Chapter 21

In fact, the so-called secret method to enter the infected area was not as complicated as Ma Le had imagined. The key was on the overpass.

The Black Watch was just a secret force, and it was impossible for them to completely control every corner of Manhattan. Soldiers generally guarded important streets with checkpoints and military bases. Between the bases and checkpoints, a double-layered barbed wire fence, about four meters high, separated the infected area from the safe zone. The barbed wire on the infected side was electrified with high voltage, and any zombie that touched it would have its brain cooked like tofu.

Ma Le had also considered crossing the barbed wire before. With his current physical condition, he could jump over it with all his might and a bit of luck. However, if he got caught and electrocuted, he would end up as an experimental subject for the Black Watch.

However, the electrified fence couldn't be set up everywhere. In the case of tall buildings, they could be bypassed, but a few kilometers long overpass couldn't. The overpass in Manhattan was close to the sea and was mainly used for trams. Most of it was within the safe zone, but about one kilometer extended into the infected area. The electrified fence ran under the overpass, and the Black Watch's checkpoint was set up at the exit in the infected area to prevent zombies from entering the safe zone via the overpass.

In theory, people in the safe zone could walk onto the one-kilometer section of the overpass that extended into the infected area, as long as they didn't go down at the exit. David's method was to cross the barbed wire on the overpass and then use a rope to climb down, entering the infected area undetected.

Under the cover of night, the group climbed onto the overpass and arrived at the pre-selected location. They tied the rope and lowered it from the bridge. The place where the rope was tied was about five meters above the ground. For Ma Le, jumping down from this height was no problem, so he volunteered to go first to test the rope's sturdiness. The others followed one by one. What surprised Ma Le the most was the sixty-something-year-old Frank, who, despite his age and weight, climbed down as nimbly as a monkey, faster than the young people.

The last person to climb down was a young black man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, thin and small, who seemed to have a fear of heights. He clung tightly to the rope, not daring to look down, and moved inch by inch.

At that moment, a beam of light swept over them—it was a Black Watch patrol! The nine people on the ground crouched behind the bridge piers, leaving the young man hanging alone on the rope. The young man was terrified, his eyes closed, his body trembling, but he didn't dare to make a sound. He had seen with his own eyes how these men in blue-black uniforms shot civilians without mercy!

The black man Johnny, who had previously provoked Ma Le, stared intently at the young man hanging in mid-air, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Knife-scarred David looked in the direction of the light; the patrol was getting closer. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Let's go, we can't do anything for him!"

"No! We can't leave him behind!" Johnny whispered, but was punched in the stomach by the short-knife woman, Isa, bending over in pain. Isa grabbed Johnny by the collar and said, "Be quiet, do you want to get us all killed?"

"No, you can't do this, he's just a kid!" Johnny insisted, but Isa clamped his neck, preventing him from speaking.

Ma Le couldn't stand it anymore. He sighed and said to David, "Give me thirty seconds!" He darted out from behind the bridge pier and disappeared into the darkness.

It was pitch black, but Ma Le, with his enhanced attributes, could see clearly. The patrol was not from the Black Watch but from the Marine Corps. These guys assisted the Black Watch in the city, making up for their lack of manpower, but their equipment was not as advanced as the Black Watch's.

Ma Le silently circled around to the back of the three Marines, locked one of them in a neck hold, and absorbed him. The other two turned around when they sensed something was wrong, but Ma Le thrust a crossbow bolt into each of their eye sockets, killing them instantly without a sound. Ma Le pulled out the bolts, weighed them in his hand, and muttered to himself, "What material is this? It's so sturdy, it could even be used as a dagger!"

After dealing with the enemies, Ma Le quickly cleaned up, picked up the weapons from the man he had absorbed, and put them in his backpack. He took the crossbow and walked back, shaking the rope. The young man lost his grip and fell, but Ma Le caught him. The boy was still closing his eyes, so Ma Le slapped him, saying, "Wake up, we're here!"

The young man was startled and found himself on the ground, collapsing in relief. The others also came out from behind the bridge piers, looking at Ma Le in disbelief. "Did you take care of them?"

Ma Le smiled proudly and nodded. "Want to loot them? The Marines have some good stuff!"

The group cheered softly and ran to the bodies. Knife-scarred David looked at Ma Le with a complex expression and followed. Only Johnny stayed behind, hugging the young man and asking, "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

The young man, who had been terrified, now hugged Johnny and cried. After comforting him, Johnny turned to Ma Le with a complex expression. "Thank you, thank you for saving my brother!"

Ma Le laughed and waved his hand. "No problem, consider it compensation for that kick. Here, catch this!" He threw a round object to Johnny, who caught it and saw it was a grenade!

