She looked around for a while, growing more and more amazed at the luxurious interior of this minibus. To transform an old minibus into what it was now—she couldn't imagine how much money it must have cost.

As for William Carter's identity, Sarah Cooper was extremely curious.

Sarah Cooper casually picked up a bottle of mineral water and looked at it, then put it back in its place. After all, this wasn't her vehicle, and she felt embarrassed to pour herself some water without William Carter offering it first.

Like Grace Walker, Sarah Cooper was also a university student, and a good friend of Grace Walker. When the disaster struck, the two of them were together, and then escaped together.

Fortunately, they encountered this Mr. Carter whom Grace Walker knew; otherwise, Sarah Cooper couldn't even imagine what would have happened to her.

Meanwhile, after a moment's hesitation, Grace Walker walked into the driver's cabin and sat down in a seat on the right side.

The moment she sat down, Grace Walker immediately felt as if she had sunk into a cloud of soft cotton. Whether it was the sitting posture or the feel of the seat and backrest, everything was incredibly comfortable.

This surprised Grace Walker once again.

However, the scene ahead was far from comfortable.

Earlier, when hundreds of zombies surrounded the minibus, some had broken away and rushed further ahead. Now, looking out from the moving minibus, they could see a sedan that had already been forced to a stop by the zombies.

The unlucky driver was being dragged out of the window alive by several zombies. He flailed his arms, letting out heart-wrenching screams, before being swallowed up by the horde.

This sight made Grace Walker's face turn pale.

William Carter didn't stop, driving straight past the car. A few zombies lifted their blood-soaked faces to look at the minibus, letting out a few roars and chasing after it in vain, but they were quickly left behind.

At this point, the highway entrance was already in sight.

The original toll station had now been completely transformed. Military trucks blocked the front, leaving only three lanes open. The trucks were bristling with mounted machine guns, their dark muzzles aimed at the hundreds of cars, while fully armed soldiers stood guard at the entrances.

Inside the buildings on both sides of the road, as well as atop the parked trucks, numerous gun barrels were also pointed at the highway. Reaching this point meant temporary safety; any stray zombies that appeared were immediately shot dead.

Many people in the line behind waited nervously and anxiously, while William Carter, thanks to his elevated vantage point, could clearly see the situation at the highway entrance.

As soon as vehicles reached the checkpoint, soldiers immediately surrounded them, conducted inspections, and only then allowed them to pass.

Each car took nearly ten seconds to get through, meaning only three cars could pass every ten seconds. William Carter quickly counted the cars in his lane and those ahead, estimating how long he would have to wait.

There shouldn't be any major problems...

William Carter's expression relaxed a little. Now that he was within the military's protection, he finally let his guard down a bit, no longer as tense as before.

Grace Walker, seeing the military vehicles and weapons, as well as the highway entrance so close at hand, also let out a long sigh of relief.

"Speed 20 km/h, vehicle self-check in progress... no damage..." The Starseed reported the current status of the base vehicle in his mind, while William Carter slowly eased off the accelerator, reducing the speed.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunshots rang out from time to time. Gradually, as William Carter moved forward with the traffic, he approached the highway entrance, with only a few cars left ahead.

However, more and more zombies were gathering behind, and the gunfire was becoming increasingly intense. Hearing the commotion, Jessica Cooper also came out from the cabin and, together with Grace Walker, looked back.

The military's firepower was fierce. Although the zombies kept coming in waves and had almost filled the street, they still couldn't get any closer.

This made them all feel much more at ease.

They were about to enter the highway. Looking at the military trucks at the entrance—there were dozens of them, with gun barrels densely packed. Such a scene, which would normally be terrifying, now brought an immense sense of security.

William Carter also waited calmly. Just then, gunshots suddenly rang out from another lane, startling everyone.

He quickly looked over and saw that from a sedan being inspected came a heart-wrenching cry, as two soldiers dragged out the freshly shot corpse of a man.

There was a bloody, mangled wound on the corpse's arm, and the one crying was a woman—presumably his girlfriend or wife.

"Let me reiterate: Any vehicle carrying bitten passengers, you'd best get out and leave on your own, or just turn around! If discovered, you will be executed on the spot! This virus is extremely contagious, and those who are bitten will turn into those monsters, endangering everyone else!" An officer, holding a loudspeaker, announced sternly.