Dawn broke over the silent city. Golden light spilled across the asphalt as Zhang Xiaowen sat motionless by the window, her tactical helmet catching the first rays. Behind her, students stirred awake to the smell of reheated canned fish.
"Operation Daybreak commences." She clicked her pistol's magazine into place.
The Cube raced across the playground with firecrackers strapped to its roof. *Pop! Bang!* The detonations drew growls from every alley. Zombies converged on the sound like moths to flame.
"Move! Now!" Zhang kicked open the container door. Students poured out of the building in single file, clutching makeshift weapons. A lanky teen tripped over debris – the Cube's micro-gun chattered, dropping a sprinting zombie three meters from the boy.
"Third floor biology teacher turned sprinter," Zhang muttered, watching the enhanced corpse twitch through her visor. "Evolution's accelerating."
Panic erupted as two office worker zombies rounded the corner. Fatty Wang and Gao Dong froze, aluminum bats trembling. The Cube's toy car skidded between them, rotary blades emerging to shred rotting legs. "Climb! Unless you want front-row seats!" its synthesized voice barked through hidden speakers.
The modified truck's V-plow carved through abandoned vehicles like butter. Zhang white-knuckled the steering wheel, swerving around an overturned tour bus. In the rearview mirror, the container's reinforced walls echoed with terrified whimpers.
As they reached the riverside highway, static crackled through the cabin speakers. The Cube's antenna extended, capturing fragmented broadcasts:
"...National Emergency...urban areas...weapons authorization...survivor camps..."
Cheers erupted from the container. Teacher He wept silently, fingers tracing her phone's dead screen.
Zhang glanced at the Cube now docked in its charging port. "Government's still functioning. Your secret stays safe...for now."
The mech's indicator lights pulsed once – acknowledgment, not agreement. Beyond the flood barriers, the real wilderness awaited.