8: Chapter 8 The Night Watchman of the Underground Garage

Li Na's breathing grew heavier by his ear.

Commander Lin Dong turned to the side, looking toward the passenger seat in the pale light of the underground garage's emergency lamps.

The Communications Soldier's face was as pale as paper, and the beads of sweat densely covering her forehead reflected the light.

She pressed her left hand tightly against her right shoulder; the blood seeping between her fingers had already congealed into dark red scabs, but with every jolt of the vehicle, fresh blood seeped out again.

"How much further?" Li Na's voice was weak but still clear.

"Go around that row of cars ahead, and we'll be there once we reach the B2 level," Commander Lin Dong answered in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside the windshield.

The humvee's headlights were off, with only the faint clearance lights on, so he could only rely on memory and intuition to navigate through this underground parking lot.

The number of F-Class Zombies on the B1 level was at least three times higher than when they had fled.

Commander Lin Dong remembered that when they passed through here an hour ago, the data panel showed 47 F-Class Zombies.

Now, just within the range swept by the vehicle lights, he had counted over 30.

Those twisted human shapes wandered between the load-bearing pillars; some dragged broken legs, others had heads tilted to one side with clearly broken necks, yet they were still moving.

【F-Class Zombie, HP 85-120, movement speed 3.1 - 3.4 m/s, auditory radius 50m, visual radius 20m (sensitive only to moving objects)】

The panel data floated above each F-Class Zombie's head, like labels in a game.

Commander Lin Dong was not yet accustomed to this visual information—these semi-transparent numbers and text always floated on his retinas, requiring him to focus his attention to temporarily block them out.

"They are gathering in one direction," Zhang Hao in the back seat suddenly spoke up.

This senior private was one of the three people Commander Lin Dong had saved under the military dormitory building; he was 21, had been in the army for two years, and had good marksmanship, but talked too much.

Commander Lin Dong looked in the direction he was pointing.

Indeed, the F-Class Zombies on the east side of the B1 level were significantly denser than on the west side, and they were all facing the same direction—the exit ramp leading to the surface.

"There's a sound outside attracting them." Commander Lin Dong's brain raced. "The frequency is about... 45 to 60 times per minute; it should be the sound of human footsteps running."

"How do you know?" Zhang Hao asked instinctively.

"Look at the frequency at which they turn their heads in response." Commander Lin Dong pointed at the nearest F-Class Zombie, which turned its head toward the ramp every second or so. "The sound source is moving, not fast, about 2.5 meters per second; it's an injured person, or someone who is physically exhausted."

The car was silent for two seconds.

Li Na struggled to turn her head to look at Commander Lin Dong, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "You can even calculate that?"

Commander Lin Dong did not answer.

His attention was already locked onto three F-Class Zombies at the corner ahead.

Although the humvee's engine noise was kept very low, it was still clearly audible in the empty underground garage.

Those three F-Class Zombies had already started turning in their direction.

"Hold on tight."

Commander Lin Dong stepped on the gas, and the humvee accelerated violently.

The roar of the engine was amplified several times in the underground space, instantly detonating the entire B1 level.

All the F-Class Zombies turned their heads at the same moment.

It was a bone-chilling display of uniformity—over a hundred F-Class Zombies turned their faces toward the humvee at the same instant.

Their eyes glinted with a faint grayish-white luster in the darkness, like wolves' eyes suddenly lighting up in a dead, silent forest.

"Holy shit!" Zhang Hao instinctively gripped the Type 95 in his hand.

"Don't fire." Commander Lin Dong's tone was calm to the point of coldness. "Firing will only attract more. Hold on tight."

The humvee traced an S-shaped path between the load-bearing pillars.

Commander Lin Dong's eyes quickly scanned the position of every pillar ahead, his brain automatically generating a 3D path—the pillar to the front left was 7.3 meters away, he had to steer right immediately after passing it, and the gap between the two pillars was only 2.8 meters, just 40 centimeters wider than the humvee.

The metal of the vehicle body grazed the concrete surface of one of the pillars, emitting a harsh screeching sound, and sparks flashed and vanished in the darkness.

Three F-Class Zombies had already lunged in front of the vehicle.

Commander Lin Dong did not slow down and drove straight into them.

A dull thud, and a spray of black blood blossomed on the windshield.

The wipers automatically started, scraping two murky streaks across the glass, but the view became even more blurred.

"The downward ramp is 20 meters ahead!" Li Na shouted through the pain; she was more familiar with this parking lot than anyone else.

Commander Lin Dong saw it.

