Chapter 66: Counterattack Successfully
Smoke was still coming out of the muzzle of Su Wanqing's pistol, and the heat in the barrel had not yet dissipated.
Liu Zheng was just a few meters away. He leaned against a concrete pillar, covering his injured arm, his eyes full of resentment.
"Do you think this is the end?" Liu Zheng's voice was hoarse, but with a sense of unyielding spirit.
"The 'New Order' will not give up. We will come back and then, all of you will pay the price!"
Su Wanqing did not answer, but just held the pistol tightly in her hand and stared at Liu Zheng coldly.
She knew that Liu Zheng was telling the truth. Although this battle was won, the war was far from over.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Liu Zheng shouted to the "New Order" members around him.
"Everyone retreat! This is not a place for us to stay!"
The remaining members of the "New Order" responded one after another, running away in panic, trying to escape from the underground parking lot.
"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Xiao Ran's voice came from the side.
He led a team of people and rushed in from a side door of the parking lot, completely blocking the retreat route of the "New Order" members.
“Don’t even think about running!” Lin Che also joined the battle. He nimbly moved through the crowd, the tactical dagger in his hand flashing with cold light, knocking down members of the “New Order” one after another.
"Damn! They surrounded us!" exclaimed a member of the "New Order".
"Let's fight!" Liu Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "We can't just sit there and wait for death!"
He pulled out a grenade and tried to pull the fuse.
"Be careful!" Lu Zhao's voice rang out. He quickly activated the lighting system of the underground parking lot, and in an instant, the entire parking lot was illuminated by dazzling light.
The strong light instantly blinded Liu Zheng and his men, and the grenade fell to the ground.
"Boom!" With a loud bang, the grenade exploded, but the shock wave generated by the explosion did not cause much damage to the members of the "New Order" because after Lu Zhao detonated the lighting system, he remotely detonated several pre-installed smoke bombs.
The entire underground parking lot was instantly covered in thick smoke, and visibility was almost zero.
"Quick! Catch them!" Xiao Ran shouted loudly.
The members of the "New Order" were in chaos in the thick smoke and had no idea what was happening.
Lin Che and Xiao Ran led the team and rushed forward quickly, subduing these "New Order" members one by one.
A few minutes later, the battle was over. The underground parking lot was in a mess, with members of the New Order lying on the ground everywhere.
Liu Zheng was pressed to the ground by Xiao Ran, his face was covered with dust and blood, and his eyes were full of despair.
"You...who are you?" Liu Zheng asked.
"We are the guardians of this city." Su Wanqing walked up to Liu Zheng and said coldly.
"Guardians?" Liu Zheng smiled disdainfully. "You are just a bunch of self-righteous guys. You don't know the true purpose of our 'New Order' at all!"
"We know that your goal is to restore order, but your means are full of violence and oppression."
Su Wanqing said, "Your order is built on the suffering of others, which is unacceptable."
"Ignorance!" Liu Zheng roared. "You don't understand at all. This world has collapsed. Only the strong can survive. Our 'New Order' is to build a world for the strong!"
"Strong?" Su Wanqing asked. "The real strong ones don't rely on violence and oppression, but on wisdom and courage."
"Hmph!" Liu Zheng snorted coldly and stopped talking.
At this moment, Su Wanqing's ancestral jade bracelet suddenly emitted a warm light, and the system prompted: "Successfully repelled the hostile forces, and the exclusive space for superpowers was unlocked."
"Exclusive space for superpowers?" Su Wanqing was shocked. She immediately opened the system interface of the jade bracelet and found that her space capacity had indeed increased significantly, and there were more advanced building materials and equipment options.
"It seems that this battle has also brought me unexpected gains." Su Wanqing said in her heart.
At the same time, the system also provided a vague warning message: "A large-scale abnormal energy fluctuation has occurred in the northwest direction of the city. It is recommended that the team prepare in advance."
"Northwest direction?" Lu Zhao's voice came from the intercom.
