Chapter 46
Wen Xin’s skills had improved rapidly.
Back before he left City G, he needed protection from Lan Tuan and the others, unable to face zombies alone. Now, surrounded by multiple zombies, he could dodge bites swiftly and calmly put bullets right between their eyes.
Although the other team members weren’t as quick as Wen Xin, they were well-trained and coordinated, managing their tasks efficiently as well.
Soon, this small area was cleared of zombies.
The team stayed vigilant, pushing further into the southeastern district.
Winter had arrived, and bare trees lined the streets, their branches stripped of leaves. Metal shutters on buildings were dented, smeared with bloody handprints, and knocked-over trash cans clattered in the wind.
Corpses lay strewn across the road, left uncollected and rotting, filling the street with a stale, putrid smell.
The whole scene felt bleak and desolate.
Wen Xin looked around. “Something’s not right.”
Lin Nan stopped immediately. “What’s wrong?”
Just as Wen Xin was about to answer, he saw a wooden board behind Lin Nan shift slightly, creating a small gap.
A bloody, clawed hand reached out from that gap.
With a quick move, Wen Xin yanked Lin Nan behind him.
Then, with a swift kick, he pressed the zombie’s head against the wall, pinning its mouth shut.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed, and the zombie’s head exploded, splattering blood across Wen Xin’s black combat pants.
The other team members looked back, seeing Wen Xin’s leg still raised mid-air and his calm, composed expression. They couldn’t help but cheer, “Whoa!”
Their captain was amazing!
Wen Xin lowered his leg and quickly reloaded his gun. “There are too few zombies in this area. It doesn’t match the predicted numbers.”
Zombies were highly sensitive to the scent of living humans and, once they detected it, they would swarm eagerly toward their targets.
Zombies didn’t eat much but were relentless in attacking people, creating more of their kind.
Some researchers believed this behavior was a reproduction instinct driven by the virus.
With the team standing here, they were like irresistible bait, radiating the scent of fresh prey.
No zombies appearing meant there truly weren’t any left nearby.
One team member suggested, “Maybe another team cleared them out ahead of us?”
Wen Xin shook his head. “Each team has a planned route. They wouldn’t overlap like that, and we haven’t heard any gunfire along this path.”
Silently, he wondered: Could the Weixin Cult have been involved?
But guessing wouldn’t solve anything.
The group continued moving along their designated route.
Soon enough, Wen Xin’s questions were answered.
Ahead, near a roadblock, hordes of zombies crowded together, blocking the entire street.
Their bodies were in various stages of decay. When they opened their mouths to roar, a mixture of pus and blood tore apart their flesh, leaving sticky strands hanging from their jaws.
The team held their breath.
All the zombies from the outskirts must have converged here, explaining the emptiness earlier!
But the sheer number was staggering.
Lin Nan clutched his weapon tightly, his scalp tingling. “How many people must be in there to draw this many zombies?”
At the front of the horde stood a large shopping mall, roughly four hundred meters long.
Its windows were shut tightly, and the reflective glass made it impossible for Wen Xin to see inside from this distance.
He didn’t make any sudden moves and instead used his radio to report the situation to the First Task Force.
The dispatcher on the other end was surprised by how quickly Wen Xin’s team had reached their objective.
The dispatcher sternly advised, “There aren’t many of you. Stay put in a safe spot nearby and wait for further orders.”
The sound of gunfire, mixed with the shouts of people and zombie growls, filled the radio, nearly drowning out the dispatcher’s voice.
Wen Xin barely caught the message before the connection abruptly ended.
His team had heard the sounds over the radio too, and they looked at each other in confusion.
“I heard explosions. They’re using mini explosives!”
“Why haven’t we encountered many zombies on this route? Could we just be lucky?”
Wen Xin frowned, pushing away unsettling thoughts. He led his team to avoid the zombies’ attention, taking cover in a nearby apartment building.
From a third-floor window, they could observe the mall’s surroundings.
One detail puzzled Wen Xin.
The barricade holding back the zombies wasn’t particularly high. Given the horde’s size and density, it would have been easy to topple, so why weren’t they breaking through?
Could something inside the mall be scaring the zombies away?
A short while later, an explosion boomed down the street, thick smoke billowing into the air.
Hearing the noise, the zombies let out eerie growls, flooding toward it, only to be mowed down by waves of gunfire.
Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
Amid the explosions, two elite task force units broke through the horde.
They quickly divided into four squads, moving seamlessly. In mere moments, they reached the side entrance of the mall without a second’s delay, rushing inside.
Once they were inside, the gunfire ceased, likely muffled by the mall’s soundproof walls.
