Chapter 9: Ambush and Peril

The hard metal composite bow slammed heavily onto Jiang Yi’s arm!

“Ah!” The excruciating pain, as if his palm had been run over by a car, made Jiang Yi cry out in agony. Holding his left hand with his right, he looked down to see his entire left hand visibly swollen, a large purple-red lump oozing dark crimson bruises.

Before Jiang Yi could even react to what had just happened, Guo Hanxue had already risen swiftly, nocked an arrow, and drawn the sleek black composite longbow taut once more.

“Whoosh!” The sound of the arrow slicing through the air struck terror into Jiang Yi. He never expected this woman to actually shoot! Ignoring the pain in his left hand, he rolled desperately, narrowly dodging the deadly arrow. The arrow grazed his hair and slammed into the granite floor with a solid thud. The floor was incredibly hard; the arrow only made a small hole before bouncing off. However, a small stone shattered by the impact flew up like a blade, slashing across Jiang Yi’s cheek, burning fiercely as liquid trickled down his face.

Jiang Yi had no time for any of this. He cursed loudly, “Are you crazy? You lunatic woman!” Swearing, he turned and bolted from the room, sprinting toward the stairs.

Guo Hanxue, furious, fired another arrow in pursuit. But Jiang Yi had already slipped out of the room, the titanium-tipped arrow only finding vent in the solid wood doorframe.

“You won’t escape!” Guo Hanxue’s hands moved with lightning speed, and as she released the arrow, she dashed after him. The two arrows missed their mark entirely, and a flicker of hesitation flashed across her eyes. But thinking of the deception she’d suffered, there was no time to dwell; she pursued relentlessly.

As an archer, Guo Hanxue had exceptional eyesight and was intimately familiar with the terrain. Even in the pitch-black space, she tracked Jiang Yi’s movements with unwavering precision.

Listening to the sounds of pursuit behind him, Jiang Yi seethed inwardly. If only he had his knife in hand, he wouldn’t let a woman like her bully him. But after losing repeatedly to this woman and recognizing her formidable skill, he knew better than to fight. For now, running was the wiser choice; there would be time to regain his footing later.

Unexpectedly, Guo Hanxue’s speed was astonishing. Jiang Yi had barely scrambled to the fifth floor when a fierce gust of wind whooshed past his ear. He ducked and rolled instinctively, just as a blade-like rush of air swept over his head.

“Crash!” The arrow zipped past his head and struck the glass ahead, shattering the entire window with a deafening roar. Startled, Jiang Yi looked up in disbelief. The entire plastic window was blasted apart, countless shards flying outward. The sheer penetrating force even warped the plastic window frame itself.

“Damn, how can a bow have such power?” Jiang Yi was genuinely terrified. This terrifying force was something even a handgun couldn’t match.

All thoughts of revenge vanished. He just wanted to run far from this fierce woman. After missing three shots in a row, Guo Hanxue’s breathing became heavy with frustration and anger. Stomping her foot angrily, she pursed her lips and resumed the chase.

Jiang Yi didn’t dare look back, only burying his head and running for his life. When he reached the fourth floor, he saw the zombie he had kicked down earlier struggling to climb back up after ten hours of effort. Jiang Yi showed no mercy, delivering another flying kick that sent the zombie tumbling back down.

As he prepared to escape while the zombie was still down, a sly smile spread across his face. Instead of running, he turned and stormed through the fourth floor, kicking through every door he passed. Glass shattered beneath his boots, and several door handles flew off.

By the time Guo Hanxue caught up on the fourth floor, Jiang Yi had already kicked open over a dozen rooms. Without knowing what he was up to, she raised her bow and shot.

Jiang Yi, mentally exhausted, dropped to the ground just in time to dodge the arrow. Turning, he yelled at Guo Hanxue, “You crazy woman—if you’ve got the guts, come catch me! Otherwise, sooner or later, I’ll be the one to take you down!”

His words, spoken in anger, reminded Guo Hanxue of past grievances. Her eyes reddened with fury. “You won’t get another chance. Today, I will bring justice!” She said as she drew another arrow from her quiver.

Jiang Yi rolled his eyes, got up, and ran. “Justice? Why don’t you go overthrow the Qing dynasty while you’re at it!”

Knowing reason was useless now, Jiang Yi dashed madly toward the opposite staircase on the corridor.

