Chen Liu could now relax. The berserker was finally dead. They had won, but the cost was massive. He eyed the battlefield strewn with 17 bodies. With Zhao Tinglong unconscious and many injured, the group retreated to the school to rest, planning to tackle the Xincheng Power Plant tomorrow. The Jinghu Squad, having killed the most, claid the largest crystal share, though Chen Liu dismissed anything below nine-star white crystals. The two-star green crystal, the battle’s greatest prize, went temporarily to the special ops squad, pending Zhao’s decision. That’s the real treasure, Chen Liu thought, frustrated. Nearby, a wild boar watched from an alley, its cunning eyes glinting as it slipped away.
Rat-a-tat! Soldiers cleared lingering zombies in the school. “Help us!” cries echoed from a corridor’s end. Survivors? Here? Chen Liu thought, stunned. The group cautiously approached, two soldiers flanking the door. Chen Liu kicked it open—bang!—revealing a filthy classroom with over 20 emaciated survivors: students, teachers who could have been mistaken for corpses. The stench of urine and feces hit hard. A girl hid her face, ashad; others wept silently.
“What happened?” Chen Liu asked a bespectacled teacher. “We were livestock,” the man said evenly, masking horror. “Zombies kept us alive, taking a few when hungry.” A living larder, Chen Liu thought, sickened by their helpless endurance. “The zombies are gone. You’re free,” he said. Wails erupted, relief breaking through. “Clean up, then we’ll eat,” he added, noting a schoolyard well. He left to preserve their dignity—it’s all they have left, he thought. Zhang Chong, puzzled, asked, “Why didn’t they escape?” Chen Liu pointed to the barred windows. “First floor, steel bars. The door? They likely tried, got caught, dragged back.” “They clung to hope and survived, mistakenly” he added darkly, Zhang Chong shivering.
The survivors’ fate fell to the special ops and command center. Chen Liu shared food from their truck, watching them eat ravenously. By 3 p.m., Zhao Tinglong awoke, summoning Chen Liu, Gao Xiaoi, and Fu Guo’an to divide the two-star green crystal. Zhao, the primary contributor via rocket launcher, acknowledged their critical roles. Without us, he’d be dead, Chen Liu thought. Zhao offered Chen Liu six nine-star white crystals, Gao and Fu three each. Fair, but not what I need, Chen Liu thought, hesitating.
“Can I trade them for sothing else?” he asked. Zhao, grateful and admiring, smiled. “Na it.” Gao and Fu stayed, curious. “Three pistols,” Chen Liu said, unconcerned by their presence. Zhao frowned. Pistols are officer-grade, rare even for special ops, Chen Liu knew, noting Zhao’s own sidearm. “That’s tough,” Zhao admitted, weighing the request.
Challenge Goals
Challenge 1 - Reach 15 votes on NU
Reward - 3 bonus chapters
Current progress - 9 ( 4) / 15
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