Volume 1, Chapter 61: Attacking the Financial Center

7:00 PM.

Inside the master bedroom of the Cloud Villa.

Lin Ye leaned lazily against the leather sofa, enjoying the crystal grapes that An Ruoran fed him one by one.

The young girl’s slender fingers occasionally brushed lightly across his lips, carrying a faint, lingering fragrance.

"Mmm..." Lin Ye narrowed his eyes, savoring the soft touch against his fingertips, while his other hand wantonly kneaded An Ruoran's full, rounded buttocks, causing her cheeks to flush scarlet, though she dared not dodge.

"Marshal..." An Ruoran murmured coquettishly, her voice so sweet it practically dripped with honey, "Please, be gentler..."

A wicked smile curled the corner of Lin Ye's lips, and just as he was about to speak, a crisp knock suddenly echoed from outside the door.

"Marshal, it's me, Mu Qing."

"Come in."

The bedroom door slid open silently, and a tall figure stepped inside.

Mu Qing was wearing a sharp, tailored combat uniform today, which accentuated her striking figure to absolute perfection.

Her long, dark hair was tied into a neat ponytail, exposing her delicate facial features and slender neck.

Lin Ye raised his eyes and gave a slight raise of his brows.

This young woman's aura... seemed somewhat different from when they first met?

The former campus belle's demeanor now carried a hint of tenacity, and her gaze was no longer filled with that initial jittery anxiety, but rather a composed and steady confidence.

It seemed that the recent period of hardship had truly helped her mature a great deal.

"Marshal." Mu Qing offered a respectful salute. Her gaze swept over An Ruoran, who was currently snuggled in Lin Ye's arms, and a flash of complicated emotion crossed her eyes, though it quickly returned to calm.

"Sit." Lin Ye casually gestured toward the opposite sofa.

Mu Qing shook her head. "I'd rather stand and speak, Marshal."

"As you like." Lin Ye didn't mind, his fingers continuing to wander across An Ruoran's body. "What brings you here?"

Mu Qing took a deep breath, her gaze lingering on An Ruoran for a split second, looking as though she wanted to speak but hesitated.

An Ruoran blinked, suddenly flashing a sly smile. Far from shrinking away, she leaned even closer into Lin Ye's embrace, almost as if declaring her territorial rights.

"It's like this, Marshal," Mu Qing bit her lower lip before finally speaking up. "With the number of survivors increasing, the rescue team is facing a severe shortage of personnel... I'd like to request the authorization to draft some additional people."

Lin Ye frowned. "Does such a trivial matter require my personal approval? Can't you simply select them from among the survivors directly?"

"I tried," Mu Qing explained hurriedly, "but Director Li Hua refused. He said..."

She paused, her voice dropping a fraction. "He said that everything within the base belongs to the Marshal, and any personnel transfers must go through your personal authorization."

A flash of cold light crossed Lin Ye's eyes, followed by a low, mocking chuckle. "Heh, Li Hua certainly knows how to play the game."

That old fox—on the surface, he was upholding Lin Ye's absolute authority, but in reality, he was seizing power in a roundabout way.

Still... petty tricks like that weren't enough to catch his interest.

"I know," Lin Ye waved dismissively. "Go tell Li Hua that I've approved it. Also..."

He pondered for a moment. "You are granted priority in selecting survivors with medical backgrounds to form a dedicated medical team."

Mu Qing's eyes lit up, a bright, radiant smile blooming across her face. "Thank you, Marshal!"

She was about to turn and leave when she suddenly stopped, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Marshal, if... if we happen to encounter a situation where another department wants the same people, what should I—"

"Give priority to the rescue team's needs." Lin Ye interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for argument. "In the Dawn Base, saving lives always comes first. Understood?"

Mu Qing froze for a second, then nodded solemnly. "Understood, Marshal!"

Once the door clicked shut, An Ruoran pouted, speaking with a hint of sour jealousy, "Master is really so good to Sister Mu Qing..."

Lin Ye pinched her cheek. "Jealous?"

"Not at all~" An Ruoran denied it verbally, yet her body wriggled, deliberately rubbing against Lin Ye's sensitive spot. "I just think... Sister Mu Qing's look when she was staring at Master didn't seem quite right..."

"Oh?" Lin Ye grew intrigued. "How so?"

