Chapter 36: Journey to Huan'an (6)

Volume 1 “Year of Calamity”

After climbing up the steel cable for about six floors, An Sheng jumped to the elevator exit and opened the outer door leading to the floor. Although three months had allowed dust to accumulate in what was once an upscale and elegant corridor, An Sheng still found many traces of human activity on this level. The Air Raid Siren from upstairs remained piercingly loud, leading An Sheng to suspect that the survivors were likely gathered on the top floor.

Quickly reverting from his Demon Form, An Sheng pulled the camouflage uniform from his backpack and put it on before starting his ascent up the stairs. He didn’t want to frighten the survivors—after all, his transformed appearance was too bizarre, and approaching them in human form was the best choice.

Just as An Sheng had anticipated, all the survivors in the Power Building were gathered in the top-floor recreation room, searching for signs of the national rescue team. Everyone was extremely anxious because, through the Telescope, they had observed that since the vehicle convoy entered the Reserve Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment’s base on the Ring Road, it had not emerged again. The waiting was agonizing; to attract the convoy’s attention, they had chosen to keep the siren blaring continuously. For them, this was a high-stakes gamble—their very lives were on the line. Win, and they lived; lose, and they died. Without rescue, they wouldn’t even have a chance to venture out for supplies anymore, as the siren had turned the Power Building into a full-fledged Zombie nest.

“Has the convoy come out yet?” This was Old Wang’s fiftieth time asking about the convoy’s status.

“No, it’s been over an hour, and there’s still no movement.”

The man in his thirties had been monitoring the convoy’s movements the whole time, but unfortunately, even after such a long period, there was no sign of activity. He was deeply anxious himself, silently cursing the inaction of the national rescue team in his heart.

“They’re not going to abandon us, are they?”

A middle-aged woman in her forties asked, her voice trembling. But no one answered her question because no one knew how to respond. Thus, everyone in the recreation room fell into silence once more, leaving only the shrill sound of the siren echoing in their ears.

“Finally found you!” A young man suddenly pushed the door open. His appearance stunned everyone present, but when they clearly saw the Urban Combat Camouflage he was wearing, the dozen or so people in the room erupted into cheers.

They were saved! They had won the bet—the rescue team had finally arrived!

“How many of you are there? Why don’t I see the others?”

“How did you get in? Please take us out right away!”

“When will the main force arrive?”

For a moment, the recreation room descended into chaos. The dozen or so people surrounded An Sheng, firing all sorts of questions at him. After being suppressed for so long and having gone through a life-or-death gamble, such a reaction was only natural. However, An Sheng, caught in the middle, felt utterly frustrated. Everything was in disarray, and he had no idea how to answer their questions.”Everyone, listen to me!” An Sheng loudly stopped the chaotic questioning from the crowd. Only after stepping out of their encirclement did he continue: “Don’t panic. If we want to get out alive, there are many preparations we need to make. Time is tight, so everyone must cooperate with me.”

“Comrade, wait a moment. You’re not really alone, are you?” The speaker was Old Wang. Although he was very happy to see rescue personnel appear, after waiting so long, only one person had come. How could this single person possibly lead them through the Corpse Horde surrounding the building downstairs?

“Don’t worry, of course I’m not alone. My companion is waiting for everyone in the building across the street.”

An Sheng pointed to another dozen-story building across the street – the predetermined rendezvous point he and Nie Chong had agreed upon, and also the only escape route. Because their Launcher’s range could only reach that building.

“Soldier, do you want us to fly over? We’re not birds – we can’t grow wings and fly!” Xun Lili was somewhat angry. It was her who had taken the initiative to sound the alarm, originally expecting many imposing, domineering soldiers carrying machine guns to rescue them. Not only had only one person come, but the escape method he proposed was actually so unreliable.

