Chapter 79: The Eve
"This damned world just gets scarier and scarier!"
In , , on the third floor of a shopping mall, lowered his high-powered binoculars, a trace of shock still on his face.
Toward , nothing remained at the horizon's edge but rubble and broken walls; the once-prosperous old city had completely vanished.
The power unleashed by that monster lurking above the clouds in its furious strike was simply too inconceivable.
However, according to surveillance placed at 's perimeter, that terrifying dark cloud had drifted off toward the far north days ago.
It seemed that after that bizarre giant flesh tree disappeared, nothing here could attract it any longer.
"Brother Chuan, stop looking and come check out what I found!" Not far away, team member 's excited shout rang out.
turned his head to see the kid jogging over carrying a brand-new set of high-end fishing rods, the shafts gleaming dark under the sun.
Judging by the craftsmanship and brand, before the disaster it probably would have cost at least tens of thousands.
"You little brat, your luck is amazing!" popped up from one side, slung an arm around 's shoulders, eyes shining. "Another day, how about us guys go try our luck by the river?"
"If you're not afraid of hooking a mutated crocodile, go right ahead," said irritably as he walked over and smacked on the back of the head.
"We're here to scavenge supplies, not for a field trip! Look at over there, so diligent."
, thus named, was laboriously hauling a crate of hardware tools out, and at those words he scratched his head with a simple, honest smile.
"Brother Chuan, you just don't get it!" argued with conviction. "What's wrong with fishing? Fishing is also a production tool! Didn't you see the mission list from big boss posted on the kitchen screen? ' ,' you know!"
"That's the 's mission, what's it got to do with you!" shot back with a laugh.
Listening to the banter and laughter of his teammates, felt the tension in his heart loosen a little.
Whatever that giant monster in the clouds was, there would always be a way to deal with it someday.
Ever since joining , even a pessimist like him had become considerably more positive.
"Alright, quit fooling around," coughed, reverting to his captain's solemnity. "Get back to work, earn more . I heard there's new gear coming in soon, and those with high get first dibs."
"What new gear?" 's eyes lit up instantly.
smiled. "Rumor has it, it's an ."
"No shit! For real?!"
***
At the , underground shooting range.
was practically fondling the new gun in his hands, unable to put it down.
The entire body was a matte dark gray, with smooth lines full of a sense of power, abandoning the complex mechanical structures of traditional firearms for a cleaner, sci-fi modular design.
The barrel was wrapped in several rings of heat sinks, and beneath the handguard was a detachable, hefty rectangular battery.
This was the first experimental sample that 's team had "whipped up" by working overtime, based on the complete blueprints provided by .
However, limited by the 's current industrial level, many core components used substitutes with slightly inferior performance, but even so, it far surpassed the semi-finished product had brought.
was the test shooter for this gun; originally had planned to have or do it.
But once this [ ] found out about it, he practically threw a fit—crying, fussing, threatening to hang himself—used every trick in the book just to get his hands on the gun first and test it. was deeply shaken by his spirit.
"Ready?" From the other end of the range, the researcher in charge of recording data shouted into the microphone.
"Ready!"
took a deep breath, raised the gun, and aimed.
There was no deafening gunfire, only a faint hiss like a high-pressure gas cylinder releasing pressure.
A tiny flash of blue light flickered at the muzzle.
The next moment, a smooth round hole appeared out of nowhere in the special concrete target wall a hundred meters away, and on the backup steel plate target over ten meters behind it, the same spot was cleanly pierced through.
The hypersonic projectile reached its destination almost silently, its terrifying penetrative power making everyone present gasp.
" , let us give it a try later!" , with a bunch of Team Two squad leaders, surrounded him eagerly. "Look, testing it with just one person, the data might not be accurate, don't you think?"
"Yes, yes, we all think is right!" A chorus of agreement rose around them.
Apart from those on missions, nearly all of Team Two's backbone members had crowded over here, watching fiddle with the firearm. It had to be said they were all cut from the same cloth.
"Shoo, shoo!" hugged the gun protectively to his chest, impatiently waving them off. "All your training done? You're all just lazing about! I'm not done having fun yet!"
"Long done!" was desperate. All his life he'd only loved two kinds of guns: cool ones and big-bore ones. This hit right on his heartstrings.
"How about this, Brother Yue, today's limited braised pig head meat in the cafeteria—I'll give you my portion in exchange for one try, okay?"
"Alright, alright, look at you, so pathetic!" found them both amusing and exasperating. He cleared his throat. "I'll fire one more round, then each of you can fire two."
"Forget the pig head meat, I'm not hurting for food. But one thing: if you're going to test, do it properly. If anyone's results are poor, they'll do an extra five kilometers with a weighted pack themselves!"
"Yes, sir!" The group snapped to attention in unison, their voices like a bell.
***
, cafeteria.
The perfectly braised pig head meat gleamed with tantalizing oil. looked at the large tray in the serving window, his mouth watering.
