Chapter 37 Danger in the Ruins
Under the bleak afternoon light, the outline of the industrial park stood silently in the air thick with dust and decay, like the collapsed skeleton of a giant beast.
Wen Yu's figure seemed to blend into the shadows, moving silently among the broken walls and ruins, his movements swift yet cautious.
He had been inside for over an hour, during which time he only briefly replied twice via the encrypted channel, "Safe, continue probing." Su Ran remained inside the car, his mind highly focused, every pixel change on the monitor screen tugging at his nerves.
Wen Yu's low voice came through the walkie-talkie, slightly tinged with radio static: "Target located, a partially collapsed pharmacy warehouse. The external cover is adequate, but the internal structure is unstable. There are a small amount of usable supplies, mainly bandages and some unopened antibiotics. However, the entrance needs to be cleared, which is expected to take another forty minutes."
"Received. Be careful and keep in touch." Su Ran responded immediately, his gaze sweeping over several key directions outside the car. The surroundings remained deathly silent, save for the howling wind whistling through the holes in the ruins. But he remained vigilant; Wen Yu's mention of "clearing obstacles" meant the commotion might escalate.
Time ticked by, and Su Ran checked the time and adjusted the monitoring angle from time to time. Suddenly, something seemed to move slightly in the view of a camera on his left that was monitoring the main road of the park.
It wasn't a plastic bag blown up by the wind; that shadow... seemed to be human-shaped, but its movements were stiff and strange. The image zoomed in, but the resolution wasn't high enough; all that could be seen was a blurry, ragged outline, moving slowly and awkwardly behind a pile of wrecked vehicles in the distance.
Su Ran's heart tightened. A survivor? Or...? He immediately adjusted the angles of the other cameras, trying to get more perspectives. Just then, an unusual sound came from Wen Yu's direction—not voices, but several rapid, suppressed, heavy breaths, followed by a dull thud of something falling to the ground and a piercing sound of something being torn apart!
"Brother Yu?!" Su Ran exclaimed in a low voice into the channel.
After a brief hiss of electricity, Wen Yu's slightly hurried but still calm voice came through: "Running into some 'trouble.' Not living people. Shot two off, but made a lot of noise. Got the stuff, and are heading back via the backup route. What's the situation on your end?"
"At the eleven o'clock position, about 150 meters away on the main road, a suspicious humanoid target has been spotted. It is moving stiffly and slowly. No others have been found," Su Ran reported quickly, her words clear despite the fast pace.
"…More than one." Wen Yu's voice deepened. "I just saw a similar one deep in the warehouse, crushed under a shelf, not completely 'dead.' The commotion may have attracted more. Su Ran, start the vehicle, warm up the engine, and check if the evacuation route is clear. I will reach rendezvous point B within five minutes. If you see any vehicles approaching that are not my target, do not warn them; proceed directly to emergency situation C, which we have practiced."
"Understood!" Su Ran didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately carried out the order. He skillfully started the engine, quickly checked the dashboard, and confirmed that the evacuation route was still the best option on the electronic map.
At the same time, he took a deep breath, pulled the compact pistol from its holster on his leg, checked the ammunition, loaded it, turned off the safety, and placed it within easy reach of the passenger seat. His other hand gripped the tactical flashlight with a window-breaking spike that Wen Yu had given him for self-defense.
His heart was pounding like a drum, but his hands remained steady. He remembered Wen Yu's words during training: "Fear is normal, but don't let fear control your hands and eyes."
He stared intently at the monitor screen. The previously stiff figure seemed to be drawn by something, turning and quickening its strange pace towards the general direction of the vehicle. Immediately afterward, a second and a third similar figures emerged shakily from different corners of the ruins, seemingly instinctively drawn to sound and the scent of life.
Zombies.
The word flashed coldly through Su Ran's mind.
Although I was mentally prepared, seeing it with my own eyes was still a visual shock and chilling experience. Their clothes were tattered, their skin a dead, bluish-gray or grimy color; some had missing limbs, and their joints made a sickening grinding sound as they moved, while meaningless hoarse noises rolled from their throats. Most unsettling were their eyes—cloudy, empty, yet fixed intently on the direction of the vehicle.
Wen Yu hadn't appeared yet. The nearest zombie was less than eighty meters from the vehicle. They couldn't wait any longer.
Su Ran followed the emergency plan C – the procedure for when Wen Yu has not returned and the vehicle is approached by a non-friendly target. He pressed a button on the control panel.
Waaah—!
The siren mounted on the roof suddenly emitted a short but extremely piercing high-frequency blast! The sound echoed through the empty ruins, extremely penetrating.
The effect was immediate. The zombies were clearly attracted by the sudden, sharp noise, and they all turned and sped towards the source of the sound—the vehicle! Although their movements were still stiff, their speed was much faster than before, with a kind of desperate madness.
At the same time, Su Ran saw Wen Yu's figure leap out of a broken window like a cheetah in the surveillance footage to his right rear. He landed, rolled to dissipate the impact, and then sprinted towards rendezvous point B without stopping. He was carrying a bulging tactical backpack and holding a silenced pistol, glancing back warily as he ran.
"Brother Yu, the zombies at 3 o'clock are attracted by the alarm and are heading straight for the vehicle! Your rear is temporarily clear!" Su Ran immediately reported.
"Roger that. Keep drawing them in, I'll flank them. Get ready to provide backup." Wen Yu's voice came through the noise, calm as a rock.
Su Ran gritted his teeth, watching the three terrifying figures on the screen getting closer and closer. Fifty meters, forty meters… He could even see through the windshield the zombie in front, its half-rotten cheek and bulging eyeball. The pungent stench of decay seemed to penetrate the vehicle's filtration system, wafting through the air.
