Chapter 5, Gunshots at the Club

What is it? Ma Qi asked

What is the purpose of taking a quilt

"It's nothing. Just a blanket," Meng Zhuang replied

Zhou Jitang did not think too much at all; his mind was solely focused on reaching the finish line to relieve his tension, without considering where the finish line actually was

They turned around the front wall and saw ahead, at the side wall, Liu Junluo was kicking the door with all his might

Ma Qi handed a set of keys to Liu Junluo, who carefully walked to the iron gate and inserted the key into the lock. The zombie kneeling outside seemed to hear the sound, swaying its head left and right, but did not open its eyes

"Run!" Meng Zhuang shouted loudly as he rushed out the door, with Ma Qi closely following behind. Zhou Jitang emerged heavily carrying Zheng Jieming, while Chang Bing supported Zheng Jieming beside him.

"Where are we supposed to run to!" Chang Bing shouted, noticing that as they continued to run, on the left side there was a stone railing closely adjacent to the lake, while the right side was still a greenbelt. The most troublesome part was that after the gunshots earlier, some zombies wandering sporadically on the road outside the greenbelt were also drawn to the commotion, coming in from the greenbelt. If they slowed down, they would surely be surrounded from both front and back.

Blood

Damn it, it won't open? Liu Junluo twisted the key left and right, and the iron gate made a clattering sound, but the lock remained unresponsive

Behind him, Chang Bing turned back and witnessed an astonishing scene. Perhaps the sound of the iron gate was too loud, as the zombies, which had been slowly climbing the stairs, suddenly rushed up.

Liu Junluo completely disregarded Ma Qi, relentlessly kicking Meng Zhuang's hand against the edge of the boat. His neck was being constricted tighter and tighter.

Meng Zhuang was the last to come out, carrying a bag on his back

Splash!

Zhou Jitang, carrying Zheng Jieming, ran with all his might, already exhausted. Upon seeing a group of zombies feasting, he suddenly veered sharply to the left, causing a small piece of his already decayed canine tooth to break off. However, with only the thought of escaping on his mind, his mind was blank, channeling all his strength and thoughts into his feet and shoulders.

Maqi instinctively wanted to run, but Chang Bing's pleading expression and urgent cries for help compelled him to take a step back towards her

Ma Qi shouted at Chang while running, "Did you just want to get shot!"

I don't know! Let's run along the path first!" Ma Qi began to feel a bit out of breath.

Although Ma Qi did not express his stance, he had already made plans in his heart—Zheng Jieming was lying in bed in a coma, certainly unable to care about anything. If Chang Bing were to abandon Zheng Jieming, that would be best; everyone could leave together. If Chang Bing refused to come out, then a few men would carry her out. However, if Chang Bing insisted on not leaving, then they would have no choice but to give up on her.

What are you still dawdling for! Run! They are coming! The four-person team escorting Zheng Jieming was pulled away by Ma Qi.

Meng Zhuang ran over, without saying a word, picked up a stone and smashed it against the door. The door creaked and retreated, opening up to reveal a dark gun barrel extending out.

"Please..." Chang Bing was about to speak when Ma Qi suddenly pushed her aside.

Did you hear that!" Ma Qi shouted, "I don't know which fool got shot for not paying attention!"

"Damn!" Both Zhou Jitang and Meng Zhuang cursed simultaneously. One of them was carrying a person, while the other was carrying a bag, making it impossible for either of them to squeeze through this narrow gap

"Can we get in?" Chang Bing shouted.

Two

You are out of your mind

"How could this be? Let me see!" Ma Qicou moved closer and gave Liu Junluo's head a hard slap, "You fool! It's the black one!"

Open the door! Open the door! I know someone is inside! He knows that since the door is bolted from the inside, it certainly means there is someone inside

Chang Bing jumped onto the nearest goose boat, which was manually powered, had a canopy, and only four seats. Zhou Jitang followed closely behind, unloading Zheng Jieming onto the boat and then jumping on himself. Ma Qi, seeing the three of them board the boat with excessive force, climbed onto a nearby yellow duck boat.

The gunfire suddenly erupted, causing Meng Zhuang to instinctively lunge forward and fall down.

The person who eats enters from here, and it is impossible that there is no other exit once locked from the inside. He thought to himself and ran to the right along the wall, hoping to find another entrance

Do not hit anymore! Meng Zhuang has already turned into a corpse!

Liu Junluo's eyes were quick; knowing he could not enter the door, he turned and ran to avoid being surrounded. Meng Zhuang stood up, but a zombie grabbed his backpack. He felt a force pulling him backward and downward; he immediately reached back with his arm, shed the backpack, and charged forward. A group of zombies pounced on the backpack, clawing at it, but upon realizing there was no scent of flesh and blood, they got up and continued to pursue him.

