Reconnaissance

On the edge of the inner city, the buildings are much denser than in the urban-rural fringe.

Lu Heng walked in front, with the Bone Demon silently following half a step behind. This thing was over two meters tall, its bones covered with a layer of dark gray keratin, and its claws made no sound when it walked, like a moving shadow.

They walked from dawn until the sun began to set.

Lu Heng's investigation method was clumsy, but also effective—following the possible traces left by the refugee collection team, pushing outward inch by inch. Treaded weeds, shoe prints not wiped clean at the base of the wall, cigarette butts left beside abandoned water pipes. The traces were faint, but intermittent, always pointing in the same direction.

Deep within the inner city.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, he stopped on the outskirts of an old residential area.

The residential area is gated, with a wall over two meters high, topped with broken glass and rusty iron spikes. The main gate is blocked with abandoned vehicles and sandbags, leaving only a small opening for people to squeeze through. Several barbed wire fences are strung along the wall, and behind them, one can vaguely see the shadowy figures of sentries moving about on the rooftops.

Lu Heng squatted at the third-floor window of the building opposite and watched for ten minutes.

The people coming and going were all ordinary people, carrying supplies, and looking relaxed. There was no armed patrol organization, only two sentry posts on the roof.

This is it.

He didn't approach rashly, but retreated into the shadows of the stairwell, first instructing the Bone Demon: "Stay here, don't move."

The dark light in the Bone Demon sockets deepened, and its massive body retreated half a step into the depths of the corridor, its entire skeleton merging into the darkness around the corner, like a sculpture that had never existed.

Lu Heng closed his eyes.

Deep within my consciousness, something stirred.

There was no movement on the ground, and no fluctuation in the air, but if someone could see the energy level, they would see a slender shadow slip out from the shadows at Lu Heng's feet, hugging the base of the wall, and silently swimming towards the residential area.

King Cobra.

Its body, composed entirely of energy, had no smell, no body temperature, no heartbeat, and none of the biological aura of a living being. It swam across the ruins at incredible speed, its movements so fluid as to stir up no wind, like a shadowy figure flowing close to the ground.

A beast was lying outside the gate of the residential compound.

Lu Heng used the King Snake's senses to see it clearly—it was twice the size of a Tibetan Mastiff before the apocalypse, its shoulder and back muscles bulging, making its short, gray-black fur shine. A thick iron chain ran from its riveted collar to the doorpost, the chain worn smooth. It lay there like a mountain of flesh, gnawing on half a bloody bone, its fangs clenching with a dull thud.

Bronze Tier Bully Dog.

Its aura was fierce; just by lying there, the oppressive feeling sealed off the entire doorway.

The King Snake had already swum to within three meters of it.

The Bully Dog did not raise its head.

It didn't even twitch its nose.

A body of pure energy, odorless, without body temperature, and capable of sensing nothing. In its world, there is nothing at the doorway.

Lu Heng was completely relieved. He manipulated the King Snake to slither past it, slip into the gap in the gate, and sneak into the interior of the residential area.

Then he saw what was inside.

It's a completely different world from the outside.

Outside the walls, life and death struggles rage in the apocalypse, with ghouls and beasts roaming freely, and even a sip of clean water is a matter of life and death. Inside the walls, the small square is piled with boxes of liquor, stacks of canned goods, and bundles of clothing, while several tents are pitched beside the flower beds, with crystal chandeliers stolen from someone's house hanging at their entrances.

A group of people were lounging on sofas, recliners, and on the floor covered with clean bedding, drinking, playing drinking games, and laughing and joking with women in their arms. Some were picking their teeth with knives, while others were chugging entire bottles of liquor. When they got drunk, they would vomit on the floor, and immediately a thin person would come over and kneel down to clean it up.

The air was filled with the aroma of meat and alcohol.

Lu Heng watched coldly.

It's only thanks to the Bronze Tier Bully Dog at the entrance that this group of people has been able to carve out such a peaceful haven in this cannibalistic world.

The King Snake continued to crawl along the wall, crossed the small square, and entered the main building directly opposite the gate.

The walls of the stairwell were covered with clean wallpaper, and a vase brought from an upscale neighborhood sat at the corner of the stairs, filled with long-dead artificial flowers. The innermost door on the third floor was ajar, and King Snake squeezed in through the crack.

The room was very warm.

Zhou Cheng was lounging in a large leather sofa, a woman in his arms, a wine glass in his other hand, and two people kneeling at his feet massaging his legs. He was fatter than Lu Heng had imagined; even in the apocalypse, he had managed to grow a lot of fat. A gold chain hung around his neck, and on the table were a half-open bottle of wine and half a poultry.

He was laughing, talking to a tall, thin man next to him, who was laughing so hard he was doubled over.

But Lu Heng's gaze lingered on his waist—where a knife was tucked, its handle gleaming. Zhou Cheng's hand, resting on the woman's waist, tapped a very light rhythm with his index finger, his eyes glancing towards the door every few breaths, the smile on his face remaining unchanged as he did so.

Lu Heng withdrew his senses.

The image of the King Snake faded from my mind, and the shadows in the hallway closed in again.

He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and went through everything he had just seen in his mind.

Guardian: A Bronze Tier Bully Dog.

Enemy: More than twenty ordinary humans, mostly refugees, undisciplined, unorganized, and half-drunk.

Core: Zhou Cheng, alert and ruthless, but relies entirely on his dog. He is guarded by only one Bronze Tier Bully Dog, and his enemies are all ordinary human refugees.

Lu Heng opened his eyes.

The Bone Demon stood behind him, as quiet as a sculpture, its dark gray bones gleaming with a cold, hard light in the dim light of the corridor.

The gap is too big.

It was so large that it couldn't even be called a battle; it was just a cleanup.

Lu Heng straightened up, patted the Bone Demon's arm, and walked downstairs.

By the time I stepped out of the building, it was almost dark. The shadows of the buildings in the inner city loomed overhead, and the wind squeezed through the gaps between the buildings, making a whistling sound.

He glanced in the direction of the residential area.

tonight.