Chapter 207 - 203: Firing Line

Chapter 207: Chapter 203: Firing Line

"Impossible! No one can beat my big brother!"

Chu Zhaozhao couldn’t argue with the assessment of her own condition, but she was deeply displeased to hear her doubt Lin Fan.

"And no monster can, either!"

"I’ll leave a vehicle by the roadside up ahead. Even if he’s been delayed by something and is a little late, I believe those zombies can’t hold him back. He’ll be able to catch up with us soon."

For the first time, Ye Qingzhou’s voice carried a certain weight, losing its usual pure rationality.

She looked at Chu Zhaozhao and said, enunciating each word,

"My sister is over there, too. I, too, hope they all return safely."

Hearing this, Su Qing reached out and pulled Chu Zhaozhao back to her side.

The two of them had been resting in the RV and waiting for Lin Fan, but Wang Zhong’s injuries had left them too anxious to sit still. Unsure of what had happened at the front line, they had hurried to follow Hu Chen’s vehicle and see for themselves.

She knew Ye Qingzhou was right. If Chu Zhaozhao were at full strength, she might have been able to go back and provide support, but that was clearly impossible now. They couldn’t risk another person just to cause more trouble for Lin Fan.

So she held onto Chu Zhaozhao and nodded at Ye Qingzhou, acknowledging her point.

"Someone’s there!"

Hu Chen suddenly pointed to a gap in the ruins ahead. The words had barely left his mouth when a staggering figure appeared in an opening amidst the reinforced concrete rubble.

The figure’s movements were stiff. Each step seemed to take all its effort, as if it were dragging its own body forward, only to pause bizarrely before taking the next step.

It didn’t look like a zombie, but it didn’t quite look human, either.

"Is... is that Jiang?"

Hu Chen frowned, his guess hesitant.

Although the figure’s silhouette suggested it might be his comrade, the way his fingers tightened on his rifle betrayed his tension.

Meanwhile, Su Qing and Chu Zhaozhao seemed to activate some kind of cold, calculated program. They exchanged a look and quickly sprang into action.

One slightly raised her shield and tightened her grip on her spear; the other silently drew the longsword hanging at her waist.

’Such a pathetic entrance. Definitely not Lin Fan.’

’In that case, whatever’s coming from that direction can only be an enemy.’

Aside from Ye Qingzhou, Hu Chen, and Zhang Wenyuan at the very front, the soldiers standing behind them, including Tan Wei, all jumped when they saw the two "personal bodyguards" who were inseparable from the great Awakened One, "Colonel Lin," suddenly go on alert.

Their actions were like a signal. Before Ye Qingzhou at the front could even give an order, they panicked, racking the bolts on their rifles and aiming at the figure.

A chaotic chorus of CLACKS rang out from the crowd. The jarring sound made both Zhang Wenyuan and Hu Chen at the front turn their heads.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Zhang Wenyuan barked, but he himself was clutching his rifle tightly. He only briefly snapped at the soldiers behind him before immediately turning back to watch the figure warily.

"Hahhh..."

A raspy breath cut through the curtain of rain, followed by a man’s voice coming from the figure.

"Colonel... Colonel Ye, it’s me... I’m Jiang..."

The figure finally crossed the boundary between light and shadow, stepping into the light of the gas station.

It was a young man in the same combat uniform as Hu Chen and the others, his body covered in bloodstains.

The exposed skin on his face was split by several gashes, clearly torn by force. One of his feet was twisted outward, causing him to sway from side to side as he walked, struggling to keep his balance.

"It really is Jiang! You’re hurt, too!"

Zhang Wenyuan instinctively loosened his grip on his rifle and had just taken a step forward to help his comrade.

"Don’t move!"

Two arms shot out almost simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, blocking him dead in his tracks.

He glanced from side to side, only then seeing that Hu Chen’s other hand was gripping his rifle, while Ye Qingzhou had drawn her pistol with her free hand, both aimed at the newcomer.

"What are you two..."

He didn’t understand why they were being so cautious.

"Jiang is hurt! He’s obviously not a zombie..."

But the rest of his sentence caught in his throat at the sight before him.

He watched as "Jiang" took a step, and the foot that had clearly been broken suddenly straightened itself out. With its next step, it landed firmly on the ground, and its gait became much more stable.

"But he’s also clearly not human..."

A flicker of sorrow passed through Ye Qingzhou’s eyes, but it was quickly masked by rationality.

"You... What the hell are you!" Zhang Wenyuan snapped to his senses, immediately raising his gun and aiming at the creature’s head as he shouted.

His arms trembled slightly with rage, and his voice grew hoarse.

"I... I’m Jiang, Zhang?... Hu? Qingzhou, you believe me, don’t you?..."

The newcomer’s movements grew smoother and its tone more natural. Hearing Zhang Wenyuan’s question, it simply stood before the "defensive line" formed by several rows of cars, raised its hands, and looked down at them, first to one side, then the other.

After confirming they were fine, it looked up again. A bizarre expression appeared on its face as it shouted to the group across from it,

"I’m finally back! That was such a long walk..."

"Fire!"

Ye Qingzhou threw one hand up in a sharp gesture and instantly pulled the trigger with the other. But she wasn’t aiming at the monster; she was aiming at a car window.

BANG!

...!

In an instant, the sound of gunfire exploded like a thunderclap, shattering the peace of the rainy night!

All the soldiers followed their training. Despite the terror in their hearts, they still squeezed their triggers one shot at a time.

But the cacophony of these "controlled bursts" was instantly drowned out by two frenzied torrents of gunfire!