Although this young woman’s tone was somewhat unfriendly, An Sheng had no intention of arguing with her. There was no time to bother with such useless matters now, because he had to quickly lead them out of this building. The Zombies downstairs were increasing, all desperately crowding upward. Although the street and the area below the opposite building also had many Zombies, if they delayed any longer and more Zombies gathered, even the opposite building might become surrounded. By then, even if they escaped to the opposite building, getting away would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

“See what’s on my back? It can take you to the opposite side. If you want to live, cooperate with me!” An Sheng placed the Launcher on the ground, letting everyone see what it was.

Although many people hadn’t seen the real thing, this item frequently appeared in television and movies – like in Hollywood films where agents or thieves often used such Launchers for operations between skyscrapers or cliffs.

“Right now we need to remove the alarm Loudspeaker and hang it outside the window on the back of the building to attract the Zombies’ attention. Then we’ll use the Launcher to connect to the building across the street and slide over. Is that clear to everyone?”

This was the strategy An Sheng and Nie Chong had previously agreed upon. The moment An Sheng successfully entered the building, he had already used his walkie-talkie to notify Nie Chong, who was hiding in the opposite building. They had to thank this damned alarm for attracting the Zombies’ attention – otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Nie Chong to get into the opposite building either.

Although he said this, An Sheng noticed that after he finished speaking, the people before him remained silent, showing no intention of taking action. This made An Sheng both angry and very puzzled.In truth, An Sheng and his team’s plan was absolutely feasible, but none of them had considered one crucial issue: whether these ordinary people without professional training could successfully cross the zipline without any protective measures. Moreover, even if they could manage the zipline, such a height would pose an insurmountable barrier for most. When standing unprotected on the edge of a high-rise rooftop and looking down, even those without acrophobia would struggle to overcome the sheer terror.

“Aren’t you equipped with artillery? Why don’t you just eliminate these monsters?” Xun Lili’s Young Miss temperament flared up again. Though she practiced martial arts, acrophobia wasn’t something one could overcome through physical fitness alone. Besides, this reality was far from what she had imagined. In her mind, these soldiers should have been charging in with armored vehicles and cannons, obliterating all the man-eating monsters along the way!

“Young Miss! Do you think artillery is invincible? That ammunition is limitless? Have you even counted how many zombies are downstairs? I damn well…” This girl clearly came from a pampered background, still viewing everything through naive assumptions. Just as An Sheng was about to lose his temper, the walkie-talkie crackled with Nie Chong’s call.

“An Sheng, switch the walkie-talkie to loudspeaker mode. I need to address these people.”

Hearing that Nie Chong wanted to speak, An Sheng was more than happy to oblige. He had no desire to exchange another word with this entitled Young Miss.

“Everyone, I am Captain Nie Chong of the Northern Theater Command Third Combined Operations Brigade. We are here to rescue you, and we request your cooperation. We are already in an apocalyptic era—the virus has claimed many of our comrades’ lives, and we no longer have the capacity for large-scale combat against these creatures. Therefore, please understand that the zipline is your only chance of escape. Additionally, time is running out. If you delay any further, my team and I will have to abort this rescue mission!”

Nie Chong’s tone over the walkie-talkie was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable chill. His final statement about abandoning the rescue mission made all the survivors feel threatened. Still, An Sheng felt it wasn’t enough. Ever the instigator, he added fuel to the fire.

“You have one minute to decide. Once time’s up, we’re calling off the rescue!”

“You…” Xun Lili was about to protest again, but Old Wang stopped her. This seasoned veteran could tell that the man wasn’t joking. If Xun Lili continued her unreasonable behavior, the rescuers would undoubtedly abandon them, leaving their fate to chance.

“We’ll start dismantling the loudspeaker right away. Comrade, please do your best to ensure our safety. Some of us here are elderly, and such a long zipline might lead to accidents.” Old Wang’s tone was pleading, and he spoke the truth—he couldn’t even guarantee his own safe slide to the opposite building.

“I’ll do what I can, but everyone needs to move quickly. We truly don’t have much time left.”