After everyone else had climbed up, I slashed down another walker before running to the rope, sheathed my dagger, and grabbed hold of it.
Without stopping, I leapt upward and used all my strength to climb.
It was incredibly difficult — my arms just weren't strong enough.
At first, the walkers below were so close that their outstretched hands nearly brushed against my back.
Thankfully, Shen Feng and Suo Tian above pulled on the rope to help me up quite a bit.
Even so, by the time I reached the top, I was panting heavily and drenched in cold sweat.
After Suo Tian retrieved the rope and his throwing knives, he scanned the surroundings for a moment before saying, "Move back a bit. Don't let them see us — we'll wait until they scatter."
Then he reached out to help me to my feet.
Our group backed away about five or six meters until we were sure the walkers below couldn't see us.
Only then did I finally have a chance to catch my breath and look around.
By the light of the car headlights below, I realized this "cliff" wasn't actually a real cliff, but more like a stretch of rock wall, maybe a hundred meters long at most.
It wasn't connected to any mountain or slope on either end — more like a giant boulder jutting out of the ground.
Years of wind and rain had left layers of soil on top, enough for wild shrubs to grow densely over it.
From below, it did look like a small cliff.
The moaning of the walkers beneath us was still loud and piercing.
Just by the sound, I could tell that nearly all of them had gathered right below our rock.
I didn't need to look to know it must be packed with bodies down there.
The bearded man and the others skirted around the edge of the rock, checking both sides to make sure it was safe.
Once they were sure, they returned and reported to Suo Tian before collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.
Although our battle below hadn't lasted long, the sheer number of walkers had drained everyone's strength.
Watching them sit or lean against one another in twos and threes, I couldn't help but sigh softly.
Suo Tian sat down beside me.
Xu Shu and Shen Feng sat together, both looking utterly exhausted.
I asked, "Why did you two end up on the car roof in the first place?"
Xu Shu looked at me, took a couple of deep breaths, and replied, "I found two blankets in the car and wanted to take them to Uncle Gazi and the others. But just as I stepped out, I saw the walkers coming from a distance. Everything turned into chaos after that. Shen Feng came out to help, and when the walkers cornered us, we had no choice but to climb onto a taller car. Who knew it would have an alarm system? We really screwed up this time."
Her voice carried a hint of frustration at the end.
I offered a few words of comfort, then leaned against Suo Tian's shoulder and let out a long sigh.
I hadn't slept at all inside the car earlier, and after all that physical exertion, drowsiness began to wash over me.
I glanced around — there wasn't much else we could do right now anyway — so I rested my head on Suo Tian's shoulder, and within minutes, I drifted off.
But my sleep was anything but peaceful.
Not long after I dozed off, I felt droplets splashing onto my face.
Before I could lift my head from Suo Tian's shoulder, the sound of heavy rain pattering down reached us from a distance.
Seconds later, fat raindrops began to fall hard on us.
The downpour came fast and fierce, no lighter than the one from last night — in mere moments, all of our hair was soaked through.
Xu Shu and Shen Feng jolted awake, startled by the sudden rain.
After realizing what was happening, they simply stared up at the sky for a moment, then wiped their faces without saying a word.
And so the rain kept pouring, relentless and deafening, while we all sat there just as we were — because on this rocky ledge, there was simply nowhere to take shelter.
Fortunately, Uncle Gazi and the children, whose bodies were weaker, were still hiding safely inside the truck.
As for the rest of us, being relatively stronger, getting caught in the rain wasn't too big of a problem.
If anything, the downpour actually helped clear my groggy head after waking up.
The groans of the walkers below the rocky ledge were still as dense and chaotic as ever, though the car alarm had long since gone silent.
Dawn gradually broke, and the headlights from the car I'd turned on earlier were barely visible in the daylight.
If nothing unexpected happened, the horde would probably start dispersing within a day or two.
Once their numbers thinned out, dealing with the stragglers would be much easier.
We sat there for several hours, and still, the rain showed no sign of stopping.
Even though I prided myself on having a strong body, after sitting in the rain for hours, my head finally drooped — I could barely endure it anymore.
Suo Tian, who had been sitting quietly beside me, noticed my movement.
He glanced at me briefly, then silently turned his body and pulled me into his arms.
One hand pressed my head gently against his chest while his gaze drifted off into the distance again, lost in thought.
I lifted my head slightly to look at him.
His hair was soaked through, rainwater streaming down his chin in steady drops.
The rain hit my face hard enough that I had to bow my head again, resting it against his chest once more.
My body was still trembling slightly from the cold, but my heart was filled with warmth — a quiet sense of happiness and tenderness that spread through me despite the rain.
