Chapter 41

The zombie remains still lay at the foot of the stairs, with dirty blood and pus flowing from their bodies, attracting flies like a naked woman.

Su Hao smashed open the fuel tank of an abandoned car downstairs, filled two large buckets with gasoline, and evenly splashed it on every piece of furniture in the room.

While he was doing this, Yang Lulu stood beside him, holding a photo album and silently watching.

The photo album was thin, with only a few photos, all of a middle-aged man and a little girl. His skin was coppery black, his teeth slightly yellow, and his dense wrinkles made him look older than his age. The father and daughter looked very close in the photos, their smiles genuine.

Su Hao tied an old piece of clothing to a branch, making a torch, soaked it in gasoline, lit it, and handed it to Yang Lulu.

When he passed the torch, he felt the little girl's hand trembling.

"He would definitely want you to live happily, not with tears always on your face. You've grown up, and you must learn to accept and bear. Everyone has pain; we can't avoid it, only face it."

Yang Lulu did not doubt Su Hao's words. She was old enough to discern truth and falsehood, and the hardships of life had made her more worldly than her peers. Tears streaming down her face, she threw the torch into the room with all her might, and a wild flame immediately erupted.

Standing at the foot of the stairs, the heat wave rolled over. The flames, like capricious spirits, greedily devoured everything in the room. The bed, bookshelf, table, and wardrobe—these things that had accompanied Yang Lulu for nine years would be reduced to ashes, only to be found in her deepest memories. The room crackled and popped, and the dirt and sin were purified in the flames. Spiders, panicked, crawled out from the corners, scurrying around aimlessly, only to be swallowed by the roaring flames, emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

The middle-aged man was still tied to the chair. The flames burned through the ropes, freeing him, but he couldn't escape the scorching room. His virus-infected brain seemed unafraid of the flames. His expression was numb, but he raised his head, sniffing the air, desperately seeking the scent of a living person. The dust and smoke completely obscured Su Hao and Yang Lulu. They stood outside, silently watching the black figure dance wildly in the flames, emitting a terrifying scream.

"Daddy——"

The little girl's eyes were red, her face covered in tears. She clutched the photo album to her chest, calling out hoarsely, and fell to her knees.

Countless past scenes flashed before Yang Lulu's eyes—she saw the egg her father cooked for her every morning; riding on his shoulders as they happily entered the amusement park; when she was sick, he stayed by her side, humming lullabies to help her sleep.

The kind face of the middle-aged man, prematurely aged by wrinkles, was gradually fading away, disappearing forever.

Su Hao did not try to stop her.

He stood beside her, quietly watching. The firelight reddened his chiseled face and ignited the deep-seated anger and resolve in his eyes, growing increasingly cold and determined.

...

When Su Hao and Yang Lulu appeared in the small building, it caused a minor stir. The men did not show much enthusiasm for the little girl, and the women welcomed her appropriately. They were not opposed to new members joining the team, but their reactions varied due to their individual temperaments and experiences.

Du Tianhao walked up to Su Hao, casually holding an assault rifle, and looked at Yang Lulu, who was surrounded by Xin Yan and Li Xiaomei. He said thoughtfully, "Most of the people in this city are almost dead, and the rest have fled. I never expected such a small child to be left behind... It must have taken you a lot of effort to find her."

Su Hao turned his head, a bit puzzled, and asked, "What are you really trying to say?"

"You should start a kindergarten."

Du Tianhao said very seriously, "Tao Yuan's child will be a year old in a few months, and there are more children surviving in this city. I know you're not a heartless person, but I have to remind you: not everyone you save will be grateful. There are many ungrateful and treacherous people in this world. Children are no exception. You may exhaust yourself raising them, only to receive resentment and dislike in return."

Su Hao did not comment. He turned around and looked at Du Tianhao carefully.

"Of course, the kindergarten was just a joke. What I really mean is—we need to change the rules."

Du Tianhao's voice was filled with stubbornness and advice, "We don't need to support new members for free. Remember the last time? They thought being rescued and fed was their right. I have no bias against anyone, and I'm not targeting anyone in the team. I just think you should plan ahead, set rules, and we will all uphold them, turning them into laws. You're right: the world has changed, and to survive, we must unite. I believe everyone in this building and the camp will agree. You have the strength and are worthy of our trust, making you the undisputed leader. So, you must show the courage and determination to prepare for the future. For your woman, for the children, and for us."