The entrance to the downward ramp was two-thirds blocked by two cars parked sideways, and the remaining gap could barely allow one vehicle to pass.

And in front of that gap, at least 15 F-Class Zombies were gathered.

There was no time to hesitate.

The humvee's speedometer needle jumped from 40 km/h to 50.

Commander Lin Dong's wrists were as steady as a machine, and the steering wheel turned at precise, minute angles in his hands.

Impact.

The first F-Class Zombie was sent flying, its body rolling over the hood, shattering the windshield before being tossed backward.

The second, the third... the humvee was like an icebreaker, plowing a path through a sea of flesh and blood.

The final gap was right before his eyes.

Commander Lin Dong's eyes, brain, and hands worked together seamlessly.

He saw the precise width of that gap—2.3 meters; the humvee was 1.95 meters wide, leaving 17.5 centimeters of clearance on each side.

He also saw the 8 centimeters protruding from the rearview mirror of the car on the right; that would be an obstacle.

The steering wheel was adjusted 3 degrees to the right, the vehicle body tilted while traveling at high speed, and the left rearview mirror grazed almost against the body of the car on the left.

The sound of metal grinding against metal was sharp and piercing, and sparks flew everywhere.

Then, the humvee charged into the downward ramp.

Darkness instantly swallowed everything.

Only the headlights illuminated the sloping concrete road ahead.

The roaring sounds behind them gradually faded, but the sound of tires screeching on the ramp was amplified, like the breathing of some giant beast.

"You're a fucking lunatic," Zhang Hao said, panting; it was hard to tell if his voice held fear or admiration.

Commander Lin Dong did not respond.

His gaze fell on the rearview mirror—in the mirror, a dense mass of figures emerged at the top of the ramp; those F-Class Zombies were chasing down.

But they couldn't catch up.

The humvee charged into the B2 level, and Commander Lin Dong jerked the steering wheel, drifting the car to a stop in an empty parking space, with the front of the vehicle perfectly facing the way they came.

Engine off, lights off; everyone held their breath.

Footsteps came from the ramp, getting closer and closer, then gradually slowing down.

The F-Class Zombies lost their target.

They wandered at the entrance of the B2 level for about three minutes, then slowly dispersed, blending into the darkness.

Commander Lin Dong glanced at the digital clock on the center console—3:47 AM.

From the time they left the dormitory building until now, a full four hours had passed.

"This is it?"

Zhang Hao shone his flashlight on the area in front of him, his voice carrying undisguised disappointment.

The "safe zone" Commander Lin Dong had chosen was a corner in the deepest part of the B2 level, with load-bearing walls on three sides and only one path for entry and exit.

Seven or eight dust-covered Private cars were parked on the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of motor oil, mold, and... the scent of blood.

"Move that SUV over there and block the passage." Commander Lin Dong got out of the car and took the medical kit from the humvee's trunk. "Zhang Hao, Wang Kai, you two are responsible for clearing all F-Class Zombies in this area. Private, you guard the entrance; call out if there's any movement. Li Na, come with me."

He didn't give anyone time to question him.

Wang Kai was a reticent Sergeant, 28 years old, a year older than Commander Lin Dong, but ever since Commander Lin Dong had precisely shot dead the F-Class Zombie that lunged at him under the dormitory building, he had never said "no" to Commander Lin Dong again.

He simply checked his firearm in silence and then nodded at Zhang Hao.

Commander Lin Dong helped Li Na walk behind a van and let her lean against the carriage.

The flashlight's beam illuminated her right shoulder—a gunshot wound, no artery damage, but she had lost a significant amount of blood, and there were clothing fragments embedded in the edges of the wound.

"Bear with it." Commander Lin Dong took tweezers and iodine from the medical kit.

Li Na bit her collar and nodded.

Disinfection, debridement, bandaging.

Commander Lin Dong's movements were skilled and swift; the entire process took less than ten minutes.

Li Na did not make a sound throughout the process, though her body trembled uncontrollably, and sweat from her forehead flowed down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground.

"Done." Commander Lin Dong put away the instruments. "The bullet didn't stay inside; you're lucky. But don't put any strain on this arm for three days, or if the wound reopens, I won't have the medicine to treat it again."

Li Na smiled weakly. "Thank you."

A short gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by Zhang Hao's voice: "One down, clearing complete."

Commander Lin Dong stood up and looked toward the passage.

Zhang Hao and Wang Kai had already started moving the SUV, the roar of the engine sounding particularly harsh in the underground space.