Fortunately, he had calculated the work schedule days in advance; today's route was just right, allowing him to arrive precisely on time as one of the first diners.
Soon he'd carry a plate of neatly sliced pig head meat, then buy a cold beer at the counter—ah, the life of an immortal!
As it turned out, his foresight was correct.
Even though he'd arrived so early, there were still two people ahead of him in line.
One adult, one child, both of whom he knew.
The adult was a newcomer named —hmm, a good name, not flashy.
Rumor had it his learning was frighteningly profound, even more impressive than who spent all day in the laboratory at the .
But didn't care about that; he only knew the little old man was very interesting to talk to and didn't look down his nose at people.
More importantly, like him, he enjoyed a drink or two but never overdid it, making an excellent drinking buddy.
As fate would have it, they'd hit it off right away.
Ever since, in the corner of the cafeteria afternoons, you could often see two old men boasting about their youthful exploits—one telling how he braved harsh weather to climb mountains and repair electrical lines, the other recounting how he oversaw engineering projects deep in the wild mountains.
Their stories made no sense together, but they chatted with an inexplicable rapport, becoming a curious spectacle in the .
And that child was named , a very sensible kid.
It was said he'd suffered terribly before entering the , tales that even made a grown man like him shake his head.
Thinking of this, called out to , who was about to leave.
"Qiming! Wait a moment."
"What is it, Uncle Zhao?" turned around with his tray.
"Why didn't I see your little sister today?"
"Oh, Xiaomin didn't finish her homework yesterday, so Teacher kept her behind to make it up," said quietly.
"So you're bringing her food!"
"Mm!"
Without a word, grabbed a clean pair of chopsticks from the side and transferred half of his own steaming hot pig head meat onto the boy's plate, piling it up like a small mountain.
"Here! Reward for handing me the screwdriver yesterday."
"Uncle Zhao, I can't!" The boy was a bit flustered, his face flushing red.
"Enough, you're a man, I say it's fine, so it's fine!" slapped his chopsticks on the table. "Take it back and share it with your sister. Kids need more meat to grow up fast."
"...Thank you, Uncle Zhao!" The boy looked at the meat on his plate and thanked him solemnly.
"This kid, what's there to be so polite about!" waved his hand.
"Old Zhao, mind if I join you?" A familiar voice sounded behind him.
He turned around to see holding the same braised pig head meat and two bottles of beer, smiling at him.
laughed. "Hey! I've got to say, even carrying a plate, you look like you're about to give a report, back ramrod straight!"
"Of course. Let me tell you, back in my day when I was in charge of construction in ..." set the snacks on the table and smoothly launched into his health tips.
The old electrician listened with relish, occasionally taking a bite of meat and a sip of wine. Life was good!
***
, temporary study room.
"Teacher, I'm so tired! Can I write it tomorrow?" opened her big, watery eyes wide, attempting to cute her way out.
But clearly, this trick didn't work on .
"No, tomorrow you'll have tomorrow's homework." didn't look up from grading another assignment, her tone gentle but firm.
"But Sister and Sister Wei Yue have all gone out to play!" The girl's eyes rapidly welled up with tears, looking terribly wronged.
In truth, if her Sister were here, she'd definitely tell her that crying in front of Teacher Zhang was useless—it would only earn her double the homework.
Because Teacher 's creed had always been: you can be fragile, but you must never be weak.
In her eyes, giving in to laziness was a form of weakness.
However, this time, before Teacher Zhang could utter "double homework," the girl's tears miraculously receded.
Because 's voice sounded from the doorway: "Teacher, Xiaomin, I've brought lunch back. Please eat!"
"Oh!" After receiving 's permission, immediately darted out like a little rabbit and took the lunch box.
Watching the girl instantly hold back her tears and subconsciously straighten her little back in front of her brother, 's gaze softened somewhat.
This girl seemed very afraid of worrying her brother; as long as was around, she would strive to play the role of a "little adult."
This wasn't really a good habit, but... as long as they grew a little older, things would get better.
"Eat slowly, don't rush your meal," gently stroked the heads of the two children who were devouring their food. "But after eating, you need to finish your homework quickly. There's a practical class in the ecological pod this afternoon."
"Practical class! Yay!" As soon as she heard there would be no lectures, cheered. "I want to plant tomatoes!"
"Then finish your homework quickly, or you'll miss the planting stage."
"Oh!"
***
Inside the , a new batch of vegetables had just been harvested. The person in charge, , looked at the greenery filling the bins and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
" Shen, I'd like to apply for a test plot to try my improved new seeds." He turned to , who had come to help mix nutrient solutions.
thought for a moment and pointed to a corner area. "As long as it doesn't affect normal fruit and vegetable production, I have no objections."
"However, to avoid genetic contamination, you'll probably need to do some isolation modifications. Later, compile a list of your requirements, and I'll arrange it."
"Great! Thank you so much!"
"No need to thank me. Just part of the job."