Watching the efficient advance, Lin Nan’s excitement grew. “See? I knew they had another mission.”
But whatever they were doing, it was no concern of theirs.
The team followed orders, remaining on standby at their location.
With plenty of rest and nothing to do, they started to scavenge for supplies nearby.
Lin Nan’s searching skills proved useful. While others went through four cabinets without finding anything, he unearthed half a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, some bear-shaped cookies, and a bag of sunflower seeds.
When the others saw the sunflower seeds, their eyes lit up.
Though it had only been a few months since the apocalypse began, most packaged food hadn’t expired yet, and as long as the seals were intact, the food was safe to eat.
Wen Xin stayed by the window, keeping an eye on the area.
They hadn’t seen any sign of the fox, or even small animals like sparrows, along the way. The sighting was reported to be somewhere in this vicinity, but it might actually be a little farther off.
Wen Xin decided he would search more thoroughly after the mission.
“Captain!”
Wen Xin turned, seeing Lin Nan proudly holding out the bear-shaped cookies. “Captain, I heard you like sweets?”
He blinked, slightly surprised. “Why do you say that?”
Lin Nan replied with a grin, “Because you used to be a pastry chef!”
His logic was simple. If Wen Xin didn’t like sweets, why would he have chosen such a job?
Wen Xin hesitated briefly, but seeing Lin Nan’s eager expression, he smiled slightly and nodded. “Yes, I do. Thank you.”
Lin Nan felt his heart melt at Wen Xin’s smile.
In serious moments, Wen Xin typically had a calm demeanor, but when he smiled, there was a warmth to him.
It felt like a spring breeze, creating a sense of calm and comfort.
With the main task force nearby, they didn’t dare stray too far.
They had packed enough food to last three days in case any unexpected delays kept them from returning as scheduled.
It was only the first day, so they weren’t exactly desperate for food, which made it easier to sit tight.
But as time passed, the silence at the entrance of the mall left Wen Xin feeling uneasy.
He picked up his radio, hesitating to make contact in case it disrupted the main team’s operations. He decided to wait a little longer.
An hour later, as night fell and the zombies around the barricade had already cycled out, there was still no activity from inside the mall.
A sense of dread settled in Wen Xin’s heart.
No longer hesitating, he used the radio to contact the dispatcher.
After a tense ten seconds, there was a faint beep as the connection was established.
Before Wen Xin could even ask, a distorted, high-pitched scream tore through the radio.
“Ah—!”
Everyone’s hearts jumped.
Wen Xin demanded, “What’s happening? What’s going on over there?”
The dispatcher’s trembling voice came through. “The operation… has been compromised. There are mutants… and another faction from another base intervened. We… we need backup…”
“Zhang Quanyong… locate Director Zhang Quanyong! He’s in the west wing of the mall…”
The last word was cut off by a loud crash, like a blunt weapon smashing against the floor.
A sickening sound followed, as if a head had rolled across the floor.
And then, silence.
Wen Xin’s hand shook, but he quickly tightened his grip.
The others looked stricken, the unexpected news like a storm cloud looming over them, leaving them feeling helpless and panicked.
“Captain, what did he mean by mutants and interference from another base?!”
“Did our people walk into an ambush? What should we do, and who is this Zhang Quanyong?”
Wen Xin’s mind was a jumble of confusion, but he calmed himself before the others could lose their composure.
“If I’m guessing correctly, Zhang Quanyong is the main objective of the mission. Since we’re being instructed to find him instead of killing him, it’s likely a rescue operation.”
He closed his eyes briefly and made a decision. “Attempting a rescue with just our team would be too risky.”
“Zhang Wu, Wang Hang.”
Two team members responded immediately. “Yes!”
“The First Task Force hasn’t called for backup yet, likely due to the urgency of their situation. The two of you should search nearby for other squads and confirm the situation with them.”
Their faces grew serious, and they left to carry out his orders.
Wen Xin continued, “If this mission was supposed to be top secret, and the other base still found out, it means we have a mole.”
He recalled their exposure during the journey to City A.
He also remembered the three men who had displayed a subtle hostility toward him before this mission began.
Wen Xin had formed a plan.
He looked at Lin Nan and two other team members. “The two of you will return to report the interference from another base to Commander Li Yongming and await his instructions.”
One of the team members immediately responded, “Yes!”
Wen Xin had made all the necessary arrangements for his team but had no plan for himself.
Lin Nan looked at Wen Xin, sensing his determination. “Captain, are you planning to go into the mall alone to rescue this Zhang Quanyong?”
Lin Nan had guessed Wen Xin’s intentions.