By noon, the rainfall finally began to ease a little.
We all stood up to stretch our stiff bodies, careful not to let the walkers below spot us.
After half a day, the noise from beneath had finally calmed somewhat.
The sky was still overcast and gloomy.
The middle-aged man speculated that there would probably be an even heavier storm tonight.
Hearing that, my face fell immediately — after spending just a few hours in this morning's rain, I already felt half-dead.
If the temperature dropped and it poured again all night, by morning they'd probably be holding a memorial service for me.
Suo Tian didn't say anything.
He stared off into the distance for a while before turning to me and asking quietly, "Are you cold?"
When I shook my head, he just nodded slightly and sat back down without another word.
Time passed slowly, and it really started to seem like we'd have to spend another night up here, just as the middle-aged man had predicted.
But just as the sky was beginning to darken, Suo Tian — who had been sitting silently the whole time — suddenly stood up.
He drew his blade and said, "We're going down. Into the city."
Before any of us could react, he pointed toward a small minibus parked at the outer edge of the vehicle convoy in the direction of the city.
"Bring the others. I'll be waiting for you in that van."
We all turned to look where he was pointing.
The black-clad men responded with a unified "Got it," and immediately began preparing to descend from the rock ledge.
I felt a twinge of worry — the walkers below might not have completely dispersed yet.
Wouldn't it be dangerous for Suo Tian to go alone?
But seeing his expressionless face, I bit back the words that rose to my lips.
I shook my head slightly.
Suo Tian wouldn't act without a plan.
He must have something in mind.
The middle-aged man quickly assigned the black-clad men into small tactical groups and then gave the order to move out.
Climbing down the rock was much easier than climbing up — all it took was a leap downward onto the roof of the nearest car.
As we set off, Suo Tian sprinted along the cliff to the other side, then leapt down swiftly.
He quickly dispatched a few walkers below and ran straight toward the minibus he had pointed out earlier...
Following right behind, Xu Shu, Shen Feng, and I jumped down as well.
Under the cover of the black-clad men, we ran toward the carriage where Uncle Gazi and the children were hiding.
By now, most of the walkers below had dispersed, though their numbers were still far from small.
Still, compared to last night, they were manageable.
The black-clad men coordinated perfectly.
With their tight protection, the three of us quickly made it to the carriage.
I banged hard on the door a few times and shouted, "Uncle Gazi! Yangyang! Hurry, open up! We're evacuating!"
A faint sound came from inside.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Zhou Wen glanced around cautiously before looking at us, saying nothing, and immediately signaling for the others inside to get out.
Jun Di held Tingyun, Yangyang pulled along Rongrong, Taozi carried Xiao Hu, and both Chen Pu and Zhou Wen drew their daggers to cover our retreat.
Together, we began crossing the chaotic hundred-meter stretch of jammed vehicles, heading quickly toward the minibus Suo Tian had pointed out.
With so many of us fighting, the walkers couldn't get close to Uncle Gazi's group.
Still, Xiao Hu and Tingyun cried loudly at the terrifying sight of us cutting down walkers.
Yangyang, seemingly afraid of frightening Rongrong, picked her up and kept signaling for her to cover her eyes.
Rongrong obeyed, pressing her hands tightly over her face.
As for Yiyi — who had vanished earlier — she suddenly darted out from under a nearby car, wagging her tail as she followed us.
Twisting and turning through the maze of abandoned vehicles took longer than expected.
When we finally reached the bus Suo Tian had already started, we climbed aboard and collapsed into the seats, too exhausted to even speak.
Suo Tian glanced back, likely confirming everyone was accounted for, then pressed down on the accelerator.
The vehicle rolled forward, heading toward the city...
A few remaining walkers trailed behind, but they couldn't keep up.
Within ten minutes, they were completely out of sight.
After driving for about half an hour, buildings and storefronts finally began appearing on both sides of the road.
Seeing those wide-open shop doors made me click my tongue — one of the habits I'd developed since the apocalypse was an almost irresistible urge to scavenge every time I saw a convenience store or supermarket.
There weren't many walkers in the city.
Perhaps it was because Suo Tian deliberately kept steering us through side streets and back roads — we barely encountered any large groups along the way.
At last, after one final turn, a tall building came into view in the distance.
The large sign at the top was hard to miss: "Second City Hospital."
When the bus reached the hospital gates, Suo Tian slammed the brakes, then turned to us and said, "We'll make camp here."
As the black-clad men got out, I turned my gaze to the building.
It looked like an ordinary hospital — and yet, perhaps because of the gloomy sky, or maybe because it stood isolated with no other structures around it, the whole place exuded an unsettling, eerie stillness.
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