Emergency Call-Up

Over the next five days, Lin Yun practically took root in the northwestern part of District 33.

He deliberately traveled through ruin clusters packed with mutated beasts, hunting during the day and returning to his base at dusk to sell all his materials to Boss Chen.

As his cultivation improved and real combat honed him, his fighting techniques grew increasingly refined. His Wind-Treading Step became lighter and more agile, while the force behind his Vajra Fist grew more precise.

Ordinary mid-stage Rank One mutated beasts could barely withstand three punches. Even against late-stage Rank One beasts, he could reliably take them down with his movement techniques and combat instincts. He was no longer as wretched as he had been during his first encounter with the Rockback Beast.

Boss Chen had indeed kept his word, giving him a fair price every time. Whenever he came across particularly fine materials, he would even voluntarily add a few thousand more, without playing any tricks.

Over time, the two developed an unspoken understanding.

Every evening, Lin Yun would set his materials down before the stall. Once Boss Chen finished checking the goods, he transferred the money directly, without any unnecessary pleasantries.

After five days, Lin Yun's vitality had steadily risen to 92 points, while his savings had grown to just over five hundred thousand.

On the morning of the sixth day, Lin Yun ventured farther than usual, pushing nearly ten kilometers deeper to the northwest.

As he passed through a collapsed commercial street, hurried footsteps and the sound of guns being cocked suddenly came from ahead.

Lin Yun immediately darted behind a broken wall and peered out.

A squad of City Defense Army soldiers in gray-green uniforms was rapidly retreating toward him. There were a little over twenty of them: sixteen City Defense Army soldiers in uniform and eight people without uniforms. Every one of them was wounded, and one soldier even had a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his arm.

At the front was a lieutenant, his face smeared with dust and his brow knotted tightly. He kept looking back with a grave expression.

It was a City Defense Army rescue squad.

Lin Yun was hesitating over whether to reveal himself when the officer had already spotted the figure behind the broken wall. He raised a hand to signal the team to stop and shouted, "Warrior friend ahead, we're the Third Squad of the Qingbei City Defense Army! Dozens of civilians are trapped by mutated beasts in the Huimin Residential Compound ahead. We're short on manpower, and we are issuing an emergency call-up in the name of the City Defense Army. Please lend us your aid!"

His voice was loud, carrying a trace of urgency.

Lin Yun stepped out from behind the broken wall.

His original reason for training in martial arts had been to enter a martial arts university, join the Vanguard Army, and stand at the forefront of humanity's defensive line.

Now, civilians were trapped, mutated beasts surrounded them, and the City Defense Army was calling for help. There was no reason for him to stand by and do nothing.

"I'll go with you."

Lin Yun's tone was decisive.

A flash of delight appeared in the lieutenant's eyes. He hurriedly stepped forward and saluted.

"Thank you, brother! I'm Zhou Lei, captain of the Third Squad. There's no time to waste—we'll talk as we move!"

The team immediately turned around and rushed at full speed toward the Huimin Residential Compound.

Along the way, Zhou Lei quickly explained the situation.

His squad had originally been searching for missing civilians. Following the trail, they had found the Huimin Residential Compound, only to discover that nearly a hundred fleeing residents were hiding inside. But the compound had already been completely surrounded by a horde of mutated beasts.

They had tried to break through twice, but not only had they failed to rescue anyone, they had lost two men. The number of mutated beasts kept growing, so they could only retreat and seek reinforcements.

Before Lin Yun, they had already called up eight hunters. Lin Yun was the ninth.

"Most of them are elderly people and children. They're hiding in the basement of Building Three, and they won't last long." Zhou Lei's voice was heavy. "There are at least a hundred mutated beasts. They probably noticed a large number of people hiding there and want to wipe them out in one go."

Lin Yun nodded without speaking, but his pace quickened further.

More than ten minutes later, the outline of the Huimin Residential Compound appeared before them.

