Chapter Thirty-Three: What Is Rubbing

“Brother Cao! How much farther is it? We’ve already alerted the nearby corpse horde, and there are too many trailing my car! If we can’t shake them off, they’ll follow us all the way to the place you mentioned!”

Huo Bing’s voice kept coming through the intercom over these ten minutes. I had reminded her before: no matter what happens, never lose contact and always report the current situation.

Thankfully, the armored vehicle’s sealed environment was quite good. With all the windows shut, the intercom’s transmission wouldn’t leak outside. And at a time like this, whether the sound leaked out or not hardly mattered—escaping with our lives was the only thing that counted.

“We’re almost there. Hang on a little longer. Keep following the lead vehicle and get ready to activate the afterburner propulsion system. We’ll punch through together!” I responded urgently to Huo Bing. If she fell behind, she might easily get lost here, and if that happened, it would be very difficult to find her again.

The afterburner propulsion system was meant for moments of dire crisis; it drained the vehicle’s power and fuel reserves. If there were no supplies ahead, the armored car could break down at any moment—leaving only a dead end.

This was information I’d only learned upon reaching the Gudi Gathering Area. As for that time when Tong Jia didn’t activate the afterburner while we were being chased by a Nightmare Beast in the city, perhaps it was because he still had a sliver of hope in his heart. He’d gambled and won.

We ultimately escaped the Nightmare Beast, though it had been strange—normally, those creatures would never give up a pursuit so easily.

“Brother Cao, once the afterburner is activated, the vehicle will burn through its energy reserves in minutes and stall! If we’re then surrounded by the corpse horde… And if our car breaks down in the wilderness, where would we even find energy to replenish it?” Huo Bing exclaimed, incredulous at my decision.

The situation was urgent, but not quite at the breaking point. Activating the afterburner now seemed unwise.

But I, too, was gambling—betting there would be leftover resources in the arsenal ahead, at least some fuel!

If I lost that bet, we’d just have to adapt. The immediate priority was to shake off the corpse horde.

I didn’t answer Huo Bing further.

“Activate the afterburner propulsion system!”

“Afterburner propulsion system activating…”

A low, vibrating hum filled the cabin as red warning lights lit up and alarms blared. The armored car was now consuming power at its maximum rate and would soon stall by the roadside.

I glanced at the rearview mirror. Huo Bing’s car was far behind; our sudden burst of speed had hit at least two hundred kilometers per hour.

I wasn’t worried Huo Bing couldn’t keep up. She’d insisted before setting out that she wasn’t just dead weight—now was the time to prove it.

Sure enough, after only a few dozen seconds, a blue-lit shadow appeared behind us—it was Huo Bing, accelerating.

“Five hundred meters ahead is the first defense perimeter of the arsenal. Prepare to slow down, or you’ll crash straight through the barrier.”

“Got it!”

“And check if anything else is still following us.”

After a while, Huo Bing’s voice came again, “We’ve shaken them off. But what if there are corpses inside the arsenal zone? If the place you spoke of has fallen, aren’t we likely to see many of the old era’s soldiers in uniform—undead?”

“Damn, we’re nearly out of power. We can’t even maintain normal speed. Brother Cao, we have to find oil—preferably electricity too—otherwise, the vehicle’s weapon systems will be useless.”

I checked the energy gauge on the armored car’s console—it was nearly empty. “All right, prepare to stop. What we need should be inside. First, we have to slip through the perimeter, check the situation, and open all the barricades—otherwise, our cars won’t make it inside.”

…

Huo Bing and I parked our cars by the roadside and got out. I looked up at a surveillance camera and found it pointed straight at us.

Was there really someone still stationed inside?

“Be careful—whether it’s the living or the dead, we have to stay alert,” I said, tucking my short blade into my belt and readying my pistol as I surveyed the area.

Under the moonlight, some things were visible: the perimeter’s barricades, spike strips, barriers, spiked walls, and electric fences were all in place.

Fortunately, a small passage had been left open—clearly for sentries to pass through during normal operations.

“Everyone inside must be dead by now,” Huo Bing muttered softly just as I’d finished scanning the area and was about to move forward.

“Oh? Why do you think so?”

Her dark eyes glanced at me as she replied quietly, “If there were still survivors, wouldn’t they have sealed every entrance to prevent corpses from getting in? Also, that surveillance camera is turned off—it’s not even active.”

I stared at Huo Bing, while Fourth Master, lying at my feet, sniffed the air, his nose twitching.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m at least a bit of a techie. This camera is advanced and looks the same whether it’s on or off—but only to a novice,” Huo Bing said with a low chuckle, not noticing her choice of words.

I replied calmly, “Yes, I know it’s off. Come on, let’s get to the control room and open the barricades—we have to get the cars into the depot.”

Crossing the perimeter, we reached the guard tower. The control room was usually housed inside, and the barricades could be opened with a button.

We pressed ourselves against the wall like geckos, listening intently for any unusual sounds from within. I then saw Fourth Master pawing at the wall, glancing at me as he scratched.

Having a dog in the apocalypse was truly a blessing—it could even serve as an early warning. They say a dog’s nose is legendary, and it’s no exaggeration. I wondered if, should my own sense of smell ever advance, I’d be able to sense enemies like Fourth Master.

For now, all that was certain was that something—or someone—was inside the guard tower. I couldn’t tell if it was living or dead, nor how many there were.

Given the situation, it was likely to be corpses. If it were people, they wouldn’t just let us approach without reacting.

I gestured for Huo Bing to stay quiet and signaled with my hands that someone was inside. She raised her pistol in response.

If there were people inside, using a gun would be safer than a knife—since they’d likely be armed as well.

I’d been to this depot back in the old era. The guard tower had only two openings: a window with steel bars and the main door.

So, there was no choice but to enter through the front.

I pressed my ear to the wall, listening closely for any sounds inside.

A scraping, dragging noise.

A faint rustling.

Hmm?

What was that sound…