Location

The depletion of his mental energy made Lu Heng feel that the air underground was becoming increasingly murky, mixed with the smell of decay and rust. Every breath felt like a layer of sandpaper being scraped into his lungs.

Lu Heng stopped. Continuing to explore further was pointless; such blind exploration would only deplete his mental energy, and the faint source of his blood energy seemed to be constantly shifting as he went deeper.

He stood silently in the darkness for a few seconds, then made his decision: to leave the sewers first.

To obtain a complete master plan of the pipeline network, this kind of aimless, haphazard approach won't work.

He didn't turn back; that long corridor was too exhausting. Lu Heng felt along the side wall and quickly found a manhole cover. The cast iron cover was heavy and heavily rusted, with dirt stuck to its edges. He took out a crowbar from his waist, inserted it into the gap, and used his arms to pull.

"Creak--"

A sickening metallic scraping sound echoed through the empty sewer. The manhole cover was pushed open a crack, and a gust of cold air, smelling of gunpowder, rushed in.

Lu Heng didn't rush out. He observed through the crack for a moment. The ground was deathly still, with no trace of the mutated creatures. He braced himself against the well wall with one hand, climbed the rusty metal ladder, and slowly climbed up until he was flipped out of the well and back onto the city street.

The light of dusk was dim, and the air was filled with the distinctive burnt smell of the post-war era.

Lu Heng dusted himself off, mentally planning his next move. As an outsider, he knew nothing about the city's underground network. To get the blueprints, he would have to find a local.

Song Yunzhong.

Lu Heng determined the direction, avoiding the military cordon and scattered monsters that might be on the main road, and moved quickly along the shadows of the buildings.

We arrived at the entrance of Song Yunzhong's Shelter again.

The entrance has changed dramatically. The exterior is now simply fortified with sheet metal and wooden planks, looking unremarkable but offering strong defense. It seems that with the help of the spider Zombie, resources are easier to find, and supplies can be used more effectively.

Lu Heng walked to the iron gate, raised his hand, and gently tapped the rusted door panel three times with his knuckles.

A slight commotion came from inside the door, followed by the heavy sound of the door bolt being pulled open.

The iron gate opened a crack, revealing Song Yunzhong's stubble-covered face. Seeing that it was Lu Heng outside, his tense shoulders visibly relaxed. He opened the door to let Lu Heng in, and Lu Heng saw the Zombie behind him.

"What's wrong with you?" Song Yunzhong's voice was a little hoarse.

"There's a problem." As soon as Lu Heng entered the room, several thin figures peeked out from the shadows behind the door.

It was a group of children from the Shelter. They recognized Lu Heng, their eyes lit up, and they timidly gathered around him. No one spoke, they just stared at Lu Heng's pockets. One of the youngest boys sniffed and whispered, "Uncle, do you have any candy?"

Lu Heng reached into the side pocket of his tactical vest, pulled out a few fruit candies he had found during his previous scavenging, unwrapped them, and handed them over.

The children, having received the candy, immediately stepped aside and quietly hid in a corner, none of them making a sound, afraid of disturbing the two adults' conversation.

Lu Heng and Song Yunzhong walked to a relatively safe corner by the door.

"Are you planning to meet up with them at the Military District?" Lu Heng asked first, his tone calm.

Song Yunzhong nodded, leaning against the wall, his eyes tired but resolute. "You were there then? You had this plan. Our group alone was too weak. Joining the main force would greatly increase our chances of survival. If we encountered a large-scale zombie horde, I wouldn't be able to protect these children at all."

Lu Heng secretly agreed. If the zombie horde came again, with his skills and awakened abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to escape on his own, but Song Yunzhong and his group of old, weak, and children had no chance of escape.

"When do you plan to set off?" Lu Heng asked.

"Just a day or two." Song Yunzhong glanced outside the door. "Pack supplies, check protective gear, and we'll leave once everything is ready."

"I'll take you there once you've set off," Lu Heng said decisively.

Song Yunzhong was taken aback for a moment, then showed a grateful expression, but didn't say anything more, just nodded heavily.

After a brief pause, Lu Heng got to the point. "I came to see you because there's something else I wanted to ask. Where can I find a complete master plan of the city's sewer system?"

Song Yunzhong frowned slightly and pondered for a moment. As a local, he was familiar with the city's municipal facilities.

"The most likely location is the city's wastewater treatment plant," Song Yunzhong said, his tone very professional. "All the city's sewage and stormwater pipe networks eventually converge there. The plant's archives usually store a complete set of underground pipeline blueprints. Medium-sized cities like ours typically have two to four wastewater treatment plants, each responsible for treating different areas."

Lu Heng noted this information down.

Song Yunzhong added, "Besides the sewage treatment plant, there are a few other places that might have it, but it's quite difficult to find."

He held up one finger. "First, the City Administration Bureau, which is the Housing and Construction Bureau building. The municipal archives there store the original blueprints for all the city's municipal pipelines. But the drawback is obvious: the building is in the heart of the city, and after the cataclysm, it will most likely be occupied by monsters, perhaps even high-level monsters."

"Secondly, the water company or drainage management office, which specializes in managing stormwater and sewage drainage pipelines, will have filing diagrams."

"Third, large construction site project management. Projects under construction may obtain partial sewer system plans for a given area, but it's very difficult to get a complete city-wide master plan."

"Finally, there are control centers for some underground utility tunnels, where drainage network data is integrated, but not all cities have such facilities."

After listening, Lu Heng quickly filtered the information in his mind.

Municipal buildings are too risky, and the site plans are incomplete. Wastewater treatment plants are a better priority, and they are usually located on the outskirts of the city where monster density may be relatively low.

"I understand." Lu Heng nodded. "Thanks."

Song Yunzhong looked at him and suddenly lowered his voice to remind him, "Going to the sewage treatment plant is fine, but don't be careless. That kind of place has a complex environment, many pipes, and many blind spots. There's a high probability that mutated creatures are lurking there, and there might even be monsters that specifically nest there. It's definitely not a safe place."

"I will be careful," Lu Heng replied.

He said goodbye to Song Yunzhong and turned to leave the Shelter.

The sky had completely darkened, and the last rays of dusk cast large, mottled shadows on the walls of the abandoned buildings.

Lu Heng stood on the street, gazing at the distant city skyline.

The sewage treatment plant was his next destination.

At the same time, he also had something on his mind: in a day or two, he would have to escort Song Yunzhong and his party to the Military District.

With two tasks pressing on his shoulders, time was of the essence.

He pulled up his collar to cover his mouth and nose, and his figure quickly disappeared into the night.