Chapter 43: The Annihilation of the Support Force
The small, enclosed room had poor light transmission, and with the evening approaching, it felt dim and oppressive.
To prevent impaired vision, Han Nianling set up a lighting lamp in strong light mode on a cabinet.
Under the bright illumination, contrasted with her pale skin, the bruises on Zhong Jing’s body stood out starkly.
The deep purplish-blue, tinged with dark red, spread from her chest to her shoulders and across her back’s shoulder blades.
Such terrifying injuries were indeed overwhelming for Zhong Jing.
Even the simple act of removing her outer clothing and gear to reveal the wounds caused her to grimace in pain.
With Han Nianling’s help, she barely managed to complete the process.
A growing sense of intense numbness elevated the unbearable pain to a new level.
But this was also good news—it meant her left arm was still functional.
“Hiss—hiss—”
Han Nianling, tending to the wounds, sprayed a cool medicinal liquid onto Zhong Jing’s bruised areas.
Whether due to the cooling sensation or growing accustomed to the pain, the agony in her shoulder finally eased somewhat.
Her clenched, aching gums could finally relax a bit.
“No fractures in the arm, ribs, or shoulder blades, not even a dislocation. No signs of internal organ damage or bleeding either. You’re really lucky, aren’t you? Guess how many more shots that frail body of yours can take under luck’s favor before it gives out.”
After applying enough medicinal liquid, Han Nianling used a cotton ball soaked in the solution to dab the bruises.
While tending to her, she didn’t hold back on verbal jabs.
Zhong Jing could clearly hear the reproach in Han Nianling’s tone—after all, Han Nianling had warned her so explicitly before.
“I’m sorry…”
A single “I’m sorry” was obviously not enough to appease Han Nianling.
But faced with her scolding, Zhong Jing found she could only respond with those three words.
She had to repeat the same apology a second time.
“I’ve already said that gun isn’t for ordinary people to use. It’s designed for long-range sniping of high-risk targets. Its weight alone is half that of your malnourished body. And you’re left-handed… Do you know how close the stock was to your little heart? Do you know how likely it was you’d stop breathing?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sigh…” For the first time, speaking so much in one breath left Han Nianling’s mouth slightly dry, and she licked her lips.
After a sigh, she finally ceased her scolding.
“But in killing the Tier 2 crawling giant lizard, your contribution can’t be denied. You proved your ability and met my expectations. When we return, you’ll receive the recognition you’ve earned.”
As she spoke, the wound treatment reached its final step.
She applied trauma patches, like adhesive bandages, over the bruised areas, completing the treatment.
However, with her injuries, Zhong Jing could no longer wear her previous gear.
Instead, she switched to a security team protective vest, which was lighter on her shoulders.
She also swapped weapons with Han Nianling, taking a handgun as her temporary weapon.
Its extremely low recoil posed no issue for single-handed use, and its power was considerable.
More importantly, it felt very comfortable to hold.
Even though her dominant hand was her left, Zhong Jing hadn’t neglected training with her right, so her right-hand shooting accuracy was not a problem.
“Get ready. I need to report to the army entering the JD Ruined City. Come out when you’re done.”
With that, Han Nianling left the room, not forgetting to take the lighting lamp from the cabinet.
The room instantly darkened without the light source.
This was fine—exposing her skin under bright light always felt unnerving.
The darkness provided a sense of security.
After treatment, her left arm could slowly perform small movements.
With some effort, Zhong Jing put on her clothes and protective vest, then pushed open the door and stepped out.
But the moment she crossed the threshold, a figure at the edge of her right vision startled her… Luo Shi? Why was he here?
Leaning against the wall, Luo Shi seemed to be waiting for someone.
Han Nianling had already left, meaning Luo Shi was waiting for her.
But why…
Zhong Jing suspiciously glanced at the wall he was leaning against, confirming multiple times there were no suspicious holes for peeking.
Only then did the chill in her heart dissipate somewhat.
“Um… your performance exceeded my expectations and changed my previous prejudices about you. Everyone witnessed it…”
Before Zhong Jing could ask, Luo Shi spoke first.
He seemed to want to rub his chin but realized he was still wearing his gas mask when his fingers touched it.
Though his expression was hidden, his tone and frequent gestures betrayed his embarrassment.
However, after a halting preamble, Luo Shi’s tone suddenly became firm and serious.
“Thank you.”
The simple two words were spoken with utmost sincerity, accompanied by a slight bow that left Zhong Jing stunned.
She hadn’t yet recovered from the shock Luo Shi’s words brought.
