Translation review

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Zhang Wu wrenched the steering wheel hard. The modified truck roared as it charged straight toward them.

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Zhang Wu spoke, then abruptly wrenched the steering wheel. The modified truck let out a roar and charged straight ahead.

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"Open fire! Cover them!"

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"Open fire! Cover us!"

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In the rear compartment, Shen Yan and the others had already braced themselves, their cold muzzles trained on the pursuing zombies.

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In the cargo bed, Shen Yan and the others had already raised their rifles, cold muzzles aimed at the zombies in pursuit.

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The bullets struck the zombies in the head with precision, bursting them into sprays of dark red blood.

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Bullets struck the zombies' skulls with precision, bursting into clusters of dark red blood blossoms.

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Sentinel-3 extended its mechanical arm out the window. Its muzzle spat tongues of fire, blasting in half a zombie that lunged at the injured man.

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Sentinel-3's mechanical arm extended out the window, its barrel spitting tongues of flame as it blew a zombie leaping at the injured man clean in half.

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The truck executed a beautiful drift before coming to a smooth stop in front of the three men.

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The truck executed a clean drift and came to a steady stop in front of the three men.

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The two men who could still run stumbled and scrambled toward the truck, clawing their way aboard.

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The two men who could still run scrambled toward the truck, climbing up with hands and feet.

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The man with the wounded leg could only watch in despair as a stray zombie bore down on him, its bloody maw wide open.

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The one with the injured leg, however, had despair written all over his face as he watched a zombie that had slipped through open its bloody maw wide.

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Shen Yan frowned, raised her gun, and blew the zombie's head apart with a single shot.

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Shen Yan frowned, raised her gun, and blew that zombie's head apart with a single shot.

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Zhou Yi then dragged the man onto the truck.

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Then Zhou Yi dragged the man bodily onto the truck.

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But he saw it clearly: the man's calf was already covered in a row of deep bite marks, and black blood vessels were spreading visibly upward.

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But he clearly saw that a row of deep bite marks had appeared on the man's calf, black veins spreading upward at a visible pace.

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"He's been bitten! Throw him off!" shouted the companion they'd rescued, his face turning pale.

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"He's been bitten! Throw him off!" The companion who had been rescued onto the truck, his face deathly pale, shouted frantically at the sight.

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"Shut up!" Lin Yue snapped, irritated. He glared at the two men, then said to Zhang Wu, "Squad Leader, he's been bitten. What do we do?"

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"Shut up!" Lin Yue, a bit irritated, glared at the two men, then said to Zhang Wu, "Squad Leader, he's been bitten. What do we do?"

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"Want to try that?"

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"Should we try that?"

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"Treat it as a last resort. Let's try it—it'll give Professor Su some data, too."

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"Nothing to lose at this point. Let's give it a shot—it'll provide Professor Su with some data too."

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"Right. We have to try!"

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"Right, we have to try!"

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Shen Yan made the decision on the spot. She had already retrieved a syringe filled with pale blue liquid from the medical kit. "His condition can't get any worse anyway!"

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Shen Yan made the decision on the spot, already pulling a syringe filled with pale blue liquid from the medical kit. "Anyway, his condition can't get any worse!"

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It was the biological gene mutation inhibitor, a medicine Su Wan had produced according to Ling Yu's formula.

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The biological gene mutation inhibitor—a medicine Su Wan had produced according to the formula Ling Yu provided.

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In the laboratory, it had proven highly effective at killing mutated cells. They had subsequently tested it on zombies and confirmed that, at a certain dosage, it could kill them outright.

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In the lab, it had already been proven to have a powerful killing effect on mutated cells, and afterward they had run experiments on zombies.

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But they had never tested it on a living human. It wasn't as if they could find someone on the spot and have them bitten by a zombie just for the sake of an experiment.

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They had confirmed that at a certain dosage, it could kill zombies outright.

