6: Chapter 6 Searching for Supplies

Three days after the battle ended, Wang Jie decided to go out and search for supplies.

The food in the base was running low. With seven survivors and forty soldiers, the daily consumption of food was not a small number. Although the soldiers did not need to eat—this was a bug in the system—the survivors did.

Lin Waner had calculated that the existing food could last at most five more days.

Wang Jie had to go out to find food.

He selected a team: ten Heavy Soldiers, five Conscripts, and two Snipers. Including himself, there were eighteen people in total.

Before leaving, Lin Waner pulled him aside.

"Be careful."

Wang Jie nodded. "You keep an eye on the base. If anything happens, sound the alarm."

Lin Waner didn't speak, just looked at him.

Wang Jie suddenly felt a bit awkward. He coughed, turned around, and walked toward the entrance.

The multi-functional infantry vehicle was already prepared. This vehicle had just been built the day before yesterday, costing 800 funds. The roof was equipped with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and there were firing ports on both sides of the vehicle body, which could carry ten people.

Wang Jie climbed into the passenger seat and said to the driver, "Let's go."

The infantry vehicle roared as it rushed out of the base, driving toward the unknown streets.

This was the first time Wang Jie had truly left the residential compound since the apocalypse began.

The world outside was even worse than he had imagined.

The streets were filled with abandoned vehicles, some crashed into trees by the roadside, others overturned in the middle of the road. The glass doors of the shops were almost all shattered, and inside it was pitch black, making it impossible to see what was there. The corpses on the side of the road had already begun to rot, emitting a pungent stench.

Occasionally, a few zombies could be seen wandering around. When they heard the sound of the vehicle, they would turn their heads, chase after it for a few steps, and then quickly be left behind.

Wang Jie looked at the ruins outside the window, unable to describe the feeling in his heart.

Three months ago, this had been a bustling street. There were supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and crowds of people coming and going.

Now, there was nothing left.

"Commander," the driver suddenly said, "there is a situation ahead."

Wang Jie looked in the direction the driver was gazing.

Ahead was an intersection, and in the middle of the road were several military vehicles—true military vehicles, with camouflage paint and unit designations on the bodies. But those vehicles had all been overturned, and some were still smoking.

Beside them lay a dozen corpses, dressed in military uniforms.

Wang Jie had the vehicle stop.

He jumped out of the vehicle and walked over to investigate.

Those soldiers had been dead for a long time, and their bodies had already begun to rot. But from their postures, it was evident that they had experienced a fierce battle before dying—some still maintained a firing stance, while others lay together as if covering each other.

Wang Jie crouched down and picked up a rifle from beside one of the corpses. It was a Type 95, a domestic active-duty rifle. He checked it; the gun was still usable, and there were five rounds left in the magazine.

"Collect these weapons," he said to the soldiers behind him.

Then he stood up and looked behind the military vehicles.

There was a huge supermarket there—Carrefour.

The doors were already shattered, and it was pitch black inside.

But Wang Jie knew that there might be things he needed there.

"Let's go in and take a look."

He took five Heavy Soldiers and walked cautiously into the supermarket.

It was very dark inside, with only a little light filtering in through the broken glass doors. The shelves were toppled over, and merchandise was scattered all over the floor. The air was filled with a rotting stench that made one want to vomit.

Wang Jie turned on his flashlight and shone it inside.

The shelves in the food section were almost completely empty, with only a few scattered snacks on the floor. However, there was still some bottled water in the beverage section, piled in a corner, unnoticed.

"Pack the water," Wang Jie said. "Take as much as you can."

The soldiers began packing the water into their backpacks.

Just then, Wang Jie heard a low roar.

He spun around abruptly, his flashlight beam shining toward the direction the sound came from—it was the depths of the supermarket, the fresh produce section.

In the darkness, countless pairs of eyes were reflecting the light.

Zombies.

A lot of zombies.

Wang Jie took a step back. "Retreat!"

But it was already too late.

Those zombies rushed out from the darkness, at least fifty or sixty of them. Some were still wearing supermarket employee uniforms, and some were still wearing aprons.

The Heavy Soldiers raised their guns and began firing.

The sound of gunfire exploded in the enclosed supermarket, deafening. Zombies fell one after another, but those behind continued to rush forward.

Wang Jie retreated toward the entrance while firing.

Just as he was about to reach the entrance, a zombie suddenly lunged out from behind a shelf and slammed directly into him.

He was knocked to the ground, and the gun in his hand was thrown away.

The zombie crawled on top of him, opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of jagged teeth, and aimed for his neck—

A gunshot rang out.

The zombie's head exploded, and black liquid splattered onto Wang Jie's face.

A Heavy Soldier stood beside him, the muzzle of his gun still smoking.

Wang Jie pushed it off, scrambled up, and gasped for air.

"Thank you."

The soldier didn't speak, just continued firing.

A minute later, the last zombie fell.

Wang Jie stood in the middle of those corpses, covered in black blood, panting heavily.

He looked at the soldier who had saved him—a Heavy Soldier, number 23.

"What is your name?" he asked.

The soldier paused for a moment. "Report, Commander, I am Heavy Soldier 23."

Wang Jie nodded.

He memorized this number.

This trip had yielded quite a harvest.

Water: thirty-seven cases.

Food: various canned goods, biscuits, and instant noodles, filling ten large backpacks.

Medicine: there was a small pharmacy in the supermarket, and they swept all the medicine inside.

Tools: flashlights, batteries, lighters, and knives, they had taken quite a few.

Weapons: they had collected fifteen rifles, twenty pistols, and several cases of ammunition from those fallen soldiers.

Wang Jie looked at these items, feeling a little more at ease.

These supplies were enough for the base to last for a month.

On the way back, he passed that intersection again.

Those fallen soldiers were still lying there.

Wang Jie had the vehicle stop.

He jumped out of the vehicle, walked up to the corpses, and stood there for a few seconds.

Then he saluted.

Although he didn't know them, and although they weren't his soldiers.

But they were also warriors.

They were also people who died to protect others.

"Let's go," he said.

The infantry vehicle restarted and drove toward the base.

Behind them, those corpses lay silently there.

The sky above was gray and hazy, without a sun.