Mianzhou had once been a fourth-tier city near the capital. It wasn't particularly prosperous, but it had been a peaceful place.
Now, though, everywhere the eye could see was devastated.
The empty streets were dark and utterly silent, like a giant dead black centipede winding across the shattered earth.
Now and then, a few scattered lights could be seen in the corner of a street, but they flickered unsteadily. Reflected on the slick pavement, strewn with rubble and stained dark brown, they gave off no warmth—only a blood-red glow that made one's heart shudder.
The air was thick with a complicated stench.
There was the heavy, lingering metallic smell of blood, the dense dust kicked up by collapsed buildings, and something deeper still: a cold, fetid odor that seemed to come from far beneath the earth.
"Rat-a-tat..."
Disorderly, hurried footsteps abruptly tore through the oppressive silence.
Two young men were running for their lives down the ruined street.
They looked barely twenty. Dried blood and dust were caked on their faces. One wore a jacket with a torn sleeve; the other was in even worse shape, with only one shoe left.
Wang Bo panted heavily, his lungs feeling ready to burst. Every breath brought a hoarse, stabbing pain.
Zhang Qi, beside him, was in worse shape. His face was twisted with exertion and fear, and his steps were unsteady, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Just then, Zhang Qi's foot caught on a raised slab of broken concrete. She let out a short cry and pitched forward, crashing hard onto the ground!
"Thud!"
Zhang Qi's vision went black. Pain drilled through her knees and elbows, and sharp gravel sliced her palm open, sending blood streaming.
"Shit!" Wang Bo skidded to a stop and rushed back without hesitation, reaching