He pressed the button again, switching the alarm mode to a more irregular, high-pitched, shrill wail. The zombies became even more frenzied, stretching out their black-fingered claws and lunging straight at the front of the car.
Thirty meters! Su Ran's palms were sweaty, but his grip on the gun remained steady. He remembered Wen Yu's instruction: aim for the head or the spinal cord to conserve ammunition.
Just then, a gray figure flashed past the passenger-side window! It was Wen Yu! He didn't run directly to the driver's seat, but used the vehicle as cover, instantly appearing to the side of the zombie on the far left.
"puff!"
A faint gunshot rang out, almost drowned out by the alarm. A black, grimy mass burst open in the temple of the zombie on the far left, and it collapsed to the ground without a sound.
The other two zombies were immediately drawn by the sight of their fallen companion and the presence of a new living being, and roared as they turned toward Wen Yu. Their movements appeared even more ferocious and terrifying at close range.
"Su Ran!" Wen Yu shouted in a low voice, and with a nimble side step, he dodged a zombie's outstretched hand, while simultaneously turning his gun around.
Su Ran instantly understood his intention. Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly pushed open the car door, leaned out, raised his pistol, and aimed at the back of the head of the zombie that was turning its back to him and lunging at Wen Yu. The distance was less than ten meters.
Bang!
Gunshots echoed deafeningly in the cramped space of the car. The recoil from the bullet made Su Ran's arm jerk, but he steadied himself. A bloody hole burst open in the back of the zombie's head as it lurched forward, brushing against Wen Yu's clothes as it fell to the ground.
Almost at the same time Su Ran fired her gun, Wen Yu also took down the last zombie that was charging at him head-on, with a precise headshot as well.
The piercing alarm blared abruptly. A deathly silence returned to the ruins, broken only by the gentle breeze and the lingering thuds of the three figures falling to the ground. A thick stench of blood and decay filled the air.
Su Ran leaned against the car door, breathing heavily. His hand holding the gun trembled slightly, and the ringing of the gunshot still echoed in his ears. He looked at the three motionless, twisted bodies on the ground, and his stomach churned. He... he fired, hit them, killed them... even though they might no longer be considered "human."
A warm and strong hand covered his cold, trembling hand, steadily taking the gun he was gripping and engaging the safety. Wen Yu had appeared beside him at some point, carefully examined him to make sure he wasn't injured, and then quickly half-carried, half-lifted him back to the passenger seat and closed the door.
"Well done." Wen Yu's voice rang in his ears, deep and steady, carrying unmistakable approval. He quickly walked around to the driver's seat, got in, and closed the door in one fluid motion. "Calm, decisive, and well-timed. Finishing blows are crucial."
He didn't offer any further words of comfort or praise, but the phrases "Well done" and "The finishing blow was crucial" seemed to have a magical power, instantly soothing the lingering fear and nausea in Su Ran's heart. He looked up at Wen Yu. A speck of splattered dirt still clung to Wen Yu's cheek, but his eyes behind his goggles remained sharp as he quickly inspected the vehicle and surveyed his surroundings.
"I..." Su Ran wanted to say something, but her voice was a little dry.
"We'll talk about it when we get back. Let's get out of here first." Wen Yu interrupted him and started the car. The engine roared smoothly, and the vehicle nimbly reversed out of the hiding place, accelerating away from the deathly ruins along the pre-planned evacuation route.
The tense atmosphere only eased slightly after they left the industrial park and entered the relatively open, lush hilly area. Wen Yu slowed down and turned on the advanced filtration mode of the air circulation system to dispel the lingering smell of blood inside the car.
He glanced at Su Ran. The young man's face was still a little pale, but his eyes had mostly regained their clarity. He was looking at the scenery rushing past the window, his lips pursed, as if he was processing what he had just experienced.
"How did it feel to be so close to you for the first time?" Wen Yu asked in a calm tone, as if discussing the weather.
Su Ran was silent for a few seconds before answering in a low voice, "...It's disgusting. It looks terrifying, and the feeling of being hit...is even stranger. But," he turned to look at Wen Yu, his eyes gradually hardening, "I don't regret it. They wanted to hurt you. I had to shoot."
Wen Yu looked into Su Ran's eyes, where the fear had faded and a resolute light had returned, and the softest part of his heart was gently touched. He reached out and squeezed Su Ran's still somewhat cold hand. "You did the right thing. And you did it very well. Remember this feeling, but don't let it crush you. In the apocalypse, this is a hurdle that must be overcome."
Su Ran felt the warmth and strength emanating from his palm and nodded heavily. He recalled Wen Yu's calm and deadly figure as he moved through the horde of zombies, and the decisive moment when he pulled the trigger. The fear in his heart was slowly replaced by a strange sense of security, a mixture of lingering fear, relief, and a sense of growing maturity.
"Those...are those zombies?" he asked. "Has the virus really spread?"
"Hmm. Judging from their form and reaction, it's in the early stages. Their movements aren't fast, but once their numbers increase, it will be very troublesome." Wen Yu's gaze was serious. "This trip has confirmed this, which is an important gain. When we get back, the fortress's defense plan will need to be upgraded to address this kind of threat."
He paused, then looked at Su Ran: "You saw it today too. Besides man-made disasters, the outside world also has these even more incomprehensible natural disasters. Are you scared?"
Su Ran looked at him, shook her head, and said in a soft but clear and firm voice, "With you by my side, I have nothing to fear."
Wen Yu didn't speak again, but squeezed his hand tighter, then focused on driving. Outside the car window, the setting sun began to sink, dyeing the sky a poignant orange-red.
The shadows of the ruins stretched long, like lurking beasts. But they knew that ahead, the sturdy fortress, the home they had built together, awaited their return.
The carriage quieted down, with only the steady hum of the engine.