Chapter Thirty-Six: The Couple's Downfall

The culprit who had infuriated the pair of young ladies had already made a clean getaway, caring not a whit for the fate of his partners in crime. He floored the gas pedal repeatedly, as if fuel was free, boosting the speed of the Red Bird to its limit. Overtaking countless cars along the way, he surged to the front of the pack.

Zheng Nanfang was still keeping an eye on the Red Bird, but as for Hu Bi, it was unclear whether he was simply too confident in Zheng Nanfang’s abilities, or whether the rush of adrenaline had drowned out his reason and sentiment. He charged ahead, utterly disregarding everything else.

The cost of such reckless speeding was that, not long after the race had begun, a third of the Red Bird’s fuel tank was already gone.

It was only now that Hu Bi seemed to remember he had a friend competing alongside him. He gradually slowed down, squinting into the rearview mirror.

Behind the Red Bird, only a few scattered vehicles followed. The main group had long since been left far behind. If Hu Bi kept up his previous speed, he’d soon catch up to travelers on the main road—provided he had enough fuel.

He pulled out the half-smoked cigar from his jacket pocket, which he’d been reluctant to light, and bit down on it. As he peered into the pitch-black road ahead, he muttered to himself, “I’ve left them this far behind… could those two girls have really taken them out?”

No one answered Hu Bi’s question. His speed dropped, allowing the other drivers behind him to seize the chance to accelerate and overtake the Red Bird.

Hu Bi didn’t mind. He was familiar with the route for the first stage. As long as nothing unexpected happened along the way, he’d have no trouble reaching the checkpoint ahead of time.

Leisurely, he drove for a while. The surrounding wilderness began to show signs of vegetation, from low shrubs to wild, overgrown grasses. Ahead, the outline of a dense forest seemed to emerge.

The resilience of plants and animals far surpassed that of humans. No matter how the world changed, no matter how time passed, as long as there was sunlight and dew, they would survive generation after generation.

...

Approaching the forest, the drivers slowed their vehicles. Some who weren’t familiar with the route regretted following the Viper and Red Bird on this shortcut.

This forest had never been maintained by human hands; it was wild and untamed. Judging by its size, who knew how many years it had grown here? In the dead of night, if a car got stuck among the tangled roots, it would be a real problem.

Some cautious drivers turned their cars around, choosing to circumnavigate the forest, even if it meant using more fuel—they refused to take risks. The reckless ones, however, didn’t even consider the dangers of the natural environment. Following a “kill the gods and slay the Buddhas” mentality, they barreled into the woods, shouting as they went.

Hu Bi, this time, played it smart. He slowed down, not just to smoke a cigar and wait for Zheng Nanfang.

He’d traveled this road months ago. Whether the forest was passable, he didn’t know, but he was clear on the direction to take if one needed to detour.

Watching the crowd scatter in all directions, none taking the proper path, Hu Bi laughed so hard his beard trembled.

“Stupid birds, take your time circling around. Just don’t circle back to Raw Meat Town,” he snickered viciously, then drifted near the narrow path that would return to the main road. He parked there, intending to wait for the Viper’s group.

Dawn was approaching; faint light seeped through the clouds, painting the sky a chilly blue-black. The moon had not yet disappeared, stars still sparkled, though less distinctly.

Hu Bi got out to relieve himself, faintly hearing the sounds of chaos from the forest—likely some unlucky fool had taken a dead-end and gotten their car stuck among the roots.

“A bunch of nitwits,” Hu Bi shook his head gleefully, muttering, “Don’t know the route, yet they join a road race.”

To be fair, he only knew this area well. From the next checkpoint onward, most place names were unfamiliar to him. He had no right to mock others here.

Bored, he waited a long while, but the convoy behind still hadn’t caught up. Hu Bi considered taking a nap. Rubbing his eyes, he saw someone stumble out of the woods.

A woman.

Hu Bi stared, pulling from the Red Bird a well-maintained Model 92 pistol, squinting at the staggering figure and silently flicking off the safety.

The figure nearly crawled and tumbled out of the forest, but Hu Bi saw no signs of anyone pursuing her. Once she got up, she headed straight toward the Red Bird.

“Hm?” Hu Bi became curious, neither dodging nor hiding. He turned on the car’s headlights, illuminating her path, and recognized her face.

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By coincidence, she was from the group Hu Bi and Zheng Nanfang had discussed robbing before the race began.

Hu Bi’s target group consisted of a man and a woman, both dressed like office workers, driving a modified business vehicle packed with supplies.

“Runs pretty fast,” Hu Bi chuckled inwardly. He hadn’t seen their car during his wild dash, meaning it was among the first batch. He’d assumed all the first group took the highway, but apparently some tried the shortcut and ended up in a ditch.

The woman looked panicked, hair disheveled, jacket missing, shirt buttons undone, her ample chest trembling as she ran, blood streaking her face… It didn’t seem to be a car accident.

Hu Bi glanced back; still no sign of the convoy. He got out, raised his gun from afar, and shouted, “Enough, don’t come any closer.”

The woman seemed not to hear and kept running.

Hu Bi didn’t want to waste bullets, so he reached in and pressed the horn. She paused, slowly stopping in her tracks.

Perhaps the Red Bird’s headlights were too bright; she shielded her face with her hand, unable to see Hu Bi or his gun.

“Whether you’re running for your life or whatever, go around. Don’t come in range. Let’s mind our own business,” Hu Bi, usually quick-tempered, was decisive when it mattered, even more so than Zheng Nanfang.

Had Zheng Nanfang been waiting here, seeing a woman fleeing in panic, he wouldn’t have helped, but might have asked what happened.

