City N, west of the city, at the Baizhang Road ramp.
A Husky dog, about the size of an adult stallion, stood vigilantly on the side of the road, turning its head as big as a rice bowl from time to time, looking back and forth to observe the surrounding situation.
Next to the giant dog stood two couples over fifty years old. They were looking anxiously into the distance, as if expecting something to appear on the deserted road.
The brick-red pickup truck had been started and stalled several times by the two of them. In the end, because the people they were waiting for hadn't arrived yet, they had to stay where they were.
"Honey, what time is it now?"
The woman glanced at the setting sun and asked.
She couldn't remember how many times she had asked her husband for the time. She only knew that her heart would tighten every time she heard the answer.
"It's three forty-five..."
The man in simple clothes answered, his eyes never leaving the intersection in the distance.
"It's already three forty-five... What should I do? Why hasn't my son come back yet... Could it, could it be..."
The woman seemed to have thought of something extremely terrible. Her originally calm words immediately choked up, and her red eyes were about to overflow with tears.
"No! If we wait a little longer, maybe our son has already rushed to us with Ah Si. Just wait a minute!"
The man's teeth were clenched, and the muscles on his face were beating slightly due to excessive exertion. He couldn't count how many times he looked at the time. Every time he looked at it, he regretted his original decision. .
You shouldn't let your son take risks alone!
"If...if..."
The woman choked, her words seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she couldn't spit them out or swallow them.
She didn't dare to express the possibility in her heart, or even think about it.
"No, it won't happen... My son will be fine. Don't talk nonsense! Don't think nonsense..."
Man, your face becomes more and more ugly, and the light of the sun in the sky has begun to become less intense. This is the prelude to the coming of night and the death knell of disaster.
"Three o'clock... My son said before three o'clock. Haha, this kid must not have estimated the time well. With his big personality, he must not have calculated the time to go back and forth. Let's wait, wait, maybe After waiting for five minutes, my son will be here..."
The man's voice was loud, as if to support his statement.
But this method doesn't seem to have much effect, and the worry in the words is clearly exposed through the trembling voice.
Although the man tried hard to restrain it, it was as if he was suppressing the possibility that he least wanted to see in his heart.
The two couples waiting there were Zhang Ning's father and mother.
And that husky, the size of an adult stallion, is the giant dog Mountain Cannon.
After Zhang Ning set out for Tu Zhiying's home, the two of them and the dog kept waiting there.
I don't know if it's because of the existence of mutated dogs or because there are very few zombies here at Baizhang intersection. During the waiting period, not a single zombie came near here.
Despite this, Zhang's father and Zhang's mother still didn't have much relaxed look on their faces, because the appointed time had arrived long ago, but Zhang Ning's return was not seen at the intersection.
Just when the two of them were extremely anxious, the giant dog that had been silent suddenly raised its ears, sniffed in the distance, and barked twice.
"Mountain cannon? Why did the mountain cannon scream suddenly?"
Zhang's mother Tu Yunxiao noticed the change in the mountain cannon immediately. The expression on her face was condensed at first, and then a hint of suspicion appeared.
"Is it possible that there are zombies around? Let me check. You go back to the car first."
Father Zhang also noticed something strange about the giant dog. He frowned and looked around vigilantly.
But everything around him was normal, not even a mouse was seen, let alone any zombies.
"Strange, no zombies appeared, what do you call the mountain cannon..."
Touching the giant dog's neck with one hand, the thick dog hair gave Zhang's father a sense of peace in his heart. He looked past the dog's head in front of him and looked into the distance.
After crossing the barrier composed of abandoned vehicles, the intersection in the distance seemed to be no longer silent. There was a low hum in the air, which seemed to be there, like an auditory hallucination.
"There seems to be some sound..."
Zhang's mother Tu Yunxiao's ears were relatively sensitive and she was the first to notice the changes in her surroundings.
"When you say that, it's really...huh? This is the sound of an engine!"
Father Zhang echoed, and as he listened attentively, the expression on his face changed from suspicion to surprise, and finally a smile broke out.
"It's my son! It's the sound of my son's motorcycle! This kid must be back with Ah Si!"
Just as he said, the low humming sound coming from the distance began to get louder and louder, and a small black spot suddenly appeared on the deserted road, which continued to grow larger as time went by, accompanied by the sound of Du Cady’s instantly recognizable engine roar.
"Quick, get in the car and start the car first!"
Although Zhang's father was urging his wife, his feet seemed to have taken root and he stood still without moving at all.
This middle-aged man used his eyesight to the extreme in order to be able to clearly see the figure on the motorcycle one second in advance.
However, as the distance between the motorcycle and the pickup truck gradually shortened, the smile on the man's face began to fade away, until it finally disappeared completely.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
The mountain gun's forelimbs were lying on the ground, and its whole body was like a bow filled with power, grinning and pointing in the direction of the motorcycle.
