Shen Youzhi stared at him for a long time to make sure he was not joking.
Then she laughed.
"Lu Zong, are you out of your fucking mind?"
Lu Zong frowned. "You..."
Shen Youzhi interrupted him, "You let me run? What will you do if I run away? What will happen to the base?"
"I can hold it off."
"What are you dragging me with? Your life?"
"I will contact other bases for support."
"It takes several days to get here from other bases. You asked me to take the people away. Can you survive half a day under Zombie Horde?"
Lu Zong stopped talking.
Shen Youzhi Looking at him like that, an indescribable emotion suddenly surged in my heart.
"Lu Zong." She took a step closer and stared into his eyes, "Listen, I won't leave."
"Don't act out of anger."
"You are the one who is acting on your own initiative." Shen Youzhi's voice was very calm, "Well, you go talk to the other people outside and see how many of these people are willing to leave you here and run away from me and live in vain."
Shen Youzhi is indeed right.
They were all kidnapped along the way, and even some of the old, weak, sick and disabled people in the base who were powerless were picked up one by one at that time.
Once you have feelings, no one is willing to run away first.
Otherwise, Lu Zong would not have specifically called Shen Youzhi aside to talk about this matter.
"Okay, don't look like you're dying." She patted his shoulder, "It's just 300,000 zombies, it's not like we haven't killed them before."
She turned around and walked out, and stopped again when she reached the door.
Didn't look back.
"Lu Zong."
"Huh?"
"If I can survive this time." She paused and lowered her voice, "I..."
I don't know why the words I wanted to say were blocked in my mouth, but I didn't say them out.
"It's nothing, just survive."
After saying that, she opened the door and went out.
Lu Zong was left standing alone, stunned for several seconds.
The noise outside the door came in again.
Da Qiang was eavesdropping at the door, but was caught by Shen Youzhi.
"Sister Shen, Sister Shen!"
Shen Youzhi glanced at him. "Did you hear that?"
Da Qiang shook his head wildly. "No, no! I didn't hear anything!"
Shen Youzhi looked at him with a half-smile, and only said, "Go and prepare to defend the city."
The fighting lasted from noon to dark, and from dark to dawn.
Shen Youzhi no longer remembers how many zombies he killed.
If your hands are sore, use another hand.
When the knife is dull, pick it up from the ground.
People around him fell one after another, and new ones came up.
All she knew was that she couldn't stop.
If you stop, you will die.
At a certain moment, she heard a roar in the distance.
The sound was different from ordinary zombies. It was sharp and harsh, like metal scraping against glass.
Shen Youzhi looked up and saw a huge evolved zombie rushing in this direction.
It was extremely fast, and the defenses along the way were knocked to pieces by it.
She dropped the zombie in her hand and ran over there.
But she was too far away.
Seeing the evolved zombie getting closer and closer--
There was a loud "bang" sound.
The evolved zombie's head exploded.
Shen Youzhi was stunned and turned around to look.
It's Lao Chen.
He was lying on the ruins, still holding the modified sniper rifle in his hand, and the barrel was still smoking.
"Fuck." Lao Chen spat out blood, "It hurts like hell."
After saying that, he slid down the ruins.
Shen Youzhi rushed over and turned him over.
Lao Chen's abdomen was torn open with a large gash, and blood was pouring out uncontrollably.
"Lao Chen..."
"Stop howling." Lao Chen laughed, with blood on the corner of his mouth, "Actually, I lied to you. My wife and children are not in confinement at another base and cannot be taken care of. In fact, they have died long ago, and there is no point in my life."
Shen Youzhi's eyes are sore.
Lao Chen looked at her and suddenly said, "Captain Shen, you and Army... are fine."
Shen Youzhi is speechless.
Lao Chen's eyes began to blur, but he still tried his best to smile.
"I'm waiting... for the wedding banquet..."
His hand dropped.
Not far away came the roaring voice of Lu Zong, calling her.
Shen Youzhi didn't look back.
