Chapter 474 The Return of Darkness (Thirty-Six)

But now is not the time to think about these things.

The gunfire from the south was deafening, pollution levels were still rising, and more and more mutant species were surging towards this area.

It took quite a bit of effort to get into the mountains.

Under the cover of the sentries, Yun Zhao followed them across the high wall and finally stepped into Zhongshan.

Deafening artillery fire came from the north and south.

Beneath the high wall, many flashlights were tied to the wall, all placed downwards, dispelling the darkness in the corner.

Soldiers taking turns resting sat around, while civilians helped carry explosives and distribute food.

Yun Zhao entered and found that there were many survivors inside.

She even saw doctors and nurses in white coats bustling about, helping soldiers bandage their wounds.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Lai Yannian rushed to meet her and, seeing that she was staring at the survivors, explained to her in a low voice, "We need soldiers to help deal with the image aberration, but these soldiers will not abandon the people."

Without the military's help in eliminating the image mutants, it would be difficult for the sentries to reach this area smoothly.

They could only bring everyone with them.

Yun Zhao nodded. "Who's over there to the north?"

Lai Yannian glanced at Xie Tu and replied, "Groups Seven and Twelve have gone over there, and there are a thousand soldiers stationed there. We and Group Eleven, who just arrived, will stay in the south."

“Since the pollution concentration started to rise again, there has been a sudden increase in the number of mutant species here.”

He briefly explained the situation of Qinhuai Camp: "Battalion Commander Zhuang left a group of sentries to guard the mountainside, and there were also people on the mountaintop. They didn't have enough manpower."

Zhongshan has an excellent geographical location.

Xuanwu District, located in the center of the safe zone, has many nearby attractions but few residential areas. Only the south side is bustling and not far from the government building, making it a high-risk area.

Therefore, from the very beginning, most of the Qin Huai Camp's forces were concentrated in the south.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be so many monsters.

“The current situation seems to be… deliberately targeting us.” Lai Yannian’s expression was somewhat grave.

Xie Tu stood beside Yun Zhao, his head down as he loaded ammunition into a gun.

He seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, his gaze sweeping around before settling on the distant high wall.

The sound of artillery fire outside the wall was still deafening, and the flames flickered incessantly in the night sky.

Xie Tu did not express his opinion, but turned to look at the crowd behind him who were busy moving supplies, and said to Guo Yifei and the others: "Hand over the supplies to the Qin Huai Camp to help watch over them. After the Ninth and Tenth Groups finish their work, go to the mountainside to defend."

"Yes!" the sentries replied in unison.

Lai Yannian, realizing the urgency of the situation, picked up two boxes of ammunition and said, "Thank you, Captain. I'll go help you first."

Xie Tu nodded: "Go ahead."

Lai Yannian hurriedly ran south.

Xie Tu looked around for a moment, then, without lingering, went up the mountain with Yun Zhao.

The southeast side is located on the back of Zhongshan Mountain, which is an undeveloped area. The mountain roads are rugged and difficult to travel in the pitch-black environment.

Xie Tu walked steadily, turning on his flashlight to illuminate the path for her.

Many shivering people were crouching in the bushes along the way.

For the first part of the journey, neither of them spoke.

Yun Zhao's breathing gradually became rapid, and in the darkness, her heartbeat sounded exceptionally clear.

"No rush, take your time," Xie Tu said, supporting her.

Yun Zhao looked up at him and asked, "Aren't you going to check the south side first?"

"No rush, I'll take you up first. They can hold out for now."

Xie Tu gestured for her to watch her step: "Watch where you're going."

The area at the foot of the mountain was chaotic and unsafe for her to stay there.

Yun Zhao said "Oh," and lowered his head to look at the road carefully. "Originally I wasn't sure if the method of dispelling it would work, but now it seems that it should be pretty close to success."

Xie Tu didn't say anything, but steadily helped her walk up the path.

Yun Zhao calmed his breathing, followed his steps, and continued, "After all, it has only awakened consciousness, which does not mean that it has intelligence or thought."

"Nanjing City carries too many painful memories: the fall during the war and the suffering of the people. These memories are like maggots clinging to the bone, deeply rooted in its consciousness."

Yun Zhao paused, gathering his thoughts, "In its understanding, the previous fall was perhaps because external interference disrupted the original order."

"The modern civilization represented by electricity is making a strong comeback, and it fears falling into a situation where it is invaded and its peace is broken again."

"So they tried to create chaos with pollution and build a 'defense line' with mutants to protect the city."

Yun Zhao paused, "Even if it's in a distorted way."

Xie Tu had been thinking about this issue for a while, and slowly said, "We made it feel threatened, and it chose the most extreme way—to increase the concentration of pollution, turning those 'natives' who originally coexisted with this city into monsters, in order to drive us outsiders away."

The gatekeeper's obsession is not only to protect Nanjing, but also to protect 'Nanjing of the past'.

I don't want this city to be invaded by outsiders, nor do I want it to become a ghost town.

It is trapped in that painful historical memory, unable to extricate itself, believing that only by returning the city to chaos can it avoid falling again.

Therefore, after the power was restored, the gatekeeper did not feel the elimination of his obsession.

It is a threat.

Yun Zhao gazed at the dark sky in the distance, panting, and said, "What we need to do is let the light dispel this darkness and break its cycle of despair."

"Let the sun shine on Nanjing again, let it see hope, and understand that this city does not need to be protected by destruction."

It also needs to understand that the world is different now than it used to be.

Xie Tu took her hand and gently hooked her fingers together. "I believe you can do it."

Yun Zhao felt a tickle in his palm and scratched back in retaliation.

Xie Tu chuckled softly.

Who's there?

The sentries stationed halfway up the mountain spotted a flashlight beam coming from the southeast direction.

Those using flashlights are definitely alive, but the battalion commander has already given orders not to let any indigenous people go up the mountain.

Xie Tu spoke up: "It's me."

The sentry recognized him, his voice tinged with surprise and relief, "Thank you, Captain!"

Xie Tu hummed in agreement and quickly led Yun Zhao closer.

The defensive line halfway up the mountain was rather rudimentary, temporarily constructed using some abandoned vehicles, sandbags, and barbed wire.

Behind the defensive line, sentries patrolled back and forth with guns in hand.

Xie Tu glanced around and saw that there weren't many people here, only about fifty, and just a few sentries.

The rest were almost all ordinary people who were relatively strong within the Qinhuai Camp.

Xie Tu didn't talk to them much. He glanced at the situation and said, "I'm going to check the south side. Call me if there's any news."

The group of people looked slightly tense, but when they saw him, they seemed to have found their pillar of support and nodded repeatedly, "Okay."

The rest of the road is flat.

Yun Zhao felt a little better and let him lead her forward.

She glanced down at the time. "It's almost five o'clock. Just two more hours."

The further south you go, the louder the sounds of artillery fire become from the foot of the mountain.

Standing halfway up the mountain, you can clearly see the battlefield in the light below.

The firelight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the ever-surging mutant population.