Chapter 55: A Race Against Time

The harrowing encounter with the sonic zombies had certainly made Big Gold Tooth and his two companions much more cautious while scouting ahead.

I didn’t even need to remind them; these shrewd individuals had learned their lesson and no longer made the mistake of drawing zombie attention.

However, despite their meticulous scouting, their pace was still painstakingly slow.

According to Big Gold Tooth, Brother Li’s factory was located in the western part of the city, directly opposite our current position in the east. Without proper transportation, it would likely take us a full day and night to reach it.

Such a journey would consume far too much precious time.

I still intended to collect as many crystal cores as possible in the early stages of the apocalypse. Once the government broadcasted the news that zombies harbored crystal cores in their brains, acquiring them would become significantly more challenging.

While zombies were undoubtedly dangerous, people would die for wealth just as birds would die for food. There would always be audacious individuals who set their sights on the crystal cores.

In the nascent days of the apocalypse, crystal core resources were exceedingly valuable. If possible, I had to collect them early to enhance my abilities.

Only after my abilities had been elevated could I cease to fear the threats posed by both zombies and small human factions, possessing ample power to protect myself.

Therefore, I could not afford to squander my time on travel.

‘You all wait here for a moment, I’m going to find a car.’

With this thought, I resolved to procure a vehicle as a means of transport, thereby solving the problem of our sluggish progress.

It was currently a rest period, and we were seated in the middle of a wide road. Many vehicles were parked along the roadside, appearing perfectly intact.

There weren’t many zombies here, so the road wasn’t severely obstructed.

Although I had several cars pre-stored in my spatial dimension, I did not wish to take one out.

As for why I didn’t directly retrieve a car from my space, firstly, I didn’t want others to discover my spatial ability. Secondly, with the apocalypse having just begun, consuming my stored vehicles seemed wasteful when I could simply find a usable substitute nearby.

Resources diminished with every use; they had to be conserved and utilized judiciously.

“Brother, can you drive?”

Upon hearing my sister’s hesitant question, I turned and offered her a confident smile.

“No problem, I’m an old hand at driving.”

My claim of being an ‘old hand’ was far from an exaggeration. In the ten years of the apocalypse, there wasn’t a type of vehicle I hadn’t mastered.

“Oh, an old hand, my apologies!”

“Brother Bai, got any resources? Send some my way.”

“Get lost! Resources are useless now that the zombies are out. Go ‘handle’ the zombies instead!”

However, the moment the words left my mouth, the expressions on my sister’s face and Big Gold Tooth’s trio shifted. Big Gold Tooth and his companions, in particular, uttered even more inexplicable remarks.

They wore expressions of sudden realization, their gazes at me filled with mischievous amusement.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Unsure what was wrong with those guys, I paid them no further mind and walked directly towards the side of the road.

Having just made my decision, I had already pinpointed my target.

I reached out and patted the hood of a black Land Rover. This type of off-road vehicle was perfectly suited for long journeys. If pursued by zombies, I could even use the front of the car to ram them away.

There was just a minor inconvenience. I bent down, observing the man seated in the driver’s seat, now a terrifying zombie, roaring incessantly at me through the car window.

However, the zombie was restrained by a seatbelt, preventing it from moving freely.

Seeing the seatbelt, I confidently opened the car door. Too lazy to draw the knife from my waist, I simply retrieved a dagger directly from my space and plunged it into the zombie’s temple.

The dagger pulverized the zombie’s brain, and I quickly withdrew it. I examined the black liquid and residue on the blade, knowing that this zombie’s brain contained no crystal core.

After killing the zombie in the car, I used the knife to cut the seatbelt, then tossed the corpse from the seat, clearing the space for me to start the vehicle.

I had initially assumed I would need to connect the two wires beneath the ignition lock to start the car. However, just as I threw the zombie out, I noticed the car keys lying on the passenger seat beside it.

Effortlessly acquired. I smiled, turning to wave at Big Gold Tooth and the others.

This was perfect. With a car as transportation, I would be able to meet Brother Li in just two or three hours.