Can I Lean on Your Shoulder?

Xie Li opened her arms to catch Jin Zhaoye, pulling her into an embrace.

Her back slammed against the car door, and a dull ache spread from her lower back. She let out a muffled groan, tightening her arms around her.

Her palms pressed against Jin Zhaoye’s waist. Through the thin fabric, she could feel the firm curves of her waist and abdomen, and the rapid, uneven rhythm of her breathing.

Jin Zhaoye’s scorching body heat radiated outward, and her heartbeat, pressed against Xie Li’s chest, was quick and frantic—it was impossible to tell whose heart was racing more wildly.

Xie Li lowered her head, her gaze falling upon her collarbone.

A fine layer of sweat coated Jin Zhaoye’s neck. A single bead of sweat rolled down from her jaw, slid across the shallow hollow of her collarbone, and vanished into the shadows hidden by her collar.

Xie Li’s eyes followed that bead of sweat for a long moment before she noticed the change in the light.

The bus had broken through the encirclement of the Zombie horde and reached the surface.

Dawn had broken. The eerie auroras from the night before had vanished, and the morning light fell upon the two of them as they embraced—golden, warm, and filled with a profound sense of security.

Xie Li narrowed her eyes and looked up, meeting Jin Zhaoye’s gaze.

Their eyes locked, and they shared a smile.

Sunlight spilled into the depths of Xie Li’s eyes, and her smile was even brighter than the morning glow. 'Jin Zhaoye, you really are the fiercest woman in the whole world!'

Jin Zhaoye looked at the silly, beaming face before her and curled the corners of her lips.

She reached out and patted Xie Li, signaling for her to restrain herself; there were many people watching.

Xie Li loosened her grip and sat back on the steps, turning to glance at the bus cabin.

The bus sped along the street, and sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating one weary face after another. Everyone wore the relief of having survived a disaster, and most people had not noticed the two of them by the door.

Except for Lan Ran, who was forever on the front lines of the gossip, and the dutiful Ning Meng. Seeing Xie Li look over, they turned their heads in unison.

One pretended to organize her backpack, while the other pretended to check on Fu Yunsheng’s wounds.

Xie Li withdrew her gaze, stood up, and pulled Jin Zhaoye by the wrist into the cabin. The door closed behind them.

'Dr. Jin, Xie Li, have some water.' Bai Jingning held two bottles of Mineral Water and handed them over.

'Thanks.' Xie Li took the water, twisted off the cap, and tilted her head back to take a large gulp.

After running for half the night, her throat felt like it was smoking. She drank more than half the bottle in one breath, tightened the cap, and tucked the remainder into her jacket pocket.

Jin Zhaoye found an empty seat, sat down, and cracked open her bottle of Mineral Water, taking a few swallows. Once finished, she placed the bottle by her side, leaned against the seat back, and closed her eyes to rest.

Xie Li sat down beside her and leaned back against the seat. Only now did her tense muscles finally relax completely. She let out a long breath and tilted her head to look at Jin Zhaoye.

She asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, 'Are you asleep? Should I change the gauze on your wound for you?'

Jin Zhaoye kept her eyes closed and replied in a similarly lowered voice, 'No need, let’s talk about it later.'

'Better to change it now. Your gauze is already dirty; we don’t want the wound to get infected.' Xie Li stopped pretending, reached directly into her cargo pants pocket, and after a few fumbling motions, pulled out gauze, medicinal powder, and other supplies.

She took Jin Zhaoye’s arm without waiting for an answer, placed it in front of her, unwound the old gauze, and began to re-apply the medicine and bandage it.

Jin Zhaoye lifted her eyelids to glance at her. The young Alpha had her lashes lowered, her expression focused and her movements careful. After wiping the wound, she even pursed her lips and blew on it lightly—it was both silly and adorable.

Xie Li was very earnest in applying the medicine and didn’t notice the gaze from above. Once finished, she wrapped the new gauze on and tied it tight.

After tucking in the end of the bandage, Xie Li placed her arm back and looked up, meeting those focused eyes.

She was stunned, not expecting Jin Zhaoye to be peeking at her. 'You aren’t asleep?'

'I’m sleeping now.' Jin Zhaoye closed her eyes with a calm expression and leaned back into the seat, as if she hadn’t been the one staring blankly at Xie Li just a moment ago.

