Chapter 125 - 99: Ruins

Chapter 125: Chapter 99: Ruins

After arriving at the core area assembly point, Second Lieutenant Wang Lei hurried to the command post to report on the previous night’s incident on the periphery, as well as the survivors’ decisions. When he returned, his expression was even more solemn than before, a deep-seated gloom clouding his features. He didn’t say much, simply motioning for Xu Mo and the dozen or so other survivors who had chosen to stay to follow him.

The group was led into a massive military tent. Xu Mo’s gaze swept across the interior, and he was surprised to see the familiar figure of Feng Dayong among them. Feng Dayong was sitting in a corner, silently inspecting his weapon.

Seeing Xu Mo looking his way, Feng Dayong stood up, dusted off the seat of his pants, and ambled over, lowering his voice.

"Xu, you stayed behind too? I knew you were a sharp one." An ’I told you so’ expression appeared on his face as he continued, "At a critical time like this, sticking with the main force seems dangerous, but if they really had to split up to escort all those people back, who knows what kind of trouble would’ve cropped up on the way. By staying here, at least we’ve got all these metal beasts and the people from Jiang City holding the line up front. We can just do some odd jobs in the rear. It’s actually the safer bet."

Xu Mo nodded. Feng Dayong’s thinking was perfectly in line with his own. In this apocalypse, seemingly safe choices often concealed greater risks. Conversely, in a seemingly dangerous environment, you could find a chance at survival as long as you positioned yourself correctly.

After waiting in the tent for about half an hour, a capable-looking, middle-aged officer with captain’s insignia on his shoulders walked in. His sharp gaze swept over the assembled survivors. He dispensed with pleasantries and spoke directly, his voice loud and concise:

"My name is He Hai, and I am your direct supervisor for the upcoming mission. Thank you all for choosing to stay and provide support. Let’s cut the crap. Time to assign tasks."

He was remarkably efficient, quickly dividing the dozens of people into several teams and assigning them various support tasks. Most were non-combat roles, such as transporting supplies, evacuating the wounded, and performing simple repairs on the defensive positions.

Xu Mo and Feng Dayong were assigned to the same team, an arrangement Xu Mo was quite pleased with.

’Based on their brief interaction, he could tell Feng Dayong was a seasoned veteran who knew how to read a situation. Partnering with someone like that would save him a lot of unnecessary trouble and increase his chances of survival.’

Captain He laid out their team’s mission clearly: "Your task is ammunition resupply for combat position ’C-07.’ From 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM the following day, you are to ensure the position has an adequate supply of ammunition, especially for the heavy machine guns. Additionally, if there are any wounded on the line, you are responsible for transporting them to the rear medical station. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Xu Mo and Feng Dayong responded in unison.

"Good. Now head to the rest area and get as much sleep as you can. Report to position C-07 at 8:00 PM sharp for the handover."

The so-called "rest area" was a relatively intact and spacious factory building. It was densely packed with simple army cots, where many exhausted combatants and a few survivors like them were fast asleep, their snores rising and falling in a chorus.

Xu Mo noticed a small placard hanging at the head of each cot, blue on one side and white on the other. When you took an empty cot, you were supposed to flip the placard to the white side to show it was occupied.

Xu Mo and Feng Dayong each found an empty cot, flipped their placards, and lay down fully clothed.

Although he was physically exhausted, the environment was noisy. Furthermore, since noon, the sounds of explosions and gunfire had been drifting in intermittently from outside. They were clearer and more intense than what they had heard on the periphery, at times growing so fierce that it was impossible to fully relax one’s nerves.

Xu Mo forced his eyes shut and began to regulate his vital energies to restore his strength, a method far more effective than simple sleep.

A little after 5:00 PM, Xu Mo opened his eyes, feeling mostly recovered. He glanced over at Feng Dayong and was surprised to find the older man still fast asleep, even snoring softly, as if the sounds of gunfire and explosions outside were nothing but a lullaby.

’That mental fortitude and adaptability... truly impressive,’ Xu Mo praised silently.

Xu Mo got up and walked out of the rest area. The rain had stopped at some point, but the sky remained overcast.

The air was thick with dampness, the heavy stench of gunpowder, and a faint but unsettling odor—something like rotting matter mixed with burnt plastic.

He took a short walk around the vicinity. In the distance, he could see black smoke still rising from several areas. Combatants rushed past, and logistics vehicles shuttled back and forth. The entire assembly point was on high alert, in a pre-combat state of extreme tension. He didn’t wander far and soon returned to the rest area.

As soon as he entered the rest area, Xu Mo saw that Feng Dayong was already awake. He was sitting on the edge of his cot, carefully wiping down his hunting rifle with a grimy cloth. His movements were slow and steady, his expression serene.

"You’re awake? Sleep well, Feng?" Xu Mo greeted him.

"Well enough. In a place like this, just being able to fall asleep at all is a win." Feng Dayong looked up and grinned. "Gotta build up our strength for tonight’s work. Come on, Xu. Let’s go get something to eat, then we can go check out our post."

The two of them went to the logistics station to pick up dinner. To Xu Mo’s astonishment, they were serving rice with a few meat and vegetable dishes. It was a real eye-opener. He just wondered if their braised pork belly was made with caramelized sugar.

After quickly finishing their dinner, Xu Mo and Feng Dayong followed the directions and headed toward position C-07.

As they neared the position, they saw two people pushing a handcart toward them from the direction of the front line. The cart was loaded with several empty wooden ammunition boxes. Judging by their clothes, they were survivors, too.