Chapter 49: Pressing Forward and Escaping Alive
I had no idea how Luo Shi and the other teammates were faring…
From the time displayed on Han Nianling’s watch, I could tell about ten minutes had passed since we fell underground and I woke up.
Why hadn’t Luo Shi and the others organized a rescue in that time?
Did they see the height of the fall and the complex, dangerous underground environment and conclude we were dead?
Or had urgent changes in the situation forced them to retreat temporarily?
In my heart, I leaned toward the latter possibility.
An A-level senior researcher like Han Nianling was immensely valuable to Chu Sheng City.
Such a professional’s worth was immeasurable, and anyone with this rank was a coveted figure across the entire Southern Federation.
Luo Shi should know how severe the punishment would be for failing to protect her.
Even recovering Han Nianling’s body could earn some leniency, proving he had fulfilled his duties until the mission failed.
This meant Luo Shi must have faced some difficulty that forced him to abandon rescuing Han Nianling.
Would Luo Shi and the others return to rescue us?
I had no confidence in answering that question.
Luo Shi wasn’t one to give up easily.
A threat that could force him to retreat was no small matter.
In Sector 01B, let alone rescuing others, they were likely struggling to survive themselves.
Forget it—I’d better focus on my next steps.
As a lone mercenary for years, my experience had taught me repeatedly: don’t pin all your hopes on others.
In this critical moment, the only one I could rely on to fight for survival was myself, not sitting idly waiting for death.
I carefully moved Han Nianling onto a sofa cushion that had fallen into this underground world with us.
Dragging the cushion, I pulled her into a small cave-like recess in the wall.
It was more of a shallow indentation, but it was enough to conceal Han Nianling.
I placed the healing spray, filter canister, security team rifle, and other supplies I had gathered next to her, ensuring she could act if she woke while I explored the passage’s depths.
Finally, I covered the cave’s entrance with nearby debris for safety and left two glow sticks for illumination…
If Luo Shi and the others did return for a rescue, the glow sticks and drag marks on the ground would lead them to Han Nianling’s location.
“Phew… rest well here…”
After finishing, I looked at the well-hidden spot and spoke softly.
I felt some reassurance about Han Nianling’s safety.
I had hidden the location and masked our scent.
Though this was underground, dug by an unidentified but powerful monster, it was still safer than the surface.
The collapsed building had turned this into a one-way passage.
The ceiling, aside from a few narrow cracks, was entirely covered by the building’s rubble.
Besides… this was the only option.
I couldn’t take an unconscious Han Nianling with me to explore while ensuring her safety.
As the only choice, having such a relatively safe shelter was already a mercy of fate…
“Now then…”
I looked toward the tunnel’s far end.
What was there that drew so many monsters with such fervor… No, wait!
In the split second before my thoughts wandered, I snapped awake as if from a dream.
My primary goal was to find an exit for Han Nianling and me!
The blue light and those monsters were no longer my concern.
Really, this kind of curiosity was better suited to Han Nianling.
Had I been influenced by spending too much time with her?
I shook my head in self-mockery, gripped my B-112 submachine gun—reclaimed from Han Nianling—and moved into the darkness.
My shoulder injury had mostly healed.
Firing the low-recoil B-112 from the shoulder should be fine.
But… would this level of armament be enough for the dangers ahead?
…
Compared to the JD Ruined City’s wide main roads, this two-lane road was narrow.
Wrecked vehicles scattered across it further constricted the passable space.
For Luo Shi and the others facing the zombie horde, this was an ideal defensive position.
Gunfire rang out almost without pause.
The street’s narrowness limited the number of walkers charging at once.
But their vast numbers allowed relentless assaults.
Ordinary walkers fell in droves under gunfire.
The next moment, new walkers took their place, charging forward.
Under the commanders’ pheromones, they feared no death.
The truly dead walkers piled into mountains.
But every team member knew: this was a tiny fraction of the massive horde, mere expendable fodder.
As long as the horde’s commanders survived, such fodder was limitless.
“Reload! Cover me!”
After shouting, Luo Shi quickly pulled a fresh magazine from his vest pocket.