Xie Li knew she couldn’t possibly be asleep so quickly, so she leaned in closer and said, 'It’s uncomfortable to sleep like that. Do you want to borrow my shoulder?'

Jin Zhaoye’s lips moved, and she replied softly, 'No. The road out of the city probably won’t be easy. Hurry up and take the time to rest and recover your strength.'

'Then...' Xie Li tentatively asked, 'Can your shoulder be for me to lean on?'

Jin Zhaoye lifted her eyelids and shot her a glare.

Xie Li immediately turned her head to stare at the streetscape outside the window, muttering under her breath, 'Fine, I won’t lean, I won’t lean. I’m already asleep.'

Jin Zhaoye looked at the back of her round head, smiled helplessly, and closed her eyes for the third time.

Having survived a chaotic night, everyone was tired and exhausted. Once on the bus, it wasn’t long before everyone in the cabin drifted into a deep sleep.

The bus sped along the road, and the sound of snoring echoed throughout the cabin.

Only the two drivers, fighting off sleep, gripped the steering wheels and led everyone toward the outskirts of the city.

After about an hour, the speed of the bus gradually slowed.

The Female Alpha driving looked back at the sleeping crowd in the cabin, hesitated for a moment, and then called out, 'Dr. Jin, Bai Zong, the main road out of the city is completely blocked.'

The driver’s voice wasn’t very loud, and only a few of the lighter sleepers woke up.

Jin Zhaoye opened her eyes and found Xie Li curled up on her shoulder, sleeping soundly.

She straightened Xie Li’s head and walked past her to the front of the bus. Bai Jingning also walked to the front, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jin Zhaoye.

The road ahead was an endless stream of traffic. Dense crowds of cars were jammed together, and several large trucks were wedged in the middle, blocking the path entirely.

Many Zombie wandered through the gaps in the traffic. Hearing the engine of the bus, they all began running toward them.

'Dr. Jin, Bai Zong, which way should we go?' The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly, her voice laced with tension.

Bai Jingning handed the decision-making power to Jin Zhaoye. 'Dr. Jin, should we change routes?'

Jin Zhaoye nodded and said to the driver, 'Turn around. Leave here first; don’t get surrounded by the Zombie.'

The driver decisively turned the steering wheel to make a U-turn, and the bus following behind, seeing this, also turned around to head back.

'Is Bai Zong a local of South City?' Jin Zhaoye inquired.

Bai Jingning knew what she meant by this question and shook her head. 'Given the situation here, the other highway exits probably won’t be much better. Both large and small vehicles are crowding toward the highway; once something goes wrong, the whole line becomes paralyzed. There is no need for us to waste more time and fuel running toward the highway exits. Perhaps we could choose to take the national highway.'

Lan Ran had just woken up. Hearing this, she immediately rubbed her eyes and raised her hand. 'Goddess Jin, we can take the GXXX National Highway. I often take that road when I go home. Usually, there are very few cars, so it shouldn’t be blocked. Plus, there are Gas Station and service areas along the way where we can resupply.'

The driver heard Lan Ran’s suggestion and nodded. 'I think that’s doable. Even if the national highway is blocked, we can still take detours onto county or village roads, unlike the highway where there is no way out if it gets blocked.'

'Fine, then we head for the national highway.' Jin Zhaoye made the final decision. After saying this, she asked the driver, 'Are you tired? Do you want to sleep for a while? I can drive the rest of the way.'

'No, no, I’m used to being a driver. I can’t sleep in someone else’s car anyway.' The Young Alpha smiled shyly.

Jin Zhaoye didn’t press the issue and returned to her seat.

Xie Li was woken by the movement of her coming and going, and she rubbed her eyes, asking vaguely, 'Where did you go?'

'Nothing important. Go back to sleep,' Jin Zhaoye replied in a low voice.

'It’s fine, I’ve already had a nap. I’m fully recharged.' Xie Li stretched, her joints popping audibly.

She turned her head to look out the window and realized the bus was still circling within the city. She asked with some confusion, 'How long have we been asleep? Why haven’t we left the city yet?'

'The highway is impassable, so we changed our route.' Lan Ran poked her head out from the front row, holding two packs of Compressed Ration. 'Hungry? Your backpack has been carried by your sister the whole time. Do you want to eat something?'

