Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Racing License

Her consciousness finally snapped back. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Chen Xia stopped hesitating. She climbed out the window and nimbly slid down the rope to the first floor. There were still a few zombies wandering below; to ensure the safety of the others, she performed a quick and efficient cleanup.

Xing He lowered Fan Hua down next, while Chen Xia assisted from below. Even though it was only the second floor, climbing down a rope without any safety gear was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart. However, Fan Hua knew that every minute she wasted put Xing He who was covering the rear in more danger. Even as the rope burned her palms, she didn’t utter a single word of fear.

By the time Xing He climbed out the window, the conference room door had finally fulfilled its mission. With a loud bang, a large hole was punched through it. Before leaving the room, Xing He activated her “Lure” ability, leaving the bag of biscuits Chen Xia had given her inside as a decoy. She didn’t expect it to stop the horde, only to buy the three of them a few more seconds of life.

The moment Xing He hit the ground, the three of them began to run as if their lives depended on it because they did.

Thud— Thud—

They didn’t need to look back to know that zombies were already smashing through the windows and falling behind them. From the corner of her eye, Xing He saw dozens of zombies with limbs mangled from the fall getting up in twisted postures, resuming the chase. It was faster than she anticipated; it seemed the horde numbered far more than a hundred.

The commotion attracted even more zombies from the streets, who joined the pursuit. Gradually, the numbers swelled until the sight behind them took on the momentum of a charging army.

The asphalt road was open and easily attracted attention, but it was better for avoiding obstacles. If they ducked into narrow alleys, being stalled for even thirty seconds by one or two hidden zombies would mean being swallowed by the horde behind them. Xing He gritted her teeth and ran down the main road, but a sense of dread filled her. Without sufficient ammunition, a rifle was a mere toy against a horde this size. Moreover, to lighten their load, they had discarded almost everything. How could they fend off a mindless swarm with bare hands?

At this rate, the outcome was certain: they would run until their strength gave out and perish in the bellies of the dead. Unless, of course, someone descended from the sky in a helicopter to whisk them away.

Chen Xia and Fan Hua remained silent beside her—one had already accepted their fate, and the other was too exhausted to speak. Looking past the buildings ahead, though the world of man was a disaster, the sun rose as usual. A tiny sliver of light stained the distant horizon in magnificent gold.

Facing a dead end, Xing He actually felt like mocking herself. She figured she would be the most miserable of the three; thanks to her “Regeneration” ability, she wouldn’t be able to die quickly.

Under the strain of high-speed running, Xing He’s brain was deprived of oxygen. Perhaps she was hallucinating, but she thought she heard Qing Meng’s voice. The delusion didn’t last long, however, because something in her bag suddenly started vibrating.

It was Grandma Wang’s phone. Before bed, Grandma Wang had forced it upon her. Xing He had tried to refuse, but the old woman insisted. Looking back now, Grandma Wang likely had a premonition of her own passing.

Is it Grandma Wang’s son? Xing He felt she had to answer; if she died, the son would never know of his mother’s fate. She struggled to pull out the phone, but the number on the screen was one she knew by heart.

Whether it was a blessing of fate or a cruel joke, the last phone call of her life was from Qing Meng. She should be just waking up now. What is she having for breakfast? Will she cry if she knows I’m dying? Xing He didn’t want to worry her, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to speak one last word to the person she loved.

She pressed the phone to her ear and answered. Despite the chaos the sound of shattering glass, car alarms, and the roars of zombies she heard Qing Meng’s voice clearly.

“Xing He! Look up! I’m at the gate!”

Qing Meng’s voice was trembling and distorted; she was terrified.

Xing He followed the instruction and looked ahead. The golden morning light bathed the gates of the Armed Forces Department. There, a slender figure was waving frantically toward her. Parked behind her was that incredibly cool, modified Jeep Wrangler.

It was hard to put into words what Xing He felt at that moment. She had been certain of her death, but Qing Meng had appeared like a goddess, descending before her bathed in the morning glow. Used to playing the role of the savior, Xing He found that Qing Meng was the first person to ever truly save her.