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In the end, they had brought only a few doses with them as a backup plan for anyone unlucky enough to be bitten during a mission.

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But they had never run a trial on a living person, and there was no way to find someone on the spot, have them bitten by a zombie, and then run the experiment.

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Now, that backup plan had come in handy.

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So in the end, they had only carried a few doses as a backup plan for anyone unlucky enough to be bitten during a mission.

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Shen Yan tore open the packaging and plunged the needle into the man's thigh.

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And now, that backup plan had found its use.

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The pale blue liquid flowed slowly into his body.

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Shen Yan tore open the packaging and drove the needle hard into the man's thigh.

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Then a miracle happened.

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The pale blue medicine was pushed in slowly.

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The black blood vessels that had been spreading wildly upward seemed to have run into their natural enemy. They stopped dead, then immediately began receding even faster.

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A miracle happened.

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At the gruesome wound on the man's calf, the muscle tissue that had been turning gray and mutating stopped changing. Fresh red blood began to well up again.

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The black veins that had been spreading upward like mad seemed to meet their natural enemy—they jolted to a halt, then began receding even faster.

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Within a dozen seconds, aside from the wound that was still bleeding, every trace of mutation had disappeared.

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At the ghastly wound on the man's calf, the muscle tissue that had been graying and mutating stopped changing, then fresh red blood welled up anew.

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The man panted heavily, staring at his leg in disbelief. The wild joy of surviving a close brush with death sent tears and snot streaming down his face.

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In just over ten seconds, apart from the wound that was still bloody, every abnormality had vanished.

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Everyone in the compartment was dumbstruck.

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The man panted heavily, staring at his leg in disbelief. The wild joy of surviving a catastrophe sent tears and snot streaming down his face.

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"That's great! It really works!" Zhou Yi said excitedly.

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In the truck bed, everyone was stunned.

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Deep within Ling Yu's consciousness, a ripple stirred as well.

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"Excellent! It really works!" Zhou Yi said excitedly.

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Even he hadn't expected such an immediate effect.

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Deep in Ling Yu's consciousness, a ripple passed as well.

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If that was the case, the value of this medicine was incalculable.

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He hadn't expected the effect to be so immediate either.

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"Don't let your guard down—we're still out here. Ask them where they came from." Zhang Wu's icy voice cut through the group's astonishment.

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If this was the case, then the value of this medicine was incalculable.

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"Yes, Squad Leader." Lin Yue's expression turned solemn, and he trained his gun on the three survivors, who were still shaken with fear.

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"Don't relax. We're still outside. Ask where they came from." Zhang Wu's cold voice cut through everyone's shock.

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Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 rotated their weapon modules as well, fixing the men with cold, murderous intent.

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"Yes, Squad Leader." Lin Yue's expression turned serious, the gun in his hand already aimed at the three survivors who were still shaking from their ordeal.

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"Name, background, where you're from, where you're headed," Lin Yue said, his tone devoid of emotion. "Spell it out clearly, or else..."

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Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 also rotated their weapon modules, cold killing intent locking onto them.

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Faced with the dark, gaping gun muzzles and the two plainly dangerous machines, the three men who had just escaped death were scared out of their wits.

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"Name. Background. Where you came from, where you're going," Lin Yue's tone carried no emotion. "Tell me clearly, or else..."

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"Don't... don't shoot! We'll talk! We'll tell you everything!" A somewhat older man raised both hands, trembling. "My name is Wang Hai. He's Chen Shu. The one you just saved is Li Fei."

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Facing the dark gun muzzles and two robots that looked extremely dangerous, the three who had just escaped death were scared out of their wits.

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"We... we fled all the way here from Tiannan City."

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"D-don't shoot! We'll talk! We'll tell you everything!" One of the men, somewhat older than the others, raised both hands tremblingly. "My name is Wang Hai. He's Chen Shu. The one just rescued is Li Fei."

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"Tiannan? That's a long way from here!" Shen Yan looked at him suspiciously. "Just the three of you?"

