On the plaza of the Fuli Grand Hotel, a camouflage armored vehicle rumbled forward, followed by over twenty armed militants loaded with firearms!
The roar of the armored vehicle instantly drew the attention of the zombies, making them even more frenzied. They let out hungry, guttural howls and charged toward the vehicle.
"Rat-tat-tat—" The heavy machine gun mounted on the armored vehicle immediately sprang to life, firing large-caliber bullets one after another. The high-speed projectiles sparked as they tore through the air, leaving behind vivid trails of fire.
"Bang-bang-bang—" The bullets tore into the zombies' bodies with terrifying cracks. Their flesh burst apart like ruptured hot water bags, one after another. Green blood plasma and mangled limbs splattered violently in all directions, instantly staining the hotel's entrance in a sickly shade of green.
Soon, the twenty-odd armed militants joined the fray. Lining up with automatic rifles, they advanced while laying down suppressive fire, quickly wiping out the remaining zombies.
At the fifth-floor window, Bai Wen remained expressionless. He crouched down, glancing at the terrified middle-aged man before turning to the man's daughter, who clenched her small fists, her eyes burning with hatred. "Are these people after you?" he asked coldly.
The man nodded gravely but said nothing.
Bai Wen recognized them immediately—they were the same armed militants from before. He had witnessed their brutality firsthand; they spared no one.
He checked his magazine. He had fewer than two pistol rounds left. How could he possibly fight them off?
"Who are they? Why are they hunting you?" he pressed.
"Th-they're from the Black Cloud Safe Zone. W-we escaped from there!"
Bai Wen glanced at the woman, whose gaze remained fixed outside, and continued, "That safe zone must be heavily guarded. How did you escape?"
"Cough—" The man cleared his throat weakly. "My daughter is quite skilled. Yesterday, while most of their guards were out, we killed the sentries and ran. I didn't expect them to catch up so fast. Don't think you can escape either—they won't let anyone go!"
"Then I'll just run," Bai Wen muttered, releasing the woman and darting toward another room. Peering through the window, he spotted four or five armed militants still stationed below, rifles at the ready. His brow furrowed.
"You won't make it," the daughter said, helping her father over. "These men are professionally trained. They might not be elite, but their firepower makes up for it. There's no way out. Our only chance is to work together—if we hold out until nightfall, they'll retreat." They had stopped attacking him, now urging cooperation instead.
"Are they military?" Bai Wen frowned.
"No, these guys used to be just local thugs, but they had a leader who was ex-military. After establishing the Black Cloud Safe Zone, they started military training and later scavenged some abandoned military weapons and equipment. You saw their heavy firepower just now—even with your skills, you can't dodge a large-caliber machine gun, can you?" the middle-aged man said confidently.
"But what difference does it make even if we team up? At best, I'd just have two more burdens. You don't have knives or guns—all you can do is hide. How am I supposed to move fast with you in tow?!" Bai Wen eyed them skeptically.
"Hmph," the man sneered, taking a deep breath. "The main issue is we're starving. If we had our fill, those punks outside wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Seems you two aren't ordinary folks either," Bai Wen said, his gaze growing more wary.
"Surviving in this zombie-infested world requires some skill. Otherwise, we'd have been dead long ago," the man chuckled self-deprecatingly, licking his cracked lips as he stared at the ration pack behind Bai Wen's waist. The woman's eyes were fixed on it too—they were clearly desperate with hunger.
Suddenly, banging noises came from the stairwell. All three tensed. The man urged, "You'd better decide fast—once they're here, it'll be too late. If you think you can escape thirty-odd armed men on your own, then go ahead!"
Bai Wen remained calm, unfazed by the sounds of objects being moved. He stared silently at the two, whose breathing grew increasingly ragged.
As the noise grew louder, the middle-aged man couldn't hold back. "I know a hidden stash with plenty of supplies—food, water, all stockpiled by me. If we escape, I'll take you there. Take whatever you want!"
Bai Wen smirked. "Hope you keep your word."
He tossed them two packs of compressed biscuits from his pocket. As they caught them eagerly, he already had his pistol drawn and fired a shot behind him without even looking.
Thud.
An armed man who had just peeked over the windowsill—intending to sneak up on them—had his skull blown open the moment he appeared. His body plummeted with a loud thump.
The father and daughter flinched, initially thinking Bai Wen had turned on them. They even forgot to eat the biscuits in their hands.
"Better hurry. We're running out of time," Bai Wen urged.
The two seethed inwardly. Who was the one dawdling earlier? Now that he's got what he wanted, he's rushing us. How infuriating.
They wolfed down the biscuits, coughing from the crumbs but never stopping. They were clearly famished.
The sounds of debris being cleared from the stairwell grew closer. Bai Wen peeked down and saw the men had reached the third floor—they'd be here any second.
He whispered to SCV, "Can we make bullets now?"
SCV replied, "Mainly an issue of materials and time. We have neither right now."
Bai Wen sighed quietly. It seemed the only option was to escape first. But he was running low on ammunition now—only two grenades and a flashbang left. A direct confrontation was definitely not feasible.
The father and daughter, having finished their biscuits, walked over. The man lowered his voice and asked, "How's it looking?"
"They're about to come up. We just killed one of theirs, so our position is exposed. We need to leave immediately!"
No sooner had he spoken than the windows in the room shattered, followed by the deafening roar of a heavy machine gun! An armored vehicle on the ground was firing directly at the fifth-floor windows. If the father and daughter had still been in that room, they would have been riddled with bullets by now.
The three of them covered their heads and sprinted toward the sixth floor.
(End of Chapter)