Chapter Fifty-One: A Rescue

If Chen Gang and his son were clever and rational enough, they wouldn’t have chosen to go rescue anyone. But seeing that family car in front of them remaining motionless for so long, she guessed their decision.

“Sigh.” Lin Qingqing sighed and ultimately decided to help them after all. After all, she had taught the two girls how to kill zombies just last night.

What she didn’t know was that the reason Chen Gang made such a decision was precisely because the two girls had learned how to fight zombies. He regarded them as two combatants; with a combined strength of four, facing over twenty zombies was no great challenge, especially since the other side also had four people.

When Chen Gang and the others approached, the four men upstairs burst into excited cheers and eagerly informed them that there were still many zombies inside the bar.

Hearing this, Chen Gang’s expression darkened. Fortunately, a burly man named Lao Jiu from the other side proposed a feasible plan: if Chen Gang’s group could clear out the twenty-eight zombies outside before those inside broke through the door, they could then use a rope they had prepared to climb down from the second floor.

Chen Gang’s face lightened somewhat at this, but without the help from inside, he had no choice but to ask Lin Qingqing to step in.

“Miss Lin, please take a look...” Before he could finish, Lin Qingqing nodded in agreement. “I can help, but are you really confident you can save them?”

“No problem. Five people killing more than twenty zombies—it’s nothing,” Chen Gang said, feeling assured that with Lin Qingqing’s involvement, the mission was secure.

Five people? Lin Qingqing glanced at the two girls gripping their knives, their hands still trembling slightly. She was about to point out the mistake when Chen Gang had already led Chen Tao and two others forward, leaving Aunt Zhang and Yue Xuanxuan behind to guard the car and supplies.

Seeing this, Lin Qingqing hurried to follow.

After locking the car door and catching up, she found the four already embroiled in battle with the zombies.

To be fair, Chen Gang and Chen Tao’s abilities were indeed impressive. Not only were they experienced, but their coordination was seamless. Meanwhile, Zhao Na and Yue Tingting, the two girls, were also cooperating to kill zombies together.

The five people standing on the second floor were astonished to see that those fighting downstairs were three women and two men.

The teamwork of the two young girls alone was surprising enough, but even more astonishing was the tall woman fighting alone.

Her long sword was of unknown material—both sharp and beautiful, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.

The four men upstairs stared unblinkingly at the three young women, especially Lao Jiu and a scar-faced man, whose eyes glittered with admiration and amazement.

Back with Chen Gang’s group, the twenty-eight zombies clustered together made their rescue mission far more dangerous and difficult.

The father and son stood at the front, left and right, bearing nearly eighty percent of the pressure for the other three. Zhao Na and Yue Tingting stood between them, slightly behind, dealing with zombies deliberately allowed to pass.

After Lin Qingqing arrived, she positioned herself to the right side of the four, shielding the two girls from flanking attacks, easing the burden on Chen Tao, who was on the right front.

When Lin Qingqing brandished her ice blade, it immediately caught everyone’s attention, including Chen Tao’s. Both he and his father used weapons they had made themselves, similar to the machete Lin Qingqing had given Zhao Na—sharp blades fixed onto long handles.

Chen Gang wielded a long-handled axe, while Chen Tao carried a long-handled cleaver.

Both weapons were practical but looked crude compared to Lin Qingqing’s ice blade.

Glancing sideways at the translucent Tang sword, Chen Tao’s eyes widened in awe. What kind of weapon was that? He had never heard of anyone inventing such material.

None of them thought of supernatural powers; they all assumed Lin Qingqing’s ice blade was a rare treasure. Faced with such a unique weapon, some envied it, while others showed greed.

“Focus!” Chen Gang shouted, blocking a zombie’s dangerous claw aimed at his son.

Startled by his father’s shout, Chen Tao broke into a cold sweat. Once out of danger, he quickly regained his concentration, no longer glancing around.

Taking the chance, Lin Qingqing glanced back at Zhao Na and Yue Tingting. After killing three zombies, the two girls gradually became more coordinated.

Yue Tingting wielded a long wooden stick, able to block the zombies’ claws from a distance, while Zhao Na swung her machete, closing in swiftly to decapitate the zombies.

Though their movements were still somewhat clumsy, they had improved significantly since last night and would soon rival Chen Tao in skill.

In less than twenty minutes, the five had cleared all twenty-eight zombies. Seeing this, the four men upstairs hurriedly threw down a rope made by tying curtains and tablecloths together.

One by one, they slid down. Lao Jiu went first, followed by the scar-faced man, then two young men, and finally a woman with heavy makeup and an alluring air.

After reaching the ground safely, the four men, led by Lao Jiu, enthusiastically shook hands with Chen Gang and his son, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.

They praised Chen Tao and Lin Qingqing, and even Zhao Na and Yue Tingting were complimented as “women who rival men.”

Lao Jiu’s warmth instantly narrowed the distance between the two groups. In contrast, the heavily made-up woman stood quietly aside, her expression calm, seemingly indifferent to being rescued.

While Lao Jiu patted Chen Gang’s shoulder, calling him “bro,” a sudden “clang” rang out. The glass door on the bar’s first floor cracked instantly, spider-web fractures spreading across it.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, except the woman with heavy makeup, who reacted first. She immediately straightened her expression, lifted her skirt, and sprinted outside.

As the zombies burst forth, everyone began to run. Lao Jiu’s group ran fastest, followed by Chen Gang and his son. Naturally, Zhao Na and Yue Tingting fell behind.

Lin Qingqing ran behind the woman with heavy makeup. When they reached a street corner near the car, she realized only Lao Jiu and the others were behind her; Chen Gang, his son, and the two girls had vanished.

Sensing something was wrong, Lin Qingqing turned back. Sure enough, when she re-entered the bar, she saw Chen Gang and his son helping Zhao Na and Yue Tingting fend off zombies.

The two girls were exhausted from fighting zombies, and Yue Tingting had twisted her ankle in the frantic escape, slowing them down.

Behind them surged a massive horde of zombies, roughly estimated to be over a hundred. It seemed everyone in the bar, except the five on the second floor, had transformed into zombies.

Chen Gang and his son fought while retreating, but the two girls simply couldn’t keep up. When Lin Qingqing arrived, she took Chen Tao’s place so he could carry Yue Tingting and retreat quickly.

“Miss Lin, you should go first!” Chen Gang said without hesitation, looking at his son leaving.

Lin Qingqing was about to reply when Zhao Na suddenly returned.

“Why are you back?” Lin Qingqing’s tone turned stern.

“Tingting has gone back. I came back to help you!” Zhao Na replied stubbornly.

“You’ve barely killed any zombies. How can you stay behind as rear guard?” Lin Qingqing said disapprovingly.

“I can’t just watch you all fall into danger!” Zhao Na insisted.

Before Lin Qingqing could respond, Chen Tao also returned.

She was at a loss for words, but surprisingly, Chen Gang hadn’t said anything all along, as if Lin Qingqing coming back to help was normal, and Zhao Na and Chen Tao returning was just expected.

Only then did Lin Qingqing realize that this middle-aged man had been leading the team in his own way.

In his mind, it was natural to protect the weak—women and children—but if someone in the team became capable, he treated them as comrades, willing to trust them with his back and face dangers together.

Under Chen Gang’s leadership, everyone worked as one, even Yue Xuanxuan, who only knew how to make fires and cook, was not despised.

No wonder these six looked like a family at first glance. Lin Qingqing now understood that the subtle harmony between them was the rarest kind of trust.