The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Pure Girl Zhang Mu looked around. As he thought, he had been surrounded by over 200 walking dead. The closest walking dead was only about thirty meters away. If there was nothing out of the norm, these walking dead should’ve  already pounced at him to tear him to pieces without any hesitation. However, they only stared at Zhang Mu viciously, but none of them took a step forward. Zhang Mu thought that it was because the white light column behind him was gradually stabilizing. Being bound by the rules, they couldn’t cross the border.

Over 200 walking dead whose strength were about three times stronger than common first-ranked walking dead… Even though Zhang Mu had strengthened himself using the potions, he didn’t dare to look down on them. He rapidly analysed the best escape route in his mind. Sigh. If he could hide in the Era shop till the end of the debugging period, that would be great. But Zhang Mu immediately gave up this idea. The Era Trade Caravan didn’t need waste, whether it was of time or of ressources. You must show your own potential of evolution or business ability to them, so that you wouldn’t be eliminated by their rules. Zhang Mu had a feeling in his heart that No. 37 was related to this. Perhaps he had made No. 37 lose too much profit, so No. 37 decided to let these walking dead teach him a lesson. Well, I did take  away your most expensive goods, but why are you being so stingy? Zhang Mu remembered that in his previous life, No. 37 normally would clean up the nearby area, creating a security zone for him after each trade. Zhang Mu scolded No. 37 in his heart, but now, he did not have a second choice. Suddenly, the white light column behind Zhang Mu narrowed the range and reduced a little of the pressure it put on the walking dead. With that, the walking dead immediately came closer. Zhang Mu could clearly see several walking dead’s bloody faces and their dark yellow sharp teeth. Oh, shit. It was really No. 37’s trick! Zhang Mu shouted all the filthy words he could remember in his heart. Are you trying to kill me?! Staring at the swarm of walking dead, Zhang Mu looked back from time to time. The white column behind him flashed again. Taking this chance, Zhang Mu drew out the tailored Tang sword from his back and tightly held it in one of his hands. The cold sword handle let his impetuous heart quickly calm down. His eyes glanced around quickly. Got it! Zhang Mu had an idea. He moved while holding the sword aslant, the tip was close to the ground, but did not touch it. He ran with a normal speed towards the southwest, where it looked easy to break through the walking dead’s encirclement. Although the walking dead didn’t dare to step forward due to the white column, since the delicious food was walking to them by himself, they naturally wouldn’t waste this opportunity. They opened their bloody mouths wide and waited Zhang Mu to fall into their snare. At the same time, the walking dead at other places also saw this. They didn’t want their food run away, so they all flocked to this direction. Zhang Mu was getting closer and closer to the walking dead. Under three seconds, the distance between Zhang Mu and the walking dead was already less than ten meters. If the other walking dead also reached here and surrounded him, his escape plan would be totally failed. I hope this idea can be successful. Zhang Mu whispered in his heart. Fortunately, the situation went exactly according to Zhang’s guess. In walking dead’s atrophic brains, they didn’t understand what “same kind” was. In their eyes, there were only two things in the world: food and obstacle. Other walking dead were obviously obstacles in their eyes. The walking dead in the southwest didn’t move. They were waiting for Zhang Mu to come into their mouths by himself. However, the other walking dead just wouldn’t let it become true. They pushed away the walking dead in the southwest. Some walking dead had even been pushed to the ground and were crushed by others. The walking dead in the southwest were lesser in number, but they naturally refused to be robbed of their food. They immediately stood up and pushed away all the other walking dead they could see. Everything became a mess. In addition, the walking dead also feared getting closer to the white column and this finally allowed a great opportunity for Zhang Mu. Zhang Mu suddenly sped up. He increased his speed four times instantly, then ran towards the side of the encirclement. The walking dead were provoked by his actions. They formed a mighty torrent and flowed to Zhang Mu. Some walking dead had been crushed by the flow even before they realized what was happening. Zhang Mu ran full speed along the circle of walking dead, chopping down one walking dead’s head after another. However, even though there were no walking dead that could stop him, his speed was still slowed down due to that. The walking dead were going to surround him again. Two seconds later, Zhang Mu finally ran to the weakest point of the siege. There were only two layers of walking dead in front of him now. He brandished his sword, chopping down one of the monster’s head, then stamped and jumped on the headless body, kicking backward at his full strength. With the force he gained from the push, he leapt through the last circle of walking dead and easily escaped from the circle. The walking dead immediately turned around and pounced at Zhang Mu. Naturally, he wouldn’t get caught by them. He increased his speed several times again. