92 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

"Watch your back, and don't walk in a straight line," Chen Wan whispered as a warning. "Understood." Qin Ke was already prepared for this, and she and Chen Wan moved towards the granary in an irregular zigzag pattern, avoiding a straightforward approach. "Captain, what are they doing?" Duan Mei Nan anxiously observed the activity near the granary's entrance. "They think we'll shoot them in the back. They underestimate us. Aren't we legitimate soldiers from the base?" Xing Feng scoffed, conveniently forgetting that he had been dismissed. In reality, if not for needing Chen Wan and Qin Ke to scout ahead, Xing Feng might have already started shooting. Chen Wan and Qin Ke cautiously advanced. After covering around four hundred meters, they reached the granary doors, or rather, the entrance to a series of four interconnected granaries. Each stood as tall as a six to seven-story building. Chen Wan scanned the corridors on either side of the granary and noted numerous corpses and dark, purplish blood stains. She gestured to Qin Ke, and the two promptly sprinted towards the rear of the granary, soon concealing themselves among sprawling pipelines without the slightest intention of pushing open the doors to inspect inside. From afar, Xing Feng grimaced through binoculars. "Damn it, they dare defy orders. I should've shot them earlier," he cursed, his face contorting as he continued, "Do they think they can make a run for it? I’ll drag them back here for execution. Full alert, everyone! Head towards the warehouse on my command. We have to prove to higher-ups that we belong in Sector A! Move out." After issuing these commands, Xing Feng had the same men who had taunted Chen Wan and Qin Ke on the ride over—Duan Mei Nan and a few other male alphas—take the lead. The granary plaza stayed eerily silent, as if devoid of any life aside from their squad. Meanwhile, Chen Wan and Qin Ke ascended the granary's exterior emergency stairs, finding a hidden spot to hide. No way were they sacrificing themselves. It was the military's issue now; let the military handle it. Peeking out, they observed Xing Feng leading sixteen others towards the first granary entrance, excluding the driver. Whether they opened the door was not visible from their position. Soon, there was a loud noise, like a heavy object being pushed open. Inside, Xing Feng's group saw rows upon rows of stored grains and broke into excited smiles. "Captain, there's so much food here. We're going to be heroes this time!" a short male alpha chuckled with glee. Even Xing Feng felt a wave of relief and started giving orders, "A few of you go inside and check. If everything’s fine, start loading the food onto the truck." "Yes, Captain!" Duan Mei Nan replied, leading a few into the granary to begin their inspection. Xing Feng relayed over the radio to the waiting driver, "Drive the truck over here. There's no problem—just a false alarm." "Roger that, Captain." The driver promptly moved the truck to the first granary entrance, stopping within a minute due to the short distance. Chen Wan also noticed the truck, but she and Qin Ke remained still. Her past experience told her the unnaturally quiet situation was not as simple as it appeared. While she pondered, a gunshot rang out from the first granary. Chen Wan and Qin Ke raised their rifles, grim with anticipation. Inside, Duan Mei Nan frantically reported to Xing Feng, his voice trembling, "Captain, there... there are zombies here." "Ain't it just zombies? Shoot them dead! Do I have to teach you everything?" Xing Feng barked back at him. However, upon reaching Duan Mei Nan and seeing the scene, he was stunned. The stairs leading up from the first level to the second were densely packed with zombies, standing motionless, explaining why they hadn't been noticed before. "What are you waiting for? Shoot!" Xing Feng ordered, starting to fire at the horde. The zombies, previously as still as statues, surged forward like a tidal wave towards Xing Feng’s group. "Damn it, these things are way faster than any I've seen before!" Duan Mei Nan yelled, firing his rifle at the incoming zombies. "I don’t know why! This is a damn suicide mission! Not even hundreds of people could take on this many zombies," complained the short male alpha, switching to his handgun and dagger due to the close range, where a rifle was impractical. "It's all those two women’s fault. They should've been the ones to die, not us!" Duan Mei Nan, enraged and desperate, shouted into the chaos. Though the zombies pressed on tirelessly, he wondered if it was just his imagination that they seemed smarter now. The squad found itself encircled by zombies, their gunfire unable to halt the relentless advance. Zombies behind used others as stepping stones to leap forward. "Fuck! These things are smarter and faster now!" the short man warned. "Of course they are! If we don't break through, we're all going to die here!" Xing Feng shouted. The driver in the military truck witnessed the turmoil. Gritting his teeth, he didn't flee, hoping to escape with his teammates, but quickly realized his teammates might abandon him. "Captain, Lao Gao's outside. Have him draw some of the fire. Otherwise, we're done for!" As he spoke, two zombies barreled into him, knocking him down as blood flowed from his neck. Xing Feng, now out of options, hesitated no longer. In a brief moment, the squad had already lost five members. Continuing like this meant certain death. He drove back a zombie with his dagger and fired at the military vehicle's bulletproof glass. Though it was bulletproof, it still caused enough disturbance. Outside, the sharp crack drew partial attention of the zombies towards the large truck. Unexpectedly, some zombies dashed towards Lao Gao, who had been waiting to assist, as more swarmed around them. Under immediate threat, Lao Gao no longer hesitated, stepping on the gas to escape. But these zombies were not the usual ones they'd encountered before; they were faster and more intelligent. Within moments, they surrounded the truck, attacking tactically from all sides, and several had already climbed onto it. Chen Wan and Qin Ke couldn't see what was happening at the door, but they could see the chaos around the truck. "These zombies have picked up speed, and they're smarter than before!" "Could they have evolved?" Chen Wan was uncertain but knew they had to leave. Once Xing Feng's group was gone, it would be just her and Qin Ke against the horde. "We need to go, Qin Ke. I'll hold them off. Find a working vehicle among those abandoned ones in the plaza," Chen Wan urged, leading the way down. "Alright." Qin Ke nodded, determination steeling her gaze. Without their previous armored vehicle, they could only rely on themselves to make a swift escape. Chen Wan worried if the zombies here had evolved, what about the ones near the Funan City base? Could they have gained intelligence simultaneously? Chen Wan relayed their situation telepathically to Yi Yi, waiting for her response as she and Qin Ke cautiously moved along the first granary's right side, avoiding the zombies gathered by the left and inside. "The zombies are probably evolving to level 2. With enhanced speed, agility, and some intelligence, it seems," Yi Yi informed from her sanctuary at the villa. "Take care of them for me. The base might face level 2 zombies soon too," Chen Wan concluded, focusing her attention back on the present. She and Qin Ke reached the outermost section of the granary. One more step would take them out of the zombies' blind spot. Exchanging a look with Qin Ke, who nodded in understanding, Chen Wan dashed from the right wall into the open, Qin Ke right behind her. Together, they sprinted towards the few vehicles in the plaza, immediately attracting the zombies' attention. Especially those zombies clinging to the truck; Lao Gao, the driver, had already been torn to pieces by them. A few zombies were busily feasting on what remained of him. However, their attention quickly shifted to Chen Wan and Qin Ke, drawing zombies not only from the truck but also many from inside the hall toward them. Chen Wan stopped about a dozen paces from the vehicles, planning to make a stand there. Yet, without a suitable weapon, it was nearly impossible to hold her ground in this zombie-infested area. There wasn’t much time for her to dwell on possibilities. The zombies had already rushed to within several yards of Chen Wan. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her rifle and started firing. But zombies felt no pain. Unless she hit them in the head, they continued to surge forward like a relentless tide. Within seconds, they were just a dozen steps away from her. Seeing the rifle was no longer effective, Chen Wan quickly discarded it. She armed herself instead with a handgun in one hand and a dagger in the other, ready to fight for survival.