Her first thought was simple. In the apocalypse, helping strangers was usually a bad deal. It could waste time, energy, and supplies. It could even get you killed. But then she saw the way the taller woman kept standing in front of the others no matter how hard the danger hit. She saw the way the child was being protected with a body that had already started to shake from exhaustion. That kind of scene was hard to ignore.

Yan Cijin looked at Bai Li and spoke low. "If possible, help them."

Bai Li did not answer right away. Her eyes stayed on the road ahead while she weighed the situation in her head. The zombies were not too far from those three anymore. If she did nothing, they would likely be caught within a minute or two. If she helped, she would need to cut through the zombie group fast, then get them out before the rest of the horde swarmed in. It was not impossible. It was just risky.

Bai Li made her decision in less than a second.

She twisted the throttle hard.

The kawasaki ninja 400 surged forward like a black lightning bolt, its engine roaring louder as it shot across the broken road. The zombies in front of the women had barely turned their heads before Bai Li smashed straight into the nearest one. The impact sent the corpse flying sideways. Another zombie lunged toward the bike from the right, and Bai Li lifted her leg and kicked it clean in the chest, sending it crashing into the roadside barrier. Yan Cijin had already pulled her kukri out and was watching their flank, but Bai Li moved even faster than the eye could follow. Her blade flashed once, and a zombie that had opened its mouth too wide dropped with a crack in its neck.

The two women froze at first, shocked by how fast the rescue came, but Bai Li did not give them time to stay frozen. "Move," she said coldly. "Stay close."

The taller woman reacted first. She yanked the smaller woman and the child toward the side of the road and pushed them behind Bai Li’s moving line of defense. Bai Li cut down one zombie, then another. Yan Cijin followed closely, helping block the ones coming from behind. The road was too cramped for a full charge, but Bai Li had enough speed and control to force a path through the mess. A zombie reached for the child, and the taller woman screamed and kicked it away so hard that its body spun in a half circle before slamming into a parked car.

Bai Li took that opening and slammed the bike sideways, using the front wheel to crush the knees of one zombie while her hand swung down with a clean strike to the back of another’s head. The smaller woman was crying now, but she was still trying to move forward. Her legs were shaking so badly that she nearly fell twice, and the taller woman kept one arm around her waist, practically carrying her while trying not to slow down. The child was sobbing, face wet and red, but somehow still clinging to both women with all the strength they had left.

More zombies came from the side street, drawn by the noise. Bai Li clicked her tongue in irritation. "There are too many."

Yan Cijin’s eyes were sharp. "Can you push through?"

Bai Li did not even hesitate. "Yes."

She shifted the bike again, then accelerated straight through the thinnest part of the horde. The front wheel smashed one zombie, her sword handled another, and the sudden force opened up a narrow path. The two women did not waste it. The taller one grabbed the child, the smaller one stumbled after her, and all three of them rushed behind Bai Li as if their lives were hanging from a thread, which they were. Bai Li rode them forward for another short burst until they reached a slightly more open patch near the broken curb, where the zombies could not close in from every side at once.

Only then did Bai Li slow down.

The two women collapsed near the road edge, breathing hard, while the child crouched between them, still crying but now too tired to keep making a sound. The taller woman immediately checked the smaller woman’s arms and shoulders with both hands, her expression full of panic and relief at the same time. The smaller woman looked like she was one breath away from passing out, but when she saw the child was still safe, she let out a trembling sob and pulled the little one into her lap.

Bai Li kept her sword ready and scanned the surroundings. The zombies had not fully scattered yet, but the immediate pressure was gone. Yan Cijin got off the bike too, still holding the kukri, her gaze calm but alert. After confirming the area was stable for the moment, Bai Li finally looked at the three survivors.

The taller woman was indeed very tall, with short hair stuck to the side of her face from sweat. Her arms were strong, and even now she still had the reflex of someone used to standing in front of danger. The smaller woman had a gentler face, pale and exhausted, with tears still hanging at the corner of her eyes. The child looked about five or six years old, soft faced and trembling, with both arms wrapped around the smaller woman’s neck. Anyone with eyes could see it now. These two women were not strangers. They looked at each other with a kind of panic and care that was too close, too natural.

Bai Li stared at them for a second, then said, "You are a couple."

The taller woman froze for a moment, then gave a quick nod, almost embarrassed but also relieved that she did not need to hide it. "Yes. Thank you for saving us. Thank you so much."

The smaller woman hugged the child tighter and added in a shaky voice, "We were really about to be done for. If you had not come, we would have..."

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TO BE CONTINUED.

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