Volume One, Chapter 11: The Rain Ceases

But that was another Lin Ye, not me.

Lin Ye sneered coldly in his heart and pulled up the satellite map on his tablet.

The Emerald Bay Apartments where Lin Xueqing was located were a full 27 kilometers from the villa district, and the route passed through three heavily infested zombie zones.

“There are at least five million zombies in the city center right now. Do you think I have twelve lives?”

“But... but you have the army protecting you! Those people in camouflage uniforms...” Lin Xueqing suddenly became agitated.

“I saw the video in the homeowners’ group! There’s a military unit clearing zombies in your villa district! Please…”

Lin Ye’s eyes sharpened.

The news had leaked faster than he expected.

But it didn’t matter to him. Those electronic devices without power would be no better than junk in less than two days.

“Listen,” Lin Ye interrupted her, his tone terrifyingly calm.

“First, that’s not the army, but private security I hired.

Second, they only have enough strength to protect this villa.

Third…”

He paused, listening to the increasingly loud banging on the door from the other end, “What you should be thinking about now is how to survive, not relying on others.”

“You bastard!” Lin Xueqing suddenly screamed, her fear turning into hysteria. “Why didn’t you say this when we were in bed? You men are all fucking—”

“Zzzzzz…” A harsh electric buzzing sounded as Lin Ye abruptly ended the call.

It seemed the signal base stations in the city center had been completely destroyed.

On the other side.

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” Lin Xueqing shouted loudly at her phone, but the signal had long since vanished.

At this moment, she slumped to the ground, her heart sinking into despair.

Fortunately… she had followed Lin Ye’s advice yesterday and stocked up on supplies after work last night.

At least she could survive for the next few months.

But no one could have imagined the apocalypse would truly arrive.

She simply couldn’t accept everything that suddenly happened and nearly broke down mentally.

As a top-tier celebrity, she could have lived a life of luxury and color.

But this apocalypse utterly shattered her plans.

Lin Xueqing slowly stood up, looking out at the oppressive darkness outside, her heart surprisingly calm.

She didn’t blame Lin Ye for being so ruthless and fully understood how unreasonable her demands were.

Anyone else would probably have refused, unless they were fools!

But after all this happened, the first person she thought of was Lin Ye.

He seemed to have known all along what would come next.

She suddenly realized that everything Lin Ye said on the phone yesterday was preparation for the apocalypse’s arrival.

Was he from the future?

…

Cloud Villa.

The underground command room was deathly silent.

Lin Ye slowly put down his phone and noticed Chen Feng and several team members watching him with complicated expressions.

“Is there a problem?” he asked coldly.

“Report, Marshal, no,” Chen Feng immediately stood at attention. “However… the residents of Emerald Bay Apartments are all wealthy or influential. If we launch a rescue operation, we might gain the support of local powers…”

“Hmph! A bunch of burdens,” Lin Ye cut him off, swiping across the zombie heat map around Emerald Bay on his tablet. “Risking our precious combat strength to save a few pampered wastes?

Captain Chen, this is the apocalypse, not a hero movie.”

He didn’t blame Chen Feng.

After all, the system summoned people with flesh and blood, emotions, and independent thoughts.

Turning to the electronic sand table, his voice was like a poisoned blade: “Remember, in this apocalypse, a saint’s heart is deadlier than zombies.

Notify all units to strengthen the villa perimeter defenses.

Soon, some ‘clever people’ will think to flee toward us.”

Chen Feng saluted solemnly: “Yes, immediately!”

Lin Ye gave one last glance at the now black screen of his phone.

He hadn’t forgotten about rescuing Lin Xueqing.

If she had been within two kilometers, if she had value, if the rescue costs were manageable.

But the reality was, she was just a beautiful burden—and the apocalypse was not short on beautiful women.

Outside the window, the black rain still fell relentlessly.

In the distance, a towering blaze erupted in the city center, staining the dark clouds blood red.

Two hours later.

At exactly noon, the four-hour downpour finally ceased.

The leaden gray clouds were torn apart as if by an invisible hand, and sharp beams of sunlight pierced through the gaps, illuminating the devastated city.

Survivors cautiously peeked out from their hiding places, briefly fooled into thinking the apocalypse was just a nightmare.

Until they saw the rotting figures wandering the streets and the severed limbs scattered everywhere.

Only then did they realize this was no dream.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!!”

“Look! Helicopters!”

On the rooftop of an office building in the city center, several white-collar workers suddenly pointed and shouted at the sky.

Three dark green armed helicopters flew low in tactical formation, their rotor winds stirring the blood-stained ground into eerie whirlpools.

“It’s the army! The army’s here to save us!”

“Hey—we’re here!”

“Damn! Why are they flying away?!”

The survivors wildly waved their clothes; some even set office papers on fire to create smoke signals.

But the helicopter group made no sign of stopping and headed straight for the outskirts, leaving only a chorus of despairing curses echoing between the buildings.

Inside the middle helicopter’s cabin, a silver-haired elder in a finely tailored navy suit slowly opened his eyes.

His wrinkled fingers gently stroked a dragon-headed cane, deaf to the cries for help outside the window.

This man was Mo Tianxing, the richest man in Donghai City, who maintained the air of a ruler even while fleeing the apocalypse.

“Old Mo, the third temporary shelter in the Eastern War Zone has completed basic construction,” the officer sitting opposite handed him a thermos cup. “Commander Li specially prepared a private rest area for you.”

Mo Tianxing nodded slightly without lifting his eyelids.

As the helicopter passed over a high-end villa district, he suddenly spoke: “Have you confirmed the identity of that squad in camouflage in the eastern suburbs?”

The officer was stunned. “A squad? Besides routine drills, there were no troop movements yesterday.”

The elder slowly opened his eyes, took out his phone from his suit pocket.

On the screen was a blurry video: a dozen or so figures were precision firing at zombies in the rain, their equipment gleaming coldly through the downpour.

“This…” The officer took the phone, his pupils shrinking.

The tactical moves were clean and efficient, and the equipment seemed familiar yet distinctly different.

The helmets had smoother contours; the weapon sights were unprecedented in shape; even the tactical gestures showed subtle differences.

“They’re not our troops,” the officer said with a furrowed brow. “And judging by their gear... they’re far more advanced than our active units…”

Realizing his slip, he hurriedly corrected himself: “I’ll report to Commander Li immediately!”

Mo Tianxing pocketed the phone, gazing out as the villa district gradually receded.

“Tell Li Dongyang that my daughter is still in the refuge level of the Twin Towers in the Eastern Suburb Financial Center.”

He rotated a jade bracelet slowly, his voice unhurried: “He should know what to do.”

“Yes!” The officer’s forehead glistened with sweat.

Everyone knew Mo Tianxing’s only daughter was the head of the financial group and understood the decades-long brotherhood between the tycoon and the military commander.

The helicopter turned southeast, leaving the mysterious villa district behind.

The officer covertly glanced at the phone video again.

Those unfamiliar soldiers’ arm patches seemed to bear a blurred snow leopard emblem.

Who exactly were they?