Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Mutant Boar
Xiaotian woke up with her heart racing, her breath ragged, breaking the stillness of the early morning. She looked around, her eyes searching for Jiang Liushi, but found no trace of him in the cramped space of the minibus. "Brother Jiang?" she called out, her voice tinged with anxiety.
There was no response, only the echo of her own voice. The silence engulfed her, intensifying the beat of her heart. She was about to get up to search for him outside the vehicle when she heard the sound of running water. Her gaze followed the sound to a small compartment in the corner of the minibus.
As the water stopped, the bathroom door opened, and Liushi appeared, wearing only pants and his leg exoskeleton. He was drying his hair with a towel, completely unaware of Xiaotian's heightened state of alert. "Did you need something? I heard you calling," he asked, his calmness contrasting with her agitation.
Xiaotian quickly averted her gaze, blushing at the sight of Liushi's exposed torso, a sight she hadn't expected so early in the morning. "I... I thought you had gone out," she murmured, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Realizing her discomfort, Liushi deduced that she might have had a nightmare. "Maybe you should take a shower, it will help you relax," he suggested gently, trying to ease the tension.
The idea of a shower was tempting for Xiaotian, who felt dirty after almost a full day without proper cleaning. However, she hesitated, concerned about resources. "But the drinking water... Shouldn't we save it?"
Liushi gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that. We have plenty of water; I installed a water recycling mechanism in the minibus, and besides, we can always pump water from somewhere along the way." Liushi lied, not explaining the true capabilities of the AMF. "You can take your shower guilt-free."
Relief washed over Xiaotian along with the prospect of a warm shower. She nodded, grateful for Liushi's consideration. "Thank you, Brother Jiang. I think I really need it."
As Xiaotian prepared for the shower, Liushi returned to his tasks, adjusting some settings in the minibus and planning their next move. They still had a long way to go before reaching Zhuying University.
After a while, Xiaotian emerged from the bathroom visibly more relaxed, with her hair still damp, wearing clean clothes that Liushi had given her. The clothes were simple but comfortable. She approached Liushi, who was focused, adjusting and analyzing the screens on the dashboard. There was a lingering hesitation in her approach, a residual shyness from the earlier unintended intimacy.
"Brother Jiang, thank you for the shower... and for the clothes too," she said, her voice soft, echoing in the confined space of the vehicle.
Liushi looked away from the screens, turning his attention to Xiaotian with a slight nod. "There's no need to thank me," he replied. Xiaotian nodded, accepting his response and the calm atmosphere.
Liushi then pointed to one of the screens, which displayed a detailed map of the surrounding areas. "I've been analyzing the maps while you were in the shower," he began, his finger tracing a route across the screen. "The path we've chosen is relatively safe, away from densely populated areas."
Xiaotian leaned forward, observing the illuminated route on the digital map. The path wound through a mountainous region, isolated and seemingly quiet, but she could see that it was an extensive route.
"However," Liushi continued, his voice firm but calm, "the path is longer. But we should be able to cross the mountain by the end of the day."
Xiaotian looked at Liushi, trying to read his expressions. "So... maybe we'll need to travel early in the evening," she commented, more to herself than to him.
"Exactly," agreed Liushi, briefly returning his attention to the screens before looking out through the window. "But it's the best option we have. This path gives us the best chance of avoiding unwanted encounters with zombies and, potentially, other survivors who might not be friendly."
After their conversation, Liushi used his ability to open the gate of the workshop. After operating it once, he was able to use his ability to open it from inside the AMF.
The gate opened without them needing to leave the car, surprising Xiaotian, but she assumed Liushi must have fixed it the night before.
They stopped for a few minutes while Liushi filled the AMF's tank at the gas pump. He had no problem operating the pump, using his energy, he made the machine work perfectly. Soon, the minibus's tank was fully filled, and they wouldn't need to worry about it for a while.
With
the tank refueled, the two set off, leaving the station behind, continuing on their journey.
...
After the two hit the road, Liushi continued driving for several hours. Normally the journey would take less time, but even though it was a sparsely populated area, there were several abandoned or overturned cars in the streets, while some zombies tried to chase the minibus.
Moreover, from the start, the mountain road was relatively poor. With the addition of the chaos caused by the virus outbreak, the road only got worse. When the sun finally began to set, they were finally close to reaching a nearby town.
But Liushi thought it best to find a place to stop and spend the night, as he was also tired of driving. The areas near the town would be much more dangerous to drive at night.
They hadn't found any more places like the gas station they had encountered at the beginning, but fortunately, they had found plenty of food at the convenience store and still had more than half a tank of gasoline left.
Liushi maneuvered the minibus off the main road, finding a small incline covered by trees. "We'll spend the night here," he said, turning off the engine.
Xiaotian nodded. "I'll prepare something for us to eat," she said, heading to the small space that served as a kitchen at the back of the minibus.
As Xiaotian took care of the food, Liushi began checking the AMF systems. He adjusted the control panel screens, monitoring energy consumption, fuel levels, and other vital parameters to ensure everything was operating within norms. The quiet of the night only intensified his focus.