She secretly glanced at Jin Zhaoye and added, 'If you aren’t hungry, give the Compressed Ration to my goddess. She must be hungry.'

Xie Li shook her head, amused, and reached out to take the rations. 'I was wondering why you were concerned about whether I was hungry—turns out you’re just worried about your goddess?'

Lan Ran chuckled and sneaked another look at Jin Zhaoye. The moment their eyes met, she retracted her head like a startled rabbit.

Xie Li grumbled inwardly about Lan Ran being spineless. Unlike her—she didn’t just dare to look at Jin Zhaoye, she even dared to cuddle with her and do this and that.

However, she didn’t dare say that out loud. After all, she was only a little bit braver than Lan Ran.

Xie Li tore open a pack of Compressed Ration, broke it in half, and gave half to Jin Zhaoye. 'Want some?'

Jin Zhaoye reached out to take the ration, brought it to her lips, and took a bite. She chewed slowly and quietly, eating with a refined manner, not even dropping a single crumb.

As the two of them ate in silence, the others in the cabin began to wake up one by one.

Bai Jingning had people distribute some supplies—Mineral Water, rations, ham sausages—one portion per person, which served as a simple breakfast.

The two buses wound their way through the city. Sometimes they would get blocked and have to turn back to find a new route; other times, after finally managing to bypass an obstacle, they would be blocked again within a few hundred meters.

Stopping and starting, more than half an hour passed, and the vehicles came to a halt once more.

'We can’t get out!' The driver slumped over the steering wheel, her short hair a mess. She was being driven mad by the road conditions. 'Bai Zong, Dr. Jin, every road is completely blocked.'

Outside the window, the sun was bright, the clouds were thin, and the sky was blue—it was the kind of beautiful weather that made one feel refreshed just by looking at it.

The atmosphere in the cabin was heavy; everyone was at a loss for what to do. The good mood they had felt when escaping death that morning had long since vanished.

Xie Li stood up, walked to the front of the bus, and looked at the blocked road ahead.

After staring for a long while, she turned to Jin Zhaoye and asked, 'Can we take the railway line?'

Jin Zhaoye pondered for a moment and replied, 'We can. If we can find an internal combustion locomotive at the station, that kind of old-fashioned train doesn’t rely on electronic systems. As long as the tracks are intact, it can run.'

'Even if we can’t find a train, walking along the railway line, while exhausting, is still safer than the highway. Zombie don’t tend to gather along the railway lines,' Bai Jingning added.

'What does everyone think?' Jin Zhaoye asked, looking at the survivors in the cabin.

'I agree.' Lan Ran was the first to raise her hand in favor. She was a mindless fan of Jin Zhaoye; whatever Jin Zhaoye said, she supported.

'I think it’s feasible.' Liu Zhaoyang also raised her hand.

'I think it’s feasible too.' Zhou Yu followed suit.

One hand after another went up, and soon the majority were in favor.

Everyone trusted the two leaders, Jin Zhaoye and Bai Jingning, quite a bit. Regardless of anything else, they were the ones who had led everyone to survive until now.

'Then that’s settled.' Jin Zhaoye said to the driver, 'Turn around and head to the station.'

The driver decisively turned the steering wheel, drove back a distance along the road they had come, turned onto another fork, and after about an hour, South City Station appeared in their line of sight.

Suitcases and backpacks were scattered across the square in front of the station, and all kinds of clothing and books were blown everywhere by the wind. Zombie wandered aimlessly, occasionally stopping to look at the crows circling in the sky. The scene looked desolate from afar.

'We can only go this far.' The driver parked the bus on the side of the road and killed the engine. 'If we get any closer, we’ll attract the attention of the Zombie inside.'

The people in the cabin looked at the massive building outside the window and fell silent. Given the daily passenger flow of South City Station, the Zombie density here must be incredibly high, right?

Jin Zhaoye stood up, gripping her hammer, and swept her gaze over the apprehensive crowd in the cabin. 'Those who want to come with us, follow. Those who don’t, you can keep the buses and find your own way out.'

Xie Li stood up, took the heavy backpack from Lan Ran, and handed her a knife. 'Take this, for self-defense.'

Lan Ran gripped the handle of the knife and called out to her classmates, 'Let’s go.'