Su Hao did not speak, just quietly looking at the serious Du Tianhao.

Because he understood.

"Leave this matter to you."

Su Hao added, "I'm curious, how do you plan to do it?"

Du Tianhao smiled, showing a row of white teeth, "We are strong, with plenty of weapons and food. Once the camp is built, many people will want to join. I still say—rules won't target anyone. But they must prove their worth. Either fight or farm."

...

The construction of the camp was proceeding steadily. Due to a lack of manpower, only one-third of the wall was completed. Several residential buildings and warehouses were being waterproofed and sealed, and if nothing went wrong, they could be occupied by the end of next week.

From the sky, the entire camp looked like a medieval castle. Besides the watchtowers at the four corners, the other buildings inside were much lower than the outer walls, surrounded by large open spaces. Following Dong Guoping's suggestion, the empty areas would be excavated in the coming months to build secret underground warehouses and mechanical repair shops.

Su Hao squatted on the platform of the southern watchtower, using a screwdriver and wrench to firmly secure the bolts on the heavy machine gun base.

It was Tuesday, and Old Song had already returned to the city with the previous batch of rotating personnel. Su Hao would continue to lead another twelve team members in building the camp, with the next rotation in two weeks.

The KD01 Institute in the suburbs was almost completely emptied—except for the weapons and supplies left in the warehouse, all heavy equipment from the vehicle repair shop was dismantled, along with various parts, and stored in the new warehouse at the camp. No one could predict when these things might be useful, but it was better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.

Xin Yan stood beside him, taking a handful of raisins from her pocket, carefully picking out the impurities, and smiling as she fed them to Su Hao.

About ten kilometers along the temporary road to the northeast, there was a large vineyard belonging to a famous wine group. The survivors found several dozen tons of barrel-aged wine in the cellar and thirty containers of raisins. Everyone was delighted by this discovery. It meant an increase in food options and a stable supply of alcohol.

The raisins in his mouth were sweet. Su Hao tightened the last screw on the gun mount, stood up, and grabbed the handles behind the machine gun. He looked through the sight, rotated the barrel to check the field of fire, and then turned his gaze to Xin Yan.

She was still smiling, but she was no longer the frightened and helpless girl from the underground parking lot.

Her fingers were long and elegant, with an artistic quality, far from the words "strength," "muscles," or "toughness." However, since the virus outbreak, Xin Yan had personally killed hundreds of zombies.

She wore shorts and a T-shirt, her extremely full chest pushing the fabric high, her body curving sharply at the waist and expanding into a smooth arc at the hips. Su Hao gazed at her long, slender legs, ignoring the threatening pistol at her side, and reached out with both hands, passing them over her ears, and pressed her very dominantly and roughly against the wall.

"What do you want to do?"

This sentence is often used by a rabbit when facing a wolf. At this moment, Xin Yan's voice did not tremble or show fear, but it clearly conveyed excitement and anticipation.

"What do you think?"

Su Hao's face showed a charming smile. He leaned in and kissed her lips, tasting the moisture and smoothness from her tongue.

His left hand cradled her neck, and his right hand slipped under her shirt, touching her breasts without restraint.

"Mm... not here, tonight... tonight."

Although they had done this before, Xin Yan still felt nervous. She tried to push Su Hao's hand away, trying to make him abandon his absurd idea. However, he did not yield, and the struggle turned into a contest of strength. Due to the physical advantage men have over women, Su Hao clearly had the upper hand.

Just as he was about to go further and unbutton her shorts, the lookout on the eastern watchtower suddenly blew a whistle. The atmosphere in the camp immediately became tense.

...

Under the scorching sun, a group of people was slowly walking along the road.

There were about seventy to eighty of them, roughly half men and half women, dragging heavy suitcases and pushing bicycles loaded with various items. Their eyes were dull, and they moved mechanically in the heat. The group stretched over a hundred meters along the road, moving slowly from east to west.

The camp, or castle, was about five hundred meters from the road. Through the sparse trees, the tall walls were easily visible. The approaching group quickly noticed the dirt road leading to the castle, gathered, and their faces showed excitement as they walked toward it.