Chang Bing then realized that the person in the black sunglasses was not an ordinary individual. If they forced their way in, the person in the black sunglasses would likely open fire decisively.

Hurry over here! Run to the right! Ma Qi waved his left arm, tightly gripping the baton in his right hand, sweat seeped from his armpits, flowing down his arm to his palm

Ma Qi got up and grabbed Liu Junluo by the neck, and the two fell into the cabin.

We still need to go to the Anping Lake Club

With a click, the iron gate opened. Liu Junluo gently grasped the iron bars, and the door emitted a creaking sound of metal friction. Everyone's hearts rose to their throats

On the right side, a zombie crawled up from the low shrubs in the greenbelt, lunging almost vertically. Chang Bing swiftly dodged forward, and the zombie leaped over the railing, plunging into the lake

There was no sound at all. He cursed the people in the club repeatedly in his heart, while the four behind Chang Bing stumbled over, with Ma Qi bringing up the rear, and the zombies were only about ten steps away from him.

Chang Bing stood nervously beside the weekly diary hall, watching the zombies outside the fence—those zombies were grasping the door, and as the door was pushed, their eyes began to glow, slowly rising to their feet

Ahead, Liu Junluo had already arrived at the entrance of the clubhouse. The clubhouse has two stories and is hidden deep within the green woods. Two stone lions stand guard on either side of the grand entrance, which is tightly closed with a red lacquered door adorned with golden rings, giving it the appearance of a wealthy family's secluded estate

Meng Zhuang is still running on the shore! Ma Qi forcefully pushed Liu Junluo aside, stood up to grab the mooring rope, but Liu Junluo seized the oar and forcefully thrust it towards the shore. The duck boat, subjected to external force, drifted further away from the bank.

"Chang Bing, we will not give up on anyone." Ma Qi hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Chang Bing and quietly offered reassurance.

Chang Bing and Ma Qi were untangling the ropes while calling out to Liu Junluo and Meng Zhuang, who were being pursued by a large group of zombies. Liu Junluo, agile and swift, leaped forward to the duck boat and the library boat. Just as Ma Qi had finished untangling the rope, Liu Junluo's leap collided with Ma Qi's chest, causing both of them to tumble into the cabin. The rope slipped from their hands, and due to inertia, the duck boat began to drift towards the center of the lake

Three

The zombies did not pursue Liu Junluo; instead, they all focused their attention on the people inside the gate, reaching out their claws through the bars.

Ma Qi and Zhou Ji Tang also saw it, and hope surged once again in their hearts as they hurried towards the dock

The Anping Lake Club is located right by Anping Lake, not far from the subway station. By crossing the road and walking along the lake for three hundred meters, one can arrive there. It consists of a two-story building, with dining services on the ground floor and some accommodations on the upper floor. As a club, its architectural structure and exit designs are quite reassuring, making it an ideal stronghold during a zombie outbreak. Although Ma Qi is merely the security captain of a station, his position differs from that of security guards and inspectors, who are mostly labor personnel. He is a formal employee with some authority, thus he has had a few opportunities to enter such venues—primarily for the purpose of drinking contests. Although Ma Qi is merely the security captain of a station, his position differs from that of security guards and inspectors, who are mostly labor personnel. He is a formal employee with some authority, thus he has had a few opportunities to enter such venues—primarily for the purpose of drinking contests.

Meng Zhuang fell completely into the water, but his hand grasped the edge of the boat. The duck boat swayed violently, nearly tipping over into the water. Ma Qi reached out to pull Meng Zhuang, but Liu Junluo punched Ma Qi in the back of the head, and then immediately kicked Meng Zhuang's hand with his foot while standing at the edge of the boat

"Get lost!" commanded a man in black sunglasses with an irresistible authority

"Shall we go to the Anping Lake Club?" Liu Junluo asked Ma Qi. This location was the result of the discussion that Ma Qi had with the men at the entrance earlier.

A zombie dressed in sportswear was running swiftly, almost catching up to Chang Bing. Ma Qi howled as he charged forward, striking down from above with all his might, hitting the zombie's head. After that, he didn't bother to check whether the zombie had fallen or not, and turned to run away.

Continuously hitting obstacles, Chang Bingxin felt a sense of despair. At that moment, she noticed the Anping Lake boat dock ahead on the shore

Do not pull him! Chang Bing shouted loudly on the goose boat

He did not dare to enter the house, fearing that he would soften his heart and disrupt his plans. However, when he saw someone like Zhou Jitang, a scoundrel of a competitor, voluntarily carry Zheng Jieming out, he still felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

Meng Zhuang was still frantically running on the shore, seemingly witnessing everything Liu Junlu had done, letting out a roar of anger and despair. The zombies behind him were relentlessly pursuing, and Chang Bing shouted at Meng Zhuang, "This way! This way!"