An Ruoran leaned close to his ear, her breath warm and fragrant. "It was just like... a starved wolf looking at a piece of meat~"

Lin Ye laughed heartily, scooping the girl up into his arms in one fluid motion. "Then tell me, what does your look right now seem like?"

An Ruoran let out a startled gasp, then blushed and buried her face in his chest, muttering softly, "Like... like a greedy cat looking at a fish..."

Inside the bedroom, sounds that brought a flush to the cheeks soon began to echo...

Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Mu Qing stood with her back pressed against the wall, listening to the faint noises drifting from within, her fists unconsciously clenched tight.

Deep within her eyes flickered a trace of unnoticeable shyness and yearning...

***

8:00 PM sharp, on the outskirts of the Financial Center.

The night was as dark as ink, with the biting wind howling.

Xie Jin stood beside an armored vehicle, the tactical tablet in his hand glowing faintly to display a 3D structural map of the Financial Center.

He raised his gaze ahead—that once-prosperous financial tower was now reduced to a pitch-black silhouette, its shattered windows reflecting the weak moonlight like countless vacant, hollow eyes.

"Everyone, final equipment check." Xie Jin ordered in a low voice, his words transmitting through the radio into the ear of every soldier.

Twelve fully armed soldiers swiftly checked their firearms, magazines, and grenades with crisp, practiced movements.

Their faces were smeared with tactical camouflage, their gazes cold and grim without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Feng stood on the other side, flanked by six Snow Leopard commando operatives, each equipped with night-vision goggles and silenced weapons.

He looked at Xie Jin and nodded slightly. "Sniper team is in position, ready to provide cover at any moment."

Xie Jin returned a steadfast look, then raised his hand to make a tactical signal.

Operation start!

---

The two squads quickly dispersed, advancing stealthily along the perimeter of the Financial Center using abandoned vehicles and structural ruins for cover.

Xie Jin led the infantry squad to execute a frontal breach, while Chen Feng brought the Snow Leopards around from the flank to clear out any potential zombie ambushes.

"Team A, in position." Xie Jin spoke in a low murmur.

"Team B, in position." Chen Feng replied.

"Sniper team, visibility is clear, no anomalies detected." The calm voice of the sniper came through the earpiece.

Xie Jin took a deep breath and waved his hand.

"Push forward!"

Bang—!

A silenced sniper bullet tore through the night sky, striking with pinpoint accuracy against a wandering zombie lingering before the main entrance of the Financial Center. Its head instantly burst apart, and the corpse dropped silently to the ground.

"Cleared." The sniper reported briefly.

Xie Jin gestured, and two soldiers moved forward swiftly, applying breaching charges to the glass double doors.

"Three, two, one—detonate!"

Boom!

Amidst a dull, muffled explosion, the tempered glass shattered into a spiderweb pattern. A soldier kicked the door open, instantly raising his assault rifle to sweep the grand lobby.

"Area secure!"

Xie Jin led his team inside rapidly, the beams of tactical flashlights sweeping across the darkened hall.

Scattered across the floor were documents, broken computers, dried pools of blood, and several bodies chewed down to the bone.

"Stay alert; zombies could be lurking anywhere." He reminded them in a subdued tone.

Scarcely had the words left his lips—

"Guh... grrr..."

A low, guttural growl echoed from the darkness.

"Left corridor! Horde!" A soldier shouted softly.

In an instant, over a dozen zombies surged out from around the corner, their rotting faces looking particularly gruesome under the illumination of the tactical flashlights!

"Open fire!"

Rat-tat-tat-tat—!

The muzzle flashes of the assault rifles flickered in the dark. Bullets accurately struck the zombies' heads, dropping the rotting bodies one after another.

Yet more zombies were drawn by the gunfire, pouring out from the stairwells, offices, and elevator shafts!

"Reloading!" yelled a soldier as he fell back, another immediately stepping up to maintain suppressive firepower.

Xie Jin commanded calmly, "Team B, flank cover!"

"Acknowledged." Chen Feng's voice chimed in the earpiece.

The next second—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three precise, rapid shots rang out from the flank, instantly exploding the heads of three zombies attempting a sneak attack!

The Snow Leopard commandos breached through the side door, their crossfire instantly clearing out the remaining zombies in the lobby.

"First floor cleared." Chen Feng reported.

Xie Jin nodded. "Continue the advance, secure the stairwells and elevator shafts to prevent any surprise attacks from the upper floors."