35: Survivors of the resettlement warehouse

Zhang Lei's cold gaze was like two physical swords, slowly sweeping across the dozen or so thugs who were slumped on the ground, shaking like sieves. The smell of blood and burnt flesh in the warehouse had not yet dissipated, and Liu Xu's corpse, pinned to the wall by an ice spike, served as a gruesome warning sign. These thugs, who usually acted like tyrants in the warehouse and treated human life like grass, had long since lost their courage before Zhang Lei, a "god" who controlled fire and ice. Liu Xu's far-beyond-normal strength had been a symbol of a "superman" in their eyes, but what Zhang Lei displayed was divine power that completely crushed them, holding their lives in his hands!

Thud! Thud! Thud...

The dozen or so thugs scrambled to kneel on the ground, their foreheads banging against the cold, dirty floor. Tears and snot flowed freely, and their voices were distorted by extreme terror:

"Officer, have mercy! Have mercy!"

"It was all that damn Liu Xu who forced us to do it! He would have killed us if we didn't!"

"We were forced! Please understand, Officer! We are all innocent!"

"Innocent?" Zhang Lei's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an ice-quenched steel needle, instantly piercing through their hypocritical wails. He took a step forward, his figure appearing exceptionally tall in the dim light, and the invisible pressure made their kowtowing movements freeze. He pointed at the woman with the broken leg, and then seemed to point at the recently dissipated soul of the young girl in the air. "What about the girl you gang-raped to death, who died with her eyes open? Wasn't she innocent? You animals, how dare you ask for mercy?!"

His interrogation was like a heavy hammer, smashing into the heart of every thug and into the numb souls of every survivor in the warehouse, awakening their deeply buried fear and anger. Zhang Lei didn't spare these scumbags another glance. He turned his head and gave an order to Chen Xiao, whose eyes were equally cold, his voice decisive: "Platoon Leader Chen, drag these pieces of trash out and execute them! Leave none alive!"

"Yes! Sir!" Chen Xiao's voice carried uncontrollable rage and the iron blood of a soldier. He had been unable to restrain himself for a long time. Following his command, the furious Red Alert Soldiers immediately rushed forward. These elite warriors, who were at least two-star rank, possessed strength far beyond ordinary people. They showed no mercy as fists the size of clay pots and hard military boots fell like raindrops!

"Ah—!"

"Stop hitting me! Spare my life!"

Puff... Ugh...

The dull thuds of fists hitting flesh, the crisp sound of bones breaking, and the wails like ghost howls mixed together. In a short moment, these dozen thugs who had been acting so arrogant were beaten until their faces were bloody and swollen. They curled up on the ground like piles of mud, lacking even the strength to beg for mercy. The soldiers dragged them out of the warehouse, which reeked of blood and despair, as if they were dragging dead dogs.

Soon, a series of crisp and short gunshots came from outside the warehouse.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

After a dozen gunshots, the world fell completely silent. The suppressed sobbing inside the warehouse gradually turned into a relieved, muffled wailing.

Zhang Lei took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his chest. He looked at the survivors in the warehouse, who were still in shock and had complex looks in their eyes, and his voice softened a bit: "Platoon Leader Chen, immediately call Base Command. Arrange for transport aircraft to safely bring all the survivors here back to Yongjiang Base!"

"Yes! Understood!" Chen Xiao immediately took out his communicator and began to call... At Yongjiang Base, the towering ancient city walls were bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. The cold silhouettes of the sentry guns on the towers and the upright figures of the patrolling soldiers formed a reassuring defensive line. When the more than one hundred survivors who had crawled out of the hell of the Jialejia Supermarket warehouse saw this home as solid as a fortress, their long-suppressed emotions finally burst. Many people fell to their knees on the spot, touching the cold wall bricks and weeping loudly. This was not sadness, but a release of having survived a catastrophe and seeing hope again.

The Red Alert Soldiers silently and efficiently guided these physically and mentally exhausted people into the city. Soon, a long-lost, warm aroma wafted through the air—the Cooking Squad had used frozen meat to boil a large pot of thick meat porridge. For these people who had been barely surviving on rotten fruits and vegetables and a tiny bit of drinking water in the warehouse, a bowl of hot porridge with a salty and fresh meat flavor was a luxury more precious than gold.

When the soldiers handed the bowls filled with meat porridge to them, the scalding temperature was transmitted to their palms through the rough walls of the bowls. Many people held the bowls, their hands trembling violently, as large teardrops fell into the porridge. They greedily inhaled the tempting aroma and sipped carefully. The scalding porridge slid down their dry throats, warming their cold stomachs and melting the ice in their hearts.

"Sob... Thank you... Thank you, soldier comrades..."

"Thank you... Thank you..."

"I lived... I finally lived..."

Sobbing words of thanks rose and fell. Many people knelt on the ground again, kowtowing piously toward the soldiers distributing food and the towering Command Tower. It was gratitude for life, respect for protection, and even more, worship for the light that had been lit in the darkness.

After eating this meaningful "dinner," under the orderly organization of Engineer Hu Jingming, the survivors one by one received Credit Cards representing their identity in the base. Although the accommodation was just a simple communal bunk in an ancient building and the assigned work was only basic cleaning or hauling, everyone's face carried a new, cautious hope. For them, being able to live safely and have a job was already heaven... In Jiang Xin's room:

The lights were soft. Zhang Lei sat in a chair, his body leaning forward slightly, his hands rubbing his face hard as if he wanted to wipe away the filth he had seen during the day. He let out a long sigh filled with heavy fatigue and disgust: "Brother Jiang... this damn apocalypse... it makes me sick." The weeping of the mother with the broken leg in the warehouse, the silent grievance of the young girl, and the atrocities of Liu Xu and the others bit at his heart like poisonous snakes. He knew that Liu Xu would never be an isolated case; in those corners where the sun couldn't reach, in the ruins where power was unbalanced, more similar evils would inevitably breed.

Jiang Xin sat opposite him, his expression equally solemn. He had finished listening to Chen Xiao's detailed report and understood Zhang Lei's feelings at this moment. He reached out and pressed his hand firmly on Zhang Lei's shoulder, his eyes as steady as a rock: "Lei-ge, the darkness is only temporary. Remember, you and I are no longer ordinary! With the strength of the two of us, plus my Red Alert troops, this apocalypse..." His voice carried an unquestionable conviction, "will eventually be ended by us! At that time, we will personally build an... ideal kingdom without atrocities or oppression!"

Zhang Lei looked up and met Jiang Xin's eyes, which were full of power and ambition. The determination in Jiang Xin's words and the future picture he painted dissipated some of the gloom in his heart. A surge of hot blood stirred in his chest again. He reached out his clenched fist, flames reigniting in his eyes: "Good!"

"Let's do it!" Jiang Xin also reached out his fist.

The two fists, symbolizing strength and vows, collided heavily in the air!

Bang!

A crisp impact echoed in the silent room. Today's vow, like a brand, was etched into the souls of the two men, becoming the indestructible driving force that would lead them to cut through thorns and create the future in the days to come!

...