Chapter 455 The Return of Darkness (18)

In the darkness, the mutated creatures' howls grew increasingly mournful.

The previously well-organized defense line was thrown into temporary chaos by this sudden turn of events.

"Don't panic! Maintain formation!" the officers shouted hoarsely, trying to calm the troops.

Suddenly the light went out, and everything in front of us became pitch black; we couldn't see anything at all.

Xie Tu picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "All soldiers, put on your night vision goggles immediately and maintain firepower. Don't let your rhythm be disrupted."

His voice was calm and measured, soothing the restless soldiers.

"Logistics troops, turn on the searchlights immediately!"

Dark matter can corrupt electrical systems.

Because they had prepared in advance, they collected batteries from all over the city.

According to those experts, with the current firepower offensive, the entire quarantine zone could be cleared in about nine hours.

*

On the other side.

The power systems in both the buffer zone and the safe zone failed simultaneously.

The entire city of Nanjing was plunged into complete darkness.

The survivors hiding in the safe zone were unaffected.

Fearing that turning on the lights would attract monsters, no one dared to turn them on. Everyone huddled in the darkness, unaware that the city's power system had been paralyzed.

Deep underground, there are military command posts, military research institutes, and military hospitals.

It is one of only three places in the entire city with backup power.

Commander Zhong sat at the command post, and all the screens in front of him were now black.

Along with the power system, satellite signals were also cut off.

The front line has been completely cut off.

Commander Zhong's voice was a little hoarse, "Although I was mentally prepared, but..."

He steadied himself and didn't continue speaking.

As a commander, he shouldn't say discouraging things.

He had to lead the troops and the people to defend Nanjing.

Commander Zhong quickly made the next step: "Implement the underground shelter renovation plan and transfer all people to a safe place as soon as possible."

"Yes..." Lieutenant Xu accepted the order and slowly turned to walk towards the door.

He looked unwell, and his expression and movements were somewhat stiff.

When I saluted just now, my hand could only be raised to my shoulder before I couldn't raise it any higher.

Everyone knew his mother was in the quarantine area, and assumed he had lost a loved one and couldn't bear the heavy blow.

"etc."

Lieutenant Xu slowly turned around.

But then, without anyone noticing, Commander Zhong opened a drawer and held a pistol, aiming it at him.

A team of special forces soldiers responsible for protecting the command post reacted and all pointed their guns at Lieutenant Xu.

Lieutenant Xu stood there blankly, looking completely lost.

Commander Zhong's tone was low, each word carrying immense weight, "Old Xu, how many years have you been with me?"

Xu, the adjutant, looked dazed, his eyes as empty as a stagnant pool. After a long while, he finally replied, "Reporting to the commander, it has been thirty years."

“Thirty years,” Commander Zhong repeated, his voice tinged with bitterness.

“Old Xu,” Commander Zhong’s voice carried a hint of resolve, “do you still remember the scene of our first meeting?”

Xu's pupils contracted slightly, as if his words had touched a nerve.

His voice became weak and trembling: "I remember... it was in... the recruit camp... you said... you would lead me... to make a name for myself..."

A trace of sorrow flashed in Commander Zhong's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"Yes."

He said in a low voice, "I promised you I would take you to the end, but now... I can only take you this far."

Xu's body stiffened abruptly, and black liquid seeped from the corner of his eye, sliding down his cheek.

*

An isolation point at a school within the safe zone.

Volunteers and soldiers moved back and forth with flashlights in hand.

If you notice anyone acting strangely, please report it immediately for your safety and the safety of those around you.

The soldiers repeated it over and over again.

The crowd huddled together, heads in their hands, occasionally punctuated by suppressed sobs and rapid breathing.

Fear and despair filled the air.

The power outage made the testing work more difficult, and with nearly two hours left for pollution testing, soldiers were going from house to house making handwritten records of the tests.

Two sentries from Group Twelve, Li Yan and Zhang Hao, patrolled the corridor, scanning the darkness for any unusual movements.

The two groups were responsible for guarding the safe zone.

The two were assigned to the quarantine site.

The distance is too far, and the walkie-talkie can no longer reach Team Leader Xie. In case of any issues, we can only communicate through the relay between Group 9 and Group 10.

"Li Yan, how are things on your end?" Zhang Hao asked in a low voice, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"No abnormalities at the moment," Li Yan replied.

His finger remained on the trigger, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

The beam of the flashlight flickered, and suddenly, screams erupted from one of the rooms.

"Get out of the way! Something's wrong with this person, he's about to turn into a monster!"

Hearing the commotion, Li Yan and Zhang Hao rushed over.

The flashlight beam quickly turned towards the source of the sound.

A middle-aged man was seen huddled in a corner, clutching his head tightly with both hands, his body contorted and pressed against the ground, trembling violently.

"Back off! Everyone back off!" Li Yan shouted, raising his gun and pointing it at the man.

The crowd scattered like frightened sheep, screams and cries echoing through the air.

The woman beside him was flustered, wanting to hug the man but not daring to.

Seeing the soldiers rushing in, the woman finally broke down, crying out, "Don't kill my husband...don't kill him, he might just be sick..."

The soldiers hesitated.

His fingers trembled slightly, and he hesitated to pull the trigger.

"Zhang Hao, prepare to fire!" Li Yan's voice was calm and firm.

Zhang Hao quickly adjusted his position and pointed his gun at the man.

“Sir, he… he hasn’t completely mutated yet…” A soldier finally couldn’t hold back and bravely stepped forward.

He was a very young soldier, probably someone who had just enlisted.

His face still bore a hint of childishness, his hands gripped the rifle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his voice trembled slightly, "Sir, he... he's still conscious! I just saw his eyes... he's in a lot of pain, he wants to live."

Li Yan turned his head. "What's your name?"

"Reporting, sir! My name is Chen Xiaobei, and I'm from the recruit company!"

Zhang Hao frowned. "Rookie, do you know what the situation is like? Once he fully mutates, many people will die here!"

The recruit turned pale.

Upon hearing this, bystanders screamed, "Kill him! I don't want to die!"

"Please, please, get him out of here..."

The scene was somewhat out of control, with cries and screams mingling together.

The sentry, with his keen senses, felt like his head was about to explode.

Without saying a word, Li Yan stepped forward, pulled the man out of the corner, and cautiously grabbed him by the back of the neck, dragging him out of the house.

Gunshots rang out from outside.

The woman's breakdown and sobs were drowned out by the crowd.

Li Yan and Zhang Hao exchanged a glance, feeling so oppressed they could hardly breathe.

Zhang Hao took out a vial of pheromone, but didn't open it; he just put it in his mouth.

His muffled voice came through, "Was the real history two hundred years ago filled with as much despair as it is now?"

They all knew that the man wanted to live; no one wanted to become a cannibalistic monster.

But what can be done about it?

They were helpless, unable to save the already mutated mutants, and could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded.

Li Yan, with his head down, replied, "There was no Captain Xie or us two hundred years ago."

In reality, there were no advance warnings, and no orderly preparations or evacuations.

The whole world was dragged into the abyss without any warning.

At that time, most people would probably have no choice but to wait for death in despair.