This sound would attract F-Class Zombies, but once the passage was blocked, this corner would become a relatively safe, enclosed space.

He opened his personal panel and glanced at his status:

【Name: Commander Lin Dong】

【Level: Lv.5】

【Strength: 11】

【Agility: 13】

【Spirit: 16】

【Constitution: 12】

【Talent: Military Expert (S-Rank), not fully activated】

【Status: Mild fatigue, mild dehydration】

After four hours of high-intensity combat, his physical strength was significantly depleted.

But compared to physical exhaustion, the operation of his brain was the real burden—he needed to process dozens of data streams simultaneously: the position of every teammate, the number of F-Class Zombies in every direction, the remaining ammunition for every weapon, and every possible escape route.

This was his talent, and also his curse.

"Company Commander Lin." Wang Kai's voice came from the passage entrance. "The vehicle is blocked. Seven F-Class Zombies were cleared from this area; it should be safe for now."

Commander Lin Dong walked over to check.

The SUV was blocked horizontally between two rows of load-bearing pillars, and the angle formed with the wall perfectly sealed the passage.

The vehicle chassis was jacked up, and a few boxes of discarded car parts were stuffed underneath to prevent F-Class Zombies from crawling through.

"Well done." Commander Lin Dong nodded. "Now, we need to take inventory of our supplies."

The five of them sat around a camper van.

This was a location Commander Lin Dong had specifically chosen—the camper van had a water tank and a simple kitchen, and the space was large enough to serve as a temporary command post.

The supplies were all laid out on the ground:

【Weapons】 Type 95 automatic rifle ×4 (one of which is Li Na's), type 92 pistol ×2, Ammunition: 5.8mm rifle rounds 43, pistol rounds 72, grenades 4 (brought from the military barracks armory)

【Food】 Individual self-heating meals ×12, compressed biscuits ×8, mineral water ×3 bottles (collected from the humvee trunk and the bodies of fallen soldiers)

【Medical】 First aid kit ×2, tourniquet ×3, iodine ×1 bottle, bandages ×2 rolls (Li Na used part of one)

【Tools】 Entrenching tool ×2, multi-tool knife ×3, flashlight ×4, spare batteries ×2 boxes, walkie-talkie ×5 (only one pair works properly)

【Other】 Military map ×1, compass ×1, lighter ×3, cigarettes ×2 boxes (Zhang Hao's personal items)

"Five people, this amount of stuff will last at most three days," Wang Kai said in a deep voice. "And there's no water."

"There is water in the underground garage's fire hydrants." Private suddenly spoke up.

He was a 20-year-old Sergeant, usually rarely spoke, but every time he spoke, he hit the nail on the head. "I just saw a few fire hydrants on the east side of the B2 level; they should be usable."

Commander Lin Dong nodded. "We'll go check the water quality tomorrow during the day. If there's no problem, the water issue will be solved."

"What about food?" Zhang Hao asked.

"Tomorrow during the day, I will go out and find some," Commander Lin Dong said. "There might be some on the bodies in the garage, and there are a few vending machines on the B1 level; they should still be usable."

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

What he didn't say was that larger food sources were outside—supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants. But that meant leaving this relatively safe bunker and re-entering the sea of zombies.

"Now," Commander Lin Dong looked at Li Na, "you said you heard a repeating SOS signal?"

Li Na nodded. She leaned against the RV wall, her face still pale, but her spirits were a bit better: "Ever since we entered the B2 level, I've been hearing it... not with my ears, but directly in my brain. A man's voice, constantly shouting 'Help, is anyone there? We're at the Garage Management Office.'"

"Garage Management Office?" Wang Kai frowned. "There is indeed a management office on the B2 level, on the... east side, not far from the fire hydrant."

"Can you be sure of the distance?" Commander Lin Dong asked Li Na.

Li Na closed her eyes and sensed for a few seconds: "About... seventy or eighty meters, straight-line distance."

"How far?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but this feeling... it gets clearer the closer I get."

Commander Lin Dong was silent for a few seconds, his brain automatically constructing a three-dimensional map of the B2 level. The Garage Management Office was located in the middle of the east side, about 90 meters from their current position, with over a hundred parked cars in between.

"Could it be a trap?" Zhang Hao whispered. "I've heard that some zombies can mimic human voices..."

"That's a rumor," Commander Lin Dong interrupted him. "A zombie's vocal organs are damaged; they can only make meaningless roars. Only humans can speak complete sentences."

He stood up and looked into the darkness to the east: "There are survivors there."