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"We... we fled all the way here from Tiannan City."

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"Of course not. We came with a convoy. The convoy's leader is Brother Dao."

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"Tiannan? That's a long way from here!" Shen Yan looked at him suspiciously. "Just the few of you?"

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Wang Hai hurried to explain.

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"Of course it wasn't just us. We came with a convoy. The convoy's leader is Brother Dao."

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"Brother Dao?" Shen Yan raised an eyebrow.

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Wang Hai hurriedly explained.

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"Yes. After the catastrophe, he gathered a bunch of brothers and formed a convoy. Along the way, he took in helpless survivors like us, saying he'd lead us to find shelter."

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"Brother Dao?" Shen Yan raised an eyebrow.

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Wang Hai swallowed. A flicker of fear and resentment passed through his eyes.

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"Yes. After the catastrophe, he gathered a bunch of brothers and formed a convoy, taking in helpless survivors like us along the way. He said he'd bring us to find a shelter."

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"But that was all bullshit. They just use us as cannon fodder when they go scavenging for supplies."

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Wang Hai swallowed, a flicker of fear and resentment passing through his eyes.

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"How many people are in your convoy?" Lin Yue didn't care about their feelings; he was more interested in the intel.

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"But it was all bullshit. They used us purely as cannon fodder for scavenging supplies."

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"Around a hundred and fifty or sixty. I never counted exactly," Wang Hai answered honestly.

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"How many people are in your convoy?" Lin Yue didn't care about their emotions; he was more curious about intelligence on the convoy.

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"Where are they?"

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"Around a hundred and fifty or sixty. I didn't count exactly." Wang Hai said honestly.

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"In the suburbs, not far from here."

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"Where are they?"

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After a round of questioning, Zhang Wu and the others quickly pieced together the full picture.

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"In the suburbs, not far from here."

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This "Brother Dao's" convoy was no small outfit. It had over a hundred people and occupied an abandoned logistics park more than twenty kilometers from the power station.

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After a round of interrogation, Zhang Wu and the others quickly pieced together the full picture.

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Only after extracting all the information and confiscating every knife the three men carried did Lin Yue put away his gun.

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This "Brother Dao's" convoy was by no means small—well over a hundred people, entrenched in an abandoned logistics park roughly twenty-plus kilometers from the power station.

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No further incidents occurred on the road, and the group returned to base without a hitch.

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Only after extracting all the information and confiscating all the blades these men carried did Lin Yue put away his gun.

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By the time the modified truck drove back into Shuguang Nuclear Power Station, it was nearly noon.

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No more surprises occurred on the rest of the journey, and the group returned to base without trouble.

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Ling Yu didn't have Zhang Wu and the others take the newcomers straight into the underground base. Instead, they were temporarily settled in the aboveground dormitory building for quarantine and observation.

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By the time the modified truck drove back into the Shuguang Nuclear Power Station, it was nearly noon.

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As soon as Su Wan received word, she came over and drew a tube of blood from Li Fei—the man who had narrowly avoided turning thanks to the drug—for research.

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Ling Yu didn't have Zhang Wu and the others bring the newcomers directly into the underground base. Instead, they were temporarily quartered in the surface dormitory building, to be quarantined and observed for a period.

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In the small meeting room, the debriefing on the industrial park operation was brief and efficient.

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Upon hearing the news, Su Wan came at once to draw a tube of blood from Li Fei—the one who had narrowly avoided mutating thanks to the medicine—for research.

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"The equipment itself isn't a major problem, but dismantling and transporting it are," Zhou Yi said, pointing to the bearing factory on the holographic map. "We need at least two heavy trucks, plus a crane."

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In the small meeting room, the debrief on the industrial park operation was brief and efficient.

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[The lifting equipment can be handled with mechanical arms mounted on the drones,] Ling Yu's voice said. [But heavy trucks—those really do need to be found.]

