Missing

Lu Heng lay prone on the high slope, waiting for a brief pause in the artillery fire before crept towards the Military District.

He didn't go straight ahead. The front line had the most intense firepower and the highest density of zombies, so there was no need to force his way through. He circled around to the west side of the camp, where there was an abandoned factory area. Most of the walls had collapsed, and the Zombie' attention was drawn to the artillery fire from the front, making it the weakest point in the defense.

They scaled the wall and landed silently.

He unleashed his Mental Energy, like an invisible net, rapidly screening the entire camp.

The interior of the camp looked even more chaotic than the outside. Temporary tents were piled up haphazardly, supplies were stacked haphazardly, and the patrols were sparse, with slow steps and unfocused eyes. Following his mental perception, Lu Heng walked towards the back of the camp and quickly located an area enclosed by barbed wire— the Fortress Safe Zone.

He hid in the shadows and observed for several minutes.

Two old men were guarding the entrance to the safe zone.

They weren't veterans, just ordinary old men with gray hair, slightly hunched backs, wearing faded old military uniforms, holding rifles that trembled violently. They weren't on guard duty; they were just huddled by the door, their faces turned towards the direction of the artillery fire, their eyes wide open, their expressions tense. They would peek out every now and then, then quickly pull back, muttering something unintelligible.

Lu Heng withdrew his gaze.

Almost all the frontline soldiers were out defending the city, leaving behind only old men like this, guns in hand, looking out with worried expressions, concerned for the safety of the officers' camp. Security was practically non-existent; there wasn't even a proper sentry post. This so-called safe zone was anything but safe.

Lu Heng continued to use his mental perception to search for Song Yunjing's location within the camp.

He quickly identified it.

In a makeshift prefab house in a corner of the safe zone, a thin figure huddled against the wall, his Mental Energy fluctuating extremely erratically, a mixture of fear, anxiety, and exhaustion, like a string stretched to its limit.

Lu Heng found a gap in the defenses, flipped over and slipped inside, using the pile of debris as cover to quietly approach the prefab house.

The door to the prefab house wasn't closed properly, leaving a crack.

He stood outside the door, peering through the crack inside.

Song Yunjing sat quietly in the corner, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms. She was much thinner than before, her cheeks were sunken, her eyes were dark, her hair was messy and stuck to her face, and her clothes were stained. She was curled up in a ball, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she was afraid of something.

The sound of artillery fire outside grew louder and louder, causing the ground to tremble slightly, and dust to fall from the roof of the prefabricated house. Every time Song Yunjing heard the sound of artillery fire, her body would tremble, and she would bury her head even deeper, as if trying to shrink herself into the wall.

The children who used to travel with me are all gone.

She was all alone in the prefab house; it was empty and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Lu Heng pushed open the door and went inside.

Song Yunjing did not react, remaining curled up as if trapped in a state of prolonged shock, her perception of the outside world becoming dulled.

Lu Heng walked up to her, squatted down, and gently poked her shoulder.

Song Yunjing trembled and abruptly raised her head.

The moment she saw Lu Heng, her eyes widened, and her pupils contracted sharply. Fear vanished from her face, replaced by unbelievable joy. Then, a flood of grievances welled up, her eyes instantly reddened, her lips trembled, and tears fell without warning.

"Lu... Lu Heng- ge?"

Her voice was terribly hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken properly in a long time.

Lu Heng looked at her and said softly, "I heard the shelling and came here specifically to check it out."

He paused for a moment, then asked the most crucial question, "Where is Song Yunzhong? Where did he go?"

As he spoke, he released a faint wisp of Mental Energy, gently enveloping Song Yunjing. The energy was gentle and stable, like a hand stroking her tense nerves, slowly calming her violently trembling body.

Song Yunjing sniffed, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out; she could only cry.

Lu Heng didn't urge her, and waited quietly.

After a long while, Song Yunjing finally spoke, her voice trembling with tears.

"Back then... when we joined the Military District, the soldiers knew my brother could control Zombie, and they were very curious. They said it was a power to save the world and urged my brother to cooperate in the research..."

She paused, and tears welled up again.

"My brother believed it. He believed in the Federation, believed in the military, and thought it could save the world, so he agreed. He handed over most of the family's supplies, but kept some for me to use..."

Song Yunjing's voice grew softer and softer, as if she were recalling something painful.

"Then my brother was taken away and locked in the lab; he never came back. I was left alone in the safe zone, doing chores every day—washing clothes, cooking, cleaning... Knowing my brother wasn't there, those people took turns coming to find me, using all sorts of tricks to ask for supplies. Some pleaded, some threatened me—they used both the good cop and the bad cop... I was scared and didn't dare refuse... The supplies ran out quickly."

She looked up, her eyes filled with despair.

"Those children were taken away too, they said they'd put them under unified care, and they won't let me see them. I'm all alone now, I can't rely on anyone..."

Lu Heng was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Has Song Yunzhou come back after he left?"

Song Yunjing shook her head and cried even harder.

"For the first day or two, I could still see my brother. He would greet me through the window and tell me to live well... After that, I completely lost contact with him. I went to ask around, but everyone pretended not to know him, made excuses, and told me not to ask anymore..."

She wiped away her tears, her voice trembling.

"Lately, people have been watching me, deliberately picking fights and provoking me... I don't know what they want, and I'm so scared..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Yunjing's expression suddenly changed. She looked up sharply at the doorway, her eyes filled with extreme fear.

She almost instinctively jumped up, hid behind Lu Heng, grabbed his clothes tightly with both hands, and trembled like a leaf.

Lu Heng turned his head to look.

Two men stood in the doorway, their faces arrogant and their eyes hostile. One of them was wearing camouflage clothing with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the tattoos on his arms; the other was wearing work clothes, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinting as he sized up Lu Heng.

"Hey, who's this?" The man in camouflage sneered. "Song Yunjing, you've got some nerve, hiding a man in the house?"

The man in overalls exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly, "This girl is someone our boss has his eye on. Who the hell do you think you are, daring to touch her?"

The two walked in talking, their steps arrogant, completely disregarding Lu Heng.

Lu Heng stood up, blocking Song Yunjing's path, and looked at them expressionlessly.

The air froze.