Welcome to the Wasteland - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Breaking through the Barricade

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

When the fuel tank inside a car exploded, Zhou Qingfeng watched on as he was swallowed by the flames. As the waves of heat came at him, his instinct told him to recoil, but his will to survive pushed him forward.

If he turned back he would die. Advancing was the only way to survive!

Surrounded by flames, every breath he took was scorching agony. His lungs burned like they were on fire. Flames were the only thing in sight; he could not even see the path clearly.

Get out, get out. All he had to do was get out of there!

Zhou Qingfeng hoisted his rifle over his shoulder and ran along the path he had memorized. He stumbled and fell, hindered by the cars Bark placed there to block him.

Under the continuous onslaught of the flames, Zhou Qingfeng’s clothes were lit up instantly. When he rolled on the floor earlier, he was stained with quite a lot of the petrol on the floor, and now it only fueled the fire more.

The cars blocking the way had become impossibly hot under the scorching temperature. If anyone touched them with their bare hands, they would instantly lose a layer of skin. Zhou Qingfeng still had to climb past them nevertheless. He had to be fast, too. He could not afford to hesitate or shrink away.

Zhou Qingfeng cut his sleeves off with his Swiss knife and fashioned them into makeshift gloves, then climbed outward. It was only a short distance of a couple of meters, but he spent more than thirty seconds. By the time he ran out of the curved ramp filled with thick smoke, he was already covered in many burn wounds.

‘That’s nothing. I’m still alive. I’m still alive! I am one tough hunk of a man! The smoke and the flames did not kill me. The flying cars and heavy trucks did not kill me. I escaped that deathtrap!’ When he breathed a lungful of fresh air again, he felt remotivated. He had clawed his way through the most difficult of obstacles. What else was there that could stop him?

When Zhou Qingfeng emerged from the ramp, he saw Bark standing a few meters away. The sight of the enemy lit a flame of anger within him. He wanted to pounce on that bastard and bite him to death. If that guy had not spent a stupid amount of effort to block his way, Zhou Qingfeng would not be in such a dire situation!

So Zhou Qingfeng decided…to put that thought on hold until he escaped first!

‘F*ck, I’m still on fire! My butt is literally on fire, who’d have the time to think about killing and fighting in this situation?

‘My M4A1 is still slung on my back, and both my palms are full of welts. Who can I possibly fight like this?

‘There are three kidnappers in front of me, standing in a formation. It’ll be hard for me to beat one person, let alone three!

‘I have to run first!’

Gifted, Attack First… Run!

Bark and his gang started in shock when they saw Zhou Qingfeng run out. They looked on as Zhou Qingfeng accelerated. In the next second or two, he was like a clump of flames; he dashed tens of meters away and quickly hid behind some of the cars left in the parking lot.

Bark had only managed to aim his gun while Zhou Qingfeng had already changed spots thrice. Bark had no time to exclaim his surprise that Zhou Qingfeng was still alive. He was incomparably shocked by Zhou Qingfeng’s insane vitality. 

“Surround him from both sides and kill him.” Bark made the most practical decision. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, and his two comrades darted off in separate directions. Three guns fired at their target consistently. When they got a glimpse of Zhou Qingfeng, they let loose shot after shot, clearing magazine after magazine.

Zhou Qingfeng fought against the pain coming from all over his body. He rolled on the ground non-stop to put out the flames licking his body. He held his M4A1 in his hands, and seized the chance to fight back.

The exchange of gunfire intensified in an instant. Bark and his lackeys had the advantage of numbers, so they attempted to surround and shoot at Zhou Qingfeng from both sides. Zhou Qingfeng continued to move around constantly with all the strength he had, gritting his teeth. He did not stop at one spot for more than a few seconds.

In that brief exchange of gunfire, Bark and his gang felt like they were the ones suppressed for a minute. Zhou Qingfeng did not shoot at one point precisely; when he shot he always pressed the trigger as hard as possible to release an automated volley. Within two seconds, he could empty a magazine of thirty bullets. This violent firepower made his opponents afraid to raise their heads.

That was the only method Zhou Qingfeng could employ in such a life-threatening situation. He had close to zero skills in shooting a gun; it was a challenge for him to aim precisely. That was why he simply aimed his gun in one direction and let fly a flurry of bullets. Thirty bullets could cover a substantial area. Under the concentrated downpour of bullets, even an expert marksman would struggle to hold his ground.

Zhou Qingfeng changed magazine after magazine. Bark and his subordinates were left scratching their heads. ‘Where did this damn cop get so many bullets?’ They were unaware that Zhou Qingfeng had killed four kidnappers previously and now had eight magazines stashed in his bulletproof vest.

After an extended exchange of gunfire, Zhou Qingfeng, who had been plagued by bad luck ever since his transmigration, finally received a stroke of good fortune. One of his bullets had punctured the fuel tank of a car. The copious amounts of petrol that flowed out was ignited by a small flame.

With a bang, a massive fuel explosion shook the parking lot. The car was sent flying up by the explosive force. A kidnapper who was standing next to it was also swallowed by the flames.

Zhou Qingfeng only had a few petrol stains on his clothes when he rolled on the floor, and that had already made his life a living hell earlier. This unlucky bastard suffered a fate far worse than his. He was doused by the petrol gushing out from the fuel tank and soon became a human torch.

The petrol explosion and their comrade’s sorry demise gave Bark a huge scare. Subconsciously, he shrieked into the walkie-talkie, “Boss Locke, we need reinforcements.”

The gang leader Locke was currently over the moon gleeful, feeling that all his problems had been resolved. He could earn tens of millions from this kidnapping case. It was enough for him to leave the States and live a happy, comfortable life. Bark’s cries for help made him wrinkle his brow. He seized the walkie-talkie and barked, “What happened?”

“That cop, he’s still alive! He ran out and killed one more of our men. I desperately need reinforcements!” Bark’s voice was tinged with terror as Zhou Qingfeng suddenly fired another flurry of bullets at him from the opposite side. His style of attack, which did not take the number of bullets into consideration and banked on blind luck, was simply a nightmare.

“What did you say?” Locke thought that he had heard wrong. “You said that the cop is already dead. Why is he still there?”

‘This must be God’s idea of a bad joke! How could the guy survive after being burnt to a crisp? I just wanted to announce to the world that the cop has died, and now you come to prove me wrong!’

Locke was furious. He flew into a terrible rage, even beating up the reporters from CNN that were interviewing him.

On Bark’s side, the man no longer had the desire to continue fighting after he asked for reinforcements. When he retreated, the other thug did so as well. The two men ran out of the second floor. They did not even have the courage to stay on the first floor for long; they hastily ran back to their boss with their tails between their legs.

When Bark and the other man ran away, Zhou Qingfeng was also at his limit. He stood up gingerly, trying to stay upright, but the exhaustion and pain were almost too much for him.

‘I need a doctor. I need to get treatment soon, or I won’t live for long.’ Zhou Qingfeng was heavily injured. Pure determination was all that was keeping him upright. He stumbled out of the parking basement and walked back into the hospital building.