Chapter 33: New vehicle

Her gaze slid toward Ray, eyes full of clear "Ray, pick up the act" signals.

"When that monster charged in, Boss was trying to protect me and accidentally got tangled in this rope. He’s too strong—he just snapped it right away..."

The explanation was full of holes. Yet somehow it still offered everyone a way to make sense of it—especially Ray.

He glanced at the familiar length of pink rope in May’s hand and immediately understood. A quiet, complicated appreciation for the girl’s quick thinking settled in his chest. He cleared his throat, kept his still-flaming face rigidly under control, and played along.

"You hear that? This piece-of-shit rope cost me time. Otherwise that bastard wouldn’t even have made it through the door."

Mitch looked at the aggressively pink rope, then at Ray’s "I’m just that strong" expression. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Fuck. What kind of proper rope are you going to find inside a love hotel?"

That single remark dragged the atmosphere straight back to awkward square one. Right then, a thin thread of morning light filtered in through the hole smashed in the wall.

Dawn was almost here.

"Stop standing around like fucking statues!"

Ray latched onto the opening like a drowning man grabbing a rope. He forced out the order, trying to bury the entire room’s loss of composure and lingering tension under pure action.

"Pack up! We leave this hotel in five minutes!"

He turned first and strode out, his back radiating the unmistakable air of a man in full retreat. The others watched him go, shoulders shaking as they fought to keep their laughter down.

Ace finally freed May from the blanket. She looked down at the tattered, "battle-damaged" outfit still hanging off her, touched her burning cheeks, and let out a long sigh.

What a disaster.

The heavy truck was pure scrap. The group left the hotel on foot.

The sky had only just begun to lighten. The streets were already crawling with wandering zombies.

Ray walked at the front, combat knife in hand, face darker than the bottom of a pot.

"Boss, without a vehicle we won’t get far."

Alex trailed behind, still holding half a biscuit. "Out here in the middle of nowhere, two legs can’t outrun those things."

Ray didn’t answer. He simply raised the knife and drove it through the neck of a zombie that lunged at him. Black blood sprayed nearly two meters.

"Find a vehicle."

May stayed in the middle of the group, still wrapped in Ray’s jacket that carried his residual heat. She stole a glance at the tight line of his profile. The dull ache in her lower abdomen had started up again. Having a period in the apocalypse was pure torture.

With no other choice, she closed her eyes during a brief lull while the others cleared the surrounding zombies and called out in her mind.

[System, exchange! Dump every last point I’ve got into the life-saving blind box! I want a vehicle—something that runs, something bulletproof!]

[Ding. Points deducted. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining: Apocalypse Off-Road RV Key (includes Supreme Pink Romance Interior Package).]

A cold metallic weight settled into her palm.

May opened her eyes. In the distance, a vehicle had appeared.

Another thing with a sketchy name...

She clenched her teeth and pointed toward a dark shape behind a pile of debris in the hotel’s back alley.

"Boss! There’s a car over there!"

Ray spun around. His gaze landed on her face, then followed the direction of her finger. The men closed the distance in a few long strides and shoved aside the abandoned crates blocking the way.

A heavy armored vehicle of the most aggressive design emerged. Thick anti-collision steel beams were welded across the front. The tires stood half a man high. The body was painted in mottled camouflage and looked even tougher than the heavy truck they had just lost.

"Holy shit—look at this thing!"

Mitch stepped forward and kicked one of the tires. "This could punch straight through a city wall."

Ace circled the vehicle once, peach-blossom eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. "Solid modifications. Bulletproof glass, external armor plating. Drive this out and even a zombie horde would clear the road."

Ray gave a short nod. The tight knot between his brows loosened a fraction—until his eyes landed on a splash of pink somewhere and the muscle jumped again. He said nothing and turned to open the door.

Beep—

The lock disengaged with an unusually crisp sound.

"This thing’s actually impressive. Key’s even still in the ignition."

Ray pulled open the heavy door and lifted a boot onto the step.

The next second that boot froze solid.

Mitch, who had crowded up behind him hoping to claim a seat, stretched his neck for a look—and locked in place the same way.

"Fuck me."

Mitch’s mouth twitched as the curse slipped out.

Ray’s face went black. He planted his foot hard inside the cabin.

The entire interior was covered in thick, long-pile carpet—not military green, not deep black, but a fluorescent pink bright enough to blind both humans and dogs. Even the center console was wrapped in a matching pink plush cover. A plastic rhinestone sat dead center on the steering wheel.

Worst of all was the rear section.

Instead of rows of tactical seats, there was only one enormous circular waterbed. Two panels of white lace mosquito netting fluttered gently at the head of the bed. When the overhead lights came on, soft pink-purple ambient lighting flooded the cabin until the whole space looked like a mobile brothel.

Ace was the first to break. He laughed so hard he nearly folded in half. "Whoever owned this before definitely had a peculiar taste. Was this thing for escaping the apocalypse or going on a honeymoon?"

Mitch stared at the giant round bed, face flushed deep red, teeth clenched. "Drive this thing on the road and even the zombies will take a detour just because it hurts their eyes!"

Theo adjusted his glasses, walked over to the bed, and pressed a hand into the pink long-pile blanket. "High-molecular polyester fiber. Excellent insulation. The color, however, is prone to causing visual fatigue... which is to say, the moment you climb in, you start feeling overheated."

May hovered outside the door, guiltily tugging at the edge of Ray’s jacket, her voice soft as a mosquito’s hum.

"Boss, let’s just go. This is the only vehicle. If we don’t take it, the zombies will eat us."

Ray closed his eyes and dragged in a long, harsh breath. Residual pollen still lingered in his bloodstream; the aggressive pink visual assault only made his temples throb harder. He glanced back at the growing cluster of zombies at the street corner, then simply hauled May into his arms.

"Get in! What the hell is everyone waiting for?!"

Jack, machine gun still on his shoulder, ducked into the cabin—and nearly cracked his head on the lace tassels hanging from the ceiling. His tanned face immediately flushed dark red. He stood there on the pink carpet like a two-meter-tall giant red-faced bear, completely at a loss for where to put his hands or feet.

Ray dumped May onto the giant round bed in the back, then dropped into the driver’s seat.

"Hold on!"

He floored the accelerator.

Roar—!

The engine bellowed like a wild beast. The pink RV slammed straight through the three zombies blocking the front. The chassis shuddered hard; shredded flesh and black blood plastered the windshield. Ray didn’t even bother switching on the wipers. He spun the wheel hard, the front end swung out, and they crushed the roadblock under the tires.

The after-effects of the pollen still raced through his veins. Combined with the humiliation he had just suffered in front of the brothers, he had a belly full of dark fire with nowhere to vent it. Every time he crushed another zombie’s bones under the pedal, a little of that fire eased.