Zhou Yu, Liu Zhaoyang, Jiang Nanxu, and the others followed immediately. None of them hesitated; they had survived until now half by luck and half by following the strong.

They knew very well who to follow to stay alive.

Bai Jingning also stood up and looked at her employees. 'Those who want to come with us, follow.'

The number of survivors in the cabin dwindled one by one. Those who had been watching from the sidelines couldn’t sit still anymore, and all stood up, heading off the bus one after another.

Everyone from both buses had disembarked—a massive group of nearly a hundred people. There had been more, but they had suffered some losses while escaping from Jingfeng Building.

Jin Zhaoye stood at the very front of the line, with Xie Li and Ning Meng—who was carrying Fu Yunsheng—by her side, like two guardians.

Before setting off, she gave one final instruction: 'Don’t fall behind. If you encounter Zombie, don’t scream, and don’t make too much noise.'

A chorus of deliberately hushed responses came from the crowd.

Jin Zhaoye walked at the very front, gripping her hammer, leading the way into the train station. Xie Li followed closely by her side, with a group of nearly a hundred people behind them.

The group moved forward in silence, but even with the utmost caution, the sheer number of people made too much noise.

Soon, Zombie were attracted and began running toward the group.

Xie Li hadn’t even moved yet when someone from the group rushed out—the Young Alpha who had driven the bus, wielding a steel pipe, smashed it into a Zombie’s head.

The Zombie collapsed to the ground. She stepped on its head and drove the sharpened steel pipe into it, finishing the creature off.

With this beginning, more and more Zombie poured out from every corner. The young people in the group gripped their weapons and took care of the approaching Zombie one by one.

The Canteen aunties were even more ferocious, each armed with a Boning Knife, and they were incredibly efficient at hacking away at the Zombie.

Fat Aunt had dual blades in hand, and she didn’t hold back at all, taking down a brittle-boned Zombie with every strike.

The group fought their way toward the station. Everyone took a close look at the waiting hall and was soon scared off by the dense swarm of Zombie inside.

They couldn’t enter through the front entrance at all; the Zombie inside were numerous enough to trample their group into meat paste.

They had no choice but to change direction and head toward the subway entrance at the station exit.

If she had a choice, Jin Zhaoye didn’t really want to enter that kind of dark, narrow passage, but now there was no other option.

Finding the sign for the station exit, the green arrow pointed toward the stairs extending downward. It was pitch black, and the stench of rotting flesh wafted from within.

Standing before the entrance, Jin Zhaoye said in a low voice, 'Everyone who has a flashlight, take it out and turn it on.'

The sound of rustling bags echoed through the group, and a dozen beams of light flickered on one after another. Xie Li held a flashlight, stayed by Jin Zhaoye’s side, and was the first to enter the underground passage.

The survivors walked down the stairs one by one, their footsteps echoing in the dark space.

The flashlight beams swept across the front, revealing walls covered in mottled bloodstains, all of which had long since turned black and congealed. The air was thick with the smell of decay, growing stronger the further they went.

Someone stepped on something, and it made a crisp, cracking sound.

The group stopped. Everyone held their breath, listening to that crisp sound echoing through the underground passage.

After waiting for a moment, the sound dissipated, and no other movement occurred. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and continued forward.

Xie Li swept her flashlight ahead. Many suitcases were scattered along the passage, and clothes and various miscellaneous items were strewn everywhere.

In the corners, several corpses were curled up, already rotted beyond recognition. Others had been gnawed clean, leaving behind nothing but pale skeletons.

It was very quiet all around—eerily quiet. They had walked for so long, and yet they hadn’t encountered a single Zombie. This didn’t make sense.

Xie Li’s palms were slick with sweat. She felt as if something was watching them from the shadows. Every time the flashlight beam swept past, she saw nothing, but the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and her scalp tingled. That feeling of being watched, like needles pricking at her back, had returned.

Jin Zhaoye had the same strange feeling. She tilted her head to look at Xie Li and saw the gravity in her eyes.

'I think something is strange,' Xie Li whispered to Jin Zhaoye. 'Jin Zhaoye, should we turn back and find another way?'

Jin Zhaoye stopped in her tracks and raised her hand, signaling the group to halt. Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Without the interference of footsteps, everyone heard it.

A faint sound echoed through the air—a rustling, like many small creatures crawling all around them. They were coming from the ventilation ducts overhead, from the cracks in the walls, and from the depths of the passage, swarming toward them.

