Chapter Fifty-Six: Ambushed

Downtown XY City.

By the time we arrived, it was already past eight in the evening, and outside, the darkness was still all-encompassing.

Ordinary survivors would never venture out at this hour to scavenge for supplies or take action; it was simply too dark, and they would have to rely on light sources. If luck ran out, that very light might attract horrors unknown.

Huo Bing was no longer surprised that I could move freely in the dark; she knew I possessed what they called “night eyes.”

“Cao, it’s started to rain,” she said.

“Rain is good. Rain is rare in the Ruined Era,” I replied.

Rain drummed against the car’s body, casting a layer of gloom over my mood. The city, usually silent and dark, was finally stirred by the clamor of rain.

At least the sound of the rain meant that minor noises would not draw the attention of the undead.

The journey so far had been safe, with no incidents. Only upon entering the city did we encounter a few scattered corpses.

No wonder this place was once a paradise for scavenging survivors. Since entering the city limits, I hadn’t seen a single high-level corpse.

All I had come across were first-tier shamblers, clumsy as infants taking their first steps without the aid of moonlight.

A guttural croak echoed.

Huo Bing, sealed inside the cab, didn’t hear it, but I caught it clearly. Fourth Master grew agitated, leaping back and forth in the driver’s area, occasionally pawing at the window.

“Hold on tight. Something’s not right,” I warned Huo Bing, my expression grave.

I’d seen a mutant toad once in ZM City—its size rivaled that of our vehicle, more than capable of flipping us over.

Huo Bing instinctively tightened her grip on the firearm she always kept close, peering warily through the window, but she saw nothing.

Fortunately, we made it out of the city limits without encountering the beast. It hadn’t set its sights on us, a narrow escape.

Had we met that giant head-on, I truly wouldn’t know how to deal with it—the difference in size was simply too great. Apart from running, I had no other options. Perhaps if I could get a grenade into its belly, but the margin for error would be razor-thin; failure meant no second chance.

According to Ruined Era scientists, mutants were far more intelligent than the undead, at least smarter than third-tier corpses. It would never swallow a grenade thinking it was a stone.

We passed through XY City, encountering several sizable hordes along the way, but they hadn’t formed encirclements and couldn’t stop our speeding vehicle.

“We’re on the right route, aren’t we? Calculate the remaining distance.”

“At our current speed, we’ll reach the chemical plant in about half an hour. But, Cao, what exactly are you planning to do there?” Huo Bing asked, her tone lined with curiosity.

I glanced at her, seeing the impatience on her face. She’d been dying to ask this question for some time.

“Last time in ZM City, I used an oil depot to blow up a nest of corpses. This time, it’s much the same. I’m going to lure the undead and blow up the chemical plant,” I replied, my tone indifferent, as if discussing something utterly ordinary.

For me, killing the undead for its own sake was nothing new.

But Huo Bing struggled to understand.

“What?! If there’s too much combustible gas and raw material in that plant, we won’t escape in time. If it blows, we’ll die there too!” she exclaimed, nearly shouting.

“That’s why I brought the Wave God sniper rifle. We’ll scout the plant first, lure the undead, then retreat and detonate it from a safe distance,” I laughed. She probably thought I was crazy for what I was about to do.

After a long silence, Huo Bing finally asked in a small voice, “Cao, can I ask why you do this? Is it just hatred? Or… do you simply enjoy it?”

I hesitated. She was wrong, of course. But how could I tell her the truth—that I was forced into this, that if I didn’t kill, I couldn’t grow stronger, and would have to endure the system’s merciless punishments?

“I have my reasons. These things, I must do. If you regret coming with me, I can find you a safe place to wait, and pick you up when it’s over,” I said at last. If she pressed further, I’d answer no more.

“I don’t regret it! Whatever you do, you have a reason. No matter what, I’ll stay with you, do my best, and never be a burden,” Huo Bing said, her dark eyes shining with a strange light in the gloom.

I gave a low “mm” in response and said no more.

“But Cao, according to your plan, before we enter the plant, we need to find a vantage point that’s both high and safe enough. I’ll keep an eye out as we drive,” Huo Bing said, propping her chin on her hand as she gazed out the window.

If not for the Ruined Era, this girl would have bewitched countless rich boys and common sons alike.

She had the looks, the figure, the family, the brains, and even played with high-tech gadgets. Yet, without the tempering of the apocalypse, she’d still be the pampered darling she used to be.

“All right, then. Keep your eyes open. Never realized you could plan ahead like this,” I replied, laughing.

“I’m not a little girl. You’ve already seen everything—don’t pretend you don’t know. Besides, you’re just a decade or so older than me. In times like these, older men with younger women are everywhere,” she pouted.

I nearly choked on her words, coughing awkwardly and not daring to reply.

Bold, indeed—a nineteen-year-old girl daring to tease an old man like me.

“We’re almost at the chemical plant, Cao. It’s on the outskirts—this area is barren. The only vantage point I saw was that farm workshop we passed a while ago.”

I could already make out the outlines of the factory buildings behind a concrete wall, but there wasn’t a single corpse in sight.

Strange, how deathly quiet it was.

“No rush. Let’s keep driving and see if there’s any suitable high ground on the other side of the plant,” I said, flooring the accelerator and speeding past the factory gates.

As we neared, I leaned out for a better look—still nothing. The entire chemical plant felt like a dead zone.

No corpses inside or out. Had they all gathered within?

“This place is huge! So many tanks and smokestacks—if it blows, never mind the blast, the toxic gases alone would spread for miles,” Huo Bing exclaimed, her mouth agape at the sight.

It was indeed a massive facility.

I’d believe it if someone said there were over a thousand corpses within. With a plant this size, it could hold that many people, and if they’d all turned inside…