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. “Huff… huff…” Zhang Mu couldn’t run at his full speed too long. He found a direction that looked free of potential pursuers and kept running. On when Zhang Mu rushed into an alley, did he finally stop. His face was slightly red due to the strenuous activity. He gasped for air for a while, then gradually adjusted his breathing. Zhang Mu walked through the alley and didn’t see any walking dead. It seems that this was really a remote place. Right now, Zhang Mu was standing in front of an old, dilapidated bungalow. It should be a warehouse. The doors had been opened and looked that it had been searched by wandering walking dead before. Zhang Mu hesitated for a while, considering whether or not he should go in and take a rest. Zhang Mu looked around and sighed. It seemed that there were no better choice than this warehouse. He held his sword in front of his chest, then pushed the broken wooden door open, stepping into the warehouse. Once he walked into the house, the lights from the street were completely drowned by the darkness. In the gloom, Zhang Mu carefully tried to identify any sound that may be around. Suddenly, with his approach, he heard faint breathing sound. Zhang Mu’s footsteps were steady. He walked forward step by step, listening to the breathing gradually becoming hard. It’s a human! Zhang Mu immediately stopped. He drew out a lighter from his backpack and lighted a white candle, observing his surroundings with the candle’s leaping flames. There was another door! It was thickened with a layer of aluminum alloy. There were only a few scratch marks on the door. No wonder the person behind the door could escape from the walking dead’s hunting. He said in a gentle voice, “My friend, I’m not a monster. I’m just passing by here and will rest for a few hours.” Hearing Zhang Mu’s voice, the people on the other side of the door seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. With the sound of the door unlatching, a girl that was about at the same age as him appeared and immediately hid behind the door. She left open a little crack between the door and its frame for Zhang Mu. She said to Zhang Mu in an anxious tone, “Be quick! The monsters will eat you!” At the beginning of the new era, humans still had the thing called “humanity” in their hearts, which Zhang Mu hadn’t seen for a long time. In his previous life, if Zhang Mu walked so close to other people’s residence, it would be his luck if they didn’t try to murder him. Zhang Mu sighed in his heart, then squeezed past the door through the crack. With the light of the white candle, Zhang Mu carefully looked at the girl, who was chewing carefully and slowly swallowing the food he gave her. She had long eyelashes and a delicate oval face under her fringe. The different parts of her face weren’t very attractive on their own, but when put together, her face looked pure and clean. The girl felt embarrassed from Zhang Mu’s observing gaze. Her body subconsciously slipped back and asked in a cautious tone, “What do you want to do?”” Zhang Mu laughed out, thinking that his behavior was indeed a bit improper. He shouldn’t stare at a girl like that. He hurriedly asked, trying to change the topic, “I saw that there were a few scratch marks and traces of collision on the door. Did some walking dead come here before?” “Yes! Oh, walking dead? Do you mean these monsters? They really looked like what I saw in the movie, but they were faster. I almost couldn’t escape back then. There was a walking dead that kept knocking on the door for a long time. I was terrified by the pounding and it was terrible. Even though it had gone, I still didn’t dare to go to sleep.” The girl was very easy to be distracted. She had completely forgotten Zhang Mu’s impolite behavior and just patted her chest with fear. She finally met a human who wasn’t going to bite her. The joy made her open her mind to Zhang Mu without any alert. “Did you come from the outside? Are there any other monsters out there? And what exactly was that sound this evening? Was the voice telling the truth?” The girl blinked her eyes and asked Zhang Mu quickly. In the girl’s eyes, Zhang Mu was a guy who could return from the horrible outside world. Besides, he had a cool long sword. The girl felt very curious in her heart. Although Zhang Mu was tired, but when it was such a simple, inexperienced girl, Zhang Mu had to resist his fatigue and answer her questions. Suddenly, Zhang Mu stopped. He looked at the girl and asked, “My name is Zhang Mu. What’s your name? Oh, and is this your home?” “Oh, my name is Yuan Rui. I just graduated from college and opened an online shop. This is my warehouse, and I live here too. I purchased goods, answered customers’ questions and mailed my products all by myself. I tell you, I’m super awesome!” The girl named Yuan Rui showed a trace of pride on her face. Zhang couldn’t help admiring her. Indeed, it was not easy for a girl who had just graduated from college to earn money all by herself. “Uncle, what about you?”” …What?! Uncle?! I?! Zhang Mu’s admiration immediately disappeared. His current body was just eighteen years old! Even if in the past life, he was only twenty-eight years old, only a few years older than this girl. How could he be an uncle?! In fact, he shouldn’t blame the girl. Although he had changed his clothes, but his stubble and long hair were still unclean, plus his hoarse voice and the vicissitudes in his eyes, he looked actually like an uncle to the girl. Zhang Mu coughed with embarrassment. He looked around the house and thought for a while, then walked to a corner and sat down. He closed his eyes, then said slowly, “Yuan Rui, thank you for your trust. I will sit here and rest for a while. I have something to do tomorrow, so I will have a rest first. You’d better to go to sleep too. Don’t worry, I will only stay here.” “You…” Yuan Rui still had plenty of questions in her heart, but Zhang Mu had closed his eyes. The little girl pouted, covering herself up, then turned around. “What a bad man!” The girl’s whisper was still heard by Zhang Mu. The corners of his mouth tilted slightly upwards. Yeah, you’re right. I’m a bad man. Zhang Mu silently repeated in his heart.