Chapter 84: The Loyal Golden Retriever
"Don't open it!" Su Ling hurriedly stopped, but it was too late.
Sheng Hongye was too fast; he had already rushed outside.
Outside the door, there was a series of loud noises, sending shivers down one's spine.
Su Ling couldn't help but recall the day she moved into the basement when she also heard this kind of noise. Could it also be Sheng Hongye?
Lost in thought, she heard Sheng Hongye shout, "Su Ling, come out quickly."
Su Ling hurried to the door and immediately saw a pile of fallen zombies.
The last one had also been knocked down by Sheng Hongye, his punch aimed directly at the back of its neck.
Indeed, it was him!
Su Ling looked at Sheng Hongye again, and her eyes inexplicably held something more.
Sheng Hongye had already grabbed Su Ling's hand. "Let's leave this place."
Su Ling ran a few steps but almost stumbled.
It wasn't that she was weak; it was because her legs were wrapped in a cloth, making it difficult to move.
"Wait a moment."
Su Ling bent down and forcefully tore a large slit in the cloth.
Watching the woman handle it so neatly and efficiently, Sheng Hongye's eyes held a touch of admiration.
Along the way, they encountered several more zombies, all of which were dealt with by Sheng Hongye.
Seeing the zombies rising from the ground like bamboo shoots, Su Ling frowned.
Why didn't they encounter any zombies yesterday? Could it be that the zombies' movements also followed a pattern?
At this moment, they suddenly heard an extremely piercing howl.
The zombies paused and all looked in one direction.
Recalling the several waves of zombies at the base, Sheng Hongye's face changed abruptly.
"Bad news, there might be a leading zombie summoning its companions. We must find shelter first; I'll carry you on my back," Sheng Hongye said. Not giving Su Ling a chance to object, he grabbed her arm and carried her on his back.
Wearing only a thin cloth, Su Ling felt extremely embarrassed, but now wasn't the time to be self-conscious. The night Sheng Hongye was drugged, she had also participated in stopping the zombie tide and knew about the existence of the zombie leader. If it really called for a large wave of zombies, Sheng Hongye wouldn't stand a chance alone.
She tried her best to ignore the sensations in her body and began scanning for potential hiding places.
Sheng Hongye continued running northwards, as unexplored areas always held infinite possibilities.
Amidst the vast ruins, Su Ling suddenly spotted a building towering above the rest.
She immediately shouted, "Sheng Hongye, there!"
Following Su Ling's pointing finger, Sheng Hongye also saw the building and ran towards it.
As the object drew closer, they could see it was a damaged two-story building.
The broken bricks emitted a strange glint under the sunlight.
"It's a steel plate," Sheng Hongye's voice sounded pleased.
"This should be another storage warehouse."
Before they could approach, a dog's bark echoed.
A large Golden Retriever was crouched at the entrance, baring its sharp teeth and growling at them.
Seeing the fierce appearance of the Golden Retriever, Su Ling immediately deduced, "There might be someone inside."
Sheng Hongye nodded, then smiled awkwardly at the dog.
"We mean no harm, don't bite."
Su Ling looked surprised.
She thought Sheng Hongye would use his incredible martial arts to subdue the dog, but he unexpectedly said such a sentence.
Unfortunately, the Golden Retriever didn't understand and continued barking.
They took a few more steps forward.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Seeing its bared teeth, Sheng Hongye took a step back.
Tension visibly crept upon his face.
Su Ling tilted her head and couldn't help but open her mouth in surprise.
No way.
Sheng Hongye was actually afraid of dogs?
Then she noticed the hairs on Sheng Hongye's neck standing on end.
It was hard to imagine that the fearless Sheng Hongye, who wasn't afraid of zombies or villains, would be afraid of a dog.
At that moment, the Golden Retriever growled again.
Sheng Hongye took another step back.
Su Ling felt speechless. Who would believe this if she told them?
She immediately jumped down from his back and bent down, saying, "Good doggy, we are not bad people. Is your owner inside?"
The Golden Retriever barked at Su Ling again, its expression more gentle this time.
However, it still refused to step aside.
Su Ling looked inside and then back at the Golden Retriever.
She noticed that its right hind leg seemed to be injured and hung limply.
She asked, "Are you hurt?"
The Golden Retriever barked again, then whimpered.
Su Ling took a step forward and reached out to pat its head.
Sheng Hongye was taken aback and immediately stopped her.
"Don't touch it. It's injured. It might have been bitten by a zombie."
The Golden Retriever was startled by Sheng Hongye's movement and barked again.
Su Ling looked at Sheng Hongye with a helpless expression. "No, it seems to be a scrape."
At that moment, a groan came from inside the building.
There really was someone.
The Golden Retriever whimpered again and ran inside the building.
Su Ling immediately followed.
Sheng Hongye reluctantly followed suit and closed the iron door behind them.
Inside, it was as dim as the storage warehouse in Lizhou.
After her eyes adjusted to the light, Su Ling finally saw a man lying on the ground.
He appeared to be in his forties, with a grayish complexion, covered in blood, emitting a strong scent of blood and decay.
Su Ling glanced around and then noticed another body beside him.
Judging from the long hair, it was a woman.
Seeing her limp head, it was evident that her neck had been twisted.
The man, still conscious, struggled to open his eyes upon hearing footsteps.
Upon seeing Su Ling and Sheng Hongye, his pupils contracted.
In a labored voice, he said, "You... I never thought there would still be living people in Luocheng."
Luocheng?
Sheng Hongye frowned. If he remembered correctly, Luocheng was about forty to fifty kilometers away from Lizhou. How did the wind blow them so far?
Su Ling had the same thought and asked immediately after her surprise, "Where are you injured? I'm a doctor; maybe I can treat you."
The man smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It's no use. My leg is gone, and there's no point in living anymore. I'm just reluctant to leave Old Jin behind."
He reached out his blood-stained hand and caressed the large Golden Retriever, his cloudy eyes turning red instantly.
"If not for fear of leaving it alone, I would have died a long time ago. My wife was strangled to death with my own hands."
The man looked at the two of them, giving a wretched smile, and continued, "Old Jin has been finding food for me all these days. Now that you've come, take it with you when you leave."
Only then did Su Ling notice that the man's trouser leg was deflated, and the bloodstains had turned dark brown.
Her heart clenched involuntarily.
"Did you encounter zombies?" she asked.
The man opened his mouth, but another mouthful of blood came out.
Sheng Hongye walked over immediately. "Don't talk for now; I can save you."
As he reached out his hand, Old Jin jumped up.
The Golden Retriever stood protectively in front of its owner, baring its sharp teeth at Sheng Hongye.