Hu Bi, by contrast, kept his distance and gave her no chance to entangle him.

Exhausted from running, the woman bent double, gasping for breath, unable to speak for several moments.

Hu Bi said nothing more, sizing her up… Mature, alluring—a top-tier beauty, just his type.

If given a choice between Shaman and this woman, Hu Bi would pick the latter without hesitation.

Shaman was too inexperienced, lacking this woman’s charm.

After a long while, the woman finally caught her breath, collapsing to the ground, pleading tearfully, “I have no weapon, no ill intent… Please help me.”

“Don’t get in the way. If you want to cry, do it somewhere else,” Hu Bi rolled his eyes, thinking he wasn’t new to the lower city—he’d seen plenty of such feigned weakness and honey traps. As if Hu Ye would fall for that.

Her sobs turned to desperate, broken pleas, ignoring his refusal. “Please help me… I beg you… I told him we shouldn’t join this race… He wouldn’t listen… What am I supposed to do now…”

Hu Bi sneered, “Then just quit the race.”

“It’s too late, all too late.” She wailed, “You died quickly enough… but what am I supposed to do… How can a woman survive…”

Her crying grated on Hu Bi’s nerves; he couldn’t help but say, “Hey, can you go a little farther away to howl?”

She ignored him, screaming hysterically, “I’m about to die anyway, why do you care where I cry? If you’ve got the guts, kill me!”

Hu Bi was taken aback—he’d expected a honey trap, not a tantrum. He’d been watching; there was no sign of an ambush in the forest, and at this distance, unless there was a sniper, there was no threat. If there were, he’d have been shot the moment he stepped out of the car.

“Fine, fine, you win,” Hu Bi spat. Her sobbing became broken whimpers, so he reluctantly tried to converse: “What’s the matter? Don’t take on what you can’t handle—first race, and you’re already like this?”

She wiped her tears, choking out, “What can I do? My husband insisted on racing, I couldn’t stop him… He did it for me and the child, hoping to win a chance to take us to the upper city…”

Hu Bi raised his brows, about to speak.

“Now he’s gone, and there’s no hope for me or the child,” she said bleakly.

Hu Bi couldn’t help but feel for her—a world that forced good people to desperate acts. Compared to most who raced for blood and thrill, this group was pitiful. Before entering the race, they’d likely been honest folk. But with a child on the way, the man’s sense of responsibility drove him to gamble for their future, knowing life in the wasteland was no place to raise a child.

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“Where’s the child?” Hu Bi asked.

She sobbed, touching her belly, choking out, “Not born yet… Poor thing, probably won’t get the chance… Maybe it’s better this way, being born into this world is a disaster… Dying painlessly is a comfort.”

“Sigh, why did you have to push yourselves?” Hu Bi sniffed, making idle conversation, “The upper city is good, but you need the skill to get in. The lower city might be rough, but you can survive—why bet your whole family’s life for a thrill? You weren’t meant to race.”

She nodded, crying, but could say no more.

“Brother, just give me an end,” she said after a long silence, raising her tear-streaked face to Hu Bi. “I don’t want to wait alone for death. I don’t know if the virus will be painful… Please, kill me.”

Hu Bi took a deep drag, caught off guard by her request, coughing. He replied, “Forget it, Hu Ye isn’t a good man, but I can’t bring myself to harm a pregnant woman. You’ll have to ask someone else.”

She looked devastated, forcing a smile, pulling open her shirt to reveal bruises on her chest. “Those people are animals… If I fall into their hands, living is worse than dying…”

Hu Bi said nothing, his gaze dropping to her skirt… Her stockings were torn, underwear gone… It was clear what she’d suffered in the forest.

“Sigh.” Hu Bi felt helpless—he’d only wanted to wait for Zheng Nanfang, but instead found a woman in misery. Yet, who wasn’t suffering outside the upper city these days?

“It’s alright, brother, killing me would be a kindness. I wouldn’t blame you, I’d be grateful,” she said, crawling slowly to the Red Bird, looking at his gun, then at the car. “I get it, you don’t want to waste bullets… Well, you could run me over, or strangle me, anything, just make it quick so I don’t suffer anymore…”

Hu Bi was speechless, seeing her words become increasingly outrageous. “I’m not some pervert, stop it. I won’t kill you.”

She stared at him in despair, then lowered her head, removed her shirt, and asked quietly, “Do you want anything? Anything… anything is fine.”

“No, no, I’m allergic to pregnant women,” Hu Bi waved his hands, feeling dizzy. “Here, I’ll give you a rope. Go find a sturdy tree.”

She looked around, then smiled in relief. “Thank you, brother.” She stood, wrapped her shirt around herself, and added, “You’re a good man. I won’t take your rope for nothing. Our car is still inside, packed with food and supplies. If you want, take it as thanks.”

Hu Bi, searching for rope in the trunk, was surprised. “The supplies are still there?”

“Yes, lots. We barely ate anything…” Which made her tear up again.

Hu Bi frowned, “What happened to you two? Didn’t get robbed?”

She hesitated, dazed, “N-no… He wasn’t familiar with the road, and the car flipped into a ditch…”

“So what happened to you?”

She saw Hu Bi gesture toward her lower body, and understood. “After the crash, I panicked, ran into the woods for help, and met another group… Seeing I was alone, they…”

Hu Bi didn’t know what expression to wear. That group must’ve been idiots, assaulting the woman but leaving the supplies untouched.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Hu Bi suddenly had an idea. “I’ll take your supplies, and you shouldn’t rush to die. Get in my car.”

“Huh?” She was stunned, not understanding.

Hu Bi sighed, “You’re lucky to run into me—anyone else would’ve finished you off.”