Chapter 25: Escaping Toward Rock Mountain

Outside the perimeter wall, an armored vehicle was driving away along a narrow path.

However, more and more zombies were swarming from the country road. Liu Weimin watched as scattered groups of four or five zombies appeared ahead, while more began to emerge from the forests on both sides.

Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Hold on tight!"

The armored vehicle's speed instantly surged as it plowed forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Thud... thud... thud...

At such high speed, the three zombies in front were struck by the heavy armored vehicle and rolled underneath.

As the tires crushed the corpses, the vehicle vibrated violently, though it did not flip over.

With no good handholds on the roof, the three people atop the vehicle swayed precariously.

Thud! Thud!

Due to the intense vibration, the two people on the roof were shaken off.

"Ah, help me! Help me!"

"My leg is broken! Help me, quick! The zombies are coming!"

Liu Weimin saw this through the rearview mirror and sighed inwardly.

But he couldn't stop; if he did, everyone would die right here.

Dense crowds of zombies from both sides of the woods had already caught up.

Inside the vehicle, the passengers watched as those two unlucky souls were swallowed by the horde.

Seeing the two fall, a sense of shared tragedy washed over the group.

The armored vehicle accelerated again, bursting out of the narrow path and onto the country road.

"Where to? Where is it safer?" Liu Weimin turned his head to ask.

The village Party Secretary thought for a moment and said, "We have a scenic spot here called Rock Mountain. There are fewer zombies there, and it's hard for them to climb up!"

Nodding, Liu Weimin drove in the direction the Secretary pointed. Along the national highway, there were still some zombies, but most were not in large groups, wandering aimlessly in small clusters.

As the armored vehicle appeared, the zombies would chase for a while, but upon realizing they couldn't catch up, they could only roar in frustration.

After driving for two kilometers, the village Secretary suddenly said, "Turn right!"

Liu Weimin made a sharp turn, nearly causing the last person on the roof to fall off.

Fortunately, he was the only one left on the roof, and he gripped on for dear life.

The armored vehicle drove further, crossing a bridge before arriving at Rock Mountain.

At the foot of Rock Mountain, a few zombies were circling.

However, the terrain of Rock Mountain was treacherous and complex, and it was blocked by an iron gate at the entrance.

Liu Weimin drove the armored vehicle directly into the crowd of zombies, crushing several of them.

He reversed, then rammed them again; after several passes, only a few zombies remained.

He finally brought the vehicle to a halt and looked back at the crowded passengers, who showed no intention of getting out.

Liu Weimin let out a speechless sigh and looked at the crowd behind him. "Give it to me!"

"Wh-what?" The village Secretary failed to understand.

"Give me that machete in your hand! Or are you planning to go down there and deal with those zombies yourself?" Seeing their cowardly expressions, Liu Weimin said irritably.

"Don't you have a gun? Just shoot and kill those monsters!" The Secretary didn't understand why he needed the blade.

Liu Weimin sighed. "I ran out of bullets just now. I can't exactly fight them with just a dagger, can I?"

The Secretary's gaze grew complicated, but seeing the zombies outside, he had no desire to risk going out.

Hesitantly, he handed the machete to Liu Weimin.

After taking the blade, Liu Weimin instructed Liu Huamei not to come out yet.

He shoved the door open with force, knocking aside a zombie that was clinging to the window.

He immediately swung the machete at another zombie. *Squelch!* The zombie was cut down!

Immediately after, two more zombies closed in, but Liu Weimin's combat skills were quite impressive.

Facing two charging zombies, he calmly struck at one, and as the second arrived, he used his dagger to pierce its skull.

Through the windows, the people inside the vehicle watched as the zombies were dealt with, their faces lighting up with joy.

Liu Huamei stepped out of the vehicle. Suddenly, she quickened her pace and moved a few steps forward.

She raised an axe and swung it down, killing a zombie that was crawling toward Liu Weimin!

It was the one that had been clinging to the door at the beginning, the one Liu Weimin had knocked to the ground.

As the daughter of the athletic Liu Weimin, she had been courageous since childhood; her love for sports made her no less capable than an average adult man.

What a relief!

Father and daughter locked eyes.

At that moment, the rear door opened, and the group filed out like fish through a net.

"How do we go?" Liu Weimin looked at the village Secretary and the others as they climbed down, feeling a hint of impatience.

Throughout the journey, he felt this group was nothing more than a bunch of "pig teammates"—completely unreliable.

The village Secretary led the way, and once everyone had entered the scenic area, he closed the iron gate.

This gate was the entrance to the scenic spot, originally used to keep out tourists looking for free entry. While not particularly sturdy, it was better than nothing.

The Secretary pointed toward the scattered, strangely shaped rocks ahead. "This is Rock Mountain. It's not easy to walk here; we have to climb up."

As he led the way, he explained, "Although Rock Mountain is difficult to traverse, it's also very good for blocking zombies."

Liu Weimin said nothing as the group began to climb.

A few young men following behind Liu Huamei felt a surge of restlessness as they watched her rounded hips.

Especially as she stepped on the rocks to climb, her graceful figure was outlined perfectly.

The young men behind her stared intently at the beautiful curves of her backside.

Sensing the burning gazes behind her, Liu Huamei turned her head slightly.

Seeing their lewd looks, she was instantly filled with rage.

"What are you looking at!?" she snapped angrily.

She thought to herself: *How can these people be so shameless? Even more shameless and immoral than Li Yu!*

Yet, just moments ago, their behavior beneath the perimeter wall had seemed so innocent and pitiful.

A tattooed young man following closely behind said with a grin, "We weren't looking at anything. Hurry up and move. Don't block everyone's way."

Liu Weimin, at the very front, heard the remark and turned his head.

The group of young men immediately lowered their heads.

No one spoke for the rest of the way. Rock Mountain wasn't very high, and before long, they saw two old tile-roofed houses halfway up the mountain, overgrown with grass.

But just as they were about to reach the houses—even though they could have walked straight there—the village Secretary seemed to remember something and stammered that they should go around the side.

Confused, Liu Weimin questioned him.

The Secretary hurriedly said, "It's not easy to go straight ahead, the front is..." He seemed to lose his train of thought and couldn't finish the sentence.

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "This Rock Mountain is actually a small scenic area. To our right is a small observation deck. The view is great; let's go there to see if any zombies are coming."

Though the excuse was a bit forced, hearing the word "zombies" made Liu Weimin decide to check it out first.

He wanted to see if any new zombies were approaching from below the mountain.

However, after the series of events that had just transpired, Liu Weimin had a rough idea that these people were not the honest farmers he was used to. He kept a watchful eye, intending to investigate any suspicious activity on this path later that night.

Upon reaching the observation deck, they saw several houses at the foot of the mountain. A few zombies were wandering near them, but they were blocked by an iron fence, where they stood roaring.

By the time the group reached the two tile-roofed houses, night was slowly falling.

Fortunately, they had scavenged a few mountain patrol lights at the scenic area entrance; otherwise, they would have had to endure the darkness.

As the night deepened, everyone felt the tension of a day spent running and fighting zombies, with no time to search for food.

Liu Weimin and his daughter had not eaten anything all day, and a wave of hunger suddenly struck them.