Chapter 71

From the time the Han Fei camp was breached, six days have passed.

A blue and white flag with the "Shengfei" Group logo stands tall on the rooftop, seemingly frozen by the cold air, hanging limply.

A female zombie wearing denim shorts appeared at the street corner, slowly walking into the devastated camp.

The remains of the truck had long since cooled, and various burnt parts and debris were scattered on the ground. Concrete fragments and obstacles were interspersed with human corpses. Everywhere, there were curved rib bones like enlarged combs, severed limbs half-buried in the sand, some burned black like coal, and others gnawed down to just bones, torn to shreds.

The female zombie, with hollow eyes, stumbled and kicked a "Type 95" assault rifle that had been blown in half, then walked dazedly to the broken steel wreckage.

On the ground was a rubber tire that had melted and hardened from the heat. In the middle, a grotesque, blackened skull stood crookedly. The jaw was missing, and all the soft tissue in the eye sockets and on the bone surface had been eaten by the zombies, leaving only the hardest part, marked with teeth marks.

The female zombie seemed to take a keen interest in the skull. She knelt down, held it with both hands, and carefully sniffed it near her nose, as if it were a fragrant piece of braised meat.

Of course, she wouldn't know that this was Han Fei's head.

A convoy slowly approached on the highway that connected to the horizon. Although it was far away, one could still see a dozen heavy trucks loaded with goods. They drove along the elevated bridge into the camp. The lead truck knocked the female zombie off the ground, then rolled over her chest, which was actually hollow and deflated, with a sound that made one's teeth grind.

Lin Jingshang, with a cigarette in his mouth, jumped down from the passenger seat, carefully dusted off the "Shengfei" emblem on his chest, and looked up, his face dark as he surveyed the ravaged camp.

Behind him, fifteen box trucks slowly came to a stop on the road beside the camp. Armed personnel, armed with guns, began to jump out of the trucks.

They, like Lin Jingshang, wore the same emblem on their chests.

Without any additional orders, the armed personnel who had just disembarked quickly formed a defensive line in small teams. Others ran into the building or searched the area nearby.

About fifteen minutes later, several team leaders gathered intelligence and approached Lin Jingshang.

No survivors were found.

No information left by the advance team was found.

No usable resources were found.

A battle had taken place here—the ground was littered with chaotic zombie footprints, and the bodies were torn apart and charred. Burnt remains provided no clues. A few 5.8mm shell casings were found in the rubble, but this could not be used as evidence and did not reveal who the culprit was.

The cold wind intensified, stimulating the increasingly violent agitation deep within him.

Lin Jingshang forcefully unbuttoned his short leather jacket, exposing his bulging, solid pectoral muscles, and kicked the truck wreckage in front of him with a fierce kick.

He was a strong man who had been injected with a second-stage enhancement drug and was the commander of the second batch of reinforcements sent by the "Shengfei" Group.

Like Han Fei, Lin Jingshang had been receiving military training since before the virus outbreak. However, his status was more special—Lin Jingshang was not an ordinary team commander. He belonged to the group headquarters and had a closer blood relationship with the board members.

Almost all the top executives of the "Shengfei" Group were surnamed "Lin."

Operating a company with family members, to some extent, could ensure loyalty and benefits.

Lin Jingshang did not know the exact relationship between the chairman of "Shengfei" and his father. He only knew that the old man was quite good to him and his family, giving him red envelopes with New Year's money every year since childhood, and addressing him as "Uncle" in a very general way.

Last month, the board recalled all the trainees. The chairman personally met with thirty-nine mid-level executives, including Lin Jingshang. According to different jurisdictions, each would lead fifty to two hundred armed personnel to gather refugees in designated areas.

"This is an unprecedented historical phase. You will open a new era. Ordinary people cannot compare to you, whether in bloodline, physique, or evolution speed. There will be no more corrupt officials, and the rules of any historical period will not bind you. As long as you control the population and resources, you can create a new kingdom."

The words spoken by the chairman were highly inflammatory. However, including Lin Jingshang, many did not understand the hidden meaning. They only knew that the national map was marked with many blue and white triangular flags. East China, Central China, Northwest, Northeast... a total of thirty-nine coordinates, representing the jurisdiction of each armed squad.

Han Fei's status in the group was slightly lower than Lin Jingshang. He had led the advance team to this city several days ago to establish a camp.

Lin Jingshang had repeatedly verified the coordinates Han Fei had sent back via radio, and the company's flag was also on the top of the abandoned building. There was no doubt that this was the camp established by the advance team. However, apart from a pile of scattered, charred vehicle remains, various parts, and human bones, nothing was left.