Even from far away, they could hear the rising and falling howls of mutated beasts, sharp and ear-piercing, surging together like a tide.

Most of the compound's walls had long since collapsed. Countless gray figures darted between the broken walls and apartment buildings, claws scraping against the ground and saliva dripping from their fangs. One glance revealed a sea of dark bodies—their numbers were only greater than Zhou Lei had described.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and rot.

Lin Yun narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the compound.

It really was a nest.

The central garden had been dug beyond recognition, exposing one pitch-black hole after another. Mutated beasts constantly crawled out from within.

The entrance to Building Three had been tightly blocked by debris, its glass covered in cracks. Faintly, the muffled cries of children could be heard from inside.

The mutated beasts had surrounded the building without attacking, not because they could not get in.

They were waiting—waiting for the people inside to run out of food and water, then come out on their own.

To them, this was not a siege. It was livestock being raised for slaughter.

Zhou Lei immediately waved for everyone to crouch close behind the broken wall. Lowering his voice, he quickly laid out their strength and tactics.

"Listen carefully. We have twenty-four people in total. Fourteen from the City Defense Army, including me. I'm at the peak of Martial Apprentice rank. The other thirteen soldiers are between the fifth and eighth levels of Martial Apprentice rank, armed with standard-issue rifles and alloy combat blades. Of the eight hunter brothers, three are late-stage Martial Apprentices and five are mid-stage Martial Apprentices. I assume you're all seasoned veterans who have fought your way through countless dangers."

He paused and glanced at Lin Yun, who stood at the outermost edge of the group. His tone softened slightly.

"And with this young brother joining us, though our numbers are limited, we're not without hope."

As soon as he finished speaking, several hunters in the crowd instinctively glanced at Lin Yun.

The youth was tall and straight but rather lean, and his profile still carried traces of boyishness. He wore a half-worn backpack, and though his gloves looked decent, he appeared no different from a high school student who had just left the safe zone to accumulate field experience.

At best, he was a mid-stage Martial Apprentice. Maybe he was only at the fourth level, someone who had simply stumbled into the call-up and been dragged in to make up the numbers.

No one said it aloud, but the disdain in their eyes was impossible to hide.

One late-stage Martial Apprentice hunter with a thick beard even curled his lip and muttered to the person beside him.

"His feathers haven't even grown in. We should count ourselves lucky if he doesn't hold us back once the fighting starts."

His voice was low, but it carried just enough to reach the ears of several nearby people.

Zhou Lei's brows furrowed slightly as he was about to speak, but Lin Yun remained calm as though he had not heard a thing. His gaze stayed fixed on the terrain within the compound, as if the discussion around him had nothing to do with him.

Quietly surprised by Lin Yun's composure, Zhou Lei gathered his thoughts and continued, "The Huimin Residential Compound consists of old six-story apartment blocks. Building Three is on the westernmost side, and the basement entrance is inside the building entrance. The central garden has been dug into a nest by the mutated beasts, and their main force is holed up there.

"My plan is for the bait team to follow me to the east side, detonate the explosives we planted in advance, then use gunfire and voices to imitate the movements of living people and lure the main force from the nest eastward."

"The remaining members of the extraction team will rush to Building Three the moment the beast horde moves. Clear away the debris blocking the entrance, bring all the civilians out of the basement, and evacuate through the gap in the western wall to the safe point outside. Remember, we only have ten minutes. Before the mutated beasts realize what's happening, we must get everyone out!"

"Understood!"

Everyone answered in lowered voices.

Zhou Lei selected the three soldiers with the best marksmanship, then brought along two late-stage Martial Apprentice hunters to form the bait team. The remaining six soldiers, six hunters, and Lin Yun were assigned to the extraction team, with the bearded hunter—the strongest among the hunters—temporarily acting as commander.

"Young brother, stay on the flank of the extraction team and cover any gaps. Don't charge in head-on."

Before leaving, Zhou Lei gave him a special reminder. In his view, it was already brave enough for this youth to join the team.