"Are we going to save them?" Wang Kai's tone wasn't questioning, just confirming.

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer directly but asked Li Na: "How long has that voice been going on? What's the frequency?"

"It hasn't stopped since we entered the B2 level... repeating about every ten seconds."

"Ten seconds," Commander Lin Dong calculated. "If it were a trap, such a regular frequency wouldn't be necessary. And it's lasted for four hours... a normal person's cry for help wouldn't be so rhythmic."

He turned to the others: "It's four in the morning now; the sun will be up in three hours. You guys rest, I'll go scout."

"You, alone?" Zhang Hao's eyes widened.

"A single person is a smaller target and makes less noise." Commander Lin Dong checked his Type 95, then tucked two grenades into his waist. "If there really are survivors at the management office, I need to confirm their number, status, and the number of surrounding zombies first. You guys hold the passage here. If I'm not back before dawn, then..."

"Then what?"

"Then keep guarding here and wait for me." Commander Lin Dong showed a rare hint of a smile. "I don't die that easily."

He walked to the off-road vehicle blocking the road and squeezed through a pre-reserved gap. In the darkness, his figure quickly disappeared among the rows of vehicles.

The remaining four people looked at each other.

"Has he always been like this?" Private suddenly asked.

Li Na shook her head: "I've only known him for four hours."

"I've known him for six years," Wang Kai said softly. "I was his squad leader back in the recruit company. In his first year in the army, his military skills were number one in the whole regiment; in his second year, he was exceptionally promoted to squad leader in the Reconnaissance Company; in his third year, he was recommended for military academy; in his fifth year, he came back as a company commander. The higher-ups all said he was the most promising in this batch to enter the Military Region Command Staff."

"Then he now..." Zhang Hao hesitated.

Wang Kai looked in the direction where Commander Lin Dong had disappeared, silent for a long time before saying: "Now, he is our only hope for survival."

Commander Lin Dong's way of moving would make anyone who had studied military topography feel ashamed.

He didn't simply walk between the rows of vehicles; instead, he used every car as cover, precisely calculating his blind spots and the zombies' potential fields of vision. His footsteps were almost silent, always landing on the balls of his feet first, with knees bent to cushion the impact, keeping his center of gravity stable.

In his eyes, the entire B2 level was a massive data battlefield.

[12 meters to the front-left, behind a sedan, 1 F-Class Zombie, HP 95, facing 45°, current gaze area: passage direction]

[7 meters to the front-right, side of an SUV, 2 F-Class Zombies, HP 87/92, moving, expected to enter current line of sight in 5 seconds]

[23 meters straight ahead, inside an RV, 1 suspected Mutant, abnormal vital signs, evasion recommended]

His brain was like a biological computer, filtering data from every zombie and planning the optimal route forward.

Stop, wait, bypass to the right, crouch, advance, stop again.

Three minutes later, he had crossed that "jungle" of nearly a hundred cars and reached the side of the Garage Management Office.

The management office was a small room of about thirty square meters, partitioned with glass and light steel keels, directly facing the main passage of the B2 level. The glass walls were covered with faded advertisements, making it impossible to see the situation inside. The door was a metal security door, tightly closed.

Commander Lin Dong hid behind a van and observed carefully.

[Data Collection: Zombie distribution around the management office]

[East side: 3 F-Class, wandering state]

[West side: 2 F-Class, stationary state]

[South side (main entrance): 7 F-Class, concentrated within 5 meters of the door]

[North side: 1 F-Class, 2 meters from the corner]

[Total: 13 F-Class Zombies, Threat Level: Low]

13 F-Class—if he fought them head-on, he could resolve them all within 30 seconds, but the gunshots would attract more. If he used a knife... he had a combat knife, but the noise of killing 13 zombies in close quarters wouldn't be any quieter than gunshots.

Just then, he heard the voice.

It wasn't the "mental perception" Li Na had described, but a faint, real voice coming from the crack of the management office door—a man's hoarse voice: "Help... is anyone there... help..."

The voice was very weak and intermittent, but it was definitely human language.

Commander Lin Dong was about to move when suddenly, a red warning message flashed across his retina:

[Special energy fluctuation detected]

[Source: Inside the Garage Management Office]

[Fluctuation Type: Mental-type, unidentified]

[Threat Rating: Unknown]

His hand stopped mid-air.

Mental-type? Unidentified? Threat unknown?

In the four hours since he had come into contact with the system, this was the first time he had seen such a prompt. Even for that Lv.3 speed-type Mutant, the system had given a clear rating and attack suggestions.

