Chapter 82 The Child and the Rascal Cat

A raging fire broke out in the northwest corner of the residential area, with countless zombies struggling within the flames. Gu Zefeng stood atop a high-rise building, coldly watching the zombies writhing in the flames, a smile playing on his lips. "That's more like it."

Why use the most primitive and stupid method to eliminate zombies when they could have dealt with them much more efficiently? Gu Zefeng took a deep breath and slowly raised his hands from his sides. As he released his superpower, a platinum-gold protective shield appeared around him.

Outside the protective shield, a fierce wind whipped the flames upwards. Gu Zefeng's eyes flashed with madness. "Burn! Once it's all burned out, everything will be clean!"

Fueled by the wind, the burning zombies acted as fuses, igniting roadside buildings. Cries and pleas for help could be faintly heard amidst the flames, but the wailing could not move the arsonist's cold heart; the faint sounds were quickly swallowed by the fire.

Seeing the flames and thick smoke rising from the northwest corner, Jiang Rong was stunned. "What's going on? Why is the northwest corner on fire?"

Their goal was to eliminate the zombies, not to destroy the entire residential area, where there was a high chance of survivors. Every survivor in the medical facility was a valuable asset, which was why the superhumans were fighting so hard.

Then the drone transmitted footage from the northwest corner of the city. The street in the northwest of the residential area was engulfed in flames, with many residential buildings burning or on the verge of burning. In the flames, the windows of several buildings were open, and survivors were leaning out of the windows, trying to escape the inferno.

How can flesh and blood withstand flames? Just as the drone captured this scene, the survivors were already engulfed in flames. These poor people had barely survived the great crisis and natural disaster, and escaped the pursuit of zombies, only to die at the hands of the superhumans who were supposed to help them.

Meng Weixian, his face ashen, piloted the drone. Soon, he locked onto the arsonist from the top floor. Before the drone even got close, he identified the man: "It's Gu Zefeng."

Seeing the drone hovering overhead, Gu Zefeng raised his middle finger in the direction of the drone, his face full of mockery and ridicule: "Come on, come and catch me."

Guan Shao clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and stared at the screen with a dark look in his eyes. "Jiang Rong."

Jiang Rong responded with a "Mm".

Guan Shao said slowly, "If Gu Zefeng continues to cause destruction, Zhou Xing and the others will be burned to death even if they survive. I'll go and meet him. You and your teammates continue to kill the zombies."

Jiang Rong frowned, a hint of worry involuntarily showing in her eyes. Gu Zefeng was currently a level three ability user, while Guan Shao was a level two. The difference in strength between level three and level two was obvious. Could Guan Shao possibly win against Gu Zefeng?

Moreover, Guan Shao has now intruded into the mission area of ​​the Royal Power Base. Will the superhumans at the Royal Power Base kill him?

Seeing Jiang Rong's hesitant expression, Guan Shao said seriously, "Gu Zefeng and I will have a battle sooner or later. Rather than letting things continue, we might as well deal with him as soon as possible."

Guan Shao looked directly into Jiang Rong's eyes. "Trust me. I will definitely be back before dawn."

Jiang Rong pondered for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, be careful. I'll have Xiao Guai Guai clear the way for you."

Jiang Rong actually wanted to go with Guan Shao, but he couldn't. Two superhumans fighting was at most a personal feud. But if he went, the situation would be different. He was the leader of the Starfire Base, and even if he didn't fight, people would inevitably use his position to their advantage afterward.

If this were to provoke a conflict between the Starfire Base and the Royal Power Base, it would only create unnecessary trouble for the bases.

*

Guan Shao drove off in the best SUV in the convoy. Watching the taillights disappear onto the road outside the residential area, Jiang Rong felt his heart being pulled up by an invisible thread. It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried, but the closer it got to this point, the more calm he needed to remain.

Turning his head, Jiang Rong saw Chu Qiang giving him a thumbs-up. Jiang Rong asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Chu Qiang said admiringly, "Xiao Jiang, you have such strong willpower. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't let Guan Tou'er go alone. How could you be so sure?"

