171: Chapter 171 "Extra Dinner Tonight"

10:00 PM.

Outside the north gate of Zhe City, searchlights shone under the rain canopy.

A modified transport truck was parked by the side of the road.

The cargo hold was welded with three layers of iron mesh, and the iron door was padlocked, looking like a cage for transporting livestock.

Ten children were being forced to line up by soldiers.

Each person had an iron tag hanging on their wrist.

031.

032.

Lin Motong, holding her "Little Queen Exclusive" bear, stood in the middle of the line.

Seeing the tag, Wang Ya felt the water line in her sleeve slide against her skin.

Lin Yuan held her wrist down.

"It's not time to settle the bill yet."

On the table in front, there were lists and red official seals.

The ritual that was originally conducted in private had been brought out into the open by Captain Zhao.

In his own words, after the commotion Zhou Heng caused yesterday, there would definitely be more people wanting to kidnap the children, so he simply put the ritual out in the open.

Letting everyone in the city see what they were doing.

Commander Wei Guangjun had agreed to it as well.

The staff member shouted with a megaphone: "Family members, stand behind the yellow line!"

"Don't interfere with the process!"

Behind the yellow line, a woman was crying until she couldn't stand.

A father knelt on the ground kowtowing, his forehead bleeding.

The guard just kicked him.

"You took the food stamps and pressed your thumbprint."

"Don't put on a show of maternal love and filial piety here."

"And don't delay everyone's survival."

Captain Liu Meng, the escort leader, stood by the truck.

He was one of Captain Zhao's men.

He had a scar on his face, and the corner of his mouth always pulled to one side when he spoke.

Seeing Lin Yuan, he deliberately raised his voice.

"Family member of 037, voluntarily accompanying the vehicle for observation."

"Everyone, take a look."

"Look at how well he understands the big picture."

The crowd erupted.

A middle-aged man arranged by Captain Zhao rushed over and hugged Lin Yuan's leg.

"Brother, stop making trouble!"

"I've sent a child in before, and he went very peacefully."

"Your daughter dying alone is better than one hundred thousand people dying!"

"If you break the agreement and the Zombie King enters the city, we'll all die!"

Captain Zhao still wanted to give this "expert" Lin Yuan a chance; as long as Lin Yuan was willing to bow his head, he would immediately send out the backup child.

Lin Yuan looked at the man hugging his foot.

"What's your child's name?"

The man froze.

Lin Yuan asked again: "What's the number?"

The man's lips moved, but he couldn't say it.

He only knew his mission.

Lin Yuan lifted his foot and gently kicked him away.

"If you can't remember the name, don't talk about the big picture for the dead."

The surroundings went silent for a second.

Captain Liu Meng's expression darkened.

"Boss Lin, you'd better watch your mouth."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"What's wrong with me?"

Captain Liu Meng wanted to draw his gun.

But remembering Captain Zhao's order, he held back.

Brother Zhao had said.

If this person was still like a rock in a latrine.

He should let him follow to the border and watch with his own eyes as the child was eaten by the Zombie King.

That would be more interesting than breaking his legs now.

Lin Motong looked up and asked: "Uncle Lin, do I need to pretend to be scared?"

Lin Yuan patted her head.

"No need."

"The one who should be scared tonight isn't you."

Lin Motong nodded and hugged the bear tighter.

She voluntarily reached out to let the staff member check the iron tag.

Seeing that she wasn't crying, the staff member's hand actually shook.

In this day and age, it was normal for children to cry.

Two kilometers outside the north gate.

The third floor of a dilapidated building.

Zhou Heng carried Zhou Niannian on his back and stared at the transport truck through binoculars.

He didn't know why, but his daughter had been sleeping ever since she was rescued; at first he thought it was due to sleeping pills, but after having the team doctor check, all indicators were normal.

Now, when going out on missions, Zhou Heng no longer trusted the old folks at home and could only keep his daughter by his side.

Behind him, a dozen or so Resistance members checked their magazines.

Someone whispered: "Captain Zhou, one of the family members got on the truck too."

Zhou Heng didn't connect this ragged Boss Lin with the Lin Yuan who exuded an aura of dominance.

He put down the binoculars.

"Driven to the point of sending his own daughter away."

"This city is beyond saving."

The young member gritted his teeth: "Are we saving them or not?"

Zhou Heng chambered a round.

"Save them."

"Ten children, not a single one can be sent."

The transport truck set off.

