Chapter Forty-Three: War—Keep Women Out of It

The army of zombies was unusually silent, not even emitting a single signature low growl. Even the crushers softened their footsteps, the entire horde moving like a well-trained troop of ancient warriors as they silently closed in on their target.

"Oh god!" Looking at the densely packed army of zombies in the green thermal vision, Qian Xun's mind went completely blank. The zombies had actually chosen to launch a night raid. Previously, daytime attacks could be repelled by utilizing the terrain together with the others, but now, only she and this stranger were left to face so many zombies.

Zhao Qiang had been trying to determine whether the target of this horde was really this dock. With his combat skills, breaking through the encirclement would certainly not be a problem, but what about the girl? If this was the camp where she sought refuge—a camp that would send a frail girl out to scavenge for supplies—facing such a massive number of zombies, the outcome was almost unimaginable.

"Are you the only one here?" The zombies were still drawing closer, and Zhao Qiang had to consider every possibility. If the girl was truly alone, he would figure out a way to take her away from here. If there were other survivors behind her, Zhao Qiang would have to consider how to help these people fend off this attack.

Qian Xun nodded and then shook her head, saying, "Only I came out."

"Damn it!" Zhao Qiang muttered under his breath, cursing, "How could they let a girl like you out? Where are those grown men?"

"They... they are all sick," Qian Xun lowered her head and murmured, "I came out to look for medicine. They are still waiting for my medicine."

Hearing this, Zhao Qiang felt his head throb. An unknown number of patients, paired with a little girl clearly under the age of eighteen, trying to hold off the attack of over a hundred zombies was certainly no easy task. The actions of the zombies already showed clear signs of coordination; constantly evolving zombies were making this war increasingly unfair.

"Forget about the medicine or whatever, hurry back, lock the doors tight, and don't come out until it's confirmed safe." Zhao Qiang sighed. He had always lived by the creed of "In war, let women walk away," never allowing any woman in his alliance to actively participate in combat. For the seemingly worldly-inexperienced girl beside him, Zhao Qiang's stance remained unchanged.

"No!" Qian Xun insisted stubbornly, "I can help you." As she said these words, Qian Xun clearly lacked confidence. She had never faced such a vast number of zombies in a head-on confrontation; her agility and little tricks held very little power against the sheer multitude of the undead.

"Do you want to commit suicide or drag me down with you? Fighting is a man's job, women step aside!" As the battle drew closer, Zhao Qiang's tone turned icy. Although human civilization had nearly collapsed, as long as there were still men standing, women should hide behind them.

"You—you have no right to look down on people!" Qian Xun wrinkled her nose. The guy in front of her was utterly odious—a dead fatty, an egoist!

"While there's still time, get out of here. Didn't you say you have sick people waiting? If the two of us check out here today, what will happen to them?" Zhao Qiang said coldly, his tone sounding more and more like that fellow Wei Tao.

"Then what about you?" Thinking of her frail companions back home, the courage Qian Xun had just mustered vanished completely. The people at home could barely even stand; she ought to stay home and protect them instead. Yet, Qian Xun still felt uneasy. She could not understand why this fat man was willing to risk his life to protect a complete stranger whom he had never met before.

"I don't think much of these small fries," Zhao Qiang said casually. Having fought tens of thousands of zombies and three giant sandworms, Zhao Qiang remained entirely unperturbed by the hundreds of zombies before him. "Hurry up and leave, there's no time!"

"Yeah!" Qian Xun nodded heavily. For some reason, there was an indescribable aura about this man. Back home, Qian Xun was definitely a mischievous and adorable little demon king, a kids' leader whom everyone both loved and feared. But in front of this man, everything completely changed; whatever he told her to do, Qian Xun would do.

Qian Xun leaped down from the gap between the shipping containers, then poked her head back up and asked, "By the way, fatty, what's your name?"

"Hey, I said, how come you're back again?" Zhao Qiang was completely speechless. The nickname "fatty" had accompanied him since high school, and he had been called that for four years in college until he graduated and few people used it anymore. Yet today, it was dragged out by this little girl. He replied with annoyance, "Get lost already, stop making trouble for me. My name is Zhao Qiang."