LCFM Chapter 18

“Just eating buns will make you choke!” Jiang Xinghuai said as he took two more gulps.

Fu Yan’s chest ached with a sharp twitch. He warned in a deep voice: “Jiang Xinghuai—”

“I threw it! I threw it, I threw it!” Jiang Xinghuai hurriedly raised his hand and tossed out the bowl.

The two of them ran past the corner.

The porcelain bowl, flung far behind them, spun once in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground, shattering into pieces.

That sound was like some sort of omen, as the alarm blared.

Zhu Gaofei, panting, rushed up around the corner. A few of them nearly collided.

“Ah!” Jiang Xinghuai couldn’t brake in time and slammed his forehead straight into Zhu Gaofei’s chest.

Zhu Gaofei held him steady, but the usual kindly smile was gone from his face. His brows pressed down, his lips tightly pursed. In a low voice, he said: “Something seems to have happened.”

“A tour bus lost control, bringing with it about four to five thousand infected people. They’re heading this way,” Fu Yan said quickly. “Right now they’re less than two kilometers from us.”

What does less than two kilometers mean? If a car drives slowly, it’s just two minutes. If it drives fast, in barely one minute, it can arrive.

Zhu Gaofei’s pupils shrank. He quickly turned and rushed downstairs, his deep voice hoarse as he roared: “Everyone! Come out immediately!”

More than a dozen of Zhu Gaofei’s brothers were the quickest to react. They instantly put down what was in their hands and gathered in the middle of the warehouse.

The others who had followed along to escape just stood there in confusion, carrying panic and bewilderment.

A few men, brows tightly furrowed, stepped forward and loudly asked questions.

“What happened! What’s going on!”

“Why go out! What’s outside!”

“Why is the ground shaking! What’s wrong! Why do you want us to go out!”

Zhu Gaofei looked at them. He took two breaths, opened the magazine, raised his gun, pulled the trigger, and fired two shots straight into the ceiling.

“Everyone! Half a minute to grab your things! Run out of the warehouse!” Zhu Gaofei roared.

The entire warehouse froze for a second. Even the sound of breathing vanished.

“Hurry up!” Zhu Gaofei shouted again.

Gasps came one after another. The next second, the sound of hurried footsteps erupted in chaos. Without another word, everyone rushed back to their rooms to grab their belongings.

“I’ll go get the stuff, you follow Zhu Gaofei.” Fu Yan quickly instructed, then ran upstairs.

“Dachun!” Zhu Gaofei shouted again.

“Here!” answered a bearded middle-aged man.

“You take three people and start up all the vehicles! Park them at the back door of the warehouse! Once the people are loaded, you leave immediately! Take the main road!”

“Yes!” Zhou Dachun quickly picked three people and ran toward the garage.

“Guo Wei!” Zhu Gaofei shouted again, “You take the rest of the people to move supplies! No matter how much you move, in one minute, everyone is on board! Huang Zhiqiang, go upstairs and release that bastard who’s locked up!”

“Yes!” Guo Wei led the remaining people swiftly toward the back storage room.

Jiang Xinghuai looked left and right but couldn’t find anything he could do. Anxious, he stomped twice on the spot, just about to ask what he could do—

“Gurgle—”

Jiang Xinghuai froze for a moment, then immediately pressed down on his stomach.

“Hungry?” Zhu Gaofei asked.

Jiang Xinghuai shyly nodded.

“Serves you right!” Zhu Gaofei smacked him hard on the forehead. “Next time, no matter how much of a tantrum you throw, you’re not allowed to skip meals, do you hear me!”

“Got it.” Jiang Xinghuai remembered the buns stuffed in his pocket, pulled them out, and ate them in one bite each.

“Xiao Xing! Your Uncle Guo’s got biscuits here!” Guo Wei, carrying supplies as he ran back, shouted at the top of his lungs, beckoning Jiang Xinghuai to grab something to eat from his pocket.

“I’m full!” Jiang Xinghuai stuffed the buns into his mouth in two or three bites, then rushed over to take a smaller box from the crook of Guo Wei’s arm.

“Jiang Xinghuai!” Zhu Gaofei called after him.

“What!” Jiang Xinghuai ran out, hugging the box.

“Nothing! Just carry it properly!” Zhu Gaofei shouted loudly, his eyes blurred with tears as he made a heart gesture. “Keep it up!”

“Damn sissy.” Jiang Xinghuai gritted his teeth, hugged the box tightly, and ran out through the back door of the warehouse.

Behind the warehouse was a large open space. Four vehicles were parked there, all already started up.

Dust billowed as men carrying bags and women clutching children, all in disarray and staggering on their feet, rushed out of the building and quickly dove into the cars.

Following the directions, Jiang Xinghuai set down the box in his hands. He turned back to glance toward the building, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

Crying, screaming, the sound of people falling. Everyone was running for their lives.

Just half an hour ago, this place had still been calm, quiet, and reassuring.

In only a few minutes, everything had changed drastically.

“Hurry up! Move faster!” Zhu Gaofei roared, standing at the back door of the warehouse. “Forget the supplies! Everyone! Immediately! Get to the back door of the warehouse!”

The people who had just run out instantly picked up their pace.

“Ah!” A woman was shoved by the person next to her and fell to the ground.

Jiang Xinghuai quickly rushed over, practically dragging her as he helped her move forward.

“Thank you! Thank you!” The woman climbed into the vehicle but still held tightly onto his hand.