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"The equipment is no big problem, but dismantling and transport are always a major headache," Zhou Yi said, pointing at the bearing factory on the holographic map. "We need at least two heavy trucks, plus a crane."

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"Then we'll keep our eyes open during the next operation. There shouldn't be any shortage of them in the industrial park," Lin Yue said.

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[The lifting equipment can be handled with mechanical arms mounted on UAVs,] Ling Yu's voice rang out.

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***

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[But heavy trucks really do need to be found.]

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In the Zone C cafeteria.

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"Then we can keep an eye out during the next operation. There shouldn't be a shortage of those in the industrial park," Lin Yue said.

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The three newly arrived survivors sat at a dining table under the watch of an on-duty sentry and Sentinel-1.

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***

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Steaming rice, braised pork, canned luncheon meat, and a pot of vegetable soup sat on the table.

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In the Zone C cafeteria.

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The three newly arrived survivors sat at a dining table, watched over by a guard and Sentinel-1.

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On the table sat steaming rice, braised pork, canned luncheon meat, and a pot of vegetable soup.

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Yet none of the three had touched their chopsticks. They just stared fixedly at the food, Adam's apples bobbing, their eyes full of longing, fear, and disbelief.

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"Th-this... is... is this really for us?" The man named Wang Hai asked Sun Meng, the guard on duty beside them, in a trembling voice.

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"What else would it be for—decorating the table? Eat up." Sun Meng said with some impatience.

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Receiving the affirmative answer, the three exchanged glances and finally stopped hesitating.

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The next second, they pounced on the food like wild dogs that had been starving for half a lifetime.

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They even abandoned their chopsticks, grabbing rice and chunks of meat with their bare hands and stuffing them into their mouths, grimacing from the heat without pausing for a moment, as if the food would disappear if they were even a second late.

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Everyone else in the cafeteria was so startled by the scene that they stopped what they were doing.

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Though they had experienced hunger themselves, they had never seen such a... frantic manner of eating.

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And today's cook wasn't Lin Yue, so was it really that good?

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Watching them eat, Ling Yu also broke into a cold sweat, afraid they'd eat themselves to death.

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After a whirlwind of devouring, the food on the table was swept clean, and even the vegetable soup was drunk to the last drop.

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The three collapsed into their chairs, rubbing their round bellies, faces showing long-lost expressions of satisfaction so deep they were nearly foolish.

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[Delicious?]

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From Sentinel-1's speaker, the electronic synthesized voice representing "Zhuangsheng" abruptly rang out, startling the three, who had just been immersed in the feeling of fullness, into a jolt.

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But on the way back, they had already learned of Ling Yu's existence, so they quickly came to their senses.

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Wang Hai, the oldest, reacted first. He straightened up a little, piling an almost fawning smile onto his face, and answered without hesitation:

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"Delicious! So delicious! Mr. Zhuangsheng, I'll never forget this taste in this life... no, not even in my next life!"

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The other two also nodded frantically like chicks pecking at rice, making even Sun Meng, standing by, feel a bit heartsick.

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[Then, would the three of you be interested in staying? Becoming members of Dawn Shelter.]

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This question didn't even need consideration.

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Following Brother Dao, they went hungry nine meals across three days—

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and on top of that, they were beaten regularly. They lived a life worse than a dog's.

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But here, there was hot food, meat to eat, clean water, and a miracle medicine that could cure zombie transformation.

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Most importantly—wasn't this the national shelter they had been longing for?

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"We're willing! We're ten thousand times willing!" Wang Hai stood up excitedly, nearly knocking over the empty bowl in front of him.

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"We can do any kind of work! We definitely won't slack off!" Chen Shu also hurriedly declared.

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However, Li Fei, the one who had been rescued, made a move that no one had expected.

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With a "thud," he knelt down once more before Sentinel-1, which was watching over them, his forehead striking the cold floor tiles heavily.

