Chapter Twenty: The Traitor (Part One)

Walking alone on the street may not inspire many thoughts in a person. But if the street is swarming with zombies, things become far more complicated. Not wanting to bring more trouble upon himself, Zhao Qiang had chosen to travel on foot instead of driving the armored cash transport vehicle.

Now, he was beginning to regret his earlier generosity. From the moment he stepped out of the supermarket, the fighting had never stopped. Wave after wave of zombies surged at him, leaving him not a single breath to rest. The ammunition in his backpack was running low, so Zhao Qiang relied more on his knife to dispatch his foes.

The blade flashed across a zombie's throat, severing its spinal cord—the brain could no longer command the body, and the corpse collapsed helplessly to the ground. He could not afford to linger; to stop was to be surrounded by countless zombies, and even the smallest wound inflicted by them could prove fatal. Zhao Qiang could only keep running, swiftly striking down any zombie that dared stand in his path.

The zombies roared, charging in the direction Zhao Qiang was moving, unwilling to let any potential meal escape. Zhao Qiang raced toward the neighborhood where he once lived, hoping to find new clues in his former home.

The residential complex bore traces of fierce combat everywhere—pockmarked bullet holes in the walls, spent casings scattered on the ground—all silently telling of the brutal battles that had been fought here. He casually picked up a casing: 5.8mm caliber. Examining the consistent bullet holes in the wall, Zhao Qiang could be sure that a well-trained team had fought here before.

If his wife had been rescued by these people, then her safety was likely assured. But where would they have gone? Zhao Qiang pondered this as he ran. With no means of communication and a city as vast as Changsha, where would they head?

What Zhao Qiang did not know was that, not far from him, a black modified bus sat parked in a corner. A pair of cold, watchful eyes were observing his every move.

"Heh, who would've thought I'd run into you here? Seems like you and that Wei fellow aren’t that close after all," sneered a thin figure standing by the window, eyes fixed on Zhao Qiang, who was fighting and running for his life.

"Boss, are you sure it’s him?" asked a man in a police uniform, his gaze as chilly as his words.

"I’d recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes," the gaunt man replied with a twisted smile, clearly the leader of the group. "Too bad that Wei guy isn’t here. Otherwise... hmph." His cold laughter sent a shiver through his companions.

"Want me to take him out?" Another man in plain clothes hefted his sniper rifle, suggesting he could eliminate Zhao Qiang from a distance without him ever knowing.

"No, he’s still of some use to us," the leader replied, turning his face to the group. Had Zhao Qiang seen that face, he would have shot without hesitation, for it belonged to Li Zixin, the traitor from the previous day. Looking at the sniper, Li Zixin said with a sly tone, "Find a way to lure him over."

That very day, after Zhang Yongming refused his proposal, Li Zixin, fearing Zhang would betray their secrets, decided to act first. Catching Zhang off guard, Li Zixin struck his former colleague with the butt of his rifle. The unsuspecting Zhang Yongming collapsed instantly. The other officers, seeing the sudden attack, quickly subdued Li Zihan, who was about to draw her weapon, and tightly handcuffed her and another girl—Xuanxuan—to the side.

Realizing his betrayal was exposed, Li Zixin calmly assessed the situation. Together, they were no match for Zhao Qiang and Wei Tao. Leaving the women behind would tie down those two killing machines, preventing them from pursuing him. With his mind made up, Li Zixin took advantage of Zhao Qiang and Wei Tao being distracted with cleaning up the battlefield, gathered the rest of the officers, and moved all the weapons and ammunition from the armored car into the bus before making their escape.

Unwilling to let the Special Police Unit’s weaponry fall into enemy hands, Li Zixin returned to their base with a few men that night after spending a day wandering outside. To his surprise, Zhao Qiang and Wei Tao had already beaten them there.

After a fierce shootout, Li Zixin gained nothing and lost a man. As he prepared to retreat, a monstrously fierce creature claimed another member of his group. All of this left him seething. After a hasty withdrawal, unwilling to go far, he and his team seized a convenience store.

Once settled, Li Zixin discovered a new secret. In the earlier firefight with Wei Tao, shrapnel had cut his face. But after cleaning off the blood, he found the wound had already healed, leaving only a faint scar—it was as if the injury had been an illusion. He immediately realized his body seemed to possess a healing ability much like Zhao Qiang’s, perhaps even stronger. To confirm his suspicion, he secretly sliced his finger to the bone with a knife—by the next morning, the wound was completely gone.

