Chapter 16 The Army Arrives
Day sixteen of the apocalypse, early morning.
A long-absent, rhythmic roar of engines and announcements from a loudspeaker broke the city's deathly silence at dawn.
"Attention all survivors! Attention all survivors! We are the Jiangzhou Military Region rescue force! We are now organizing survivors to proceed to the temporary safe zone in the west of the city! Survivors who are able to go on their own, please immediately assemble at the intersection of Zhongshan Avenue and Jiefang Road! Repeat..."
A deep, powerful voice echoed repeatedly through the empty streets via the loudspeakers on the military jeep.
The sound, like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirred up huge ripples in this despairing ruin.
Behind each tightly closed window, the haggard yet excited faces of survivors appeared.
Suppressed cries and cheers emanated from some of the hiding places. Soon, some people began to muster their courage and emerge from their hiding places, converging in the direction indicated by the broadcast.
Most of them were dressed in rags, emaciated, and their eyes held a mixture of relief at surviving the ordeal and uncertainty about the future.
Ruan Ning stood behind the apartment window, calmly watching the increasing flow of people and the occasional passing military vehicles below.
What was bound to happen has finally happened.
It was around the same time as she vaguely remembered.
Without hesitation, she quickly packed the necessary items—mainly a backpack to conceal her identity, containing some food and water. Her real belongings, of course, were all in her spatial storage.
She went downstairs, started the dusty and stained but still in good working order SUV, and merged into the flow of people and vehicles heading to the meeting point.
Hundreds of survivors and dozens of vehicles of various kinds had gathered at the assembly point. The scene was somewhat chaotic, but the soldiers maintaining order, armed and with sharp eyes, managed to keep the situation under control.
People's faces showed eagerness, fear, and a hint of reliance on finally seeing the "organization".
Ruan Ning parked his car at the back of the convoy, without getting out, but silently observed through the car window.
She saw all sorts of people: mothers holding their children tightly with numb eyes; young people in small groups, armed with crude weapons and with wary eyes; middle-aged men and women who looked like successful people but were now in a sorry state... Of course, there were also lone travelers like her, alone, taciturn, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.
She also keenly noticed that there were a few people in the crowd whose demeanor was particularly different.
Although they were dressed plainly, their eyes were more composed, and their posture exuded a sense of power. There were subtle gaps around them—those were the superhumans. The military seemed to be paying special attention to these individuals, and officers were speaking to them in hushed tones.
Ruan Ning concealed his aura and suppressed the energy fluctuations of his water-based superpowers to the minimum, making him look like an ordinary survivor with good luck and physical strength.
"Listen up, everyone!" an officer shouted through a megaphone from the roof of the vehicle. "Follow the military vehicle ahead and maintain formation! We may encounter zombie attacks en route. Non-combat personnel should stay inside the vehicles as much as possible! Those who are able, please assist in defense! Our target is the temporary safe zone in the air-raid shelter in the west of the city! Move out!"
Once the order was given, the massive, ragtag convoy, guided and escorted by several military jeeps and armored personnel carriers, began to move slowly, like a long, wounded snake, winding its way westward toward the city.
Ruan Ning steered the car at a leisurely pace, keeping pace with the rest of the convoy. She watched the increasingly dilapidated cityscape rush past the window, a sense of calm washing over her.
Going to the safe zone is the most reasonable choice under the current circumstances. There, there is some initial order, military protection, and some information from the outside world can be obtained.
But this does not mean it is safe.
The convoy moved slowly through the city's ruins, like a giant python struggling to survive.
The roar of engines, the noise of wheels rolling over gravel, and the liveliness brought by the gathering of hundreds of people were like the tolling of a grand feast for the zombies who hunt by hearing and smell.
"Heh...heh heh..."
At first, only sporadic roars came from the shadows of the buildings on both sides of the street, but soon the sound spread and gathered like a plague!
"Attention! Zombies are gathering on both sides!" A soldier in the military vehicle ahead warned through a loudspeaker.
Ruan Ning gripped the steering wheel tightly, his sharp eyes scanning both sides. One after another, terrifying zombies scrambled out from behind broken doors and windows, from piles of dumped garbage, and from all sorts of unexpected corners. Their murky eyes were fixed on the moving convoy, like hyenas that had caught the scent of blood, and they began to swarm in from all directions!
"Ah! They're here!"
"Drive! Run them over!"
"Don't push! It's my car!"
Panic instantly spread through the convoy of survivors! Some of the less resilient individuals began screaming, vehicles collided and jammed, and the scene descended into chaos.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The guards opened fire first! The crisp gunshots pierced the sky, and the first few zombies fell to the ground. But the gunshots were like sparks thrown into boiling oil, igniting the zombie horde's frenzy!
More zombies roared and pounced! They knew no fear, no dread of death, only the most primal craving for flesh and blood!
boom!
A modified pickup truck suddenly accelerated, smashing into several zombies blocking its path, splattering flesh and blood all over the windshield. The driver, seemingly insane, slammed on the accelerator.
Ruan Ning calmly maneuvered the SUV, skillfully avoiding vehicles that suddenly braked in panic ahead, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the threats on both sides. A zombie suddenly lunged at her passenger-side window, its rotting face and sharp nails scraping viciously against the glass, producing a teeth-grinding noise.
Her eyes turned cold. Her left hand remained firmly on the steering wheel, while her right hand reached out of the car window—not to use any special abilities, but to hold a silenced pistol, obtained from the black market before the apocalypse.
puff!
With a soft thud, a bloody hole appeared on the zombie's forehead, and it slid down limply.
There are still many dangers ahead, so Ruan Ning does not use her superpowers lightly, otherwise she will have nothing to rely on after her superpowers are exhausted.
"Help! Help me!"
A car next to them seemed to have stalled and was surrounded by several zombies. The woman inside was pounding on the car window in terror, and it looked like the zombies were about to smash the glass!
Soldiers in a nearby military vehicle attempted to provide fire support, but the angle was poor, making it difficult to fire accurately.
At this critical moment—
call!
A blazing fireball roared from the rear of the convoy and struck precisely among the zombies! The flames exploded, instantly igniting them and turning them into howling torches!
It was that fire-type ability user who had provoked Ruan Ning before! He stood on the sunroof of a car, his face bearing an arrogant and condescending expression, clearly enjoying the feeling of being needed.
His intervention temporarily relieved the situation, but it also attracted the attention of more zombies.
The crisis was far from over; the zombies swarmed ever larger, like a gray tide relentlessly assaulting the convoy's defenses. Gunshots, crashes, roars, cries… all intertwined to create a brutal symphony of survival in the apocalypse.
Ruan Ning remained calm throughout, her car like a steady rock in a turbulent river, precisely avoiding every danger.
Her gaze occasionally swept over the superhumans who were making their moves—fire-type, earth-type, and even one who seemed to be a speed enhancer, moving swiftly along the edge of the convoy and using melee weapons to deal with the approaching zombies.
"This is the power of an early-stage superhuman..." Ruan Ning silently assessed, "It seems that the safe zone won't be too peaceful."
She knew this was just the beginning. The road to the safe zone was destined to be paved with blood.
All she needed to do was ensure her safe arrival and avoid attracting unnecessary attention in the process.
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