Chapter 7 Amy's Embrace
Sean shouted for everyone to defend themselves, but the night was too dark to distinguish friend from foe, and his warning went unheeded amidst the chaos.
There was no time to worry about anything else—protecting Lori was his priority.
He pushed forward with his gun, reaching Lori and Carl, both of whom were terrified. He offered quick words of reassurance.
“Lori, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
With that, he drew his shotgun and fired relentlessly.
Gunshots thundered through the night, and the walkers near them fell one by one.
Sean, a firearms instructor, was an excellent shot.
For a moment, a wide stretch of ground before him was cleared.
But the gunfire only attracted more of the undead.
The others were in even worse shape.
Andrea, seeing Amy safe, finally snapped back to her senses. She glanced around and saw the others fleeing in terror and confusion, while Sean focused solely on protecting Lori and Carl. A chill crept into her heart.
Could a group like this really survive?
Her gaze shifted to Li Changsheng, who was simultaneously warning people where danger approached and dispatching walkers with precise shots from his handgun.
Andrea’s eyes burned as she watched him.
Perhaps only by following someone like that could she hope to survive.
...
Li Changsheng looked at the panicked group, their faces drained of color as they scattered like headless chickens, and shook his head inwardly.
When disaster strikes, everyone fends for themselves—how true the ancients were.
That these people had survived so far was due only to sheer luck and protagonist’s aura; there was little other explanation.
Still, before he left, he might as well help if he could.
With that thought, Li Changsheng pulled a flashlight from his spatial storage, set it on the ground, and aimed its beam at the campfire.
In the pitch-black night, the flashlight’s beam was dazzling.
He shouted, “Listen to me—everyone to the RV!”
At the same time, he sprang into action, cutting down any walkers in his path.
In no time, the stretch between the RV and the campfire—several dozen meters—was cleared of walkers.
A safe passage opened before the survivors.
The flashlight’s beam shone like dawn in the darkness, and, as though seeing a guiding star, everyone rushed toward the RV.
The walkers moved quickly, but Li Changsheng, all the while killing them, kept a wary eye on his surroundings.
He noticed Carol and Sophia still curled in a corner and frowned.
At this point, Carol was far from the formidable woman she would one day become.
Without hesitation, he darted over, scooped up Sophia, and shouted to Carol, “Don’t just stand there—get moving!”
Carol snapped out of her daze, offered Li Changsheng a grateful look, and hurried toward the RV.
The group clustered at the RV door, and Amy quickly opened it for them.
People surged inside in a frantic rush.
Li Changsheng reached them, frowned, and barked, “Stop pushing! Children and women, get to the roof! Amy, find some weapons inside!”
He tossed Sophia up onto the RV's roof, then, with one hand, lifted Carol up after her.
To him now, hoisting an adult with one hand was effortless.
Amy handed out anything that could serve as a weapon—baseball bats, frying pans, kitchen knives—which Li Changsheng distributed to the survivors near the RV.
Inside, Amy organized others to turn on every available light.
Around the RV, the area was brightly lit.
Armed and able to see, and having witnessed Li Changsheng’s fierce prowess in battle, the survivors gradually calmed down, finding their courage in the fight.
The gunshots and screams slowly faded.
Li Changsheng led the charge, clearing out the main group of walkers.
The others formed a defensive line around the RV, covering each other and cutting down any approaching undead.
Amy, hiding inside, watched Li Changsheng through the window, transfixed.
This, she thought, must be what is meant by the phrase: “One man stands guard, and ten thousand cannot break through.”
The walkers were eliminated faster than expected.
As the fight wound down, Daryl, Merle, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog returned.
With these reinforcements, the few remaining walkers were quickly dispatched.
Beyond Sean and the others Li Changsheng recognized from the original story, there were other survivors in the camp.
But those further away scattered when the walkers came. In the darkness, there was nothing Li Changsheng could do to save them.
Most, like Amy and Ed, were paralyzed by fear and could only watch as they were bitten by the undead.
“It’s over, you can come down now!” Li Changsheng listened intently for a while, and, hearing no more footsteps, called up to those on the RV roof.
He patted the door. “You inside—come out, too!”
Soon, the door opened. Amy emerged, tears streaming down her face. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Li Changsheng.
He sighed and patted her gently in comfort.
It was summer, and both wore light clothing. Li Changsheng could feel the softness of her body pressed against his.
They held each other tightly for a long while before Amy finally let go, a blush coloring her pale cheeks. “Thank you for saving me.”
Li Changsheng looked at Amy, tears still glistening in her eyes. He placed his hands on her shoulders.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. All the walkers are gone. There’s no more danger.”
Reassured by his words, Amy soon stopped crying. Even with her face streaked with tears, she looked heartbreakingly lovely.
“I’m sorry, Li. I never knew walkers could be so terrifying, and I wasn’t any help at all...”
“That’s not true. You found us weapons and light—you were a huge help!” He winked at her. “Without you, we couldn’t have fought back.”
Amy shook her head, embarrassed, just as she was about to reply—
Andrea burst in, full of urgency.
“Amy, Amy, are you all right?” The fight had left Andrea sweating, her ample figure particularly prominent.
“You weren’t bitten, were you?”
“Andrea, I’m fine, see? I’m perfectly okay! It’s all thanks to Li—without him, I’d never have seen you again!”
Hearing this, Andrea’s face finally relaxed.
Li Changsheng watched as the two women embraced and talked. Seeing Amy calm down, he stood up. “Now that Amy’s okay, I’ll check the area and make sure the walkers are all finished off.”
“Li!” Amy looked up at once, meeting his eyes. As their gazes locked, a strange new look came over her face. “Be careful—and, when will you be back?”
Andrea stared in shock. “Amy... you...”
Amy grabbed Andrea’s arm. “It’s not what you think! I just want to borrow his RV for a bit.”
...
Li Changsheng made a thorough sweep of the walker corpses, finishing off any that still showed signs of movement.
The rest of the camp finally breathed a sigh of relief. Families clustered together for warmth and comfort.
Sean watched with envy as Lori embraced Rick, who had arrived late. His face twisted with jealousy.
Li Changsheng glanced at him and shook his head.
A typical lovesick fool.
Only another fool would understand his pain; Li Changsheng felt some unpleasant memories stir.
He shook his head sharply—some things were best left buried.
Just then, Merle approached with Daryl.
“Boss, this is my idiot brother, Daryl!” Merle pointed at Daryl, then introduced Li Changsheng. “Daryl, this is the amazing boss I told you about!”