began driving on a rural road. As if it were an off-road vehicle.

"Was that even a microbus?" one of the soldiers couldn't help but exclaim. After that scene, the soldiers continued moving to try to contain the advance of the zombies and buy time for the evacuation.

[No damage to the AMF structure.] the voice of the Starseed sounded in Jiang's mind as he continued driving on the rural road.

Liushi carefully made his way, observing the surroundings. Seeing abandoned cars and some zombies trying to chase the microbus.

Along the way, Liushi saw several survivors trying to flee to safe places, some succeeded, others were caught by zombies and dragged away.

"

Miss Wen!" Jiang Liushi called.

Wen Xiaotian suddenly woke from her dazed state and said, "What's wrong?"

Then she added, "You don't need to call me Miss Wen. You can call me Wen Xiaotian. And if you don't mind, you can even call me Xiaotian. That's what my friends call me."

"Well, then, you don't need to call me Mr. Jiang either."

"Jiang... Brother Jiang..." Wen Xiaotian still felt shy to call him by his name.

"You said you knew some routes, can you tell me about them?" Jiang Liushi asked. Although Jiang Liushi had downloaded maps in advance, he still needed someone's help. Leaving the highway was like walking into an unknown risk, which should be avoided. If Wen Xiaotian was truly familiar with the road, she definitely knew a relatively safe route.