Hu Xiaodong's passionate speech did stir up some fighting spirit among the survivors, but hope is definitely not something that can be rekindled by a few fervent words.

Sure enough, after fiercely fighting off several waves of zombie invasions, the survivors' hard-won foothold was once again pushed back by the continuous force of the zombies.

Even Hu Xiaodong felt a bit of despair!

The retreat was blocked, and they couldn't break through. The survivors were completely trapped by the zombie horde.

The enclosed zombie crowd felt like a circular wall of corpses, even blocking out the glaring sunlight from outside.

Back to back, the survivors resisted despondently.

Wang Qiang's great white bear bite-protector had turned into a mere rag under the zombies' bites, and the cotton stuffing inside had long disappeared.

On the flank, Wu Chao was equally battered, his Corpse-Blocking Shield had been scratched into a sorry state after several impacts by zombie hands.

As for Hu Xiaodong, even more so, he was on the frontline, fighting with such ferocity that his originally sharp cleaver was now full of notches. Surely, continuing like this, changing weapons was a certainty.

This was undoubtedly the most difficult and helpless moment for this survivor team. To put it bluntly, unless a miracle happened, they would surely be wiped out here.

The scorching sun grew even fiercer, baking the ground with intense heat, steam rising slowly, making the entire street look like an illusion.

Perhaps it was the mechanical slashing that caused him to hallucinate, but the exhausted Tang Xiaoquan seemed to faintly hear the roar of an engine.

He wanted to look up and check, but looking around, all he saw were the excited rotting faces of zombies, and the increasingly despondent figures of his companions.

Yet life is always unpredictable, and facts are full of variables. When you think something is absolutely impossible to happen, it often goes in the opposite direction, giving you a great surprise.

A violent crash promptly sounded, and Hu Xiaodong looked in shock at the collapsing zombies in front of him, like dominoes.

He was stunned, and the first thought that floated in his mind was: What happened!

Before he could recover from the shock, the roar of wheels and continuous horn sounds made him understand the situation.

"It's! It's that man! He didn't leave! He's back!" Wei Yang, almost resigned to fate, suddenly gathered strength and shouted hysterically.

Yes, Wei Yang was unusually excited. Not only because of the man's return as promised but also because of her unwavering belief deep from within:

Human nature is inherently good!

No further mobilization was needed. At this moment, the black Buick GL8 parked in front of everyone was their best source of motivation.

Fatigue disappeared! Fighting spirit reignited! Lost hope returned!

Humans are such strange and contradictory creatures. Perhaps they were waiting for obliteration like dead bodies the previous second, but the next second, they might be reborn due to a word, an event, or even a glance.

With the Buick GL8 opening a path for escape, the survivors naturally saved a lot of energy.

"Go! Everyone this way!"

Under Hu Xiaodong's lead, the survivors maintained their formation while quickly heading towards the car door.

Blades kept falling, spearheads kept thrusting, sweat mixed with blood soaked through their collars. As they fought their way to the car, nearly every one of them was worn out beyond recognition.

"Huff—Ah, Ah Cheng, you and Wei Yang get in the car!" Propping against the car, Tang Xiaoquan took deep breaths in the break while opening the door, and after giving instructions, he hurriedly told the others:

"Crescent, everyone form a crescent-shaped defensive circle, then get in the car according to the plan! Quick!"

In life-and-death moments, every second counts! No one argued over who should board first at this critical juncture.

Because they all knew very well that a second's delay could mean death for themselves or their companions.

Thanks to the spacious interior of the GL8, the process of getting into the car was unobstructed, so soon, only Wang Qiang, Hu Xiaodong, and Wu Chao remained outside guarding everyone's safety.

The pressure was increasingly immense. The shortage of manpower forced Wang, Hu, and Wu to retreat again and again. Seeing that they were about to reach the car, Hu Xiaodong knew he couldn't retreat further because he must leave a buffer zone for the last few to evacuate. So...

"Qiangzi! Chaozi! Follow my command! I'll count to three, then get in the car together! Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

"Alright! One! Two! Three!" As the words left his mouth, the three outside the car almost simultaneously swung their weapons, then quickly retreated and leapt into the car.

Not bothering to check if Hu Xiaodong had closed the door, Tang Xiaoquan immediately slapped the back of the driver's seat, urging the man to drive because he could clearly feel the car body tilting and shaking due to the continuous hitting and squeezing by the zombies on the left side.

With the man's series of operations, the car backed up a few meters, then swerved to the right. The enormous centrifugal force nearly threw Hu Xiaodong sitting on the outer seat out.

Fortunately, he grabbed the roof rail in time, barely avoiding a disaster.

After adjusting the car's direction, the man drove directly onto the sidewalk with fewer zombies, then seized an opportunity, floored the gas pedal, and then...

"Boom—Vroom! Clang! Crash!"

Engine roar, exhaust discharge! Zombie collision! The Buick GL8 was like an unleashed beast, roaring its way to reach the ultimate speed.

No zombies could stop this steel beast from escaping now. Seeing the situation was safe, Hu Xiaodong finally exerted force to pull the wide-open car door shut, then leaned back and exhaled a long breath of relief.

No one spoke. The survivors remained silent, the sudden relaxation making them feel unusually exhausted.

This state lasted for about ten minutes. Once he pacified his ceaselessly rising and falling chest, Tang Xiaoquan slightly turned his gaze, then spoke the first sentence since they got in the car:

"Uh! Well~ Uncle, hello! Thank you for keeping your promise and coming to pick us up! My surname is Tang, Tang Xiaoquan!"

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