After prolonged fighting, only two of his six full magazines remained.
The other teammates’ ammo reserves were equally grim.
My trigger finger, sore from constant firing, finally got a brief rest.
But the respite lasted less than a second.
With the new magazine loaded, my finger had to pull the trigger again.
“Roar roar roar!!!”
A sudden roar came from the rear of the dense horde.
No ordinary walker’s decayed vocal cords could produce such a sound.
“Everyone, stay alert! Watch the horde’s movements!”
Luo Shi’s shout had barely faded when four or five figures leaped from the horde’s rear.
They scaled the buildings on both sides of the street.
Their clawed limbs easily dug into the walls, letting them move freely on vertical surfaces.
Tier 1 swift walkers?!
The appearance of higher-tier walkers signaled the horde’s dissatisfaction with the stalemate, seeking a breakthrough.
Their involvement indeed put immense pressure on Luo Shi and the others.
“A2, Q2, suppress the horde. The rest, with me, target the swift walkers. Don’t let them get close. Everyone, fall back in rotation!”
The Tier 1 swift walkers used the walls as their path, splitting the team’s unified firepower.
With suppression weakened, the horde advanced several meters.
With only five people, maintaining fire was already grueling.
They had to retreat slowly, their boots crunching on spent bullet casings.
Luo Shi’s tense facial muscles twitched with pain.
A simple adjustment by the horde had pushed the team to its limit.
These were just basic walkers, yet they were already at their breaking point.
If this continued…
“Captain! Explosives are set!”
A shout came from a teammate far behind.
Without hesitation, Luo Shi issued the next order.
“Retreat!”
The other teammates bolted.
In that instant, the horde, freed from suppressing fire, surged forward.
Their collective force even pushed aside the wrecked vehicles.
The street was like a flood, waves of roars crashing through.
As the horde rapidly closed the distance, Luo Shi drew his handgun and fired a shot backward.
The bullet didn’t aim at any walker’s body.
Instead, it struck the undercarriage of a wrecked vehicle in the street’s center.
“Boom!!!”
The explosives he had placed under the vehicle detonated.
The blast flung nearby walkers into the air.
Flying metal shards tore through the horde, leaving a trail of severed limbs and black blood.
Though the horde quickly filled the gap, the explosion bought crucial distance between the team and the horde.
As Luo Shi and the others rushed out of the narrow street, the teammate tasked with setting explosives pressed the detonator.
Two buildings on either side of the street erupted in clouds of dust.
The load-bearing columns, rigged with explosives, were destroyed.
The buildings trembled in a series of blasts, slowly collapsing toward the street.
The impact shook the earth.
Amid towering dust, the buildings became piles of rubble.
Fortunately, Luo Shi’s goal was achieved.
The rubble blocked the horde’s path.
If they escaped now, they could shake off the pursuit…
“Argh…”
The next second, a swift walker dropped from above into the team’s rear.
Its gaping jaws bit into the shoulder of teammate A2.
In an instant, A2’s entire shoulder was torn off.
The horrific wound exposed half a shattered scapula.
Still alive, A2 wailed and writhed in agony.
“What?!”
A Tier 2 swift walker! When had it circled behind them?!
Compared to Tier 1 swift walkers, its larger frame towered over a standing adult even while crouched to feed.
Its body was no longer as lanky as a Tier 1’s.
Bulging muscles protruded under its bluish-gray skin.
Its inhuman face was smeared with the blood of its prey, dark saliva dripping to the ground.
“Bang!”
Before the other teammates could recover from the gruesome scene, the Tier 2 swift walker raised a hand.
A simple swipe effortlessly sent the nearest teammate flying several meters.
Including gear, that teammate weighed at least eighty kilograms.
“Prepare to inject the activation potion!”
With the retreat path sealed, Luo Shi and the others had no choice.
He reached for the small pocket on his chest, where their last countermeasure was stored.
“Bang!!!”
But no one expected what happened next.
The Tier 2 swift walker’s head exploded without warning.
In that moment, splattering blood and skull fragments seemed frozen in midair.