Chapter 83: Tier 3, Psychic-Type Zombie

The truck rumbled forward under the blazing sun. Even with the windows tightly shut and the curtains drawn, the stifling heat filled the cabin.

Bian Changxi lay back in the half-reclined passenger seat, eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive heat—she still looked fresh and dry.

Zhang Bubai, driving, wiped the sweat that kept dripping down his face. Thirsty, he pursed his lips, but when he glanced at the water bottle with only two sips left, he couldn’t bring himself to drink it.

As a civilian without any military rank, life in the army was tough for him. His daily “wages” for driving were pitiful, and he only got one bottle of water. It was barely past eleven now, and—well, there was still a long day to get through.

He glanced enviously at Bian Changxi. “Miss Bian, you’re lucky. You don’t even sweat.”

“Who says I don’t?” Bian Changxi opened her eyes, brushed aside some stray hair, revealing damp roots. “I’m just not strong enough. In this weather, the whole truck feels like it’s steaming.”

She took a sip of water from her bag, frowning as she watched the dust kicked up in front of the truck and the merciless sun that seemed intent on burning everything to death.

Over the past few days, quite a few people in the convoy had suffered from heatstroke. If this kept up, even she was starting to feel the strain. But finding a place to rest and cool off was nearly impossible, and even if there was one, the main force couldn’t just stop unless it was absolutely necessary. The only thing keeping everyone going was the determination to keep moving forward.

Today was the fifth day of their journey. If they didn’t reach Sucheng soon, or if the weather got any hotter, the whole convoy might fall apart.

But she knew that even reaching Sucheng wouldn’t be the end of their troubles, and the weather would only get worse. It was only early June according to the calendar—July and August were usually the hottest months. Right now, anyone with ice or water abilities was being treated like royalty.

All they could do was hope for rain. But in the apocalypse, when it didn’t rain, it was a drought; when it did, it was a torrential downpour—nothing a convoy stranded in the wilderness could withstand.

Suddenly, she squinted and pointed outside. “What’s that?”

In the distance, there were mountains. At the foot of the mountains stretched a rolling grassland, though most of the grass was now yellow and dry. There seemed to be some buildings on the plain, surrounded by a mass of dark, moving shapes—like a swarm of ants from where they were.

Zhang Bubai carefully steered the truck, craning his neck for a better look. “I can’t see clearly.”

They were on a winding, unpaved road, full of sand and yellow earth, so the convoy moved slowly and bumped along. Bian Changxi looked out. Far ahead, she could see the large armored vehicles at the front of the No. 1 team, and even further, the silhouettes of patrol cars.

They were closer to those dark shapes. She leaned forward for a better look, and suddenly, the dark mass surged toward the patrol cars. She gasped, “A zombie horde!” Grasslands and zombie hordes—she remembered in her previous life, Bian Kuang had mentioned passing a small grassland with a dairy farm, where they’d encountered a zombie horde. That group hadn’t been too threatening, except for one particularly powerful leader zombie.

How much damage had that zombie done to the convoy?

She wasn’t the first to notice. Almost simultaneously, alarms blared from both the No. 1 and No. 6 convoys, soon echoed by the other four teams. The convoys stopped and began to change formation.

They’d drilled for this. During every rest stop, officers would instruct and guide the people, so after a brief moment of confusion, everyone knew what to do.

Basically, the armored vehicles stayed on the outermost perimeter. The military trucks, combat vehicles, and engineering vehicles formed a protective ring, while the rest of the vehicles tightened their formation. The army and the warrior squads took on most of the defensive duties.

The truck Bian Changxi was in, though not officially part of the formation and filled with ordinary people, was sturdy enough to be placed on the outer ring.

That meant Bian Changxi had a clear view of what was happening.

By now, the patrol cars at the front were desperately trying to turn around and rejoin the main force, but the rough terrain slowed them down, and they were quickly caught. The patrol cars had weapons and fired in a panic, killing a few zombies, but the last car was overtaken by a long-legged, high-speed zombie that ripped off the doors and windows, dragged out the people inside, and tore them apart in an instant.

A hush fell over everyone.

From their slightly elevated position, Bian Changxi could see everything clearly. The agonized screams echoed endlessly, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

So this was how fragile humans were before zombies. Even with guns and vehicles, a head-on encounter left them helpless.

As fear and dread swept through the convoy, the second-to-last patrol car was caught. Just then, helicopters and fighter jets finally arrived overhead, raining bullets down and mowing down a swath of zombies. But the patrol car couldn’t be saved.