Seeing nothing else to do here, turned to leave, stopped by the cafeteria to pack two meals, and brought them straight to the in .
"Sister Wan! Come out and eat!"
No response from inside.
wasn't in a hurry. She cleared her throat and raised her voice: " ! If you don't come out, I'll have cut the power to your lab! You don't want the lab to lose power, do you!"
After a long while, 's slightly tired and resigned voice came from inside: "I know! I'll be out right away."
"Alright, I bought food. I'll wait for you on the wall, the view's nice there!"
"Okay!"
***
Atop the twelve-meter-high black bulwark, watched the scattered zombies roaming in the distance, bored. On a whim, he switched a nearby " " rapid-fire turret to manual mode and sprayed wildly into the distance.
Six barrels rotated, spitting tongues of flame, and the dense hail of bullets instantly tore a small cluster of zombies a hundred meters away to shreds.
[Comrade , please note that your ammunition wastage violates the 's material management regulations. The corresponding have been deducted from your account.]
"I know!" muttered disgruntledly, rubbing his nose. "It's just frustrating. I was the one who hauled all that equipment back, so how did Brother Yue get the jump on me?"
[You've been grumbling about this all morning. Aren't you tired?]
fell silent.
[Fine, fine. Next time the new comes out, we'll get you to test it.]
"Really?!" His eyes lit up.
[Fake. You'd make a better target. With all this free time, you'd be better off at the range practicing your marksmanship.]
"Tch!" curled his lip, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a convoy appearing at the edge of his vision.
It was and the others returning.
"Brother , open the gate. The Minister and the others are back."
[I see them.]
The heavy gate slid open silently. and jumped down from the lead armored vehicle, but both wore serious expressions.
went up to meet them and asked directly, "What's wrong?"
"We took a look around the Huining ruins. Not much of value, and..." said gravely, "We didn't find the bodies of ' ' or that parasitized ."
"Either they were blown to bits, or..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but everyone present understood what that meant.
"Furthermore, on the way back, we discovered that in many areas originally dense with zombies, like around , the numbers had abruptly dropped significantly," added.
"It's currently unclear where they went, but at this critical juncture, it's definitely not good news."
[No matter. We'll stop soldiers with generals, and block water with earth.] 's voice chimed in at the right moment. [Since you're back, don't overthink it. First, go have a good meal.]
[The world might be big, but eating comes first.]
"You're a AI, and you can talk like that?" , who happened to walk by and overheard this, said with a strange look.
[What? Not convinced? What's wrong with a ? I eat uranium-235, far more nutritious than your food.]
"..."
After a few casual exchanges, temporarily took over 's defense duties, while the latter went off with and the others to eat.
While waiting for , stood atop the high wall, gazing into the distance.
In the direction of , dark clouds hung low, as if brewing a storm of considerable scale.
After watching for a long while, asked softly, "The decisive battle is coming, isn't it?"
[Based on current intelligence analysis, the probability is no less than 80%.] 's voice was calm and unruffled. [What, scared?]
"Scared? What do I have to be scared of?" chuckled lightly. "You, who can't even run away, aren't scared, so why would I be?"
[Why would you think an AI has a concept of fear?]
"Oh right, you're not human." pretended to ponder seriously for a moment, then said, "It's fine. Being capable of fear makes one more human, so I suggest you learn to be scared."
[Unfortunately, I'm already quite fine. There's no need to become more human.]
"Then you're pretty narcissistic." shook her head with a smile. Then her tone turned extremely serious. "No matter what, I believe we will definitely win."
"This we built through so much hardship cannot collapse because of a few monsters."
[Mm.]
The dark clouds of crisis once again loomed over this rare post-apocalyptic refuge, but the people, busy in an orderly fashion with their work, no longer felt easily panicked.
Even though disaster had once caught them off guard, since they had survived, it was now their turn to launch a full counterattack.
***
On the national highway, and their troops were already on the way back to .
had specifically dispatched a " " and a to escort them.
Halfway there, keenly sensed something was off.
"What's going on? The number of zombies has suddenly become so low?"
also recalled the troops that seemed to be pulling back their defensive lines when they left the .
He looked back in the direction of , then, with a worried expression, asked the beside him, "Is everything... alright over there?"
From the 's speaker came 's steady electronic voice.
[A minor issue. We're just about to fight a war, that's all.]
"You call that a minor issue?!" 's heart sank, and they immediately ordered the convoy to speed up.
[Anyway, you won't make it in time for the first wave, so no need to rush so much.]
"When is the first wave?!"
[3]
"Three days later?"
[2]
"..."
[1]
***
At the same time, in the area, on the distant horizon, a gray-black tide silently emerged.
Then, with overwhelming force, it slammed violently into the 's outermost electric fence lines, sending blinding electric sparks shooting into the sky.
Atop the high wall, 's eyes blazed as she stared unblinkingly at the enormous black silhouette approaching from the horizon, and she uttered four words softly.
"Finally, it's here!"