Chapter Thirteen: In the Name of a Madman

I equipped myself thoroughly, taking my backpack stuffed with supplies just in case something unexpected happened and I couldn’t make it back in time. If I got trapped somewhere, I might have to find a place to hole up for a while.

With Fourth Master in tow, I slinked away from the street where the noise-reduction vehicle was parked. My goal was simple: find an old-era car that could still start!

Fourth Master matched my every step—when I slowed, he slowed; when I sped up, he sped up. Even his gait mimicked mine, stopping and starting, pausing and hesitating. All he lacked was to announce, “Any fellow canines want to walk the runway and compare our doggy strut?”

Breathing hard, I moved past the area beneath the convenience store. At last, the sounds of corpse-spawn shuffling in search of food began to emerge around me. I crept along, each step light and careful, lest I startle these things.

Fourth Master was obedient for once. Maybe he was scared, maybe something else, but he made no low, muffled growls like usual.

Heh! Even dogs are becoming cunning to survive the apocalypse!

But this mutt, who’d refused both sausages and chicken legs, seemed to have developed a taste for something heavier.

With my Tang sword slung across my shoulder, I walked for who knows how long before finally spotting a shadow up ahead. Excitement surged, and I headed in that direction. Halfway there, though, I remembered the giant toad I’d recently encountered.

No, I had to be cautious. Who knew if something else was lurking on the ground? Then again, if anything were there, with Fourth Master’s temperament, he’d be barking his head off by now.

I tiptoed closer, and when I was about seven or eight meters away, my enhanced vision finally made out the shape. It was indeed a car, but it looked like it had been parked there for ages—the dust nearly buried it.

Damn, the windows were reflective. I couldn’t see inside at all… What if a corpse-spawn was waiting in there?

I eyed the pitch-black glass with growing unease. I considered prying the door open, but if a corpse was inside and lunged at me, that would be no small joke.

I glanced at Fourth Master, who was sitting obediently by the car. My eyes lit up, and I squatted down to give him a look that was both serious and a little conspiratorial.

Fourth Master licked his lips, eyeing me warily.

“Fourth Master, I’m worried something in there might bite me. Let’s play a game: if you lift your left paw, I’ll open the door; if you lift your right paw, I won’t. If you don’t lift either, I won’t open it either. If you understand, go ahead…”

I lowered my voice, pointing at the car as I spoke. Before I could even finish, I turned back and saw Fourth Master already holding his left paw high, his gaze drifting elsewhere as if to say, “This has nothing to do with me. You told me to choose. Whatever happens, don’t blame the dog. The dog is innocent!”

Damn it! You weren’t a person in your past life, were you? Here to mess me up on purpose.

I shot Fourth Master an annoyed look and tried the car door, but it wouldn’t budge—locked from the inside.

With a cold sneer, I scanned the area, then took a deep breath and smashed the hilt of my sword against the car window.

With a sharp crack, the glass shattered! The sound seemed to echo through half the city.

Grunts and hisses rose all around me, terrifying noises converging on my position. Even from the back seat, a head began to emerge—only to be immediately skewered through the skull by me in my frenzy.

I leapt into the car, relieved to find the keys still hanging in the ignition. Otherwise, this would have been a wasted effort.

After starting the engine, I shouted out the window to Fourth Master, who was still barking, “Fourth Master! Get in!”

With a low growl, he dove right into the car.

“Hahaha! Come on, come on! Chase me, all of you! And that damned Nightmare Fiend too!”

I rolled down the windows and turned on every headlight, illuminating the entire street. Countless staggering corpse-spawn swarmed toward us.

This car was nothing like the noise-reduction vehicle that Tong Jia and his group had—the moment we were surrounded, it would be the end.

“Whoo—this is what I call exhilarating!”

I howled inside the car, provoking even more corpse-spawn to give chase. Once a sufficient horde had gathered, I floored the gas pedal and launched into a mad dash.

My plan was simple: before I ran out of fuel, I’d circle half the main streets of ZM City, attracting as many of the horde as I could, then lure them all toward the fuel depot.

That depot wasn’t very large, but if I could blow it up, I’d create a crater dozens of meters wide!

It had been so long—four months—since I’d dared to speak loudly or make a ruckus. Now, I was going to let it all out!

“You wretched bastards! No matter how glorious you were in life, in death you’re nothing but rotten mud and spoiled meat! Come on! I, Cao, am right here! Come eat me! Come on!”

“Whoo—damn, this feels good!”

As I deliberately steered closer to where the noise-reduction vehicle was parked, the city’s emptiness made any commotion impossible to hide from the three inside.

“Damn…he’s lost it…Cao Fusheng is a madman! What’s he trying to do?”

Tong Jia’s body trembled in the armored compartment, though whether with anger or fear, I couldn’t tell. He shouted hoarsely, his voice so strained I worried he’d hurt his throat.

“You two, stay in the compartment and seal every opening. Don’t make a sound. I’ll keep watch in the driver’s cabin!”

Only a steel plate separated the armored compartment from the cab. Tong Jia pressed a button in the cab, and a camera popped out again.

“Retinal scan in progress…please wait…”

“Scan complete…Authorization: Tong Jia.”

“Activating Bastion Defense System!”

“Activating…Bastion Defense System engaged.”

Tong Jia slumped in his chair, likely hearing the uproar of corpse-spawn rattling half the city. He couldn’t fathom what I was up to.

“The Bastion Defense System drains the vehicle’s energy reserves fast. It’s not meant for routine use. This riot might reach us, so I had no choice but to activate it. After this, the vehicle won’t be able to move. Prepare for emergencies.”

Little did he know, everything Tong Jia did and said was within my sight and hearing as I slowly pulled up beside the vehicle.

Outside, countless pitch-black steel plates extended, sealing the war rig tight. Even moonlight couldn’t penetrate, let alone anyone inside see out or drive away.

No wonder it couldn’t move—sealed so thoroughly, not a hint of scent escaped. Even the most sensitive corpse-spawn wouldn’t catch a trace of life from within.

Just before the steel plate closed over the cab, Tong Jia finally noticed my old-era car, lights blazing. He must have thought I was courting death.

“Madman…!”

I snapped my fingers at him. “Thanks for the compliment.”