Chapter 44: Relentless Crises
Carrying the burning wreckage of the helicopter, the corrosive vulture flew off into the distance.
No one knew why it suddenly appeared here to attack the helicopter—perhaps to hunt, or maybe just for amusement.
But regardless, the fact remained that this critical support force had been effortlessly annihilated.
The entire process lasted only a few minutes.
The corrosive vulture’s rampage unfolded vividly before their eyes.
An elite backup force vanished right in front of them.
This sense of powerlessness weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts, plunging them into silence.
“I’ll report the situation to headquarters immediately! The rest of you, stay alert and await further instructions…”
Such vital information had to be reported to headquarters at once.
Those people’s deaths were not meaningless—at the very least, they could provide a necessary warning for Chu Sheng City’s future air forces.
“Captain, the zombie horde is starting to move this way.”
Just as Luo Shi prepared to contact headquarters, the sniper stationed at the window suddenly cried out.
The zombie horde?
The sniper’s words prompted Zhong Jing to rush to the window in an instant.
Peering through the window toward the horde, she saw the black tide indeed approaching their direction, just as the sniper had said.
Why had the zombie horde, calm just moments ago, suddenly begun such a large-scale movement?
Could the commotion caused by the corrosive vulture have provoked the commanders among the walkers?
Regardless of whether their minds and emotions had time to recover from the earlier scene, reality marched on with its cruel indifference.
After wiping out that team of over a dozen, disaster loomed over their heads once more.
The situation was spiraling toward the worst possible outcome.
This was an undeniably dire predicament.
Once engulfed by a zombie horde of this scale, their building would become a true isolated island.
A horde of this size undoubtedly included walkers with high perception and keen senses of smell.
The thirteen-story height was not a truly safe distance.
If their location was discovered, it would be relayed to the entire horde in no time.
A horde of tens of thousands would swiftly launch an assault on this small building.
Whether surging through the stairwells or climbing the walls, their small group could not hold them off.
It was even highly likely the building, unable to withstand further damage, would collapse entirely.
They could not sit idly by.
“Abandon all unnecessary equipment to lighten the load. We’re evacuating via the zip line!”
Luo Shi’s voice spurred the team into action.
The zip line he mentioned had been set up when they arrived, connecting the thirteenth floor to the ground.
Even among mercenaries, zip line gear was fairly common, often used to swiftly navigate treacherous terrain or establish quick passageways between separate building levels.
But only the security team’s specialized equipment could create a safe and reliable zip line with such a significant drop from the thirteenth floor to the ground.
Now was the critical moment to use this emergency measure.
“Stone, you’re with me.”
“What?”
Han Nianling’s voice suddenly came from behind.
Zhong Jing, who had just put on her mask, hadn’t turned around when she felt a pair of soft yet firm spheres press against the back of her head.
This familiar sensation felt oddly recognizable, as if she had experienced something similar at the Security Business Handling Center… Wait, could it be…
“Wait, wait a second, I can do it myself…”
Zhong Jing abruptly recalled that “unbearable” memory, realizing what she was resting against.
In a panic, she began to struggle, but the movement tugged at her shoulder wound.
A sharp pain made her gasp, and she noticed her harness was already linked to Han Nianling’s.
“Don’t move. If something goes wrong, you’ll be the one falling. Or do you care more about your nonexistent male pride than your life?”
While checking the safety straps binding her to Zhong Jing, Han Nianling firmly wrapped her arm around Zhong Jing, who was still trying to wriggle free.
“But my weight…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. The detection equipment and the JC-1001 were abandoned. Carrying you is no problem—actually, I’m much lighter now.”
!
Zhong Jing, startled, turned her head to look behind them.
As Han Nianling said, the silver case and the massive sniper rifle, along with other discarded equipment, were piled in a corner of the wall, surrounded by explosives set to destroy them.
“All that stuff is being abandoned?”
