However, perhaps because crossbows were silent, reusable ranged weapons, their luck with vehicles had always been terrible. Either the cars were filled with zombie-picked remains, or they were so broken they couldn't start. This greatly slowed their movement and food-gathering efficiency.
So when Lux got out of the van to test his weapon, and they spotted a completely intact vehicle, they immediately chose to ambush the foolish young man who had jumped out to clear zombies from the road.
Because of their lawless behavior during this time, and the cowardice of the survivors they'd encountered, they arrogantly believed that as long as they didn't run into armed military forces, they would never be in danger.
They never expected that the people inside that white van actually had guns. Even stranger, despite having guns, these people were still using blades to kill roadside zombies.
What Gabe found hardest to understand was that his crossbow had clearly locked onto the silver-haired girl with the gun. He had even been excited at the thought of getting a real firearm.
But the man who knocked aside his bolt with a single slash appeared like a demon, leaving afterimages as he suddenly appeared in front of the girl and blocked the shot.
If he hadn't seen Lux, moving at terrifying speed, carry the silver-haired girl back to the van and flee, he would have abandoned Ralph on the spot and run.
Intense gunfire echoed in the distance. Both men flinched, but when they realized it wasn't nearby, they exchanged filthy smiles.
"Ha, those idiots probably drew a ton of zombies by firing. Good riddance."
Gabe said cheerfully. To be honest, he hoped Lux would die at the hands of zombies. That speed earlier had been far too frightening. He felt he couldn't kill him even with an ambush.
"Damn it… if that little bastard survives and I see him again, I'll kill him for sure."
Ralph hissed venomously while sucking in cold air.
"Talk about that after you heal up. Ralph, if we don't leave now, it'll be too late."
Gabe urged.
"Almost done… just a bit more…"
Ralph's head suddenly exploded like a watermelon.
"?"
Gabe's consciousness was still frozen on the image of Ralph's shattered head when his own head exploded in the next instant. He didn't even have time to feel pain.
"Nice work, M99."
Lux praised calmly. When his binoculars had just found the man bandaging his wound in the grass, M99 had already pulled the trigger. With his enhanced dynamic vision, Lux saw the bullet obliterate the wounded man's head with overwhelming force.
Less than two seconds later, the other man's head also burst apart.
"Hehe, Commander, this is only four hundred meters. I'm confident I can take out targets within a thousand meters."
M99 said proudly.
"Only those two?"
Lux asked.
"Yes. After confirming the kills, I scanned a one-kilometer radius and found no other survivors or observation units."
M99 replied.
"Alright, wrap it up. We move on."
Lux patted M99 on the head and turned toward the stairwell.
Under the cover of UMP45 and the others' fire, Lux led M99 and HK416 swiftly back to the van. Seeing this, UMP45 returned to the driver's seat.
"Turn back once. I want their crossbows."
Lux said calmly.
UMP45 sharply turned the steering wheel and simultaneously pressed the accelerator. Instantly, everyone in the van was thrown about, with M99 losing balance entirely and collapsing onto Lux's legs.
Then UMP45 practically floored the pedal, speeding back to the location where Lux had been ambushed.
Lux quickly jumped out and darted into the greenery, collecting the two crossbows and the attackers' backpacks directly into the system storage before swiftly returning to the van.
"Miss 45! Could you slow down just a little?!"
M99, who had just fallen onto Lux's legs, protested, flailing her small fists.
"We've already spent too much time here. As long as we kept moving earlier, zombies wouldn't have congregated in large numbers, but once shots were fired, they'll form a surrounding horde heading this way. Every second counts; otherwise, they could form a wall of corpses and cause serious trouble."
As if to confirm UMP45's words, a black mass of zombies surged up behind the van.
Once Lux was seated, UMP45 pressed the accelerator again, shifting into fifth gear in no time. The speedometer spiked to 130 km/h, and the van shot forward like a bullet from a gun.
Even Lux broke into a cold sweat. In the post-apocalyptic road conditions, that speed was terrifying, and one driving mistake from UMP45 could have caused a catastrophic crash.
"HK, MDR, clear the zombies on the road ahead. At least don't let them block the path completely."
Upon Lux's command, the two of them leaned out the windows, firing as the van pushed through. Zombies on the road fell one by one, unable to get up before UMP45 skillfully drove past them.
After two kilometers, UMP45 gradually reduced speed.
"Seriously… even if there were zombies ahead, couldn't we just ram through? We have a vehicle; a few zombies shouldn't matter."
M99 held her mouth, feeling a bit unwell from the speed.
"Heh, little one, do you think we're driving a heavy truck? This van is only two-wheel drive; if zombie limbs or bodies get caught in the wheels, it could slow us down—or worse, render the vehicle immobile. I prefer to avoid collisions and trust in a plan that guarantees no problems rather than hope for luck," UMP45 replied calmly.
"I agree with 45. From earlier, her driving is impressive, but next time, try not to push the speed to the limit. One accident at this velocity could mean total annihilation," Lux instructed.
"Don't worry, Commander. This speed is just to make you feel safe," UMP45 said cheerfully.
Lux could only shake his head. Allowing UMP45 to drive at full speed was definitely a heart-stress test.