Jiang Rong lowered his eyes and said seriously, "I'm worried, but I trust him." Guan Shao was his man, and he understood Guan Shao's temperament. Guan Shao would never go to his death if he wasn't confident.

Previously, due to time constraints, Jiang Rong hadn't asked Guan Shao about Gu Zefeng. Now that everyone was resting, he wanted to take this opportunity to ask what kind of grudge existed between the two of them.

Upon hearing Jiang Rong's question, Jiang Jinhu and the others fell silent. After a while, Wang Chenggang asked, "Jiang, do you know about the Azure Wolf Special Forces?"

Jiang Rong wasn't very knowledgeable about military affairs, so he honestly shook his head, "Never heard of it."

However, Chu Qiang and his group knew about the existence of this special forces unit. "We know, isn't the Canglang Special Forces the most powerful special forces unit?"

Wang Chenggang nodded. "Yes, the Canglang Special Forces selects elites from the entire army's special forces. Out of three thousand people, only one hundred can remain. We, along with Gu Zefeng, were all once soldiers of the Canglang Special Forces." These soldiers, who were only chosen after being tempered through countless trials, are all elites among elites.

Jiang Rong's eyes widened in surprise, "Special forces?"

He only knew that Guan Shao had previously served in the military and later became a mercenary, but he had no idea that he had once been a special forces soldier. Considering the group's agile skills, Jiang Rong felt that this made more sense.

Wang Chenggang said, "Guan Tou'er is our captain, and Gu Zefeng is one of our vice captains. At that time, there was a very skilled bomb disposal expert in our team named Yun Que. Yun Que was Gu Zefeng's childhood friend. The two grew up together, enlisted together, and were selected by the Canglang Special Forces together. They had a very good relationship."

“We often receive classified missions, most of which cannot be brought to light. Once, we received a mission that required us to infiltrate enemy territory to capture a fugitive criminal. The criminal was very cunning; he hid in the rainforest, surrounded by minefields and armed groups. That mission was extremely dangerous; Yun Que died there forever to clear the way for everyone.”

Thinking of painful memories, Jiang Jinhu and the others looked distressed. "Xiao Que is a tough guy."

Jiang Rong analyzed, "Did Gu Zefeng blame Guan Shao for Yun Que's death?"

Meng Weixian sighed, "Yes. Gu Zefeng thought that Xiao Que's death was due to Guan Shao's command error. After that mission, the two of them broke up, and not long after, Guan Tou'er left Canglang."

Chu Qiang muttered, "Isn't this too unreasonable? Instead of blaming the criminals, they're blaming their own teammates... Could it be that the commander really made a mistake in command?"

Wang Ting said seriously, "No one in a critical position can command better than him."

Jiang Rong understood. "Gu Zefeng just needs someone to share his anger and despair. He believes the fault lies with Guan Shao, and it's no use no matter how well Guan Shao does."

Wang Chenggang gave a bitter smile, "Who knows..." After Yun Que died, Gu Zefeng never opened up to them again. Who knows what he was really thinking?

A silence fell over everyone. After learning about Guan Shao and Gu Zefeng's past, Jiang Rong's feelings became even more complicated. The sight of former teammates turning against each other was heartbreaking for anyone who heard it.

Just then, An Ran's voice came through the radio, "Team Leader Jiang, we've found a surviving superhuman. We need your support."

Upon hearing the news, Jiang Rong perked up. "They're here." He decided to put aside the feud between Guan Shao and Gu Zefeng for now; finding the survivors was the most important thing.

*

In the middle of the residential area is a square with a large shopping mall built on it. The superhumans who entered the residential area earlier have been trapped in the mall for more than half a month. Of the more than 600 superhumans who have survived the zombie horde, less than 100 remain.

They were starving and disheveled. When the superhumans who came to their aid broke down the mall doors and entered, the superhumans inside almost cried out, "My family! You've finally come!"