She just looked at Lao Chen's face.
There was a smile on that face, just like the usual one with a cigarette in his mouth and a "I've seen everything" expression on his face.
But the blood foam at the corner of his mouth had solidified, and his eyes were still open, looking at the gray sky.
Shen Youzhi reached out and closed his eyes.
She heard that her voice was too hoarse to sound like hers, "I'll save the wedding wine for you."
After saying that, she stood up and picked up the knife on the ground.
The hands are shaking.
She glanced down at her hands.
I didn't tremble when I was killing zombies, I didn't tremble when I was chased by zombies, and I didn't tremble when I was kneeling here just now watching Lao Chen die.
Now I'm shaking badly.
She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the handle of the knife.
What are you shaking?
It's not over yet.
She turned around and ran back, into the bloody battlefield.
Shen Youzhi no longer remembers how many zombies he killed.
I just remember that there are fewer and fewer people around me.
Xiaomei fell down in the afternoon.
She was bitten on the neck by an evolved zombie and shouted "Sister Shen, run" before she died.
Da Qiang fell down in the evening.
He blocked the claws of a newcomer who had just joined the base and was disemboweled.
There were many people she couldn't name.
Some of those faces she had seen before, some she hadn't.
Some of them greeted her in the cafeteria, and some of them were taught by her on the training ground, with admiration in their eyes.
All dead.
At dawn, Zombie Horde finally retreated.
Shen Youzhi stood on the ruins, watching the dark shadows retreat into the distance, and watching the horizon light up little by little.
The golden sunlight shines on the ruined walls, on the corpses on the ground, and on the tired faces of the living.
There was no cheering.
No one spoke.
There was only the sound of wind and the occasional roar of zombies in the distance.
Shen Youzhi turned around and walked into the base.
Along the way, she saw many familiar faces.
Some were lying on the ground, some leaning against the wall, and some lying on the blown-out fortifications.
There is also the newcomer who just joined the base, Da Qiang, who blocked his claws.
He didn't survive either. The wound was too big and the bleeding couldn't be stopped.
Shen Youzhi is walking very slowly.
Lao Chen is from the north, a retired policeman.
Xiaomei is from the east and is a military academy student.
Da Qiang is a local, and he was a boxer before the end of the world.
And there are those who cannot be named.
Some are from cities, some are from rural areas, some are students, some are workers, and some are white-collar workers.
They came from all directions, bringing with them their own pasts, their own pains, and the people they wanted to find and wait for.
Then they get together, eat from the same pot, kill zombies, and curse this shitty apocalypse.
They had quarreled, blushed, and disliked each other.
But when the critical moment came, no one backed down.
When Shen Youzhi walked to the center of the base, he saw Lu Zong.
He stood there covered in blood, not sure if it was his own or someone else's.
The two people looked at each other from a distance of more than ten meters.
No one moved.
Then Lu Zong came over, step by step, walking very slowly.
Walking up to her, he stretched out his hand and pulled her into his arms.
Shen Youzhi didn't struggle.
She buried her face on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Lu Zong."
"Huh?"
"We survived."
"Hmm."
Shen Youzhi was silent for a while and said in a muffled voice, "Lao Chen is dead, Xiaomei is dead, and Da Qiang is dead too."
Lu Zong held her hand tightly.
"I know."
Shen Youzhi said no more.
She just leaned against him and listened to his heartbeat.
Once, once, once.
A living heartbeat.
Three days later.
The base begins to rebuild.
Ruins were cleared and fortifications strengthened.
Lao Chen They were buried on the hillside behind the base.
Lu Zong climbed up and sat down next to her.
Hand her a can.
"Dinner."
Shen Youzhi took it, opened it, and dug out a piece with a spoon.
It's braised pork.
She was stunned for a moment.
"Where did it come from?"
"It was found in the corner of the warehouse." Lu Zong said, "Xiaomei hid it."
Shen Youzhi paused for a moment.
She looked at the can in her hand and didn't move it for a long time.