Two swift movements, and the team’s flower and grass disappeared.
While Zhou Rong stood bewildered, Ding Shi scratched his head, looking innocently.
“Rong, Rong Ge, my family was poor when I was young, couldn’t afford travel, and I’ve always wanted to see the beautiful landscapes of our motherland…”
Zhou Rong: “…Just move quickly.”
Swoosh! Ding Shi was gone too.
Zhou Rong’s temple veins bulged, forced to stay at the cave entrance and continuously shoot at the zombies closing in. Moments later, the public travel group returned, with Chun Cao grabbing a roadblock zombie by the neck and throwing it down from the third floor, shouting loudly: “It’s so amazing! Especially spectacular! Rong Ge, aren’t you coming up—?”
Zhou Rong: “Get down! Absolutely undisciplined! I must stop this decadent wind of seeking pleasure, and when we get back, everyone will do a 30-kilometer weighted cross-country march…”
Si Nan: “Ahem.”
“…Except Si Xiao Nan, who’s punished by not being allowed to eat snacks for a day! Now quickly come down and prepare to retreat!”
Chun Cao: “Don’t be angry, Rong Ge. We’ve come all this way, quickly everyone line up for a group photo. Xiang Zi, clear those zombies over there, we’re about to be surrounded… Come, one, two, three!”
“Eggplant—!”
Zhou Rong stopped shooting and quickly hooked Si Nan’s neck, making a scissors hand gesture.
Click!
The 6th Squad of the 118th Battalion took a group photo in front of Mogao Caves, Zhou Rong spirited, Si Nan expressionless, Chun Cao trying to glare while pouting, Xiang Zi and Ding Shi squeezing their heads together, and only Yan Hao showing 360-degree confidence.
The next second, Zhou Rong smashed the lure agent test tube, and everyone scattered like birds and beasts.
The military-specific flesh and blood pheromone dispersed in the wind, becoming the focus of zombie pursuit within several miles. The special forces squad sprinted out of the scenic area, with a dragon-like line of undead following behind, clearing out all zombies inside Mogao Caves.
“Yan Hao, navigate! Prepare to depart!” Zhou Rong yanked open the car door and jumped into the driver’s seat, starting the engine in one smooth motion, shouting: “Ding Shi, hold the lure agent on the roof and lead the zombie group to the Gobi Desert. Chun Cao, prepare to adjust the shells!”
The lure agent’s effect was indeed too strong. The armored vehicle drove ahead, with zombies stretching endlessly behind, and their numbers growing.
Ning Yu sat by the rear window, distant dust rolling, noise filling the sky, all reflected in his black pupils.
Chun Cao flipped through photos with a military camera, pointing at colored sculptures and murals: “But since this is your hometown, you’ve probably been here before, our squad has never executed a mission here…”
“I’ve never been.”
“Huh?”
“Moved away very young.” Ning Yu smiled, though his pale face showed little joy. “Later went to university, went abroad, never came back.”
Chun Cao nodded understandingly.
Ning Yu looked out the dim window: “Are we in the Gobi now?”
The terrain ahead gently undulated, wild winds carrying yellow sand, revealing rough, weathered black rocks.
Further away, layers of wind-eroded minerals and stone fragments remained on the surface, stretching toward the vast deep yellow desert.
The vehicle jolted as it drove. After a while, Ning Yu softly said: “It’s beautiful.”
It was evening now, the sunset like an overturned dye palette, pouring from the horizon to the ground, rendering the desert in deep red, orange-red, golden-red, sand gold… layers of colors interweaving, dotting the scattered Populus euphratica forest beneath the distant sky.
“I’ve loved deserts since childhood, always wanted to come, never had the chance.”
Ning Yu was lost in thought, then murmured again: “So beautiful.”
Zhou Rong suddenly glanced at him through the rearview mirror, “If you like it, you can come travel often in the future.”
Ning Yu smiled again, his tone surprisingly light: “Yes, that’s what I was thinking.”
When Night First Descended
“As night first descended, streetlamps along the tree-lined path lit up, warm yellow pools extending to the road’s end. I had an experiment that evening, standing at the research institute’s entrance, watching you all leave until you disappeared…”
“…That’s all.”
Ning Yu paused slowly for a moment, saying: “This is all I remember about your parents’ matters.”
Si Nan’s brow gradually relaxed, softly saying: “Thank you.”
Ning Yu looked at Si Nan, his gaze seeming to pierce through his face, seeing memories from a far more distant, unknown past.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, unsure whether speaking to Si Nan or someone else:
“Really… it’s okay.”
Chun Cao pressed the launch button.
The rocket launcher fired, tracing a parabolic arc in the sky, causing an earth-shattering explosion seconds later.
Boom—
Countless zombies instantly vaporized, more broken bodies transforming into blood spray shooting skyward. Millions of air waves carrying sand and stones howled in all directions from the explosion’s center.
Armored vehicles and zombie groups outside the blast radius were swept away by terrifying desert air currents, flying over twenty meters before crashing, all blast-resistant windows simultaneously developing horrific cracks, zombies falling like a violent downpour.
An indeterminate time passed, with time feeling particularly blurry after the violent impact.
Perhaps several minutes or merely seconds, Si Nan recovered a trace of consciousness from dizziness and tinnitus, seeing Ning Yu unsteadily standing up. At the moment the air wave struck, Si Nan had protected him, so Ning Yu experienced less impact and recovered fastest. Even so, he stood with difficulty. He groped before grabbing the rear door handle, then suddenly found unexpected strength, abruptly opening the door and leaping out.
Si Nan suddenly awakened, but could only cough, unfastening his seatbelt and lunging forward. He saw Ning Yu already smiling and waving, stepping backward into the yellow sand.
“Ning… Ning Yu!”
Everyone sensed something was wrong. Si Nan rushed out of the vehicle, but everything happened in an instant—
Zombies beginning to rise near the armored vehicle surged toward the open door, more rushing toward the retreating Ning Yu, almost instantly engulfing him!
Si Nan trembled, taking a step forward, immediately restrained by Zhou Rong, who simultaneously shot down nearby zombies.
“Let him go,” Zhou Rong said in a trembling voice, “Just… let him go.”
Zombies competed to approach, continuously multiplying, and Ning Yu’s figure disappeared amid roars and chewing sounds. Everyone fired at zombies around the armored vehicle, preparing to move forward. Zhou Rong tried pulling Si Nan into the vehicle, but Si Nan seized the assault rifle and strode forward.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullet chains danced through the air, shell casings clattering everywhere, zombie brain matter and rotten blood spattering in all directions. Zombie hordes continuously fell and replenished, seemingly an endless hellish scene of demons and blood.
“Let’s go, Si Nan!” Zhou Rong forcefully grabbed his hand.
“—Ning Yu chose his own path, and we must go too!”
“Don’t look back, Si Nan! Si Nan!!”
…
Desperate roars gradually faded, transforming into a hazy, quiet luminescence extending toward the road’s end in the night.
The armored vehicle moved again, slowly advancing, leaving endless flesh far behind, until the black night consumed the desolate desert.
Momentarily, another rocket shell crossed the sky.
Hell vanished silently in blindingly white light.
But the facts soon proved that Sinan’s feeling was correct.
