Chapter 224 - 133: Strange Beast

Chapter 224: Chapter 133: Strange Beast

"In the end, it was just me and the captain. We were backed against a wall, with only our pistols and machetes left. The creature had taken a few hits and slowed down a little. The captain pushed me, told me to jump out the window behind us, and said he’d hold it off..."

Zhang Yun paused, not speaking for a long time.

Xu Mo said nothing either. Stories like this weren’t uncommon in the apocalypse; he had heard and seen far too many. But every time, that heavy sense of powerlessness still weighed him down.

"I jumped out," Zhang Yun finally continued, her voice soft. "And I ran. I heard my captain’s furious roar and gunshots behind me, followed by... the sound of tearing flesh. I didn’t look back. I just kept running until I had no strength left and collapsed on the side of the road. Later, another squad passing by rescued me and brought me back to Jiang City."

She turned her head to look at Xu Mo. "There were eight of us. I’m the only one left."

"After that failed mission, I had nothing left but the gun and knife on me. And after what happened, I don’t want to venture out again anytime soon. Now I live in a temporary shack, getting by on Contribution Points I earn from patrols like this just to eat."

Xu Mo was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you regret it? Taking that mission?"

Zhang Yun shook her head, her gaze firm. "No regrets. In the apocalypse, you won’t get anywhere without taking risks. It’s just that sometimes, the cost is too high."

She looked at Xu Mo. "What about you? Judging by your gear, you must have been through a lot."

Xu Mo thought for a moment, then answered concisely, "I spent some time in the Red Star Industrial Zone, stationed at a frontline fortress. I ran into a few situations."

"The Red Star Industrial Zone?" Zhang Yun’s expression changed. "I’ve heard of that place. They say it’s extremely dangerous. Do the zombies... respawn there?"

"So you all know about that? You could say that," Xu Mo said, a little surprised she was aware of the situation. ’Then again,’ he thought, ’that’s even better. I won’t have to explain it in detail.’

"I was at the fortress in the Red Star Industrial Zone until just recently. I even encountered a Level 2 mutated zombie."

Zhang Yun gasped. "Level 2? You ran into one and survived?"

"I was lucky, and I wasn’t alone," Xu Mo said vaguely. "The situation over there is definitely unusual. The reason why is still unclear."

The two fell silent again for a while. In the distance, a bird’s cry echoed—sharp and mournful. It was the call of a mutated bird. Both of them instinctively looked up, on guard, but the sound quickly faded away.

"Speaking of the Red Star Industrial Zone," Zhang Yun said, shouldering her backpack again, "do you know why Jiang City is in such a hurry to expand? To build such massive walls?"

Xu Mo shook his head. "The official story is to accommodate a larger population and upgrade our defenses."

"That’s part of the reason," Zhang Yun said, lowering her voice. "Back at the very beginning of the apocalypse, during the initial outbreak, I still had access to some internal briefings. Although I’ve lost those channels now, I still remember some of the information. From what I know, the leadership in Jiang City has always had a profound sense of crisis. They know far more than they’ve made public."

Xu Mo’s interest was piqued. "For example?"

Zhang Yun hesitated, glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, and then continued, "The catastrophe wasn’t a simultaneous global event, you know? It happened in stages, with varying degrees of severity."

"I’d heard something to that effect." Xu Mo raised an eyebrow, filing the information away.

"According to the earliest reports, the catastrophe started from a few hotspots and then spread rapidly. Some of these hotspots were major cities and densely populated areas, which makes sense. But others were in remote regions, even uninhabited ones. For example, a certain desert research base in the northwest, a deep-mountain observation station in the southwest, and an abandoned mine in the north. The common thread between all these places is that before the catastrophe, they all housed highly classified scientific or military projects."

Something clicked in Xu Mo’s mind. He thought of the potential secrets hidden within the Red Star Industrial Zone.

"Are you saying the catastrophe might be man-made?"

"I don’t know," Zhang Yun shook her head. "But the leadership clearly knows something. They’re desperately developing military tech, frantically expanding the city, and scrambling to restore technology. That sense of urgency... it doesn’t feel like they’re just preparing for zombies and mutated creatures. It’s more like they’re getting ready for something much bigger."

’Something much bigger?’ Xu Mo recalled the sense of disharmony he’d felt in the Red Star Industrial Zone and the massive flock of birds he had seen before.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Xu Mo asked.

Zhang Yun gave a bitter smile. "Who would I tell? And what would be the point? I’m only telling you this as idle chatter."

She stood up and patted the dust off her clothes. "Time to go. We’re only halfway there."

The two continued on, their patrol route taking them into the ruins of an old residential area. Most of the buildings here had been two or three-story houses—likely a suburban village before the catastrophe. Now, only crumbling walls and rubble remained.

The streets were narrow and their visibility was limited, putting both of them on high alert.

While crossing a small alley, Zhang Yun suddenly raised a hand, signaling for them to stop. She crouched down, carefully examining the ground.

Xu Mo moved up beside her and saw several fresh drag marks in the alley’s dust, along with a few drops of dried, blackened blood. The marks led toward a half-collapsed, two-story building deeper in the alley.

"Less than twenty-four hours old," Zhang Yun whispered, using her fingers to measure the width of the drag marks. "Not a zombie. Zombies don’t drag things. It was a living creature... or a person."

The two exchanged a look, both tightening their grip on their weapons. Zhang Yun made a hand signal, indicating that she would take the left and Xu Mo the right, flanking the half-ruined building.

Xu Mo nodded and moved silently to the right side of the small building. There was a broken window here. He cautiously peeked inside. The ground floor was a living room, with overturned furniture and debris strewn everywhere. In the corner, he saw a huddled figure.