Suddenly, a loud and guttural roar cut through the night's silence, coming from somewhere very close. The sound was deep and menacing, causing both of them to shudder.
Xiaotian dropped a spoon she was holding, which clanged against the minibus floor. "What was that?" she asked, her voice trembling, as she nervously peered out the window.
Liushi quickly stood up, his expression tense as he turned off the interior lights to avoid attracting attention. "I'm not sure, but it seems we're not as alone as we thought," he whispered, cautiously peeking through the window.
Together, they observed the darkness, trying to discern any movement among the trees. The moon, only partially visible through sparse clouds, offered little light, transforming the surrounding forest into a labyrinth of shadows and indistinct shapes.
The trees in front then began to sway, and Liushi felt the AMF's structure tremble slightly with small vibrations, further heightening his anxiety.
[Nv.1 energy signature detected!] Starseed's voice echoed in Liushi's mind, making his hairs stand on end. He knew exactly what this meant; whatever it was, it had evolved just like him.
Seconds later, he saw a large shadow emerge from the trees. It was a giant boar, as large as the AMF, with huge tusks protruding from its mouth. Its red eyes glowed like two headlights in the darkness.
"Silence," he whispered low, causing Xiaotian to nod in terror.
The silence after Liushi turned off the lights was almost palpable, broken only by the distant sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Then, without warning, the giant boar let out a muffled roar, likely having caught their scent. Liushi's pupils immediately contracted in response to the imminent danger. He knew he had to act fast.
Without hesitation, Liushi jumped into the driver's seat and started the AMF's engine with a quick twist of the key. The minibus roared to life, its lights still off to avoid attracting more attention. He stepped on the accelerator, trying to move the vehicle away from the boar. But before he could gain distance, the huge creature slammed into the side of the minibus with a tremendous impact, causing the vehicle to sway violently to the side.
The impact was so strong that Xiaotian, who was half-distracted and unprepared, hit her head against the cabin side and instantly passed out. The side that was hit was precisely where Liushi was, causing significant damage to the AMF's structure. Starseed immediately began to issue a series of urgent alerts:
[Structural integrity compromised! Performing damage diagnostics.]
[30% damage to side structure!]
[40% damage to front tire!]
Liushi barely had time to register the warnings as the boar prepared for another attack, its teeth scraping metal as it tried to flip the minibus.
"Damn it!" Thinking fast, Liushi extended his hand and, with a mental command, a flamethrower leapt into his hand. Another mental command opened the driver's window.
"Giant damned pig! Didn't you have another vehicle to bother?!" Liushi cursed. Taking advantage of the boar's focus on using its tusk to try to flip the vehicle, Liushi aimed the flamethrower directly at one of the animal's glowing red eyes.
"Damn you!" he yelled as he pressed the trigger. A torrent of flames shot from the flamethrower, hitting the boar's eye. The animal recoiled with a cry of pain, the burned eye blinding it on one side, but this only enraged it further.
Now partially blinded and clearly furious, the boar backed away a few meters, preparing for a more devastating attack. Liushi knew he had a small window of opportunity. He quickly turned to the control
panel and initiated the charging of the air cannon, another innovation they had prepared for exactly such situations.
[Charging air cannon. Preparation for firing in 5... 4... 3...2...1]
As the boar charged again, with impressive speed despite its size, Liushi pressed the firing button. The air cannon, with a sound that cut through the night's silence, fired an invisible but powerful projectile, hitting the boar directly in the chest. The impact created a huge hole in the boar's chest, spilling blood to the sides and under the AMF structure.
The boar roared in pain, whimpering on the ground. Even with a massive wound in its body, it displayed an unmatched vitality. "You've got to be kidding me..." Liushi cursed. He couldn't use the air cannon again, not before the cooldown period ended.
"ACTIVATE COLLISION MODE!" he shouted. The AMF's structure changed to collision mode, with metal bars protecting the AMF's structure and a bumper emerging at its front.
Stepping on the accelerator and activating the acceleration mode, the AMF practically leaped like a beast toward the dying boar. In a second, the AMF collided with the boar.
*Roar*
The boar roared one more time, but this time, although still breathing, it lacked the strength to move.
Seeing this, Liushi clenched his teeth and stood up. Pulling out the bolt launcher, he slowly descended from the AMF, cautiously looking around.
Approaching the boar slowly, he assessed whether it still posed any danger. The boar was breathing weakly; getting closer, Liushi looked into the monster's eyes.
Even though it was just an animal, Liushi saw intelligence in its eyes, emotions. Anger, but also regret. "Don't blame me, I was just defending myself," he spoke with determination.
Raising the launcher, he aimed at the boar's eye and pressed the trigger. He knew the launcher wouldn't be able to penetrate the boar's skin, but the eyes were another story. The first bolt broke through the eye, the next ones digging deeper into the hole.
*Click* *Click*
Soon, only the sound of the trigger was heard, and no bolts were fired. Liushi breathed heavily, relieving his nerves, unaware that he had fired several shots and emptied the magazine of the weapon.
At least, he was sure the boar was now dead. "This... is going to be a lot of meat," he said to himself, evaluating the size of the boar's body.
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