Blue Star, An City.
At the foot of Mount Tai, on a dilapidated road leading to the city.
The survivors of the advance team trudged forward with difficulty.
They paid a heavy price once again in their fight to get here from Jade Emperor Peak.
Apart from the five who perished at Central Heaven Gate, the rest of the group encountered strange and unpredictable events on their descent down the mountain.
They were attacked again by the parasitized members, losing another four elite soldiers.
The original team of twenty-two has now dwindled to six China soldiers, five Su Country soldiers, and two veterans.
All told, only 13 people remained.
Xing Wu walked at the very front of the group, his sword-wielding hand stained with blood.
He raised his other hand and glanced at the Xiaomi 6 he had picked up.
The screen lights up, and the signal strength in the upper right corner is still full, but the battery level is only 7%.
They don't have much time left to find a base station.
Fortunately, the situation did not worsen too much.
Novsky, holding the Mosin-Nagant, looked ahead. "Xing... look ahead."
An City, located at the foot of Mount Tai, was not completely razed to the ground as they had imagined.
Perhaps it was because the majestic Mount Tai acted as a shield, protecting the victims from most of the damage when the catastrophe struck.
Surprisingly, some buildings have been preserved on the outskirts of the city.
A very few buildings are still intact, with no trace of charring on their exterior walls.
"Xing... I think the team needs a rest."
Novsky lowered his gun and turned to point behind him.
There, several Su Country soldiers were helping a wounded soldier who had lost both hands.
It was Volod, whose fists had been bitten off by the monster.
His face was deathly pale from blood loss and excruciating pain.
The other team members were also panting heavily, their eyes bloodshot.
Within those few short hours, there was a relentless, infighting battle, coupled with a tense and rapid descent down the mountain.
Both the physical and psychological stress have pushed these A-Class Reinforced Human to their limits.
If they don't rest soon, this team will collapse on its own.
Xing Wu stopped, glanced back at the exhausted group, and nodded.
"Can."
"I've come to some new insights into the monsters parasitizing our team members, and I need to discuss it with you privately."
Novsky seemed to understand something and nodded.
After saying that, Xing Wu called Chen Xiaoyu, the only one in the team who was familiar with the terrain of An City, to the front.
"Chen Xiaoyu, look at those buildings up ahead that are still relatively intact. What kind of places are they?"
Chen Xiaoyu wiped the sweat from her face and quickly reported to her supervisor.
"Reporting, Elder! The largest building to the south is a medical university!"
"Those tall buildings to the east form a large residential complex!"
"As for the relatively shorter building to the west... it's a private sanatorium!"
Xing Wu stroked his chin, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes as he pondered deeply.
Although universities and residential communities have large spaces, they are usually surrounded by high walls and have extremely complex internal terrain with numerous rooms.
For those unfamiliar with the internal structure, being surrounded could easily turn them into a dead end, or even lead to an ambush.
The sanatoriums on the west side are usually located in relatively open areas with simple architectural structures and open corridors.
This is precisely the best option for them to use for temporary encampment.
"Go to the sanatorium in the west."
Xing Wu made a quick decision. "Everyone, watch your step, move quietly, and don't alert anything lurking in the shadows."
The group nodded silently, picked up their weapons, and stealthily made their way towards the sanatorium.
The sanatorium was deathly silent.
The building has four floors, and fortunately, none of those disgusting, fleshy monsters were found inside.
Xing Wu led the group up the stairs to the fourth floor, where the view was best.
He pointed to a large, fairly clean-looking ward and turned to give instructions to the 11 soldiers behind him.
"All of you, stay in this room to rest and recuperate. Be vigilant and do not leave alone!"
"Elder Novsky and I need to stay outside to discuss some matters."
After saying that, the two left, closing the ward door behind them and leaving only a crack for ventilation.
The atmosphere in the dimly lit hospital room became somewhat oppressive and eerie.
The tense soldiers exchanged glances, a hint of suspicion creeping into their eyes.
"Sigh, what do you all say..."
China soldier Lu Ao leaned against the wall, swallowed hard, and his voice trembled slightly.
"The elders... don't think we're a burden now and plan to abandon us here to carry out their own missions, are they?"
"Impossible!"
Chen Xiaoyu was the first to blush and retort, "Elder Xing Wu is definitely not that kind of person!"
"He is the backbone of our China, how could he abandon his soldiers!"
Lu Ao was a little embarrassed by the retort and chuckled awkwardly, "Don't get excited~"
"I was just saying it casually, just making a joke to lighten the mood~"
"Hmph! That's not funny."
A shout rang out in the darkness.
A cocking sound was heard, and a wrinkled old soldier appeared.
Chen Dazhu had somehow drawn his pistol and was pressing the muzzle against Lu Ao's forehead!
"Gulp."
Lu Ao was so frightened that his whole body stiffened.
