Zombie Apocalypse: Creation-Chapter 721 721: Seconds too late?

As Xiaoyun waited, several white vans started driving down the other highway before they stopped several hundred feet in the distance.
His phone suddenly started ringing again as men carrying flashlights exited the white van, climbing over the highway fence to his side of the road.
"Hello?"
"Why do you still have a car on the highway? Didn't I tell you to drive your army back to Shaoguan?"
The same voice from earlier questioned, his voice growingly sounding more irritated than before, as if he was a little scared of Xiaoyun.
"It's just an observer. It won't hurt you or anything... When are you handing back Houqin?"
"She's already in a hotel in Chengguan town. You can have her back when our men finish picking up the rifles."
Hearing the hint of nervousness appearing, Xiaoyun decided to raise his voice as he noticed the number of men barely accounted for twenty people.
"I hope you fulfill your side of the bargain. If you dared to lay a finger on her, I will find you and kill every single one of your men."
"I got no reason to piss you off and make enemies for myself. Anyway, it's nice talking to you."
Before he could say anything else, the other side hung up the phone, leaving him to watch them pick up the AKs into their white vans.
"Commander... We really shouldn't just let them go like this. Those bandits are going to do who knows what with those new rifles."
Despite the driver's warning, Xiaoyun chose to ignore it. He knew what the driver was suggesting, but he couldn't afford to lose Houqin.
"I know what I'm doing."
The driver didn't speak up any further as more and more rifles were loaded into the white van, until all of the rifles were picked clean.
"Fuck. My. Life."
Xiaoyun murmured in frustration as he watched the white van drive away into the distance before disappearing.
"Commander, should we meet back at Shaoguan——"
"11th Division, you may drive back to where we had left off. Our next destination is over in Chengguang town."
As Xiaoyun spoke through the walkie-talkie, the driver was a little shocked that it could reach this far into the distance.
"You can start driving, soldier."
---
The entire division soon catches up to Xiaoyun in the direction of Chengguan town as they encounter more and more zombies.
It almost felt as if the promised place that they had put Houqin in was a bait, but he had no choice but to continue down the road.
After a ten-minute drive down the highway, he finally entered the town center. The first thing he encountered were even more zombies running towards them.
The soldiers made quick work of them as they began exiting their vehicles with their rifles to gun them down in the open streets.
"They really put her in this place?"
As more and more zombies fallen onto the ground, Xiaoyun quickly took out his phone and began dialing Houqin's number.
"Please pick up... Thank god."
"Xiaoyun! Can you save me please! I-I'm scared. T-There are zombies right outside the room I'm in."
Houqin nervously asked, her voice constantly stuttering as if she had been through some rough times while waiting.
"Are you alone right now? Do you know which hotel you're in?" Xiaoyun asked as the army suddenly came to a stop.
"I'm at a city comfort hotel. Please come quickly. I-I don't know if the zombies are going to break down the doors——Ah!"
As a banging sound started coming over the phone, Xiaoyun immediately took out a map, trying to find the exact location.
"Block the door with anything! Or just hide! Don't make any noise! I'm coming over right now... Driver, why are we stopped?"
"Um, the city comfort hotel is right next to us."
Looking over to the left, Xiaoyun immediately noticed the massive sign that said Comfort Hotel right at the doorstep.
"Shit!"
As Xiaoyun exited the vehicle and ran straight into the building, all of the soldiers in the other vehicles were a little confused.
"Commander! What are we doing next?" The walkie-talkie raised its voice as it rested on the back of the car.
The driver thought about it for a second, then picked it up himself as he copied what Xiaoyun did to turn the transmission on.
"Driver here. Commander just ran into the building... You guys might want to go inside and check. Over."
"Crap."
---
Climbing through the stairs, Xiaoyun shot his rifle with no care for attracting attention as he kept going up and up.
"Houqin, which floor are you on?"