Compared to Zhang's father and Zhang's mother, the mutant beast Shan Pao has sharper five senses, which is why it was the first to discover the motorcycle.
While Zhang's father was still struggling to identify the figure on the motorcycle, Shan Pao had already seen everything clearly.
But what puzzled him was that although his owner Zhang Ning was not in the car, Zhang Ning's scent lingered in the air.
Baimeng book
"Mountain gunner, don't scream!"
Father Zhang stepped forward in two steps, comforted Shan Pao, looked at the motorcycle stopped in front of him, and took a deep breath.
He had already seen clearly that the person driving the motorcycle was Tu Zhiying, the fourth son of the Tu family.
On the back seat of the motorcycle, except for two backpacks, one large and one small, there was nothing else.
"Ah Si! Ah Si, just be okay!"
Zhang's mother, who had started the pickup truck in advance, got out of the car at some point and gave Tu Zhiying a huge hug emotionally.
However, Tu Yunxiao clearly felt that the current atmosphere seemed a bit strange.
The joy of the sisters' reunion seemed to be obscured by something. Tu Zhiying's face was too numb to look like a living person. Even the body in her arms was as stiff as a corpse. Apart from the dull breathing and heartbeat, she could no longer feel any excess. Emotions.
"Where's Zhang Ning..."
After repeatedly confirming that there was no one on the back seat of the motorcycle, Zhang's father mumbled and asked, as if he was just waking up from a dream.
But Tu Zhiying, who was riding the motorcycle, did not answer Zhang's father's inquiry. She was like a puppet whose soul had been taken away by the devil, repeating meaningless words.
"Baizhang intersection... Baizhang intersection..."
The wide eyes were soon filled with tears, like broken beads, falling one after another.
On a motorcycle.
"Where is Zhang Ning? Where is my son!"
The bad guess in his heart was infinitely magnified by Tu Zhiying's crying. At this time, Tu Yunxiao also realized that something was wrong. He held his sister's shoulders with both hands and asked in the calmest tone possible.
"Ah Si, where is Zhang Ning? Where are the others? Didn't they come with you?"
Zhang's mother did not ask whether her son had met the other party, but directly asked about Zhang Ning's whereabouts.
Because the motorcycle Tu Zhiying rode was the Ducati that Zhang Ning rode away earlier, the meeting between the two was inevitable.
But since they met, why didn't they return together?
"Ningning, he..."
Hearing her sister's inquiry, Tu Zhiying finally reacted, mechanically raising her tear-stained cheeks, her eyes full of sadness and despair.
"Say it quickly!"
Zhang's father has a relatively straightforward temper. Seeing that his son was missing, his mood became irritable.
"Ning Ning is dead...killed by zombies..."
Every word in Tu Zhiying's mouth was like a sharp ice pick, piercing into the hearts of Zhang's father and Zhang's mother again and again.
When the worst premonition in the heart becomes a reality, it will be a huge blow to the two parents.
"What did you say?! Ah Si, don't talk nonsense! Think carefully about whether Zhang Ning is following you or will be here soon!"
Compared to Zhang's rational father, Zhang's mother, Tu Yunxiao, obviously still didn't believe what her sister said. She shook her sister desperately, trying to see a hint of joking on her face.
But Tu Zhiying's ashen face didn't have the look she wanted to find at all.
"No... no... definitely not..."
Mother Zhang wanted to ask something more, but the sudden barking of a dog interrupted her words. Not long after she calmed down, the mountain gun started barking again. Both the sound and frequency were far higher than before.
And compared to the previous vigilance, not only did the mountain gun crawl down this time, but even the dog hair on its body stood on end. If you look closer, you can feel the giant dog's body trembling slightly.
Just like when a person is frightened to a certain level, his whole body will involuntarily shake and tremble.
Sensing something strange about the mountain cannon, Father Zhang looked in the distance in the direction of the dog's head.
The road where Tu Zhiying appeared was already crowded with zombies at some point, and they were pouring in towards the Baizhang intersection.
"Don't ask yet! Get in the car first!"
"No, my son hasn't come yet! I have to wait for my son!"
Zhang's mother said in a panic, her hands still clutching Tu Zhiying's clothes with no intention of letting go.
"Walk!"
Disturbed and the situation was urgent, Zhang's father yelled, grabbed the two women with his hands on the left and right, and dragged them towards the pickup truck.
Tu Zhiying was like a puppet without consciousness, letting her father drag her without resisting.
But Zhang's mother, Tu Yunxiao, struggled desperately to stop Zhang's father's actions.
"My son hasn't come back yet! My son hasn't come back yet! I won't leave! I have to wait for him!"
Seeing that he could not drag his wife, Zhang's father had no choice but to drag Tu Zhiying to the car and then turn back.
Looking at Zhang's mother slumped on the ground, Zhang's father felt unhappy.
He heard clearly what Tu Zhiying said just now, Zhang Ning was dead and was killed by zombies.
The last thing I wanted to see was the result, but it still happened...