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"Mr. Zhuangsheng! I also want to join the shelter, but please, I beg you—save my little brother!" His voice was choked with tears, full of desperate pleading.

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"My brother's name is Li Ming. He's only sixteen, and he's still in that convoy! Brother Dao and his people don't treat us like human beings. I'm afraid... I'm afraid he can't hold on much longer either!"

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The cafeteria went silent in an instant.

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Sun Meng, on duty, frowned but didn't stop him.

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Ling Yu, on the other hand, was very pleased. Of course he would agree to Li Fei's request.

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In fact, it wasn't just Li Ming—in his heart, he wanted to pull the vast majority of that entire convoy over.

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Survivors were the most precious resource to him.

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Every day, Ling Yu piloted UAVs to explore everywhere. Aside from supplies, wasn't the purpose precisely to find more living people?

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His enormous nuclear power station—to fight those mysterious monsters, to complete increasingly troublesome missions—relying on just the twenty-odd people he had now was nowhere near enough.

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And now, a survivor group of over a hundred people was barely twenty-plus kilometers away.

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This was simply a pillow arriving as he was dozing off.

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The moment he learned the news from Wang Hai, more than a dozen plans had already been generated in Ling Yu's "brain," including but not limited to material enticement, information subversion, armed coercion, decapitation operations...

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Except for Brother Dao and his core subordinates, he wanted them all.

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The convoy's upper echelon, led by Brother Dao, was too much trouble. Their character didn't seem up to much, and there were only a handful of them anyway. Compared to planting hidden dangers in the shelter, it was better to abandon them all.

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[We will definitely save your brother.]

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Ling Yu's voice came through the speaker, carrying unquestionable certainty.

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[And not just him. We are very willing to shelter any law-abiding good citizen.]

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With the words said to that extent, the three immediately understood Ling Yu's meaning.

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Wang Hai quickly said, "I know where the convoy is. I—I can take you there!"

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***

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Half an hour later, underground base, small meeting room.

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The core members were summoned once again.

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On the holographic map, an abandoned logistics park twenty kilometers from the power station was highlighted with a red circle.

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"A convoy of over a hundred and fifty people is entrenched in the logistics park. The leader is called 'Brother Dao.' Their weapons are mainly cold steel, with a small number of firearms, but ammunition is unknown."

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Zhang Wu introduced the situation concisely, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

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"Zhuangsheng's meaning is to... 'absorb' these people."

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"Absorb?" Zhou Yi smacked his lips. "Including that Brother Dao?"

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[No. In fact, when the time comes, pay attention—the relatively higher-ups can all be given up on. The focus is the majority at the bottom. I need survivors, not hidden dangers or sources of conflict.]

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"Understood." Shen Yan nodded, but her brows were still knitted. "But suddenly taking in over a hundred people will have a huge impact on our existing supplies, management, and security."

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"And inevitably, quite a few of them will be potential troublemakers."

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The atmosphere in the meeting room grew somewhat heavy.

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Everyone understood that, whether it succeeded or failed, the shelter's appearance was bound to change.

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[I need population.]

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[For the shelter to develop, it necessarily needs more people.]

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The electronic voice representing Zhuangsheng broke the silence.

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[As for the risks...]

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Ling Yu's consciousness switched, pulling up the weapon module parameters of Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3, along with the firepower configuration of the two "Sky Blade" Type 2 UAVs.

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Row after row of cold data and weapon model diagrams appeared clearly before everyone.

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[If Brother Dao and his ilk could cow everyone with just a few guns and a bit of viciousness,]

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[then there's no reason we'd do any worse.]

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Zhang Wu was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "A direct military assault is not the best strategy. The enemy has superior numbers and complex terrain. If it turns into a melee, it would be all too easy to accidentally hurt the ordinary survivors we're trying to win over."

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[I agree.]

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Ling Yu's voice rang out.

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[So, I don't intend to use force.]

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[I want them to flee over here to this side of their own accord.]