“Boom!” Expecting another arrow, Jiang Yi instinctively ducked at the sound behind him. But instead of an arrow, there came frantic thuds and growls.

Turning, he saw several dark shapes bursting through a broken door, blocking Guo Hanxue’s path. Seeing she couldn’t catch up, Jiang Yi smirked and headed up to the sixth floor, where his knife was. With it, he might not be able to defeat the madwoman, but at least he could defend himself.

Just as he stepped onto the stairs to the fifth floor, a terrified scream rang from behind: “Help! Don’t come closer...”

Jiang Yi froze. This ruthless woman wouldn’t be afraid of a few ordinary zombies. It had to be some kind of trick. He took a few steps upward when a loud explosion echoed from the fourth floor, as if something had blown apart.

The entire fourth floor erupted into chaos. The zombies of the Dark Night were stronger and more feral; their furious pounding on the doors grew louder and more frequent.

Many doors on the fourth floor, already damaged by Jiang Yi, were violently broken open one after another.

Guo Hanxue’s face turned pale. She fired arrows rapidly, each one striking zombies in the forehead, felling them. But the horde surged forward like starving tigers. While retreating, she reached for her quiver—only to find it empty. Her face drained of color.

Her remaining arrows had been completely exhausted, and ten or more zombies had gathered around her.

Among women, Guo Hanxue was remarkably composed. Facing such a scene, she did not scream like an ordinary girl. Gritting her teeth, she wielded her metal composite bow as a blunt weapon.

Despite her slender frame, Guo Hanxue possessed surprising strength. One swing of the bow shattered the eyes of a zombie before her, causing it to collapse in a gruesome death.

After that single brutal strike, her complexion paled even more. Compared to her excellent ranged skills, her close combat experience was almost nonexistent. Yet killing one zombie had already accelerated her breathing.

Realizing she could not handle so many zombies, Guo Hanxue suddenly raised her hand as if gathering energy, then thrust it forward with full force. A pale blue light, like moonlight, shot from her palm, halting two charging zombies instantly. Thin lines of blood appeared on their necks before their bodies collapsed, their heads rolling like deflated balls at her feet.

The blue light continued unabated, striking and severing two more zombies before crashing through a fragile window, blasting all the glass outward. The immense destructive power stunned the zombies, and Guo Hanxue turned to flee.

However, she failed to notice a severed head she had cast aside lying at her feet. As she stepped on it, her foot twisted sharply, and she cried out in pain, falling to the ground. The zombies quickly descended upon her, clawing and biting in a frenzy.

Her iron bow was flung aside. Sharp claws raked across her arms and torso. One zombie bit her calf viciously. The searing pain and fear of death made her scream aloud, “Help! I don’t want to die... I don’t want to become a zombie!”

“Get up and fight, you damned woman! Stop lying there waiting to die!” A furious roar came from outside the horde. The surge of survival instinct snapped Guo Hanxue back to her senses. She grabbed a nearby zombie’s head and slammed it fiercely against the wall.

Nearby, a figure wielding an iron chair struck wildly at the zombies surrounding Guo Hanxue, trying to protect her. Though not particularly strong, the blows were forceful enough for Jiang Yi to dispatch two zombies attempting to break in.

Seeing Guo Hanxue fighting back, Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He braced the chair against an advancing zombie but was pushed back step by step by its immense strength.

Jiang Yi knew he wasn’t a match for them. Twisting his agile body, he dodged the zombie’s attack, kicked it down, and raised the chair to strike again. Suddenly, two more zombies abandoned their pursuit of Guo Hanxue and lunged at him.

Though faster than before, Jiang Yi was still vulnerable. A moment’s inattention saw him toppled by the zombies. Panicked, he struggled to hold them off.

One zombie crawled up on all fours and bit Jiang Yi’s shoulder. Pain shot through him as he screamed and elbowed it away. However, another zombie grabbed the iron chair from his hands.

Weaponless, Jiang Yi’s screams were drowned out as multiple zombies overwhelmed him.

Guo Hanxue’s face turned pale. “No!” She cried out, witnessing everything. She flung off a zombie trying to attack her and rushed to help Jiang Yi, but the bite on her calf bled profusely, causing her to stagger and nearly fall.

The surrounding zombies quickly blocked any path between her and Jiang Yi once again.