The sound grew closer and denser.

The crowd began to panic. Countless eyes lit up in the darkness—scarlet, dense, and filling the entire underground passage.

'Run!' Jin Zhaoye shouted.

Before the words had even left her lips, those things surged forward—a black, overwhelming mass like a burst dam, pouring toward them.

Someone at the back of the line was pounced on. The person only had time to let out a single miserable shriek before being swallowed by the black tide.

The flashlight beams swept through the darkness, and everyone could only see countless thin, long tails whipping about.

Someone tried to rush forward to save the person, but they too were pounced on and knocked to the ground. The screams still echoed in the passage, but the person had already fallen silent.

'Don’t look back, keep running forward, break through!' Jin Zhaoye’s voice came from the front, leading the group to break out.

Xie Li flipped her wrist, and a brand-new machete appeared in her palm out of thin air.

She gripped the handle and hacked down, cleaving a black monster that had lunged at her.

These things weren’t very large, only about the size of an adult cat. They were black and gray, with oily fur, scarlet eyes, and two sharp, yellowed teeth exposed to the air. They looked like rats, but much larger.

Fortunately, their defense hadn’t increased; the machete could easily split their skulls.

Just as she hacked one away, a second one lunged at her, crawling up her pant leg.

Xie Li shook the one off her foot, but more mutant rats were charging down from above.

They weren’t just pouring in from the passage; they were jumping down from the ventilation ducts, pouncing on everyone from all directions. It was impossible to guard against.

Xie Li had just killed one when she caught a glimpse of a black shadow pouncing from the side. A mutant rat landed on her backpack, mouth wide open, aiming for her neck.

'Watch out!' Jin Zhaoye exclaimed. Xie Li instinctively tilted her head.

Jin Zhaoye’s hammer swung through the air with a foul wind, brushing past her hair and smashing the mutant rat away.

The sound of bones shattering rang in Xie Li’s ears, and the mutant rat’s corpse slid off her shoulder, landing at her feet.

'Stay close to me.' Jin Zhaoye grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

The two of them moved forward back-to-back, their machete and hammer swinging continuously, batting away the mutant rats that surged toward them.

The number of mutant rats was simply too high—they couldn’t be killed, they just kept coming.

'Everyone keep moving forward, don’t stop, the exit is right there!' Jin Zhaoye shouted to the back, loudly boosting morale.

The people behind didn’t know, but Xie Li, walking at the front, knew very well that there was no exit ahead—only a black, dense swarm of mutant rats.

She finally understood why there were no Zombie in this underground passage; even if there were, they wouldn’t be enough for these mutant rats to eat.

The group stumbled forward, and people kept falling, never to climb up again.

Screams came from all directions, one after another, growing increasingly dense.

Ning Meng walked through the crowd with Fu Yunsheng on her back. Her military dagger was a blur of motion, but she still couldn’t protect herself. Her arms and legs were covered in blood—some her own, some from the mutant rats.

The formation began to fall apart. Some people collapsed and ran into the darkness in a breakdown, while others screamed frantically, waving their weapons wildly, not distinguishing friend from foe, and wounding those around them.

From the back, a sudden cry rang out.

'Lan Ran—!'

Zhou Yu saw Lan Ran being pounced on by mutant rats and wanted to help, but she was helpless as she was also surrounded by many mutant rats.

Xie Li turned her head at the sound, her flashlight beam sweeping through the crowd. She saw many panicked faces, but not Lan Ran’s.

She could only hear Lan Ran’s faint, intermittent screams.

'Lan Ran, hold on, sister is coming to save you!' Xie Li ran backward, gripping her machete, not even caring about the mutant rats lunging at her.

Lan Ran lay on the ground, covered in blood, with several rats on her body, heads buried in her flesh, gnawing away.

Xie Li rushed over, hacking with her blade and kicking with her feet, knocking the rats away one by one until there wasn’t a single rat left on Lan Ran.

She hoisted Lan Ran onto her back and said with a trembling voice, 'Don’t die, hang in there. Sister will take you out of here. You haven’t even become friends with your goddess yet, and you haven’t seen your mother.'

Lan Ran’s cheek pressed against Xie Li’s neck, her lips moving, her voice as thin as a thread: 'Gift... my mom...'