"Based on what you just said, I could shoot you on the spot for 'disrupting morale'!"
"Don't be impulsive! Old Chen, please don't be impulsive!"
Seeing this, Li Tie immediately rushed forward.
He grabbed Chen Dazhu's wrist, pressed the gun down, and tried to persuade him.
"Old Chen, we've all just gone through that horrific fratricide, our nerves are on edge!"
"It's normal to have some negative emotions. Don't act impulsively, and don't let outsiders laugh at us!"
After calming Chen Dazhu, Li Tie turned around, slapped Lu Ao's helmet, and gave him a fierce warning.
"And you! Lu Ao! Don't you dare keep your mouth shut!"
"If you have any emotions, keep them to yourself. If you dare to undermine morale again, then you're out of luck!"
"No need for Old Chen to lift a finger, I'll be the first to report to the elders and have you executed!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Brother Tie, Old Chen, I was wrong, it will never happen again!"
Lu Ao was so frightened that he apologized repeatedly and shrank into a corner.
On the other side of the ward, the Su Country soldiers watching this scene couldn't help but reveal a hint of schadenfreude.
"Ha~" Boris, Su Country soldier, sidled up to Sergei and chuckled softly in Soviet language.
"Look, these Huaxia Person are actually fighting amongst themselves."
"It seems their supposedly unbreakable discipline is nothing but a joke in the face of death!"
Sergei, however, couldn't bring himself to laugh.
He frowned and retorted coldly, "Boris, we're all in this together now, comrades-in-arms."
Instead of discussing these pointless prejudices and ridicule, let's use our brains and think more...
"What exactly was that monster that just parasitized Ivan's body?!"
Boris, annoyed, pouted and said, "You're so boring."
"We were originally sent here as cannon fodder to scout ahead, so we should be prepared to be cannon fodder."
"You're not still naively thinking you can make it back alive, are you?"
Of course!
Sergei gripped his gun tightly. "If you don't even dare to think about it, if you don't even dare to have any hope of survival!"
"Then we have no future, and our country has no future!"
"Sukabul, you're just like my preachy, old-fashioned grandfather."
Boris scratched his head in frustration and waved his hand impatiently.
"I'm not playing with you anymore, I'm going to talk over there."
After saying that, he turned and left to find three other Su Country soldiers to smoke alone.
Sergei watched his companion's departing figure, a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
He could tell that while his companions were not afraid of death, they were merely "not afraid of death."
They had lost all hope for the future.
Sergei sighed and turned to walk towards Volod, who was leaning against the back of the hospital bed.
"Volod, how are you feeling? Is there anything you need?"
Sergei looked at his two wrists, which were wrapped in bandages, and asked with concern.
Warlord, who had lost his hands, had empty eyes and looked depressed and decadent.
He shook his head, his voice hoarse. "There's nothing needed... just let me die."
Sergei sighed heavily in his heart once again.
He knew that the other person was feeling worse than death; for a soldier, losing both hands meant losing everything.
He didn't try to force a conversation or provoke the other person.
Just then...
Sergei caught a glimpse of the door out of the corner of his eye; it wasn't completely closed, leaving a tiny crack.
For some reason, a sudden surge of curiosity welled up inside me.
What earth-shattering secret about the monster were the two elders discussing outside?
As if guided by some unseen force, Sergei tiptoed forward silently, wanting to press his ear against the crack in the door to listen to the conversation outside.
Just as he was about to reach the gate!
Hey! What are you doing?!
Having just dealt with the internal strife, Li Tie turned around and saw Sergei sneaking towards the gate.
Thinking that the Su Country soldier was trying to disobey orders and run away, he immediately shouted at him to stop and reached out to grab Sergei's shoulder.
However, the room was simply too dark.
"Clang!"
Li Tie tripped and stepped on a loose tin water cup on the ground!
This sudden turn of events caused Li Tie to lose his balance and stumble forward two steps, only to bump into Sergei on the back by sheer coincidence!
"Ouch!"
The immense force caused Sergei to lose his footing.
What's even more problematic is that the door to this hospital room opens outwards!
"Bang!"
Sergei was knocked so hard that he fell face-first into the door, which was originally slightly ajar and was now flung wide open!
"Holy crap! What are you doing?!"
The other soldiers in the room were terrified and rushed over with their guns drawn.
If they tried to question these two about their schemes and alerted the elders outside, they would be in deep trouble.
But...
As everyone rushed to the door, their eyes followed the open door into the corridor.
Everyone's expression froze completely in an instant!
A gust of wind blew through the corridor at the end of the hallway. The empty fourth floor of the sanatorium was so quiet that only their own rapid breathing could be heard.
Outside the door...
There was no one there!
Xing Wu has disappeared!
Novsky has also disappeared!
Lu Ao's joke, which was seen as a way to undermine morale, seemed to have turned into a terrifying reality in this dark corridor!
Two elders...
They abandoned them?!