“Jiang Xinghuai!” Fu Yan grabbed his arm, anger burning in his expression. “Didn’t I tell you to stay with Zhu Gaofei!”

“I came to help them move stuff.” Jiang Xinghuai turned his head, saw Fu Yan, and felt a wave of relief. “Why did you only just get here?”

Fu Yan lowered his head to look at him, about to say a few words, when he caught sight of the red marks pressed into Jiang Xinghuai’s arm and the smudges of dust on his clothes. He sighed, then pulled out a plastic bag filled with big steamed buns from inside his coat.

“Eat a couple first,” Fu Yan said.

“Where did you get these?” Jiang Xinghuai asked in delight as he accepted them.

“The kitchen.” While speaking, Fu Yan bent down and brushed the dust off the hem of his clothes. “I put your skateboard in the car.”

“How did you find it?” Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes widened. Just a moment ago, he thought for sure his skateboard had been left behind this time.

“Next time, don’t put it in your blanket when you sleep.” Fu Yan paused, then gave another stern warning. “Especially not in my blanket.”

Jiang Xinghuai: “………………”

Jiang Xinghuai rolled his eyes upward at the sky, then turned around and started eating the bun.

“Fei Ge!” A man from the high patrol tower came tumbling down in a frantic rush. “Only 500 meters left!”

“Fei Ge! My car’s full!” The driver at the very front stuck his head out and shouted.

“Go!” Zhu Gaofei waved his hand.

The first fully loaded vehicle sped off!

“Know how to use a gun?” Zhu Gaofei walked over and tossed him a pistol.

Fu Yan raised his hand to catch it. His wrist turned. Ka-ka. Two crisp clicks as he chambered it with practiced ease.

Jiang Xinghuai’s eyes went wide, watching Fu Yan’s familiar movements. But before he could blurt out his shock—

The ground beneath their feet began to quake, the rumbling sound drawing nearer and nearer.

“They’re here.” Zhu Gaofei’s expression hardened as he raised both hands, lifting his gun.

The runaway tour bus, crammed full of infected, roared into view in an instant, searing itself into everyone’s eyes.

The iron fence was smashed through, torn wide open. The bus rammed directly into the left side of the warehouse wall.

Fu Yan grabbed Jiang Xinghuai. In that instant, he turned his back to shield him.

With a thunderous boom! The bus exploded, flames shooting up and painting half the building red.

“Fei Ge!” The next driver in line stuck his head out and shouted.

“Go!” Zhu Gaofei raised his arm high, then slammed it down.

The accelerator was stomped hard, and the second vehicle, packed with people, instantly shot toward the main road.

The echoes of the destroyed bus hadn’t even faded when more than a dozen infected who had still survived inside stepped out through the blazing flames, like Asuras crawling straight out of hell.

Their limbs and torsos were charred black, yet they still staggered upright and came howling as they charged forward.

“Open fire!” Zhu Gaofei ordered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four or five of the frontmost infected were struck in the forehead and collapsed immediately.

The tour bus was only the appetizer. The real disaster was the massive horde of thousands of infected charging from behind.

The ground began rumbling again.

Jiang Xinghuai shook his head, trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears from the explosion, clutching the buns tighter to his chest.

“Last group!” Zhu Gaofei shouted as he fired while retreating. “Everyone on the vehicles!”

“Get in first!” Fu Yan pushed Jiang Xinghuai up onto the last vehicle.

Jiang Xinghuai’s mind was still dazed from the shock. Obediently, he scrambled up the car, randomly grabbing a hand that stretched out to pull himself up.

“Why are you only getting on now!” The blond boy grabbed his hand and yanked him into the car.

Only then did Jiang Xinghuai realize it was him. He glanced around inside the vehicle. There weren’t many people here, counting him, only three had gotten on.

“Where’s Old Geng?” Jiang Xinghuai’s mind gradually cleared.

“That fatty was too fat. He ran too slowly. When I rushed over, I saw a couple of brothers carrying him into the car in front!” The blond boy said.

Jiang Xinghuai let out a breath of relief.

“Why do you have so many buns in your arms?” The blond boy asked.

“Jealous?” Jiang Xinghuai grinned. “Want me to share two with you?”

“Nutcase.” The blond boy sneered. “Running for your life with a pocketful of buns. What, gonna use meat buns to beat zombies?”

“Why isn’t the third car moving yet!” Zhu Gaofei’s hoarse voice shouted from outside. “Go!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xinghuai leaned his head out and frowned as he looked ahead.

There were four vehicles in total, and two had already driven off. But the jeep right in front of them still hadn’t moved.

“Shit!” The blond boy cursed, the hand he had gripping the car door starting to tremble. He froze for only an instant, but panic overwhelmed him, forcing him to shout: “They’re coming! That horde of monsters is here! Get in! Hurry up, get in!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xinghuai quickly turned his head. Reflected in his tightly constricted pupils was the sight of a dark mass of heads crowding at the iron fence.

Behind them came wave after wave/ The upright fence was already starting to buckle inward under the pressure.

Some of the infected had already discovered the gap smashed open earlier by the bus on the left, and they were surging in through it.

“Fei Ge!” Zhou Dachun rushed back from the third vehicle, his face dark. “Something’s wrong!”

For some reason, Jiang Xinghuai’s brow suddenly twitched violently.

“They said a child is missing!”

“What child! Whose child!” Zhu Gaofei was practically going mad.

“That high school teacher’s kid! The others couldn’t stop him. Just now, that high school teacher ran back into the building!”

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