Deploying so many people indicated the gravity of the mission. They couldn’t see what was happening on the other sides of the mall, and if they waited for backup and Zhang Quanyong was harmed or transferred out through a side door, then everyone involved—including those who had already sacrificed themselves—would have died for nothing.
After hearing this, Lin Nan paused and then said firmly, “If you’re going, I’m coming too. Only one person needs to deliver the message back.”
“My family’s gone; I have nothing left holding me back. Captain, take me with you. One more person means one more pair of hands to help!”
Wen Xin couldn’t refuse him.
The two of them quickly counted their remaining bullets and carefully maneuvered around the zombies crowding the barricades, taking a different route into the mall.
The main doors had already been forced open by the First Task Force, with broken chains hanging from the shattered glass.
Inside, the mall was pitch-black and eerily quiet, shrouded in an unsettling stillness.
Moving cautiously over the smooth marble floor, Wen Xin and Lin Nan crept forward, pausing every few meters to listen for any sounds, just in case someone was lying in wait.
The mall was larger than they’d expected, connecting multiple buildings through a network of passageways. One side had five floors, and the other side had seven.
The layout, with its twisting intersections and winding corridors, gave the place a maze-like feel. It was obvious that some areas had been modified by people.
As they passed a four-way junction, Wen Xin suddenly noticed a blinding white light coming from a dark corridor.
He signaled Lin Nan to stop, gripping his weapon tightly, hoping the person holding the light would move away.
But luck was not on Wen Xin’s side.
The white light continued to approach, unerring in its direction. Meanwhile, footsteps—at least five sets—echoed from the same corridor.
Lin Nan’s face turned pale. Wen Xin clenched his jaw, pulling out a smoke grenade silently, ready for action.
Ten meters… nine meters… eight meters…
When the figures were only three meters away, Wen Xin pulled the safety pin, held the smoke grenade for a three-count, and tossed it into the corridor.
“Who’s there?!”
The men shouted as the smoke grenade exploded, filling the air with thick, blinding smoke.
“They’re with that other team from before!”
Upon hearing that, Wen Xin didn’t hesitate. Like a fierce wolf, he darted forward through the smoke, striking one man unconscious.
They couldn’t fire their guns here. The enclosed space would cause echoes that could draw more enemies.
Lin Nan took down another enemy but was quickly entangled with two more attackers. He stumbled back into a wall, groaning in pain. “Damn!”
“Lin Nan!”
Wen Xin rushed to support him.
In the scuffle, Wen Xin noticed that while these men had strength, but, they fought with no skill or strategy, as if they hadn’t been formally trained.
In a flash of insight, Wen Xin asked, “Are you with the Wei Xin Cult?”
Hearing their cult mentioned, the man Wen Xin was fighting froze.
Before he could retort with “So you know, and you still came?” Wen Xin took the opportunity to knock him out cold.
But distant footsteps echoed down the hall; others had noticed the commotion.
“Let’s go!” Wen Xin shouted to Lin Nan, who quickly followed him.
They sprinted toward the west wing, and Wen Xin could hear gunshots behind them.
The Wei Xin Cult was a civilian organization. These guns were likely stolen from the main task force, meaning the earlier team was likely in grave danger.
Watching the pursuers’ approach, Wen Xin felt his hands slick with sweat, his heartbeat thundering as his nerves stretched to their limits.
Suddenly, Lin Nan staggered.
Wen Xin’s eyes widened, his body reacting faster than his mind, pulling Lin Nan into a nearby store just in time.
Lin Nan, breathing heavily, clutched his head. “I… I think I hit my head back there…”
Wen Xin pressed a hand over Lin Nan’s mouth, signaling for silence.
Chaotic footsteps neared.
But strangely, the frenzied pursuers stopped just short of the stairwell, hesitating to come closer.
Wen Xin held his breath, listening carefully.
After a moment, the footsteps began retreating. The cultists were pulling back.
What was going on?
Wen Xin frowned, remaining on high alert. Suddenly, a peculiar scent wafted through the air.
The smell wasn’t overpowering, but it was oddly soothing, reminding Wen Xin of incense he’d once smelled at a temple.
His head swam unexpectedly.
Beside him, Lin Nan, with even less resistance, murmured, “This smells… so nice…”
“Wen Xin, there’s light up ahead.”
Lin Nan pointed in a daze toward the back of the shop.
A warm, yellow light spilled through the crack of an open door, casting a shadow on the curtain—a shadow that seemed to move.
“It looks like… a fox in there…?”
A fox…?
Wen Xin’s mind snapped into clarity.
He raised his head and saw the shadow on the curtain—a fox’s silhouette, his heartbeat quickening.
Could it be Xiao Qi?
Wen Xin rushed forward and grabbed the curtain—