“Huh?” What was this situation?
“If not for your timely and precise shot, our team might have faced further losses. This is my heartfelt gratitude.”
His uncharacteristic words and actions upended Zhong Jing’s impression of him.
Was this still the arrogant, condescending guy?
“To me? A mercenary?”
“This has nothing to do with any status. You protected my team members—that’s the only reason. But the battles ahead remain tough. Everyone has their responsibilities to bear. Your contribution deserves recognition, but it won’t bias my attitude. I hope you remember that.”
With that, Luo Shi turned and strode away, quickly vanishing from her sight.
Could this be the “tsundere” described in pre-war books?
It wasn’t just Luo Shi.
As Zhong Jing stepped out, she clearly felt the lingering gazes of the other team members on her.
This gradual building of trust didn’t feel so bad.
…
High-rise buildings in the central city area held two significant meanings for humans entering them.
First, they provided an excellent observation point with a clear line of sight.
Second, they allowed temporary respite from the polluted air.
Pollutants in the air were heavy, settling at lower levels.
These high-rises, rising above the polluted air layer, were like islands emerging from a deep sea, offering a safe haven free from contaminated air.
Such a sense of relief was rare.
The height of the polluted air layer varied with pollutant intensity.
In their area, it was about ten stories high.
Without specialized equipment, precise measurements were difficult, but their contamination alarms provided safety assurance.
However, finding a high-rise in the war-ravaged central city area without collapse risks was extremely difficult.
Being able to climb this half-collapsed thirteen-story office building was already fortunate.
The security team came here for both reasons.
The massive zombie horde pressing from behind had occupied several streets, completely blocking their retreat.
Removing gas masks also made things easier, reducing complications during Zhong Jing’s wound treatment and easing the strain on filter canisters.
But beyond these, there was a third, more critical reason: the standing army had dispatched an air support force for them—a heavily armed helicopter carrying another security team.
With this force’s addition, their pressure would be greatly reduced.
Han Nianling had already sent their location earlier.
Based on the coordinates, the helicopter would soon arrive at their position.
A high-rise like this made it easier for the helicopter to lower cables to deploy the security team, avoiding the dangers of low-altitude urban flight.
“It’s coming…”
A faint rumbling came from the sky.
The distinctive noise from the rotor blades was highly recognizable.
Without the visual obstruction of polluted air, visibility improved significantly.
It wasn’t hard to spot the helicopter’s silhouette gradually appearing in the northwest sky.
Perhaps influenced by the helicopter’s noise, the sea-like zombie horde began to ripple.
The relatively stable group grew restless.
Some peripheral walkers instinctively moved toward the noise’s source in the northwest but were soon drawn back by the pheromones of commanding walkers.
Disperse… gather… disperse… gather…
As the helicopter approached, more walkers joined, like a dense swarm of ants.
From this high vantage point, the sight was striking.
“Deploy the glow sticks! Provide a light source for the helicopter.”
Seeing the helicopter draw closer, the security team members immediately used glow sticks to signal the pilot.
They began clearing debris and furniture to prepare a landing zone for the support team.
The thirteen-story building they were in was originally taller, but it had been severed at the thirteenth floor during its collapse.
This open area was divided into rooms by broken walls, unlike a rooftop with a single flat expanse.
Luo Shi also fired a signal flare to guide the approaching helicopter.
The support’s arrival was invigorating, alleviating the team’s low morale from a series of setbacks and crises.
But just as everyone was immersed in excitement, a sharp screech from high above cut through the growing enthusiasm, replacing it with a bone-chilling dread.
“Cor… corrosive vulture! In the sky! Above the helicopter!”
Even the highly disciplined security team members couldn’t help but cry out in panic.
The massive black shadow had, at some point, begun circling high above the helicopter.
Seconds later, it dove toward the helicopter.
The helicopter detected the danger and immediately veered left to evade the corrosive vulture’s attack.
But it was too late.
The corrosive vulture was faster.
Before the helicopter could complete its maneuver, the vulture’s claws latched onto its rotor.
Its tough hide was unfazed by the sharp blades, causing the fuselage to spin uncontrollably.
Flashes of fire and explosions outshone the faint starlight in the night sky until they faded into a pair of burning wrecks.
In Zhong Jing’s widened eyes, she clearly saw several figures thrown out during the spin, plummeting alongside the helicopter’s debris from high above into the zombie horde below, disappearing without a sound.
It was over?
An armed helicopter, along with its entire crew, including the security team?
Nothing remained but a few burning wrecks on the ground.