Ammunition, firearms, advanced equipment—these were things Zhong Jing, as a mercenary, could only dream of.
In the black market, they’d be auctioned off as premium goods.
And they were being so decisively discarded here.
“No matter how valuable the equipment, it’s not worth more than life. They’re consumables, but life isn’t. When they become a burden in a crisis, they must be dealt with decisively.”
The mask hid Han Nianling’s expression and eyes, but her tone carried a hint of disdain.
“You’ve been a mercenary for two years—don’t tell me you don’t understand this.”
I understand the reasoning, but what mercenary in Chu Sheng City could enjoy the security team’s treatment?
Let alone Zhong Jing, who had always lived frugally, splitting every coin in half.
This scene made her heart bleed.
“Prepare…”
As Han Nianling finished her checks, the evacuation began.
A security team member, fully geared with a harness, hooked onto the zip line and swiftly descended under Luo Shi’s command.
When he was halfway down, the second followed immediately, then the third.
“Your turn, Researcher Han, hurry.”
When all team members except Luo Shi had safely reached the ground, Han Nianling lifted Zhong Jing and hooked onto the zip line.
As her feet left the building’s edge, they rapidly slid toward the other end.
Zhong Jing wasn’t new to zip lines, but she had never experienced one with such a steep drop.
The other end was the roof of a convenience store, no more than two stories high.
The sharp angle and rapid speed made her shudder.
Wouldn’t this speed slam them into the ground?
Fortunately, her worries were unfounded.
The zip line’s buffering and braking were excellent.
When Luo Shi, the last to descend, reached the ground, the entire team had completed the transfer.
Free from Han Nianling’s grasp, Zhong Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Gender changes had long erased any impulses, but the intense embarrassment still weighed heavily on her heart.
As Luo Shi landed, he began dismantling the zip line equipment on the ground.
He glanced back at the high-rise: structurally sound, located in the central city area, a rare temporary stop in this region.
What a pity…
Luo Shi shook his head and pressed the detonator in his hand.
Amid a loud explosion, a burst of fireworks lit up the sky.
The blast destroyed the abandoned equipment and brought down the building’s supports.
The collapse wasn’t a straightforward fall in one direction.
It was more like a sand dune doused with water from above, crumbling layer by layer from the explosion’s epicenter until it became a pile of ruins.
“Roar roar roar roar!!!”
The explosion’s shock also agitated the zombie horde.
As they surged toward the blast, the team seized the moment to distance themselves from the horde.
“Researcher Han, what’s our next…”
“Head back. The mission is canceled. We’ve lost the means to track the witch.”
Just as Luo Shi was about to ask Han Nianling for their next direction, her sudden words caused a brief silence within the team.
Everyone nearly forgot to move, standing frozen in place.
Lost the means—wait, could it be…
Zhong Jing thought of the silver case Han Nianling had left on the rooftop.
The crash of the support helicopter had likely solidified Han Nianling’s decision to abandon the mission.
The situation had far exceeded her and the security team’s control.
“Back, go back?”
Han Nianling’s words left Luo Shi momentarily incredulous.
This woman, who had shown astonishing resolve from the start, was choosing to give up.
Not just him—other security team members found it hard to believe.
They had thought these words, after all the dangers, were what they most wanted to hear.
But when Han Nianling actually said them, they felt none of the expected relief of surviving a calamity.
Their efforts, their teammates’ sacrifices—the meaning of it all couldn’t be fully realized by their own hands…
“Yes, record the last known location of the witch. We’re withdrawing immediately to rendezvous with headquarters’ reinforcements.”
Whoosh—
A sudden strong gust blew from the road ahead, carrying sand, stones, and various debris.
Accompanied by a piercing screech, a familiar sound reappeared in their line of sight.
“Damn corrosive vulture!!!”
This time, even Luo Shi couldn’t hold back his silence.
The culprit that had plunged them into this predicament was circling above them.
Just like the helicopter, they had become prey in those eagle-like eyes.