Gunshots

Half a pack of cigarettes appeared in Qin Ran's hand.

[Name: Cigarettes]

[Type: Miscellaneous]

[Quality: Common]

[Attribute: Small chance of dispelling fear and anxiety]

[Special Effect: None]

[Can be taken out of this instance: Yes]

[Remarks: In the face of true fear and anxiety, they are practically useless!]

A lighter appeared along with the cigarettes. Its attributes were no different from the one Qin Ran had obtained before; both were classified as miscellaneous items, and both were damaged.

Looking at the cigarettes in his hand, Qin Ran put them, along with the newly acquired lighter, into his jacket pocket.

Qin Ran did not smoke.

One reason was his health; the other was money.

Genetic Virus Syndrome, along with the cost of a pack of cigarettes—equal to two meals—had doomed Qin Ran to stay away from them.

But in the game, Qin Ran did not mind.

Of course, now was not the time.

Qin Ran bent down and carefully searched the corpse before him once more. Only after confirming that there was nothing worth taking did he stand and leave.

Night Veil had already fallen. Qin Ran had no desire to wait inside such an obvious structure for gangs of thugs to come calling.

He needed to find himself a more concealed, safer hiding place.

Then he could carefully consider what to do next.

After passing through the empty corridor and hall, Qin Ran stood beside the door leading outside. He cautiously poked his head out and surveyed the scene beyond the house.

Collapsed buildings, rubble and debris as far as the eye could see.

Like ruins.

That was Qin Ran's assessment.

After confirming there was no one else around, Qin Ran hunched over and left the building in small, light steps, arriving beneath a collapsed wall.

This wall should have been the load-bearing wall of some building.

Judging by its length, there should once have been at least a three-story building here.

But now, all that remained was a wall a little over half a person tall, along with rocks, bricks, and rotten wood.

Qin Ran crouched in the wall's shadow, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

Even though the area had become ruins, judging from the locations and shapes of the remaining structures, Qin Ran could determine that this had once been a residential district.

And a wealthy one at that.

Facilities such as drainage ditches and sewers were bound to exist in such a neighborhood.

There might even be independent underground spaces.

Naturally, that was good news for Qin Ran.

Because it meant he would not have to face more survivors.

With survivors liable to turn into thugs at any moment, Qin Ran believed the less contact he had with them, the better.

Qin Ran continued forward in a crouch.

He searched for manhole covers or doors that could lead underground.

The search took Qin Ran about thirty minutes.

During those thirty minutes, Qin Ran found two manhole covers.

Unfortunately, the first was buried beneath a pile of bricks and rubble. Qin Ran could see the outline of the cover, but opening it and climbing inside was impossible.

Because not only would he need to clear away the piled-up rubble, he would have to do so without making a sound.

Once he made a sound, it would inevitably draw other survivors and thugs searching in the darkness.

At the very least, Qin Ran had seen two armed people wandering nearby.

They had not seen Qin Ran, and Qin Ran had no intention of taking on two people alone.

So Qin Ran hid himself carefully and only resumed his search after they left.

As he continued searching, Qin Ran found a second manhole cover leading underground.

But just as the first cover had presented a problem—

There was a problem here as well.

It was even worse than the one at the first manhole cover.

In Qin Ran's sight, two people stood facing each other from the left and right.

One held a wooden club, while the other gripped a half-length steel bar still attached to a chunk of concrete.

And between them was the manhole cover Qin Ran had been searching for.

Qin Ran's appearance did not attract the attention of the two people confronting each other.

Besides Qin Ran's light footsteps, it was mainly because both sides were focused entirely on one another and found it difficult to notice anything else.

Watching the two people, Qin Ran frowned.

He had no intention of getting involved, nor did he intend to sit back and reap the benefits.

Unless one of them could kill the other silently.

Otherwise, a dying scream in such an open place would be enough to draw in all the thugs wandering nearby.

At that point, they would not be facing just one or two people, but a whole group of armed men.

As for whether one of them could truly kill the other without making a sound?

If that happened, Qin Ran would be even more fortunate to have left.

After all, someone who could easily kill an opponent face-to-face was definitely not someone to provoke lightly.

His thoughts turning, Qin Ran quickly made a decision.