But the system couldn't judge the "survivor" inside.

Commander Lin Dong slowly withdrew his hand, his eyes fixed on the security door. Behind the door, the cry for help continued.

"Help... is anyone there... help..."

Every ten seconds, it repeated, without the slightest error.

Commander Lin Dong stood still for three full minutes.

His brain worked at an unprecedented speed, integrating all the information: Li Na's mental perception, the regular frequency of the SOS, the system's abnormal prompt, the zombies gathered outside the door...

Why weren't the zombies attacking that door?

They could hear the sound, but the 13 zombies outside were just "gathering," showing no desire to attack. They didn't even pounce frantically toward the sound source like the zombies on the B1 level attracted by the humvee's engine.

What were they waiting for?

Or rather... what were they guarding?

Commander Lin Dong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the hesitation was gone.

No matter what was behind the door, he had to confirm. If it was a survivor, he would rescue them; if not, they had to be eliminated. This was his principle and his final line as a soldier.

He began to move.

Not toward the main entrance, but around to the side. He needed to clear the single zombie on the north side first and use it as a breakthrough point.

10 seconds later, he reached the north corner. The F-Class Zombie had its back to him, facing the passage. Commander Lin Dong pulled a combat knife from his waist—this was a Type 65 reconnaissance dagger, 25.8 cm long, weighing 0.6 kg, with an edge sharp enough to shave hair.

He approached, his left hand suddenly covering the zombie's mouth, while the combat knife in his right hand pierced the gap between the back of the head and the cervical spine, precisely severing the brainstem.

[Killed F-Class Zombie, Energy Points +5]

The zombie's body went limp and fell without making a sound. Commander Lin Dong gently laid it on the ground, then peeked around the corner to observe the 7 zombies at the main entrance.

They hadn't noticed.

Just then, his walkie-talkie suddenly emitted a piercing static noise.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the empty underground garage, and the 7 zombies turned simultaneously to look in Commander Lin Dong's direction.

"Shit."

Commander Lin Dong didn't have time for more cursing. He was exposed, so he could only solve the problem in the fastest way.

He rushed out from behind cover, drawing his type 92 pistol with his right hand and pulling out his combat knife with his left. While running, his brain calculated the distance and position of every zombie—

[Target 1: Distance 7.3 meters, front]

[Target 2: Distance 8.1 meters, 45° to the left]

[Target 3: Distance 9.5 meters, 30° to the right]

[...]

Gunshots rang out.

First shot, headshot.

Second shot, headshot.

Third shot, headshot.

Fourth shot, jammed.

Without any pause, Commander Lin Dong threw away the pistol and gripped the combat knife with both hands, meeting the remaining three zombies head-on.

A flash of the blade, and the first zombie's carotid artery was severed. He sidestepped, dodging the second zombie's bite, and the combat knife pierced its brain from the lower jaw. He withdrew the knife and turned; the third zombie was already upon him, and the tip of the blade entered the back of its head through the eye socket.

From the first gunshot to the third zombie falling, 11 seconds had passed.

Panting, Commander Lin Dong looked toward the main entrance. The remaining 4 zombies (2 on the west side and 2 on the east side) had been alerted and were rushing toward him.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a grenade from his waist, pulled the pin, held it for two seconds, and then threw it at the feet of the group of zombies.

Boom!

The explosion echoed in the underground space, and a flash of fire vanished in an instant. The 4 zombies were blown to pieces, but Commander Lin Dong knew that bigger trouble was coming—zombies from the entire B2 level and even the B1 level would be attracted by the noise.

He turned and rushed to the management office door, kicking it open.

The scene behind the door made him freeze instantly.

There were three people in the room: two corpses and one living person.

The living person was a middle-aged man wearing a management office uniform, huddled in a corner. His eyes were wide open, and his mouth mechanically repeated: "Help... is anyone there... help..."

Every ten seconds, he repeated it.

And above his head, on Commander Lin Dong's retina, a blood-red warning appeared:

[Lv.8 Mental Mutant (Evolving)]

[HP: 450]

[Threat Rating: B-Class]

[Special Ability: Mental Infection—can create auditory hallucinations to lure humans closer]

[Warning: This unit has developed primary intelligence; immediate elimination is recommended]

The middle-aged man slowly raised his head and looked at Commander Lin Dong.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a creepy smile.

"You're finally here," he said, his voice no longer mechanical but carrying a chilling clarity. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

In the distance, the roars of countless zombies were rapidly approaching.

Commander Lin Dong tightened his grip on the combat knife.

[End of Chapter]