Meng Zhuang fell to the ground after being shot among the zombies, and after firing his gun, the man in black sunglasses immediately closed the door

Ma Qi focused all his attention on tightly gripping Liu Junluo's neck, completely ignoring Chang Bing's shouts in his ears. Liu Junluo's feet gradually became still. Ma Qi spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto Liu Junluo's face, then turned to pull Meng Zhuang onto the boat. Just as he grabbed Meng Zhuang's hand, he saw Meng Zhuang biting towards his arm with red eyes.

Meng Zhuang and the two others were stunned, while Chang Bing and the four ran to the front door. The man in the black sunglasses was loudly counting down.

Zhou Jitang was rolling in the cabin, holding his mouth, while Zheng Jieming remained unconscious. Chang Bing gripped the rope with her left hand and held the oar with her right, watching the fierce battle of the duck boat. She turned towards the shore and discovered that the zombies had already rushed to the bank. She had no choice but to let go of the rope and pushed hard towards the shore, causing the goose boat to head towards the center of the lake

Cavalry! Save us!

Store! There is a shop ahead! Chang Bing noticed a small building next to the green square in front of him, which appeared to be a coffee kiosk. Moreover, there were not many zombies on the road leading to the square

Chang Bing still clutched the rope, and she and Zhou Jitang witnessed Liu Junluo's selfish actions, gritting their teeth in hatred. At that moment, Zhou Jitang suddenly realized that he had lost a piece of his canine tooth, and the pain caused him to collapse in the cabin. As he lay down, he then realized that he had been running wildly while carrying Zheng Jieming, and his waist was in excruciating pain.

Liu Junluo pushed the fence with force, creating a gap just wide enough for a person to pass sideways, and squeezed through the gap before running forward

Meng Zhuang pushed aside Ma Qi, who was about to pass through the gap in the door, and forcefully opened the iron gate all the way to the side. The zombies, whose arms were originally stretched through the gap in the iron gate, were all caught in the door as a result.

Meng Zhuang completely ignored it, as a fish leaped towards the duck boat

Meng Zhuang immediately ran to the door. He saw Liu Junluo unable to open the door and running to the right, ignoring him. He walked straight ahead, picked up the golden ring, and knocked forcefully.

Ma Qi and Liu Junluo watched in astonishment as Zheng Jieming was carried out by Zhou Jitang

Protect the back after protection

Liu Junluo looked around. On both sides of the cobblestone path in front of the clubhouse, there were lush green trees. It appeared that there were no signs of zombies in the forest. He felt slightly relieved, ran up the steps, and pulled on the golden ring handle of the door, but there was no response; it seemed the door was bolted from the inside.

In the distance, Liu Junluo had already crossed the road and disappeared along the lakeside in a flash. Meng Zhuang made a right turn and ran towards the clubhouse. Ma Qi followed closely, crossing the road but running too fast to turn, crashing into the railing and nearly tumbling into the lake. He glanced back and saw that the horde of zombies had already surged out of the station, while Chang Bing and the other three were heavily burdened and running slowly, having only reached the middle of the road. Ma Qi followed closely, crossing the road but running too fast to turn, crashing into the railing and nearly tumbling into the lake. He glanced back and saw that the horde of zombies had already surged out of the station, while Chang Bing and the other three were heavily burdened and running slowly, having only reached the middle of the road.

She suddenly noticed that the surface of the lake beside Meng Zhuang had already been stained red with blood. Upon closer inspection, she saw a deep bite mark on Meng Zhuang's right forearm, almost reaching the bone. At that moment, Meng Zhuang's eyes had completely turned blood red, and he was roaring with his mouth wide open towards the cabin.

Open the door quickly! Quickly, damn it, open the door for me! I see you! I know you are inside!" Liu Junluo shouted hysterically

Liu Junluo and Meng Zhuang stood at the door, still unwilling to give in. On the left, a zombie had already rushed up to them. Meng Zhuang turned around and struck the leading zombie with a club. As the second zombie lunged forward, Meng Zhuang had no time to react and was about to be bitten.

Locked! Run to the right! Meng Zhuang did not look back and dashed along the wall to the right.

One

Ma Qi slapped Liu Junluo on the forehead, too preoccupied to scold him, and leaned forward to grab the rope, but was unable to catch it.

Chang Bing led the way, charging straight to the entrance of the café, then suddenly made a sharp turn to the left towards the lakeside. Ma Qi, following behind, noticed Chang Bing's unusual direction and also turned with her. A glance inside the store made his hair stand on end—goodness! A group of zombies was gathered on the ground, feasting away; no wonder there were no zombies in the square.

Zhou Jitang walked ahead in silence, while Chang Bing looked at Zhou Jitang's back, also remaining silent. At the ventilation duct, Zhou Jitang initially spoke carelessly, but still helped her carry the man back to the lounge. Her aversion towards him remained, yet she felt a sense of relief and gratitude in her heart