Volume One, Chapter 26: The Second Infantry Squad
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The one who stepped in was a young man wearing a stained casual suit.
He was handsome, with a calm and steady air.
He was one of Mo Youxue’s admirers!
Without even sparing a glance for the unconscious thug sprawled on the floor, he immediately turned to Mo Youxue and asked with concern, “Are you all right, Xue’er? Were you hurt?”
His voice was gentle, carrying just the right amount of concern.
Still shaken, Mo Youxue glanced at the fallen thug, then at Li Hang. She drew a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, and her voice regained its usual coolness.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
After a pause, she added, “And I’ve told you before—don’t call me Xue’er. We’re not that close.”
The smile on Li Hang’s face stiffened slightly, but it soon returned to normal, as though her coldness meant nothing to him.
“Good to hear. It was nothing—just a small favor.”
He nodded gracefully and said no more.
Then he turned and walked to a relatively clean corner not far from them. Leaning against the wall, he sat down and closed his eyes to rest, as if he had merely swatted a fly.
“Hmph! What a hypocrite!”
An Ruoran spat viciously at Li Hang’s back, then lowered her voice and complained into Mo Youxue’s ear.
“Just look at him, Sister Xue’er! Acting like some hero rescuing a damsel in distress! He clings like a piece of stubborn plaster—you can’t shake him off no matter what! He learned a few martial arts moves and now he has to show off! Once we get out of here, I’m definitely going to have my dad teach him a hard lesson! I’ll make sure he learns who he’s dealing with!”
Mo Youxue sighed helplessly and tugged at An Ruoran.
“Forget it, Ruoran. Don’t bother with him. At least… he really did help us just now.”
She looked around at the oppressive, despair-filled surroundings and spoke in a low voice.
“In a place like this, simply maintaining basic order and safety is already quite difficult. He… and the people around him really have managed to make those troublemakers behave themselves.”
An Ruoran pursed her lips, clearly still displeased.
“Hmph! They’re only doing it because you’re the daughter of East Sea City’s richest man! They want to curry favor with you and climb higher through your connections! A toad dreaming of eating swan meat!”
Mo Youxue did not argue. She merely cast a somewhat complicated glance at Li Hang, who was resting with his eyes closed.
She knew very well that Li Hang’s attentiveness was indeed partly motivated by her family background. Yet his swift and decisive skill just now had also provided them with a certain degree of security.
In this hellish shelter level, strength itself was a scarce resource.
“Ugh…”
An Ruoran suddenly slumped her shoulders and rubbed her growling stomach. Her voice trembled with tears.
“Sister Xue’er, when exactly is Uncle Mo sending people to rescue us…? I’m so hungry… The little bit of chocolate we brought was gone yesterday… If they don’t come soon, I’m going to starve to death in this awful place… Boohoo…”
Mo Youxue hurriedly comforted her, though she seemed to be encouraging herself as well. Her tone was firm.
“Just wait a little longer, Ruoran.”
“Yesterday, I finally managed to contact Dad using the satellite phone. The signal kept cutting in and out, but he made himself very clear! Someone will come to rescue us today—today at the latest! Dad has never lied to me!”
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“Really?!”
The dimness in An Ruoran’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by dazzling light, as if she had seized a lifeline.
“That’s wonderful! We finally have hope!”
She excitedly threw her arms around Mo Youxue. Her impressive bosom pressed so tightly against Mo Youxue that the latter could barely breathe.
Mo Youxue patted An Ruoran’s back, muttering inwardly:
This girl’s chest is absurdly large.
Then, almost involuntarily, her gaze drifted once more toward Li Hang.
At some point, Li Hang had opened his eyes. He was quietly watching them, the corners of his mouth curved in a faint, unreadable smile.
That smile cast an indescribable unease over the glimmer of hope that had only just arisen in Mo Youxue’s heart.
She instinctively tightened her grip on the satellite phone in her pocket—a useless piece of metal whose battery had long since run dry.
…
East Sea City’s Third Shelter, Temporary Helipad.