When the third-to-last car was in trouble, the armored vehicles sent from their side finally arrived. The patrol cars scrambled to hide behind the armored vehicles and sped back toward the convoy. Just as people started to breathe a sigh of relief, the towering leader zombie picked up a smaller zombie and hurled it—smashing a patrol car’s roof. The car careened out of control, crashing into the one ahead, and the one behind slammed into it. Three cars were instantly wrecked, and zombies swarmed in from both sides of the armored vehicle, smashing doors and climbing inside…

Only then did the vehicles carrying soldiers and warrior squads arrive, but faced with such a powerful zombie, no one dared get out. They fired from a distance.

“My god, it’s so strong…”

Zhang Bubai was stunned. Bian Changxi pulled her head back inside, her face grim, and patted his shoulder. “Move up.”

The engineering vehicles at the front were moving. Zhang Bubai snapped out of it and quickly drove forward to fill the gap.

Meanwhile, in the command vehicle, the unit commander Qu Shangjin watched the footage on the screen, his face dark as thunder. “So many people and we can’t stop a few zombies? This is disgraceful! Pass on my orders—stop those things at all costs!”

His adjutant managed a bitter smile, saluted, and hurried out.

Two more military trucks carrying the second wave of personnel moved up—these were ability users. Fortunately, the zombie horde wasn’t too large. With two defensive lines, and by unleashing their powers and ammunition without restraint, they barely managed to hold the line. Most of the zombies were cleared out—except for that tall, long-legged leader zombie.

That zombie was clearly a speed type—fast and cunning. Even armored vehicles couldn’t stop it. In the blink of an eye, it flipped over two more patrol cars, smashed the front of a military truck, then darted along the convoy, as if probing for a weak spot.

As it drew near, panic spread. With a sweep of its long arm, several outer vehicles had their windows smashed, blood spraying from the people inside—dead or alive, who could tell?

A military officer who had gotten out to direct traffic didn’t dodge in time and was snatched up, torn apart, and devoured in a few savage bites before being tossed aside.

“Rooaaar—!”

It howled, facing the winding, dragon-like convoy with a look of hatred and contempt. Bian Changxi felt her eardrums ache, her head pounding and dizzy. She was startled—was this a psychic attack?

Speed plus psychic power—this zombie must be Tier 3.

Many people were stunned by the roar, their minds going blank. Vehicles in motion crashed or overturned. The zombie leaped onto several cars, kicking down soldiers manning heavy machine guns, tossing them aside, or tearing them open. It was a massacre—wherever it went, chaos followed.

As it drew closer, Bian Changxi immediately pulled out the heavy sniper rifle Gu Xu had given her, bracing the barrel on the window. She peered through the scope, but there were too many obstacles and the zombie moved too fast—she couldn’t get a clear shot.

A fighter jet overhead swooped in and fired a powerful shot at the zombie. It missed, but the blast shook the ground, sending sand and dirt flying into the truck, covering Bian Changxi’s face. She closed her eyes, coughing and waving the dust away.

“Arrogant!”

A woman’s voice rang out. Those still conscious saw the zombie suddenly jerk back—its entire arm fell off, cleanly severed.

Through the haze, Bian Changxi’s eyes lit up—space blade!

It was Su Chensi again.

She leaned out the window with binoculars and saw a woman standing beside a vehicle in the No. 4 convoy, facing the zombie from afar.

It was definitely Su Chensi.

Bian Changxi shook her head. “Foolish.”

If you’re going to attack, at least keep your distance—space blades can fly far. But she’d gotten out of the car and was standing there openly, as if she thought she was some kind of sharpshooter who never missed.

So, the zombie wasn’t dead—it was enraged. Swinging its remaining arm, it charged straight at her. The people nearby, whether stunned by the psychic attack or simply terrified, did nothing to stop it. Someone from the car behind Su Chensi jumped out, yanked her inside, and slammed the door, but before they could drive off, the zombie launched itself like a cannonball at the vehicle.

Boom—everyone could imagine the carnage inside, but the expected explosion didn’t come. Instead, a massive fireball slammed into the zombie, knocking it aside and sending it crashing into the yellow earth.

Another blazing fireball struck it as it tried to rise, setting it ablaze. A black sedan slowly approached; a gun barrel extended from the window—bang, bang—two shots shattered the zombie’s skull.

Everyone watched in silence as the burning corpse twitched, burned, and finally lay still. A tall, lean figure in black got out of the car, strikingly conspicuous in the blazing sunlight. He reached toward the flames, gently closing his fingers, and the fire miraculously shrank and went out.

On the ground was a charred corpse. The man crouched, tapped the zombie’s skull with his knuckles, dug something out, and suddenly smiled, glancing in Bian Changxi’s direction.

PS:

Just checked in and saw that Long Shao ll1 gifted an incense sachet—so touched! Big hug and a kiss~\/~"