"Boom..."

  The once clear sky was suddenly overcast with thick clouds, lightning streaking across the heavens, followed by deep, rolling thunder that sent chills down everyone’s spine. Lin Tao, who was seated in the passenger seat, fiddling with his handgun, gnced up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like the weather had returned to its old, unpredictable ways.

  "We should find a pce to take cover. There’s not even a single tree around here—if we're not careful, we might get struck by lightning!" Bai Ru, who was driving, had turned pale. Lin Tao turned around and saw that the girls in the backseat looked just as frightened. The sudden storm had clearly unsettled them. Nodding, he slid his gun back into its holster and pointed toward a rge mound in the distance. "Let’s head over there. That looks like an old highway service area. Step on it!"

  Bai Ru nodded, shifting gears smoothly into fifth before pressing down on the accelerator, speeding toward their target.

  The road they were traveling on was once the riverbed of the Yangtze. Ever since the outbreak of the virus, the environment had changed drastically. Not far to their right y the colpsed remains of a once-magnificent bridge that had once spanned the river. Now, the riverbed was nothing but cracked earth, barren and dry. Their vehicle rumbled across the uneven surface, tires kicking up a long plume of yellow dust in its wake.

  Lin Tao had expected the girls to be devastated upon seeing the dried-up Yangtze, perhaps even breaking down in tears. But to his surprise, though their faces were filled with sorrow, none of them wept. They had endured too much suffering and loss to be easily shaken. Instead, they merely sighed in unison, offering silent prayers in their hearts—hoping that one day, just as humanity struggled to recim its pce in the world, the great Yangtze would once again flow through this nd.

  Thunder rumbled for what felt like an eternity before the skies finally opened up. Large raindrops spttered against the car, washing away yers of dust that streaked down the windows like muddy tears.

  The girls cheered, rolling down the windows and stretching their arms outside. Rain had become a rarity in this world, and they reveled in the cool droplets against their skin. Like children, they giggled, letting the rain wash away some of the sorrow in their hearts.

  The rain showed no signs of stopping—unlike the brief, hurried thunderstorms they had grown accustomed to, this one seemed determined to linger. Their two vehicles struggled against the muddy terrain before finally pulling into the service area. The once-sleek silver exterior of the main building still stood retively intact, though time and neglect had left their marks. The gss windows were shattered, aluminum cdding peeled away, and the eastern side of the building had been buried under a thick yer of sand, making it resemble a fortress in the middle of a desert.

  It was hard to believe that in just over a year, a once-thriving highway rest stop had been reduced to such a state.

  The parking lot in front of the building was a scene of absolute chaos. The service area itself, though weathered, was still standing, but the lot was a graveyard of abandoned vehicles. Trucks, vans, sedans, minivans—every type of vehicle imaginable had been left to rust, jammed together in a chaotic mess. Million-dolr luxury cars were crushed against rusted old beaters, their once-polished exteriors now dented and covered in grime. Scattered among the wreckage were dark red remnants of what had once been human bodies, now little more than bones bleached by the sun.

  It wasn’t hard to imagine the sheer panic that had erupted here. Some had tried to flee, while others had sought refuge within. In the end, none had escaped their fate—cars became twisted wrecks, and people became either skeletons or something far worse.

  Lin Tao and his group had entered the service area through a back road. Though it was also clogged with abandoned cars, they managed to maneuver through, eventually stopping near the main building. Stepping out, Lin Tao let the rain soak into his clothes, taking a moment to savor the refreshing coolness. He carefully surveyed their surroundings before cpping his hands and calling out, "Alright, everyone out! We’re staying here for the night."

  The girls climbed out one by one, their ever-tense nerves easing slightly at the sight of a retively quiet environment. Compared to the nightmare they had experienced in the zombie-infested town earlier, this pce felt almost peaceful. The endless stretches of yellow sand were unsettling, but at least the number of undead seemed significantly lower. The sight of hordes of zombies wandering the streets, as they had seen before, was nowhere to be found.

  The more observant girls immediately noticed something was off. They had no idea what had happened here, but one thing was certain—the reduced number of zombies was something to be grateful for. Laughing and chatting, they slung their bags over their shoulders and hopped out of the vehicles. A few of the more impatient ones even stripped off their jackets, using the rain to wash away the grime that had accumuted over the past days.

  "Hey! Don’t be in such a hurry. This rain isn’t stopping anytime soon. Wash up once we’re inside! You’ll catch a cold!" Bai Ru scolded, waving at the girls who had started rinsing themselves in the downpour. Giggling, they tugged their clothes back on and ran toward the building’s side entrance.

  Just as they reached the eaves, they suddenly froze. While this pce had fewer zombies, it was not devoid of them. The heavy rain had masked their scent and obscured visibility, causing the wandering undead outside to remain idle, gazing bnkly at the sky. But inside the building, where they were shielded from the rain, the zombies were far more alert. The moment the girls approached, the undead within the building all turned their heads simultaneously—then, without hesitation, they charged toward them.

  "Get back!"

  Seeing the undead squeezing toward the narrow doorway, Cao Mei shouted, startling the girls back into the rain. She strode forward, carrying two heavy red gasoline cans she had retrieved from the car. Though they were cumbersome, she gritted her teeth and dragged them toward the entrance. With a determined effort, she tossed both containers inside before swiftly unslinging the riot gun from her back. Without even taking time to aim, she pulled the trigger.

  "Boom!"

  The gasoline erupted into fmes, engulfing the zombies in a bzing inferno. The intense heat forced the group to retreat a few steps, shielding their faces as the fire raged. But the zombies, devoid of pain or logic, continued to stumble forward, their decaying bodies quickly catching fire. The remnants of fat within their flesh served as fuel, and within moments, the fire doubled in intensity. None of the undead that attempted to push through survived; even the strongest among them barely made it a dozen steps before colpsing, consumed by the raging fmes.

  As the fire finally died down, the air was thick with the stench of burning flesh. A greasy, yellowish residue mixed with rainwater, forming foul puddles at their feet. The girls yelped in disgust, leaping away from the foul liquid. When the smoke finally cleared, they saw the charred remains of at least forty or fifty corpses piled at the entrance, some still twitching faintly in their final moments.

  "Ha! Burn in hell, you undead bastards!" Old Hu grinned, wiping rain from his face. With exaggerated bravado, he hefted his rifle and strode forward, methodically smashing the skulls of the still-moving zombies.

  "Hmph. How convenient for you to finish off the leftovers." Cao Mei crossed her arms, casting him a disdainful gnce as she walked past.

  Old Hu, expecting the jab, merely smirked. Without a word, he stepped aside, his expression unreadable as he observed the dying fmes.