The rotors of three dark-green attack helicopters began turning slowly, whipping up powerful gusts that sent dust swirling through the air.
Inside each helicopter, ten fully armed special forces soldiers sat rigidly in place. Their weapons gleamed coldly in the dim cabins.
“Remember!” A deep, authoritative male voice came through the onboard communicator. “You have only one objective: the shelter level beneath the Twin Towers of the Financial Center in the eastern suburbs. Rescue Old Mo’s daughter! At all costs! Understood?!”
“Understood, sir!”
The thirty soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing throughout the cabins.
“Move out!”
“Whum-whum-whum—!”
The roar of the rotors suddenly intensified. Like arrows released from a bowstring, the three attack helicopters shot into the sky and sped toward the Twin Towers in the east.
…
At the same moment, inside the command room of Cloudridge Villa.
Lin Ye stood before a massive electronic tactical map, watching the flickering points of light and the continuously updating markers indicating the battle situation.
Suddenly, the system’s notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! The Marshal’s forces have slain 3,401 zombies! Beginning reward settlement…]
[Ding! Settlement successful! Obtained: +3,401 Merit Points!]
[Ding! Blueprint acquired: Diesel Fuel (one 180-liter drum, 5 Merit Points) ×1!]
[Ding! Blueprint acquired: Cold-Weather Clothing (1 Merit Point) ×1!]
[Ding! Blueprint acquired: QBZ-191 Assault Rifle (500 Merit Points) ×1!]
[Ding! Blueprint acquired: AN/PVS-31A Binocular Night-Vision Device (300 Merit Points) ×1!]
[Ding! Blueprint acquired: Cotton Quilt ×1!]
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…
“Not bad.”
The corners of Lin Ye’s mouth lifted slightly.
Although no blueprints for heavy weapons or vehicles had dropped, these supplies and pieces of equipment were all extremely practical.
The QBZ-191 rifle and the individual night-vision device were especially valuable. Even if they had no immediate use for them, they would be of great importance in the future.
“System, display my current Merit Points.”
[Current Merit Points: 54,217]
“Redeem an infantry squad! Deploy it at the same location as this morning! Orders: proceed to reinforce First Squad and advance alongside them!”
Lin Ye issued the command decisively.
He desperately needed more manpower. An infantry squad and the Snow Leopard Assault Team had managed to advance only about two hundred meters throughout the entire morning. Their efficiency was still far too low.
[Confirm redemption: Standard Infantry Squad, ten personnel! Merit Points consumed: 50,000!]
[Redemption successful!]
In the open area behind the villa, space twisted once more. Ten fully armed soldiers and a brand-new CSK181 Mengshi assault vehicle appeared out of thin air.
This fresh reinforcement quickly formed ranks and, following Lin Ye’s orders, sped toward the battlefield on the eastern side.
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere…
At the front line, First Infantry Squad had finished clearing the designated area and was resting and resupplying behind a temporary defensive line.
The soldiers checked their weapons, changed magazines, and replenished their water supplies, moving with swift precision and order.
The heavy machine gun mounted on the roof of the Mengshi had already had its barrel replaced once. Wisps of heat were still rising from it.
The streets were piled high with the corpses of zombies. Survivors struggled to drag them together into heaps, preparing to burn them.
The Snow Leopard Assault Team continued carrying out more meticulous tasks: searching every floor, rescuing survivors, and eliminating any stragglers that had slipped through.
Inside a five-story office building, a five-man team advanced cautiously.
At the front was a Snow Leopard operative carrying a heavy riot shield. The shield was covered in claw marks and dried black blood.
Behind him on either side, two team members held QBZ-191 assault rifles, their muzzles sweeping constantly across every corner where a threat might be hiding.
In the middle was Mu Qing, under their protection. Her climbing rope and safety harness hung from her waist, while sweat and dust streaked her face. Her breathing was somewhat labored.
At the rear of the formation, a machine gunner wielded a QJY-201 general-purpose machine gun, vigilantly covering the passage behind them.
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