“Head for the gate! There’s a car!” Xing He shouted as loud as she could. Chen Xia and Fan Hua received the signal and immediately adjusted their course.

The three desperate souls finally had a target. Despite the exhaustion of a sleepless night and the high-speed run, they sprinted with everything they had. They all knew: to stop meant the end.

With a pack of man-eaters at her heels and the wind plastering her hair to her face, Xing He looked like a frantic hen being chased around a yard. She was rarely this disheveled, but a glance to her left showed her companions were in even worse shape.

The Wrangler was right in front of them. She suddenly felt an inappropriate urge to laugh out loud. There was nothing in the world more joyous than getting your life back unless that life was brought back by Qing Meng.

The three of them dived into the car at maximum speed. The horde was only four paces away.

The closer she was to a life-or-death moment, the calmer Qing Meng became. With an expressionless face, she slammed the accelerator to the floor. The 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine hit its peak power. This ultimate four-wheel-drive machine let out a deafening roar like a waking prehistoric beast and lunged forward, leaving the horde far behind in an instant.

Xing He and Chen Xia, possessing superior physical stamina, settled their breathing quickly. Poor Fan Hua, however, had reached her limit. During the chase, she had tasted the coppery tang of blood in her throat. She had suppressed the nausea while the monsters were behind her, but now that it was calm, the exhaustion hit her like a tidal wave. Chen Xia, knowing her girlfriend’s condition, gently patted her back. The only “chatterbox” in the group was silenced, leaving the car quiet.

Outside, scattered zombies were still drawn to the engine’s roar, but their sluggish reactions were no match for the high-powered Jeep. Qing Meng focused on the road, stealing a glance at Xing He. Good, she doesn’t look injured.

After their call last night, Qing Meng had felt uneasy, tossing and turning all night. Since she knew Xing He’s location, she had simply decided to drive over at dawn. It was a decision made for her own peace of mind, but she hadn’t expected to see Xing He looking so small and helpless in front of a tide of zombies. If she hadn’t come today… Qing Meng didn’t dare imagine the possibility.

Watching the speedometer climb to 180 km/h, Xing He swallowed hard and quietly gripped the safety handle above the door. “Qing Meng… is it okay to go this fast?”

Qing Meng replied coldly, “I have a C-license.”

Xing He watched the streets blur past like a roller coaster. “I know you have a driver’s license. I just mean maybe slow down a bit, it’s not very safe…”

Qing Meng eased off the gas slightly. “I was talking about a Class-C Racing License.”

“Huh?”

“I took the exam for fun when I was bored.”

“Oh.”

The cool, restrained, rule-following Qing Meng vs. a lightning-fast, rule-breaking race car. Xing He’s brain struggled to connect the two.

After the initial shock of Qing Meng appearing at the gate, Xing He found it strangely logical. This woman seemed as calm as water, unbothered by anything, but at certain times, she was far more forceful than she appeared.

Years ago, while in university, Qing Meng had received a disciplinary warning for fighting. Because of that, she lost her national scholarship. Xing He couldn’t imagine the “perfectly-mannered” Qing Meng getting into a brawl. She only heard that it was to stand up for a friend; Qing Meng had refused to apologize and was even punished by her family when she got home.

But those were stories from others. What Xing He saw was the adult Qing Meng—a woman who seemed to conquer every scientific problem she touched, publishing countless papers and making industry-shaking discoveries. She seemed born to be under the spotlight.

Countless traits merged to create the Qing Meng of today. Xing He couldn’t fathom the storms or the calm within her heart. Only one thing was clear: Qing Meng had never hidden her feelings for Xing He, and she would never stand by and watch her in danger.

Xing He tried to make conversation. “It’s dangerous outside. Don’t drive out alone next time.”

As if stating a simple fact, Qing Meng’s voice remained flat: “You ran out alone.”

Qing Meng didn’t usually use much inflection, but Xing He was sensitive enough to realize she was angry. She couldn’t tell if Qing Meng was mad because Xing He put herself in danger, or mad because she went out without her.

Xing He wisely lowered her head. “I won’t do it again.”

Support Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse