40: underground garage survivor

First Floor of Taian Commercial Building - "Phoenix Tower" Jewelry Store:

The soldiers were busily clearing the last counter. Gold jewelry was being poured into backpacks like flowing water.

Suddenly!

"Clang!!!"

A loud bang came from the ceiling! Immediately after, a dust-covered, rusted metal vent grille slammed onto the floor! Falling with it was a skinny youth covered in oil and dust! He crashed heavily onto the cold ground, letting out a pained groan.

"Status!" Nearby soldiers immediately raised their guns, alert, pointing them at the source of the sound.

"Cough, cough... Help... Rescue Army uncles... Help... Help..." The youth struggled to lift his head, using all his strength to let out a weak but incredibly clear cry. Blood seeped from his cracked lips.

"Child!" Platoon Leader Chen Xiao, who was closest, lunged forward and quickly checked the youth for obvious wounds. Once he confirmed it was safe, he immediately unhooked his canteen and carefully brought it to the youth's lips. "Don't rush, drink slowly, and tell us what happened!"

"Gulp... Gulp..." The youth greedily swallowed the sweet water like parched earth receiving rain. After a few gulps, a flicker of life returned to his eyes. He didn't stop to enjoy the hard-won water, instead grabbing Chen Xiao's arm and pointing urgently at the vent: "Uncle! Below... the underground garage! The civil defense... there are so many people! Save them! Save everyone!" His voice carried a sob and a desperate plea.

Chen Xiao felt a surge of emotion seeing the urgency and spirit of sacrifice in the boy's eyes that transcended his age. He immediately pulled a pack of Compressed Dry Rations from his tactical vest and pressed it into the youth's hand: "Good boy! Don't worry! We're going right now! Eat something first!" He stood up and shouted into his communicator, "Officer Zhang! A large number of survivors discovered! Location: Underground Civil Defense Garage! Requesting permission to act!"

"Received!" Zhang Lei's voice came through immediately, decisive and firm. "Gold collection suspended! Everyone! Target: the civil defense garage on the second basement floor! Clear the zombies and open the passage! Move!"

The soldiers immediately put down the gold and quickly regrouped. Led by Zhang Lei and Li Wei, the team surged toward the entrance of the safety passage leading to the second basement like a black tide.

Inside the passage leading to the civil defense garage, there were only a few wandering zombies, which were quickly cleared by precise and dense gunfire. A heavy, rusted civil defense door appeared before them.

"Prepare to open the door!" Zhang Lei ordered. Several engineers stepped forward, bracing the door hinges with hydraulic door breakers.

With the dull pressurized sound of the hydraulic rods, "Creak—BOOM!" The heavy Blast Door was slowly pushed open, revealing a gap.

A gust of murky air, thick with the smell of sweat, excrement, and despair, rushed out. Behind the crack in the door, under the dim light, were hundreds of pairs of eyes that suddenly lit up, filled with unbelievable ecstasy, hope, and tears erupting after long suppression! Faces, gaunt and covered in filth, turned in unison toward the soldiers at the door—fully armed and appearing like gods descending from the heavens—like sunflowers in the dark longing for the light!

The light of hope finally pierced through the heavy gates of darkness.

---

The heavy Blast Door of the garage was slowly pushed open, and a gust of murky air mixed with dust, sweat, and despair rushed out. In the dim light, over a hundred figures were crowded together like withered sculptures forgotten in a corner. Every one of them was gaunt, with sunken eyes, protruding cheekbones, and skin clinging tightly to their skeletal frames, having lost all its luster. Their cracked lips were covered in greyish-white dead skin, and the corners of their mouths were split with bloodstains from severe dehydration. Their limbs were limp and weak, leaning against cold walls or damaged cars; every tiny movement seemed exceptionally difficult, as if it exhausted all their strength.

When the figures of the Red Alert Soldiers, lined up neatly in their brand-new uniforms, came clearly into view, the deathly silent garage erupted like cold water thrown into boiling oil! In those eyes that had been dull and lifeless, an unbelievable light of ecstasy suddenly exploded, like sparks reigniting in dying embers.

"The army! It's soldiers!" a raspy voice cried out first, choked with emotion.

"We're saved! We're saved!"

"Sob... We've finally waited for you!"

The crowd erupted in long-suppressed cries and roars, like a flood breaking through a dam. They were no longer sculptures but were injected with a raw power to survive, supporting each other as they stumbled toward the door. Some were so excited their legs gave out, and they practically crawled to the soldiers' feet; others staggered forward, heedlessly grabbing onto the nearest olive-drab sleeve or pant leg as if it were a drowning person's only life raft.

A middle-aged man with stubble and sunken eyes, his face etched with deep furrows of exhaustion, stumbled in front of the leading officer, Zhang Lei. His hands, covered in calluses and filth, gripped Zhang Lei's hand with uncontrollable trembling. Those hands were cold and rough, transmitting a despair that had reached its limit and the hope that was now exploding. His lips quivered as tears mixed with the grime on his face: "Soldier comrade! You... you've finally come! Any later... just a little later, and the hundred or so of us would have truly starved and thirsted to death in these iron coffins!" His voice was raspy and broken, every word like grit forced out of a parched throat.

Next, another white-haired elder squeezed forward, his cloudy eyes full of urgency and expectation, his voice carrying a wheezing breath: "Officer! Officer! Where... where is the army stationed? Are the... are those man-eating monsters outside still there? Can... can you save us and take us out? Please, I beg you!" His skeletal fingers tightly gripped Zhang Lei's arm as if it were the only proof of a path to survival.

"Everyone, don't panic! Calm down! The army is here, you're safe!" Zhang Lei's voice was steady and loud, instantly drowning out the chaotic cries. He quickly scanned the faces filled with pain and longing, and his heart tightened. He briskly raised his hand to signal: "Water! Dry rations! Fast!" The soldiers behind him didn't hesitate for a second; with synchronized movements, they quickly unhooked their canteens and the compressed dry ration packs they carried.

"Here, ma'am, drink slowly." A young soldier knelt down, carefully unscrewing a cap and bringing the canteen to the lips of an elderly woman who was nearly fainting.

"Here, child, take a bite to settle your stomach." Another soldier broke off a small piece of a compressed biscuit and handed it to a little boy with large eyes who was huddling in his mother's arms. The boy took it timidly and almost instinctively stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing it down so fast he began to choke, while his mother beside him hurriedly patted his back, her tears falling silently.

The distributed water and dry rations were like rain after a long drought. The survivors no longer cared for dignity, taking them with trembling hands and greedily swallowing every drop of water and every bite of food. The sounds of hurried swallowing, coughing from the dry rations, and uncontrollable sobs of satisfaction echoed throughout the garage.

Zhang Lei's gaze swept across the interior of the garage. The windows of many cars had been smashed, with glass shards scattered everywhere and the interiors left in a mess. Empty water bottles and torn snack wrappers were strewn about, silently telling the story of the hardships of the past dozen days. A young man leaning against a car door weakly explained to Zhang Lei: "Officer... we... we had no other choice... we smashed into every car we could... relying on the few snacks and leftover water inside... to survive..." He paused, a faint light appearing in his eyes, "But there were too many people... what each person got was... only enough to keep us barely breathing... Fortunately... fortunately, everyone was still thinking of others, letting the children, women, and elderly go first... otherwise... otherwise we really wouldn't have lasted until you came..." His voice was full of the relief of having survived and gratitude toward his companions.

Zhang Lei's heart jolted. In this post-apocalyptic world where order had collapsed, the brilliance of humanity was often swallowed by darkness, yet this group of people, dressed in rags and on the brink of death, had spontaneously maintained such a simple and precious spirit of mutual aid! The men had not relied on their physical strength to plunder or bully; instead, they had actively given up what little survival resources they had to prioritize the lives of women and children. This order and kindness blooming in despair was a world apart from the thugs he had encountered last time, who had killed each other and even humiliated the weak in a supermarket warehouse for their own selfish desires. A hot surge of emotion rose to his eyes, making his throat choke up. This resilience and watchfulness were exactly the sparks of hope for humanity to rebuild civilization from the ruins!

"Everyone, follow me to the first floor! Prepare to evacuate!" Zhang Lei suppressed the turmoil in his heart and gave the order decisively. The soldiers immediately went into action, supporting those survivors who were too weak to walk on their own. The line moved slowly and orderly, leaving the dark garage that had been both their prison of life and death and a vessel for their mutual support.

Arriving at the relatively open first floor, the rotors of the massive "chinook" transport helicopter had already begun to turn slowly, the powerful airflow kicking up dust from the ground. Zhang Lei solemnly handed all the gold collected this time to the pilot, Li Yi: "Li Yi, safety first! Get them back to the base and arrange for medical care, food, and lodging!"

"Understood! Don't worry, Captain!" Li Yi took the gold, tucked it into the inner pocket of his flight suit, and nodded firmly, his gaze resolute.

"Board! Move fast!" Zhang Lei directed the soldiers to assist the survivors in boarding. Although the "chinook" was designed to carry 55 fully armed soldiers, facing these mostly emaciated survivors, the cabin was packed as much as possible, eventually holding over 80 people. People crowded together, their faces radiating the ecstasy of escaping their misery and hope for the future.