Li Zixin kept this discovery to himself, acting as if nothing had changed as he started the new day. Standing at the window, watching the street, he suddenly spotted Zhao Qiang, battling zombies alone.

This excited Li Zixin. He knew that if he could bring Zhao Qiang into his camp, it wouldn’t be long before he could rule this world as he pleased.

Zhao Qiang kept running, his powerful body showing no fatigue; in fact, the sensation of his blade slicing through flesh filled him with a certain exhilaration. It was as if he had been born for battle—every cell in his body was cheering for combat.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. A bullet whistled past his ear, decapitating a zombie right behind him. Instantly alert, Zhao Qiang dove and rolled to avoid his previous path, severing a zombie’s Achilles tendon in passing, then leaping up to drive his knife into its skull.

The gunfire continued, but the bullets did not target Zhao Qiang—instead, each one found the head of a zombie pursuing him. Zhao Qiang grew excited; gunshots meant survivors, and these people clearly held no hostility toward him.

He looked toward the source of the shots. In a nearby window, he saw the flash of muzzle fire. So close to home, and with such marksmanship—it was likely the group that had rescued his wife. Zhao Qiang’s mind raced as he sped toward the gunfire.

It was a convenience store—unremarkable among the many lining the streets of Changsha, except its metal shutter was closed. When disaster struck at midday, most shops were open; in the initial chaos, no one thought to close up. Thus, the shuttered store stood out.

Soon, Zhao Qiang reached the entrance. With cover from the sniper, the zombies were still at a distance. The shutter wasn’t locked, so Zhao Qiang easily pulled it open, slipping inside before the zombies caught up.

The store was empty. As Zhao Qiang wondered at the silence, a flashlight flickered twice from the storeroom in back before vanishing. So, that’s where they are, Zhao Qiang thought with a smile. These people were certainly cautious.

Inside, the storeroom was pitch black—he could barely see his hand before his face. Zhao Qiang was reaching for his flashlight when a harsh beam suddenly hit his eyes. Reflexively, he turned his head, raising a hand to shield himself, a flash of anger rising within him: a sudden light in darkness could cause temporary blindness. He demanded, “Who’s there?”

There was no answer. Suddenly, he felt someone seize his arms, and his weapon was quickly taken from him.

“What are you doing?” Zhao Qiang did not resist, worried about harming a potential ally, but the rough treatment left him uncertain.

“Well, well, Zhao—long time no see,” came a chilling voice from the darkness.

It was him! Zhao Qiang’s pupils constricted, fury erupting inside as he began to struggle violently. He felt the grip on his arms loosening. “Li, what do you want?”

Ignoring Zhao Qiang’s resistance, Li Zixin smiled. “If I were you, I wouldn’t do that.” Along with his voice came the unmistakable sound of safeties being switched off.

Zhao Qiang calmed himself and stopped struggling. “What do you want?” he asked coolly.

Li Zixin clapped, signaling his men to release Zhao Qiang. An emergency lamp blinked on. Li Zixin stepped from the shadows, fixing Zhao Qiang with a smile. “Where’s Wei? Didn’t he come with you?”

Hmph! Zhao Qiang snorted, answering without giving anything away. “Whether Brother Wei came out or not is none of your concern.” Now free, Zhao Qiang rolled his shoulders, searching for an opportunity to deal with this traitor.

Li Zixin smiled, looking at the defiant Zhao Qiang. “I can give you a chance,” he said. “If you join us, I’ll offer you what I promised Zhang Yongming—and more.”

Bah! Zhao Qiang cursed inwardly. This traitor wanted to recruit him? In his dreams! But understanding his position, Zhao Qiang replied coolly, “I might join you, but I have one condition.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it,” Li Zixin said, clearly pleased. A wise man adapts to circumstances, he thought. This kid has potential.

Zhao Qiang glanced around at the others, signaling to Li Zixin. Understanding, Li Zixin gestured for his men to lower their weapons.

“What’s your condition? We’re all brothers here,” Li Zixin said, still smiling, though remaining cautious.

Zhao Qiang beckoned him closer. Li Zixin, confident with so many men present, leaned in, curious about this mysterious condition.

“My condition is—” Zhao Qiang lowered his voice. Li Zixin leaned even closer.

Suddenly, Zhao Qiang exploded into action. One arm snaked around Li Zixin’s neck, the other pressing down hard on the back of his head.

“I want your life!” Zhao Qiang finally declared his condition.