“It’s a suburb, some distance from the city.”
"Really?" Su Wanqing frowned. She always felt that this warning message indicated that something more dangerous was about to happen.
"We have to be prepared," Su Wanqing said. "Lu Zhao, you immediately analyze the energy fluctuations in the northwest and find out what happened. Xiao Ran, you are responsible for strengthening the defense of the safe house to ensure our safety. Lin Che, you continue to study the zombie virus and see if you can find a way to rescue it."
"Yes!" everyone responded.
"Also, interrogate these prisoners." Su Wanqing added. "I want to know how much power the 'New Order' still has, where their base is, and what their plans are."
“Understood!” Xiao Ran and Lin Che replied.
Xiao Ran and Lin Che took the five captured "New Order" members to an empty room and began interrogating them.
"What is Liu Zheng's purpose?" Lin Che asked.
"He... he said he wanted to build a world for the strong." said the "New Order" member.
"Besides this, is there anything else?" Xiao Ran asked.
The member of the New Order hesitated for a moment and said, "He also...he also said that the military once had a secret research institute on the outskirts of the city, and that institute might be related to the zombie virus."
"Secret research institute?" Lin Che's eyes lit up. "Do you know the approximate location and appearance of that research institute?"
The "New Order" member described the approximate location and appearance of the institute, saying that it was heavily guarded and mentioned that military helicopters evacuated it from there in the early days of the apocalypse.
“It seems that this secret research institute may be hiding some important secrets.” Lin Che said.
"We have to find out as soon as possible." Xiao Ran said. "If this research institute is really related to the zombie virus, then we have to be careful."
Su Wanqing stood at the door of the safe house, observing the situation outside through a telescope.
An uneasy feeling welled up in her.
The underground parking lot gradually returned to silence, with only the occasional sound of metal colliding, which was the sound of Xiao Ran's men cleaning up the mess.
Su Wanqing stood in an open area, looking at the weapons and bloodstains scattered on the ground, without a trace of relief in her heart.
Victory is built on sacrifice and pain, and the war at the end of the world seems to never have a real end.
"Liu Zheng is a very stubborn guy." Xiao Ran walked over and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"However, the information I got from him is quite interesting. There is a secret research institute on the outskirts of the city, and it's related to the zombie virus... We need to investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Lu Zhao is analyzing it," Su Wanqing replied. "He modified the satellite signal receiving equipment on the roof of the shopping mall, hoping to collect more intelligence."
“That guy always likes to come up with some weird inventions.” Lin Che’s voice came as he was checking the captured members of the New Order to make sure they had no hidden weapons.
"But maybe it can come in handy this time."
Zhang Lin came over from the medical area, frowning. "The situation on the survivors' side is not optimistic.
Many people are injured and in a very bad mental state. They need to be stabilized as soon as possible.”
Su Wanqing nodded. "I know. So, I want to give them a place to relax." She turned and looked inside the shopping mall, with a hint of determination in her eyes.
"Use the system upgrade to transform this place."
"Renovation?" Xiao Ran was a little confused. "Shouldn't we strengthen our defenses in the current situation?"
"Defense is important, but people's hearts are more important," Su Wanqing explained.
"If we can provide survivors with a safe and comfortable environment, they will be able to cooperate with us better and have a better chance of survival."
"I understand." Xiao Ran nodded. "You want to turn this place into... a temporary home?"
"Almost." Su Wanqing smiled. "A place where people can forget the fear of the end of the world."
She opened the system interface of the ancestral jade bracelet, and sure enough, there were many new options in the "Exclusive Space for Psychics".
Advanced building materials, temperature control systems, water purification equipment... Before the end of the world, she only dared to imagine these things in her dreams.
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"Are the system points sufficient?" she asked herself.
The system interface shows that she currently has 120,000 points, which is enough to buy some basic construction materials and equipment.
"Buy a temperature control system and water purification equipment first." Su Wanqing decided.
“Then, the top floor of the shopping center will be converted into a heated swimming pool, and the vacant area on the fourth floor will be converted into a small cinema.”
"Swimming pool? Cinema?" Xiao Ran's eyes widened. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Now is not the time to enjoy yourself, right?"
"I know." Su Wanqing replied. "But proper relaxation can relieve stress and improve morale. In addition, swimming can exercise the body, and the cinema can provide spiritual sustenance. These are very important for survivors."
Lu Zhao and Lin Che came over quickly and agreed with Su Wanqing's plan.
"The swimming pool and cinema are good ideas," said Lu Zhao.
“We can use the existing structure of the shopping center and save a lot of time and energy.”
"I will be responsible for planning the renovation plan." Lin Che said. "But we need more manpower."
Su Wanqing nodded. "I have contacted the representatives of the survivors, and they are willing to participate in the renovation project."
The renovation project started soon. The survivors worked together to clean up the garbage, move materials, and build the framework... The whole shopping mall was in a frenzy.
Three days later, a brand new heated swimming pool and a small cinema appeared inside the shopping mall.
The water temperature of the swimming pool is suitable and the water quality is clear. There are anti-slip mats and rest areas around it.
The cinema is equipped with a projector and audio equipment and can play classic movies.
Su Wanqing installed the core equipment through the system's "item materialization" function.
She looked at the newly renovated shopping mall and felt a sense of accomplishment.
"Today is the joyous day when the renovation of our shopping mall is completed!" Su Wanqing stood in the square of the shopping mall and said to all the survivors.
"Now, I declare that the heated swimming pool and small cinema are officially open to the public!"
Cheers echoed throughout the mall, and the survivors rushed to the swimming pool and the cinema.
For the first time since the end of the world, many people felt the warm water and relaxing atmosphere again.
They swam and played to their heart's content, temporarily forgetting the stress of the end times.
In the theater, a classic comedy movie was playing. The survivors laughed heartily and many were moved to tears.
"Thank you, Su Wanqing." An old lady walked up to Su Wanqing, took her hand and said.
"You gave us hope."
"We thank you too," said a young father.
"You've given us a home where we can live in peace."
Su Wanqing looked at their grateful eyes and felt warm in her heart.
She knew that everything she did was worth it.
At the same time, Xiao Ran and Lin Che were interrogating the remaining members of the "New Order".
"Where is your base?" Xiao Ran asked.
A member of the New Order remained silent.
“Don’t force us to use some unpleasant means.” Lin Che threatened.
The tactical dagger in his hand flashed with cold light.
"Okay, I'll tell you." The member of the "New Order" finally spoke.
"Our base is in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. There are a large number of weapons and supplies there."
"Abandoned factory?" Xiao Ran frowned. "Where is the exact location?"
The New Order member described the approximate location of the abandoned factory.
He also revealed that the factory used to be a secret research institute of the military and had studied some projects related to the zombie virus.
"Secret research institute?" Lin Che's eyes lit up. "Can you provide more information about the research institute?"
The member of the New Order shook his head. "I only know that the institute was abandoned a long time ago and was heavily guarded. Later, we received an order from our superiors to occupy it and transform it into our base."
"Anything else?" Xiao Ran asked.
"I...I know there was an emergency evacuation from there by military helicopter."
The New Order member said, "When they evacuated, they took away some important research materials."
"Research data?" Lin Che's mind moved. "What kind of data is it?"
The member of the New Order shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just an ordinary soldier. I don't have the right to access that information."
Xiao Ran and Lin Che looked at each other. They knew that this secret research institute might be hiding some important secrets.
At this moment, Su Wanqing's ancestral jade bracelet suddenly vibrated, and the system prompted: "New function unlocked: scientific research rebate. Collect specific research samples to obtain system points and practical items."
The system interface shows that the military research institute may contain key items.
“It seems like we need to go to that abandoned factory.” Lin Che said.
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