"This..." Johnny was startled, but Ma Le put a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Johnny understood and nodded, putting the grenade away without a word.

The three caught up with the seven who were looting. The six were all happy, with the two Marine corpses stripped of their weapons and equipment. While American civilians could own firearms, fully automatic weapons were strictly regulated. These two corpses provided two assault rifles, which were far more effective against zombies than pistols or shotguns.

"Strange, no grenades?" Knife-scarred David looked at Ma Le suspiciously. Ma Le didn't hide it, pulling out a grenade and showing it to everyone. "I killed them, so taking a few grenades isn't a problem, right?"

The group agreed. In their eyes, grenades were not as useful as automatic rifles. Little did they know that Ma Le's special constitution made him less vulnerable to rifle bullets, and only grenades could pose a real threat to his life. He needed to keep them under control. As for the one he gave to Johnny, it was partly because Johnny had a younger brother to protect, and partly because Ma Le genuinely liked the black brothers.

Only Knife-scarred David looked uneasy, his eyes filled with a hint of fear and malice.

After cleaning up, the group quickly moved deeper into the infected area. Although Johnny had received Ma Le's help, he still seemed to fear Knife-scarred David more and followed him closely. His little brother, however, clung to Ma Le, finding the Asian man mysterious and skilled in martial arts, which was why he could easily kill two Marines!

The two trailed behind the group, and Ma Le chatted with the young man. His name was Jerry, he was sixteen years old, and he was Johnny's younger brother. The two brothers lived in Queens and came to Manhattan to work during the day. Two weeks ago, they were caught in the infection and were trapped here.

The store they worked at was now in the infected area. Already living in poverty, the two brothers lost their income source and had no place to stay in Manhattan. For days, they had been sleeping on the streets, scavenging from trash bins when they ran out of money, living like beggars. Desperate, they decided to come to the infected area to "mine for gold."

"Your brother cares so much about you, did he really let you come along?" Ma Le asked.

Jerry scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I followed him secretly. Knife-scarred David said he only needed tough guys, but in reality, there weren't many willing to come to the infected area. Besides us, there were several other groups recruiting. Knife-scarred David used to work for someone else but broke with his boss and went solo. He's short on manpower, so even someone like me, with a pistol, is useful!"

Ma Le was interested in Knife-scarred David and asked, "Has Knife-scarred David been here many times?"

"As far as I know, he's been here more than once. This is his second time since going solo. My brother followed him last time, and I got this gun from the infected area," Jerry said, waving his pistol. "Also, you saw that woman with the knife, right? She's one of Knife-scarred David's subordinates and has been with him since before he went solo. My brother says she's very skilled, killing zombies with a knife and not flinching even when blood splatters all over her."

Ma Le looked ahead. Isa was indeed closely following Knife-scarred David, but now she had a pistol, probably taken from the Marine corpses. The two assault rifles were carried by Knife-scarred David and a tall man named Jason, who had only had a pistol before. Getting an assault rifle from Knife-scarred David's subordinates was no small feat.

The group moved cautiously, avoiding wandering zombies, and finally arrived at a supermarket. Seeing the scattered food inside, little Jerry couldn't help but swallow, clearly having gone many days without a proper meal.

Knife-scarred David, experienced, ordered everyone to hide behind some abandoned cars. He picked up a piece of broken stone and threw it into the supermarket.

With a crash, the stone hit a shelf, and several items fell. Everyone remained silent, waiting for about ten minutes. When nothing happened, Knife-scarred David signaled that it was safe to enter.

However, just as the group stepped out from behind the cars, a gunshot rang out. A man with a pistol in the group suddenly had his head explode, his body flying backward!

"There are others here!" David shouted, running and firing several shots from his assault rifle in the direction of the gunshot, then quickly hiding behind a car. The others were also startled and found the nearest cover.

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The group moved cautiously, avoiding wandering zombies, and finally arrived at a supermarket. Seeing the scattered food inside, little Jerry couldn't help but swallow, clearly having gone many days without a proper meal.

Knife-scarred David, experienced, ordered everyone to hide behind some abandoned cars. He picked up a piece of broken stone and threw it into the supermarket.

With a crash, the stone hit a shelf, and several items fell. Everyone remained silent, waiting for about ten minutes. When nothing happened, Knife-scarred David signaled that it was safe to enter.

However, just as the group stepped out from behind the cars, a gunshot rang out. A man with a pistol in the group suddenly had his head explode, his body flying backward!

"There are others here!" David shouted, running and firing several shots from his assault rifle in the direction of the gunshot, then quickly hiding behind a car. The others were also startled and found the nearest cover.