Zhou Xing was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back and his eyes were practically green. After a brief chat with Liu Heng, he went up to Jiang Rong and begged, "Captain Jiang, please have some food!"

Liu Heng was both amused and exasperated. "Old Zhou, you're from our Peace Base, why are you begging for food at the Spark Base? Come here, here's a pack of instant noodles for you."

Zhou Xing waved his hand heavily, "You don't understand. After eating at the Spark Base, who would want to eat instant noodles?"

Besides the superhumans, there were also ordinary people in the mall. Whether they were superhumans or ordinary people, their bodies were nearing their limits. After discussing it, Jiang Rong and An Ran decided to rest in the mall for a while to recover their strength. After working hard for most of the night, the superhumans who came to help were also exhausted.

The group lit a bonfire in the mall and cooked fragrant instant noodles. The survivors gathered together, holding their bowls and eating heartily. Long-lost smiles finally appeared on their gaunt faces.

Jiang Rong wondered how things were going with Guan Shao. Hearing that there was a terrace on the top floor of the mall, she climbed up to the terrace and looked towards the northwest.

To the northwest, there was only fire and thick smoke. He couldn't see anything because it was too far away. Jiang Rong put down his binoculars and his brows furrowed even more.

Just then, he heard a hoarse meow behind him: "Meow..."

Turning around, he saw a small figure standing a dozen meters away. It was a child so thin he was almost unrecognizable, and he was half a head shorter than Jiang Xiaoheng. The child was wearing an oversized cotton-padded coat, and his dirty hair hung down to below his shoulders.

The child held a scrawny cat in his arms. The cat was so thin it was just skin and bones, and in the dim firelight, its eyes were faintly red. The child's eyes were as big and round as the cat's, and they gleamed with anxiety.

Jiang Rong was stunned. He hadn't expected there to be survivors on the terrace, especially such young children. Ever since the last time he went to the Peace Base and was pestered by the child, he would put a handful of candy in his pocket whenever he went out on missions.

Jiang Rong rummaged around in his pocket for a while and quickly pulled out a few milk candies: "Baby, come on, Uncle will give you some candy."

Afraid of scaring the child, Jiang Rong squatted down and carefully peeled off the outer packaging of the milk candy, revealing the milky white candy inside. The aroma of the milk candy filled the air, causing the child to sniff.

Jiang Rong smiled and took two steps forward, placing the candy in front of the child: "Eat it, don't be afraid."

The child looked down at the milk candy, then looked up at Jiang Rong's face. He patted the cat in his arms and swallowed longingly. Jiang Rong carefully broke the milk candy in half, pinching the smaller piece and putting it into the child's mouth: "Eat it, eat slowly, don't choke."

The moment the candy touched his lips, its sweet flavor made the child want to smack his lips. Jiang Rong placed the remaining candy in the child's palm. "Eat slowly. In a little while, go downstairs with Uncle to register. We're leaving here. Will you come with us? Are your mom and dad still here?"

The child chewed the candy diligently, then looked up intently at Jiang Rong's face. His eyes lit up when he heard the words "Dad, Mom." He opened his mouth and hoarsely called out, "Dad."

When Jiang Xiaoheng could speak, Jiang Rong often tried to guess the meaning of the words he uttered. Hearing the child call out "Dad," Jiang Rong guessed, "Are you trying to say, 'Your dad's down there?'" The child's father is so irresponsible; how could he let such a young child climb onto the roof in the middle of the night?

The child took a step towards Jiang Rong, so close that Jiang Rong could smell the stench emanating from him. He handed the rascal cat to Jiang Rong, saying, "Dad."

Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment, "Huh?"

What does this mean? Does it mean that the rascal cat is his father?

Author's Note:

Old Cat: Is it possible that you used a piece of candy to make the mythical beast recognize you as its master?

Jiang Rong: ...I'm a father again?

My mind is a complete blank, and I still have a persistent low-grade fever. These two chapters were written without any emotion, so please bear with them; my brain is completely muddled.