A team leader approached Lin Jingshang, holding a few 5.8mm rifle shell casings in his palm, and said cautiously, "These are military standard bullets. It's strange, we only found six."

Another middle-aged man responsible for the search interjected, "Most of the traces have been destroyed by the zombies, but it's clear that an explosion occurred here. I found some rocket launcher fragments, also military standard. Could it be... the military did this?"

Lin Jingshang's breathing became rapid and deep.

He suppressed the raging fire, but some anger still seeped into his voice, "The third and fourth teams are responsible for security. Expand the search area by a factor of two and try to find evidence. The rest of you, set up the camp centered around the building and install communication equipment. Contact headquarters within half an hour."

The team leader holding the shell casings looked around, his face showing concern, "There are many zombies nearby. We only have eighty-six people, and the terrain is not favorable for defense. Should we wait? Or send two more teams to search the area and find a more suitable place to set up camp?"

This was a reasonable suggestion, and the other team leaders around him nodded in agreement.

Lin Jingshang hesitated for a moment, looked up at the dark sky, frowned slightly, and rejected his subordinates' suggestion, "It will be dark in a few hours. We are unfamiliar with this city. Without the guidance of the advance team, it will be difficult to find a suitable campsite in a short time. I understand your thoughts, but we need to wait until tomorrow morning to take further action. Besides, Captain Han Fei chose this place for a reason—there's a well in the yard behind the building. The water we brought is only enough for daily use, and installing a purification system requires a stable power supply. For now, this is it! At least for today."

This was a sufficient reason, and the team leaders no longer insisted. The journey from the group headquarters was not easy. The highway was filled with abandoned vehicles, and they often encountered zombie swarms of different sizes. The armed personnel had received military training and were physically and mentally stronger than ordinary people. However, they also needed rest and a comfortable camp.

Clean water meant a more abundant dinner and hot water for bathing.

...

As night fell,

Two box trucks were driven to the side of the building and placed horizontally, along with various debris, to serve as a temporary barrier. Six armed personnel were stationed on the roof and the building top, holding assault rifles, silently observing the surroundings. No one spoke, like owls lurking in the depths of the night.

Through the windows of the second and third floors, one could faintly see flickering flames and moving figures, and the cold air was filled with the aroma of rice and meat soup.

A team member sat on top of the truck, holding his gun, and used a spoon to scoop a piece of ham into his mouth.

Today's dish was good: ham stew with scallops, black fungus, and golden needle vegetables. Although the presentation was simple and the cook had no particular skills, for someone who had been living on instant noodles, cookies, and sausages for over a week, it was a delicious meal.

About ten meters outside the truck, more than thirty zombies with blown heads were scattered. They had been attracted by the commotion in the afternoon, slowly gathered, and were quickly surrounded and killed by the security personnel.

Like the advance team that had been wiped out, the members under Lin Jingshang's command had been injected with an immunity drug. They were slightly stronger than ordinary people but were still ordinary people. Only those at the team leader level and above were eligible for the enhancement drug.

The military had published the immunity drug formula to all the noble and wealthy groups. However, they could not publicly reveal more secrets, including the first-stage enhancement drug.

The night was quiet, but the young team member felt something was off.

He could faintly hear footsteps. They were very light, almost imperceptible, like a ghost walking.

It was definitely not a zombie. Those monsters were clumsy, could not jump, run, or move quickly.

Suddenly, the young team member stopped chewing. He put his food box aside, quickly raised his assault rifle, took a flashlight from the side pocket of his backpack, aimed it at the end of the dark street, and pushed the switch.

Instantly, a beam of white light cut through the darkness.

A young man was walking toward them.

He was about twenty years old, tall, with broad shoulders, wearing black athletic pants, a gray hoodie, and a brown jacket. Perhaps because of the flashlight beam, his skin looked very pale, almost feminine.

The sudden light surprised the man. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, turned his head to one side, and tried to see who was on the other side through the gaps in his fingers. He continued walking, and from a distance of more than thirty meters, the young team member saw that the man was not carrying any weapons. However, his muscles on his shoulders and arms were solid, even stronger than his own.

"Stop—"

The young team member whispered, raising the gun to aim at the man.

The stranger stopped, his expression puzzled.

The young team member began to ask, "Who are you?"

He was not worried about the man making any moves—there was only one person, and he had a gun. Besides, the nearby security personnel had definitely seen the abnormality. They were hidden in the dark, and at least four guns, including his own, were aimed at the stranger's head.

"I have no ill intentions."

The stranger raised his hands and said in a voice that could be heard by two people but would not carry further, "I just want to ask you for some food and have a good chat."