Su Hao stood at the entrance to the camp, silently watching the approaching group. Behind him, each of the four watchtowers had enough personnel, and several armed guards were on the rooftops of the central residential buildings. In case of an emergency, a dense network of gunfire could eliminate any attackers.

The group approached quickly. About half an hour later, they were within thirty meters of the wall. The concrete parapets at the top of the towers blocked the machine guns, and the strong sunlight made the view blurry. They continued to talk, their emotions running high, their eyes filled with hope, and their pace quickened.

The moment Su Hao came into view, the expressions on their faces froze, and they stopped in their tracks. Every pair of eyes focused on the assault rifle he held level in his hands.

No one moved forward. Standing about ten meters away, the group formed an irregular circle. More people joined, making the circle larger, creating a stark contrast with Su Hao.

Surprise, anger, confusion, fear... various expressions appeared on their faces. Many of them carried weapons—knives of different lengths, metal or wooden sticks, and a few had shovels on their backpacks. Sensing the threat from Su Hao's rifle, they all gripped their weapons tightly.

A middle-aged man pushed his way through the crowd. He was tall and gave an impression of maturity and stability. His arms moved with strength, and his clothes, though dirty, were relatively clean.

"Hello! What is this place? A military zone? Or an emergency aid station?"

His words were calm, but his tone had a hint of command. Su Hao frowned, aiming the gun at the man and coldly ordered, "Stay there, don't move—"

The man's body stiffened, a flash of anger in his eyes, but he still smiled. He raised his hands, looked around, and then focused on Su Hao, saying, "We mean no harm, we just need some food and water. We've come from the south, walking for almost a week. We're very tired and need to rest."

Su Hao asked indifferently, "The south?"

"I'm from Baoshan."

The middle-aged man lowered his hands and pointed to a few people standing nearby, "He's from Kaiyuan, and that one is from Shiping. We've been walking, and people have joined us along the way. We had a few cars at first, but they ran out of gas and were abandoned. It's been very bad where we come from, many people have died. I don't know about here..."

"It's the same to the north."

Su Hao interrupted him, "This is a disaster affecting the entire world, no city is spared. Let me clarify—this is not an aid station. We are survivors, just like you, fleeing for our lives."

This statement immediately caused a stir and murmurs in the crowd. Many people became despondent and numb, standing there with expressions of misery and exhaustion. Some even sat down, looking at Su Hao with weary eyes.

"This can't be true, he must be lying to us."

"I told you, it's the same everywhere. There are too many dead, and no one cares."

"Shh! Keep your voice down, we don't know if there are any of those man-eating monsters around."

The low murmurs were chaotic. Perhaps because they had seen too many terrifying scenes on their journey, their reactions were only slightly agitated, not hysterical or疯狂. They stared at Su Hao and the tall wall behind him. Fatigue and heat had drained their energy, leaving them with no strength to argue.

The man's expression was complex. He noticed that Su Hao did not lower his gun and saw more people standing on the distant wall. The coldness in Su Hao's demeanor was clear, but he still took a half-step forward, hesitating due to the fear of death, and did not speak.

Su Hao looked at the group in front of him and asked in a voice devoid of emotion, "You need food?"

Many people heard him, and the middle-aged man's eyes immediately lit up. He looked excited and wanted to step forward but noticed Su Hao's frown deepening, the gun still aimed at his forehead.

He immediately put down his raised right foot and wisely took a few steps back, saying hurriedly, "I... I... thank you! Thank you for your help. Let me introduce myself, I'm Chen Deqing. We have a total of eighty-seven people. If possible..."

"I need workers—"

Su Hao interrupted him again, saying indifferently, "There's a lot of work to be done here. If you're willing, I can provide enough water and food."

"Please wait."

A man holding a stick stepped forward, took out a wallet from his inner pocket, and counted out a few bills, saying sincerely, "We won't take your things for free. We'll pay what we owe."

Su Hao stared at the man's face, his tone becoming cold, and he raised his voice, "I can provide you with food, water, and a safe place to stay. I don't force anyone. If you don't want to, you can leave now. As for the money... you can keep it as a toy."

The last sentence was heavy, and the man's face showed surprise, then became complex, and finally, he angrily put the money back in his pocket, tightly clenching it, and turned to retreat into the crowd.

A new group has been created, and book friends are welcome to join. Black Heaven's Lair: 114371710

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends