Ruins!

Ruins!

Yellow sand filled the sky as fierce winds raged. Several armored vehicles roared toward the Factory Ruins.

The factory had once been enormous, but after the Zombie outbreak, it had become a ruin. Large numbers of Zombies infested it, and the vast factory grounds had been completely abandoned. From the facilities surrounding the buildings, one could vaguely sense the factory's former glory, steeped in a strong sense of technology. A young man with dimples when he smiled looked at the middle-aged man beside him, who was wiping down his firearm, and could not help teasing him.

"No need to be so nervous, right? It's only a simple exploration mission. They've already mobilized so many Tier 3 Soldiers, and there aren't even any Tier 2 Zombies."

The young man carried himself with extraordinary bearing, and the scent of blood on him was faint. His family seemed to have some connections within Qiongqi Mining. He looked like a rich second-generation heir who had come out to gain experience.

The middle-aged man had a face full of stubble and stern, resolute features. Hearing this, he merely smiled faintly. "Don't underestimate Tier 1 Zombies."

The dimpled young man asked curiously, "Why?"

The middle-aged man said nothing. He simply continued wiping down his firearm, working the bolt, and checking his equipment.

Inside the armored vehicle, Chen Wang leaned against the window without saying a word.

People were deployed from the armored vehicles one after another, entering the factory from different points. The factory had already been abandoned, so there was no need to enter through the main gate.

When it was time to disembark, the dimpled young man got out first. Only then did Chen Wang truly realize just how vast the factory grounds were. It had probably once been an industrial park.

About five minutes later, Chen Wang got out as well.

This was an exploration mission, and its objective was to find the specimens within the factory.

After getting out, he looked over the abandoned grounds: steel buildings, towering workshops, rust-covered fences, and quite a few abandoned vehicles parked within.

There were countless ruins like this in the Great Winter World.

When the Zombie outbreak had erupted, some places had suffered unimaginable devastation and later became strongholds occupied by massive hordes of the living dead. The Three Great Powers had established their rule in the apocalypse, yet many ruins still remained unresolved between them.

Qiongqi Mining did not have a detailed map of the factory, only several simply marked locations. When the Zombie outbreak had occurred, researchers had evacuated with the specimens, and they could have hidden them anywhere in the factory. Chen Wang checked the close-combat weapon in his hand—a modified firearm modeled after a Remington 870—then headed into one part of the factory. His vision and hearing were both exceptionally sharp, but everyone who had come this time was a Tier 3 Genetic Soldier, each possessing a powerful Genetic Ability.

Chen Wang was not sure whether he would ultimately find the specimens and exchange them for a Second Order Genetic Potion to become a Martial Warrior.

Chen Wang chose a building and entered. The interior was pitch-black and empty, making it feel especially eerie. The power system here had long since been completely destroyed and abandoned, so there were no lights at all.

There had been a combination lock at the building entrance, but the door now stood open. It seemed someone had fled in a panic back then. There were bloodstains on the door, now dark red and congealed.

Even now, one could smell the faint scent of blood upon passing by.

There were also scraps of clothing on the ground, their original colors no longer distinguishable. Clearly, someone had been torn apart alive and eaten here.

Chen Wang's expression turned cold.

The people living in the Great Winter World had already endured one wave of catastrophe. No one knew how many had died when the Zombie outbreak first erupted. Holding a military flashlight, he switched it on and walked inside, remaining alert at all times. The place seemed to be an office building. The elevators were damaged and could not operate normally.

Chen Wang did not hurry upstairs. Instead, he began exploring from the first floor. There were many rooms along the first-floor corridor. The corridor was deep and still, exuding a chilling, sinister cold.

Mottled bloodstains could be seen everywhere. The corridor resembled a massive crime scene. Walking through it was suffocating, the atmosphere terrifying.

Though this was an exploration mission and seemed simple, it was actually extremely time-consuming.

The specimens could have been hidden in any room, in any place. While carefully guarding against Zombie attacks, he also had to search for clues and watch for possible hiding places for the specimens.

Chen Wang entered the first room. Several rows of desks stood inside, covered with wires and computers, but everything was now a complete mess. Some parts had even rusted. There were dark bloodstains on the floor, and the windows had been smashed.

Chen Wang even spotted human hair and shattered bones! Cold wind blew in through the broken windows, howling mournfully and sounding utterly desolate.

The room was dimly lit. Chen Wang swept his flashlight through it as he searched. He inspected everything with extreme care. Wherever the beam shone was brilliantly illuminated, but the shadows always seemed to radiate an icy chill.

Chen Wang's face remained cold as he held the Remington 870-style shotgun, his attention fully focused. Yet after searching the entire room, he found neither clues nor any trace of Zombies.

Broken shards of glass littered the floor, crunching beneath his military boots.

After inspecting the room, he prepared to leave.

Suddenly!

A black shadow leaped down from the ceiling behind him, swift and savage!

Chen Wang reacted with incredible speed. With a flicker of his body, he moved out of the shadow's attack range, then raised his hand and fired! Boom! The bullet blasted from the muzzle, sparks flying everywhere. With a thunderous crash, the figure was sent hurtling into the wall by the tremendous impact! Chen Wang shone his flashlight over and only then discovered that the black shadow was a man. The skin on his face was diseased and rotten, while his clothes were covered in oil stains and blood. Though his lower body had been blasted apart, his upper half still struggled on the ground.

A raspy "huh-huh" came from his throat, like the growl of a wild beast.

Chen Wang raised his hand and fired again. Boom! The Zombie's upper body was blasted to pieces!

The shotgun was tremendously powerful, and it made a tremendous amount of noise as well.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Black shadows leaped down one after another from the shattered ceiling, each one incredibly agile! Chen Wang frowned.

Those Zombies had all been directly above his head just moments ago! In an instant, four Zombies had appeared in the room—and this was only the first room! After landing, the Zombies lunged at Chen Wang at blazing speed.

Chen Wang raised his hand and fired. Boom! One Zombie was blasted apart!

Firelight flared in the dark room as the Zombie was blown to pieces by the enormous impact. The room was relatively cramped, and the desks inside hindered movement.

Some of the Zombies stood while others crouched. Before Chen Wang could fire a second shot, one Zombie had already lunged at him! Chen Wang turned and unleashed a savage whip kick. Bang! A sonic boom cracked through the air as the Zombie was kicked flying.

Its entire body twisted grotesquely, its spine snapping clean in two!

But Zombies possessed extraordinary vitality. The one with the broken spine lay on the ground, struggling to rise in an extremely twisted posture.

At that moment, two more Zombies pounced on Chen Wang in the blink of an eye.

Chen Wang sidestepped and drove a kick into one Zombie. Bang! Like a cannonball, the Zombie smashed straight through a desk.

That kick directly split the Zombie into two! Chen Wang stepped back half a pace, raised his hand, and fired, blasting the other Zombie's body to pieces.

Bang! That Zombie exploded right in front of him!

Chen Wang's expression was icy. He raised his hand. Bang! Bang! Bang! He rapidly blasted the several Zombies to pieces completely, leaving no chance for them to rise again.

The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as clouds and running water. Relying on his outstanding individual combat ability, he directly dealt with the Zombies that had leaped down from the ceiling. Only now did Chen Wang understand the words of the middle-aged man who had been wiping down his firearm in the armored vehicle.

"This is only the beginning."

Chen Wang raised an eyebrow.

Thank you all for your support, brothers!