"I-I don't know. I-It's pretty high up from the window. P-Please come quickly, the door hinges are starting to break!"
With more and more zombies killed inside the staircase, Xiaoyun soon found himself a little lost as there were five different floors to check.
"Is there really nothing you can see? Not even the room number?"
"I-It's too dark, I-I can't see! W-Wait, it's 404——Ah! The door——"
Xiaoyun immediately resumed going up the stairs, traveling from the third floor to the fourth floor, as the phone suddenly hung up on the other side.
"Shit shit shit!"
After running through all the steps, Xiaoyun finally arrived on the fourth floor. He runs through all the different rooms before finding 404 at the end.
The front door was already busted as he stormed into the room, only to find her holding a zombie back with a wooden plank.
"Bang!"
As the single gunshot killed the zombie, blood splattered all over her hair as she looked a little stunned.
"Houqin! You okay?" Xiaoyun urgently asked as he rushed over to her side, pushing the zombie off her body.
"I-I... Xiaoyun!"
Houqin suddenly burst into tears, falling onto his arms as he gently patted her on the back.
"It's okay, I'm here now. You don't have to worry about zombies anymore."
After sobbing for who knows how long, it suddenly stopped as several soldiers rushed into the room.
"Commander! The building is cleared!" A soldier yelled as soon as they saw the back of Xiaoyun's head.
"Good. Can you guys stay outside for a few——"
"I-It's fine. I-I can get up and leave."
As Houqin struggled to get up from the floor, Xiaoyun quickly grabbed her by the hand before carrying her in his arms.
"We're going back to Shaoguan."
---
Midnight soon arrived as Xiaoyun's army set up camp right outside an empty apartment row in Shaoguan.
Small groups of soldiers were patrolling the streets, with every block having its own patrol unit that watched over the entire city.
Not a single civilian roamed at night, as everyone knew there was a new visitor in the town that came unannounced.
"Houqin, you feeling better now?" Xiaoyun asked as she came out of the apartment's bathroom.
"Yeah. Xiaoyun, I-I..."
Seeing her struggling to make up her mind, Xiaoyun quickly walked over before guiding her over to the sofa.
"Relax, you don't need to tell me everything right now. If you're tired, you can go to sleep first——"
"Xiaoyun, I'm bitten."
The news made Xiaoyun freeze. He hadn't heard of those words for almost months now as he looked back at her in disbelief.
"You're bitten?"
She didn't say anything back, only lifted up her ripped pants to reveal a small bite mark right on her lower thighs.
"A-Am I going to die?"
Houqin quietly asked as her voice barely had any strength left, her eyes losing hope as if she knew it was already all over.
"Who said you're dead? No one had ever said you're dead. What if the bite mark is just some——"
"You don't have to comfort me. The zombie must have bit me earlier. Can you just give me a... quick death?"
Xiaoyun fell into silence. He himself knew there was no hope. There was no cure that could cure someone who's bitten.
"Please. I don't want you to see me as a zombie." Houqin pleaded as tears began to drop from her eyes again.
"I'm not going to kill you. There's still hope. You're not going to turn into a zombie. There has to be a way——"
Just as Xiaoyun was trying to think of a solution in his head, Houqin suddenly tried to reach over to his pocket to take out his pistol.
Fortunately, he was able to push her hands away easily. But her eyes looked hopeless as she fell onto the sofas.
"Please, I just want to die."
Seeing her made her request once again, Xiaoyun finally gave up as he couldn't think of a single solution in his head.
"Houqin, do you have any final words or wishes?"
"Please take care of my parents... Tell them I'm sorry for dying too young. I-I didn't—Ahem ahem, want a parent to outlive their children."
She started uncontrollably coughing a little as Xiaoyun quickly rushed to support her back up from the sofa.
"Hold on. There has to be a way. What if I can restructure your body? Surely that could work——"
Before Xiaoyun could try it out, Houqin pushed him back as she shook her head, rejecting his suggestion.