The young team member carefully examined him, said nothing, and did not lower his gun.

The truck was equipped with a split automatic camera. In the presence of light, this camera, powered by the truck, could alert to all dynamic images within its effective range. Without needing to communicate, the captain inside the building would respond based on the situation.

They remained in silence, the night growing colder.

He began to shiver, stomping his feet, hugging his shoulders for warmth, and blowing into his hands.

The young team member suddenly felt sorry for the man—he looked very hungry and tired. More importantly, there were some movements in the distant darkness, clearly zombies wandering the city, looking for food.

"I, I want to talk to you."

Suddenly, the stranger took two steps forward, speaking urgently and hoarsely, "I, I know some things that might be helpful to you."

The young team member's earpiece transmitted Lin Jingshang's cold voice, mixed with "static" electronic noise, "Ask him what he knows."

"A few days ago, a group of people lived here. They had guns, and their clothes were similar to yours."

Receiving the young team member's response, the stranger quickened his pace, "They all died, very tragically."

The last sentence had an unparalleled magical effect on all listeners.

The young team member felt his heart rate suddenly accelerate. He could even feel the other security personnel nearby becoming equally excited and tense. The voice of Captain Lin Jingshang in his earpiece also lost its usual calm, becoming slightly trembling.

"Carefully check him, disarm him, and bring him in."

The young team member jumped down from the truck and slowly walked to the stranger.

He carried an empty backpack with two sets of clothes, a small bag of assorted candies, a Swiss Army knife, and half a pack of "Tongyi" instant noodles. The noodles were crushed, and the packaging was crumpled, making the endorsement by Jay Chou look strange, with exaggerated facial features, as if he had been tortured by Sadako and drained of his essence.

The young team member took away the rebar that was diagonally inserted into the backpack.

As he escorted the man into the building, the young team member suddenly felt it was necessary to ask his name.

He smiled kindly and answered, "My name is Su Hao."

...

When Su Hao entered the room on the third floor used as the command center, Lin Jingshang was sitting in the center of a chair.

Four team leaders, two guards, all eyes were on Su Hao, watching him sit down as if no one else was there, take a can of luncheon meat from a box against the wall, and toss it in his hand.

Lin Jingshang ignored this irrelevant action, "Speak! What do you know?"

Su Hao continued to smile, "If I'm not mistaken, you should know the people who lived here before? And you were quite familiar with them?"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Jingshang's eyes, "That's not the answer I want."

"The things I know should be very useful to you."

At this moment, Su Hao's expression was no different from that of a treacherous Judas, "Hehe! Everything has a price, doesn't it?"

This statement enraged everyone in the room.

Lin Jingshang drew his gun, aimed it at Su Hao's left chest, and said in a cold tone, "I have no patience. You'd better tell me everything you know honestly. Otherwise, you won't even have a chance to regret it."

Su Hao was not bothered by this threat. His gaze swept past Lin Jingshang and landed on the corner of the room, about two meters behind him.

There was an electronic surveillance device, with a foldable screen showing the positions of six security posts.

After eliminating Han Fei's team, Su Hao had set up over a dozen mobile personnel around the abandoned camp.

The "Shengfei" Group's top executives would not let an entire team be wiped out without investigation. They would definitely send people to investigate or dispatch more armed personnel to gather refugees. This city was the provincial capital, with a population of over ten million. Future world data showed that direct infections from the virus storm accounted for about fifty percent of the world's population. Excluding non-normal deaths during the chaos, about thirty percent of the population survived.

In other words, the total number of survivors who had escaped the city and were hiding in various corners was about two to three million.

Of course, some died from hunger and violence, but many survivors still remained. The noble and wealthy groups needed to gather survivors to expand their influence. "Shengfei" would not give up this large city for free. Especially without knowing what had happened, the reinforcement troops would first arrive at the abandoned camp to investigate.

With the abandoned camp as the core, Su Hao set up an ambush circle.

When Lin Jingshang's team entered the ring road, Su Hao received the alert from the security personnel—those box trucks were all painted with the "Shengfei" Group logo, making them easy to distinguish.

Unlike the "half-enhanced" people of this period who had been injected with enhancement drugs but had not taken silver bones, Su Hao's team members had at least reached the second stage of enhancement. The sensory and visual systems of the security personnel far exceeded those of ordinary people. Using tactical binoculars, they counted the exact number of personnel in Lin Jingshang's team and knew their armed situation.

(Characters appearing in this section: Lin Jingshang, played by the reader "Tian Di Shang Hen." Applause! Flowers! Saliva! Votes! By the way, this week's essence has been added.)

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