102: Chapter 12: It really was the dog he brought out.

Lu Huan and Kong Ziyi felt the pressure on them suddenly lessen a bit.

In the blink of an eye, Huo Sixian landed squarely on Ah Huang's back.

Ah Huang's body had now mutated, becoming considerably larger than before.

However, it still wasn't big enough to serve as a proper mount.

At this moment, Huo Sixian's arms and legs were dragging limply on the ground.

But Ah Huang couldn't be bothered with any of that. The fact that it could still carry Huo Sixian at a walk was already giving Huo Sixian considerable face.

In his dazed state, Huo Sixian only felt a sharp pain in his toes.

But his consciousness was too fuzzy; he figured he could just endure it.

Lu Huan and the others were busy clearing the zombies swarming around them; no one paid any attention to Huo Sixian.

Survival was the only thing that mattered right now.

Ah Huang was utterly exasperated. Why were zombies showing up now? As expected, running into Huo Sixian and his group never led to anything good.

While fleeing, Ah Huang cursed Huo Sixian up and down.

The surrounding zombies were incredibly fast.

Zombies were hot on the heels of Meng Hangfei, who was bringing up the rear, their blackened nails and fangs frantically clawing towards his position.

Meng Hangfei was no pushover, but his firearm was out of ammo, and the remaining weapons and ammunition had been destroyed in the vehicle.

All Meng Hangfei had left to use was a single dagger.

Meng Hangfei's eyes sharpened. He knew full well that if they couldn't deal with these zombies now, the zombies would deal with them.

And their numbers were few, with Huo Sixian injured on top of that.

Meng Hangfei was also growing anxious. Seeing the zombies behind him cling like stubborn glue, impossible to shake off, instantly irritated him.

In one fluid turn, Meng Hangfei swung the dagger in his hand straight at a zombie's head.

But these zombies seemed to have evolved.

They were no longer the mindless, clumsy things they once were.

The instant Meng Hangfei's dagger was about to connect with the zombie's skull, the creature seemed to gain awareness, jerking its head to the side.

It narrowly dodged Meng Hangfei's attack.

Shock flashed in Meng Hangfei's eyes. The zombie's agility clearly exceeded anything within his previous understanding.

"Did... did that zombie just dodge?"

Meng Hangfei couldn't help but mutter under his breath.

But there was no time for contemplation.

Meng Hangfei's reflexes were quick. After the first strike failed, he instantly adjusted his attack angle.

As the zombie turned its head, Meng Hangfei twisted his wrist, changing the dagger's orientation. The downward-pointing blade tip instantly flipped upward.

With a sweep of his arm, the dagger plunged straight into the zombie's chin.

The zombie's foul stench, mixed with black blood, instantly sprayed over Meng Hangfei.

The acrid smell made him gag.

Meng Hangfei also noticed that apart from this particularly fast zombie he'd just dealt with,

the other zombies, while still in close pursuit, moved at a speed far inferior to this one.

Having dealt with the zombie, Meng Hangfei immediately turned and sprinted after Ah Huang, Lu Huan, and the others.

However, a seed of doubt had been planted in his mind.

Ah Huang's speed far surpassed that of these humans, but burdened by the deadweight on its back, it couldn't run too fast either. After all, if it ran too quickly, Huo Sixian would tumble off.

Yet, the heavy scent of blood from Huo Sixian's wounds was the very beacon drawing these zombies to them.

Unfamiliar with the terrain, Ah Huang could only rely on its instincts to head in a direction that felt safe.

But as far as the eye could see, nowhere around seemed truly safe.

If it kept leading these people, running a bit longer, Ah Huang would truly die here alongside them.

"Woof!" Ah Huang let out another bark.

Its gaze then sharpened, fixing on the buildings within the village.

If familiarity was the criterion, the only place Ah Huang knew even a little was the village it had just scouted.

Though most structures had been damaged during its search.

Now, only a few buildings remained relatively intact.

At this moment, Ah Huang felt immensely grateful it hadn't destroyed all the houses in one go earlier.

Leaving a few had provided them an escape route.

"Woof!" Ah Huang barked again, then abruptly pivoted, changing direction to sprint towards the left of its current position.

This sudden turn caused Huo Sixian's entire body on its back to twist, nearly throwing him off. The foot dragging on the ground also got caught and wrenched.

The pain was so sharp it made the unconscious Huo Sixian furrow his brow.

Though Lu Huan and Kong Ziyi didn't know what Ah Huang intended, they inexplicably trusted it. Besides, Huo Sixian was still on Ah Huang's back, so they had to follow.

What else could they do with Huo Sixian?

After changing direction, Ah Huang indeed spotted a small house, just as it had anticipated.

It had considered the house too small earlier and hadn't bothered burning it.

Ah Huang headed straight for the house with Huo Sixian.

Seeing this, Lu Huan understood Ah Huang's plan and couldn't help feeling a swell of pride. As expected, a dog he trained was clever!

If Ah Huang knew what Lu Huan was thinking, it would have snorted in disdain.

After all, Ah Huang considered itself a highly intelligent dog.

After Kong Ziyi and Meng Hangfei dealt with a few nearby zombies, the four humans and one dog finally reached the front of the house.

The yard offered no cover, just a dilapidated fence.

But the moment Ah Huang barged into the small courtyard, it was stunned.

Because right there in the yard of the house was a Cellar.

Seeing this, the group didn't hesitate. With zombies hot on their heels, they needed to hide immediately.

They could run, but Huo Sixian couldn't wait any longer.

As the last one to enter, Meng Hangfei naturally took responsibility for sealing their retreat.

When Ah Huang carried Huo Sixian into the Cellar, it was pitch black inside, not a sliver of light to be seen.

Outside the village, Ah Huang's flames had illuminated the entire settlement.

But down here in the Cellar, there was no light.

The moment Meng Hangfei closed the Cellar door, the first zombie was shut out.

The chests of the four humans and the dog heaved violently.

They couldn't see each other's faces, but they could hear each other's breathing.

Ah Huang's breaths were the loudest and most rapid.

Kong Ziyi fumbled around in the darkness, searching for any useful clues.