He lowered himself, his eyes fixed on the two people facing off, and quietly backed away, striving not to make the slightest sound.

But all that caution became useless when Qin Ran stepped on a piece of broken wood.

Crack!

The crisp sound made Qin Ran freeze.

Damn it!

Qin Ran cursed inwardly. He did not remember there being any splintered wood on the way here that could break underfoot and make noise, but it was useless to say anything now!

The two people facing each other had already turned their gazes in his direction.

Their eyes were filled with vigilance and scrutiny.

To keep the situation from worsening, Qin Ran stepped out from his hiding place and raised both hands, indicating that he meant no harm.

"Is that you?!"

One of the people in the standoff suddenly spoke. That slightly hoarse voice made Qin Ran immediately recognize her.

The woman he had met before.

As the woman spoke, the other person holding the steel bar abruptly began to retreat.

Just as Qin Ran did not want to face two people alone, that person clearly did not want to face such a situation either.

Although he could not know much more—

The woman's words had already revealed something: she knew Qin Ran.

That was enough reason for him to leave.

Watching this, Qin Ran shrugged.

Qin Ran was eighty percent certain that the woman had deliberately spoken up in order to solve the problem before her more easily.

Just like in the house earlier.

The woman had undoubtedly noticed Qin Ran's presence first.

But in order to kill her opponent more simply and effectively, she had not only refrained from warning him, but had also cooperated with Qin Ran, using a more pitiful appearance to lure her opponent into a trap.

So she was a sufficiently clever woman.

And Qin Ran had no desire to become enemies with such a woman.

Combined with the principled kindness she had shown earlier—

Qin Ran considered her someone he could "talk" to.

He did not mind trading some supplies for more valuable information from her.

"I..."

Bang!

Qin Ran had just been about to say something when he was interrupted by a sudden gunshot.

The head of the man who had just retreated burst apart like a watermelon run over by a car tire.

At the same time, two people with savage smiles emerged from Night Veil.

Qin Ran's gaze shifted from the headless corpse that had fallen to the two people preparing to raise their guns again. His entire body trembled, and he swiftly retreated behind a wall, curling himself up and trying not to expose himself to their line of fire.

Damn it!

Like Qin Ran, the woman had also ducked behind the wall the instant the gunshot rang out. At that moment, she was cursing without pause.

"Why are Vulture's people here? Those bitches!"

Qin Ran could clearly see hatred and... fear on her face, even though it was covered in dust and grime.

"Vulture?"

Qin Ran repeated the name.

Of course, he was not naive enough to think she meant an actual vulture.

It should have been a nickname.

With such a nickname, Qin Ran did not think they were merciful or kind people.

After all, in the animal world, vultures were famous for watching corpses and devouring carrion.

If humans bore such a name...

Qin Ran instinctively thought of the fallen headless corpse, and his whole body stiffened somewhat.

Calm down! Calm down!

Qin Ran told himself this, doing his best to drive away his fear. Then he handed the kitchen knife from his backpack to the woman beside him.

At a time like this, another source of combat strength was always good.

And the kitchen knife was clearly far better than a wooden club.

The woman apparently understood Qin Ran's meaning. She silently accepted the kitchen knife, gripping it tightly as determination appeared in her eyes.

After four months of war, she had experienced far too much in order to survive.

She had faced dangerous situations like this far more often than Qin Ran.

So she knew what to do.

"One person draws their attention. The other attacks!"

The woman said this.

"One person draws their attention? The other attacks?"

Qin Ran was stunned.

Clearly, with the other side possessing guns, the one drawing their attention would have to bear considerable risk.

One wrong move meant death!

Qin Ran absolutely did not want to die like this.

So instinctively, Qin Ran was about to reject the proposal.

But before he could, the woman continued.

"I'll draw their attention! You're good with a knife, and I'm good at dodging—this is the best division of labor!"

Step, step, step!

As soon as the woman finished speaking, footsteps sounded. There was no attempt to conceal them; clearly, the newcomers did not take Qin Ran and the woman seriously at all.

"Don't kill me!"

No longer hesitating, the woman let out a hoarse scream that was nevertheless clearly female.

Then she ran toward the ruins opposite them.

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