Inner City restaurant.

Captain Zhao leaned back in his chair, listening to the radio.

"Boss Lin still got on the truck?"

"He did."

Captain Zhao licked his upper teeth with his tongue.

"Good."

"Let him follow."

"When the Zombie King eats the children, he'd better keep his eyes wide open."

Captain Zhao put down his wine glass.

"Block all the roads back to the city for me."

"No matter who causes trouble tonight, don't let them come back."

Northern border.

This used to be an Amusement Park.

When the transport truck drove into the gate, the wheels crushed a patch of broken glass.

The carousel was draped with torn rag dolls.

The Ferris wheel was stuck in mid-air, with withered corpses still stuffed in the cabins.

It seemed they had turned into zombies on the first day of the apocalypse.

The entrance to the Haunted House was piled with children's shoes.

The zombie horde surrounded the outer circle without pouncing.

They just growled.

As if waiting for a meal.

Captain Liu Meng led his men to carry the ten children off the truck and place them on ten iron beds under the Ferris wheel.

Someone lit incense.

The smoke smelled sweet but also moldy.

An escort soldier muttered: "The boss said the Zombie King only eats dreams."

"It won't eat people on the spot."

"Once the dream is gone, the children can still breathe when brought back."

"But they've never been brought back."

Wang Ya looked over sharply.

The escort soldier shrank his neck.

Lin Yuan looked at those escort soldiers.

"You've delivered so many times, haven't you ever thought about it changing its taste one day?"

The soldiers' expressions changed.

Lin Yuan continued: "The children are the dessert."

"The delivery men are also on the menu."

Captain Liu Meng cursed: "Don't listen to his scare tactics!"

Just as he finished speaking.

Boom!

The west wall of the Amusement Park was blown open.

Gunfire shattered the carousel light bulbs.

Zhou Heng led his team in.

"Team Three, advance!"

"Team One, suppress the escort team!"

"Team Two, grab the children!"

"Team Three, guard the retreat route!"

While firing, he yelled at Lin Yuan: "Take your daughter and run!"

"Don't believe their nonsense!"

Captain Liu Meng's expression changed drastically.

"The Resistance!"

"Open fire!"

Both sides engaged in battle instantly.

The escort team was caught off guard.

Zhou Heng's team coordinated very well.

Cutting in, suppressing, saving people, retreating—their movements were clean.

Lin Yuan stood still.

He looked at Zhou Heng.

"Better than that bunch of freeloaders."

Wang Ya whispered: "Mr. Lin, are we not taking action?"

"No rush."

Lin Yuan scanned the children on the iron beds.

"The net hasn't been tightened yet."

A fire-element Resistance member rushed to the iron bed, fire glowing in his palm, preparing to burn through the chains.

The flame just started.

Puff.

It went out.

He froze.

Beside him, an earth-element member pressed his hands to the ground, wanting to raise an earth wall to block bullets.

The ground only kicked up a layer of dust.

A healing Esper knelt beside a wounded person, the green light just lit up and immediately cut out.

Zhou Heng, while firing, yelled over there: "What are you doing? Proceed with the plan immediately."

The fire-element Esper was sweating profusely: "My Superpower has failed!"

"Me too!"

"Is it the Zombie King's interference?!"

The Resistance's formation was in chaos.

Captain Liu Meng seized the opportunity and roared: "Push up! Kill them!"

Zhou Heng carried Zhou Niannian on his back and retreated behind a stone pillar.

The girl in his arms woke up groggily.

"Dad..."

"Did I hurt everyone again?"

Zhou Heng's body stiffened.

The last time in the medical room, it was also when Niannian opened her eyes that the Superpowers failed.

Could it be that the inability to use Superpowers was related to Niannian?

Captain Liu Meng's radio suddenly rang.

Captain Zhao's voice came through.

"Retreat, everyone."

"The Zombie King's signal is moving toward the northern border."

Captain Liu Meng's face turned pale.

"Brother Zhao, we're still inside!"

"Then run faster."

The radio cut off.

The next second.

Boom—

The Amusement Park gate slammed down.

The iron gate smashed into the ground.

The retreat route was sealed.

The zombie horde in the outer circle turned simultaneously and surrounded the gap.

The Ferris wheel turned slowly.

Ten children simultaneously showed expressions of pain.

The 037 iron tag on Lin Motong's chest swayed gently.

In the darkness, a hoarse psychic wave rang out.

"Tonight."

"Midnight snack."