After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 215 Escape from the Subway Tunnel
The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound stopped abruptly, the cabin suddenly sank, and finally came to a stop.

With a hiss of depressurization, the heavy hatch slowly rose.

A pungent smell, a mixture of rust, mold, and some unknown rotten substance, hit you, making your throat tighten.

Su Wanqing was the first to step out of the escape pod, her feet resting on the cold concrete floor.

The light here was extremely dim, with only a few emergency lights at the top of the tunnel in the distance casting a faint, almost extinguished yellow glow.

Lu Zhao followed closely behind, and as soon as he stood up, he swayed and leaned against the bulkhead.

"How are you?" Su Wanqing supported him and touched his forehead.

The high fever has subsided, but my hands feel cold and I'm covered in cold sweat.

“It’s still holding up,” Lu Zhao’s voice was a little hoarse. He looked around. “This is… the abandoned southern section of the subway, a major urban artery.”

His breathing was noticeably unsteady as he spoke. Su Wanqing didn't say much, took out the small first-aid kit from the storage compartment of the escape pod, opened it, took out new gauze and disinfectant, and untied the bandage on Lu Zhao's shoulder.

The wound did not worsen, but the surrounding skin appeared somewhat swollen due to the previous infection.

She silently cleaned the wound and re-bandaged it. Lu Zhao's movements and reactions were much slower; clearly, the injection had only temporarily suppressed the symptoms, and the body's deficiencies wouldn't be easily replenished.

After packing their things, the two had to move on. The tunnel was deathly silent, save for the sound of their own footsteps and the dripping of water from the ceiling.

After walking about a hundred meters, a tilted, abandoned train car appeared on the track ahead, with half of its front end embedded in the wall.

Lu Zhao pointed over there: "Let's go take a look."

As the two approached, they used the faint light emitted by the jade bracelet to see the scene inside the carriage.

Several bodies dressed in standard military combat uniforms lay scattered inside. Judging from the condition of their equipment, they had been dead for no more than a week.

Strangely, their deaths were caused by a bizarre semi-melted state, as if some kind of strong acid had been poured on their bodies, with their skin and muscles tangled together. However, their tactical vests and weapons remained largely intact.

"This was not done by any mutant we've ever seen before."

Lu Zhao said in a low voice, as he checked the rifle next to the corpse; the magazine was still full.

Su Wanqing remained silent. Next to one of the corpses, she found a still-usable military flashlight and a small satellite communicator.

She turned on her flashlight, and a beam of light, though not bright, but clear enough, illuminated the darkness ahead.

Lu Zhao took the communicator, fiddled with it for a bit, and the screen lit up, but the signal bars were only a small, weak band and kept flashing.

He tried calling out, but only a continuous hissing sound answered him.

“The signal is too weak, and it’s too deep down here.” Lu Zhao handed the communicator to Su Wan-Qing. “Keep it safe. Maybe we can use it when we get to a more open area.”

They continued walking, passing through another empty platform. The tunnel's structure began to become unstable, with signs of collapse visible in several places, and rubble and twisted steel bars blocking sections of the road.

The track ahead was submerged in murky water, with unidentified trash floating on the surface, making it impossible to tell how deep it was.

With no other choice, the two had to wade through the water. The icy sewage was up to their calves, and they took each step with extreme caution.

Just then, the communicator in Su Wanqing's pocket suddenly emitted a few intermittent electrical buzzing sounds.

Lu Zhao immediately stopped. Su Wanqing quickly pulled out her communicator, and the signal bars on the screen were flashing wildly.

An anxious voice came from within, intermittent and mixed with a great deal of noise.

"Late Qing...the fortress...has been breached...most of the personnel have been evacuated...Xiao Ling and I...are holding the fort...in the control room...the military...are searching for you...and a group...in black uniforms...calling themselves 'Dawn'..."

It was Xiao Ran's voice. Su Wanqing held the communicator to her ear, trying to hear it more clearly.

"Xiao Ran! We're underground now... How are you guys?"

“…signal tower…military target…Dawn organization…no…they too…”

The communication was completely cut off after a burst of shrill noise, and the signal bars on the screen disappeared entirely.

The fortress has been breached, and Xiao Ran and Xiao Ling are still trapped in the control room. And what about that organization called "Dawn"? Who exactly are they?

Su Wanqing gripped the communicator tightly and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"We need to get out of here quickly," Lu Zhao urged.

Just then, a rhythmic metallic clanging sound suddenly came from deep within the tunnel behind them, each strike hitting the tracks, clearly audible as it approached.

“It’s a military search team,” Lu Zhao’s expression changed. “They’ve found the subway entrance.”

The two immediately quickened their pace, wading through the floodwaters with difficulty. The box containing the core in Su Wanqing's arms was now acting strangely; the pale purple rhomboid crystal began to emit a faint light, shining through the alloy casing and creating a shimmering rhythm that echoed the jade bracelet on her wrist.

This resonance became especially strong as they approached a metal ladder marked "Emergency Exit C," as if it were a silent guide.

However, before they could get close to the exit, the water in front of them suddenly changed.

Several unusual ripples spread out, and something was slowly rising from the murky water.

The light was too dim to see clearly. When the flashlight beam shone on them, several humanoid creatures emerged from the sewage.

They have smooth, pale, translucent skin like fish, through which the blood vessels and tissues beneath the skin can be vaguely seen.

Their faces lack noses and lips, and their eye sockets are deep-set, yet a faint, eerie light emanates from those dark holes.

These were mutants they had never seen before, like entirely new species that had evolved to adapt to the dark underground waters.

Pursuers were behind them, and monsters were ahead. In the narrow tunnel, their escape route had been cut off.

A mutant twisted its slender neck and silently slid towards Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao raised his gun to shoot, but the monster suddenly accelerated from the side, its movements incredibly fast.

Su Wanqing instinctively placed the core container she was holding in her arms in front of Lu Zhao.

In the blink of an eye, the mutant's outstretched claws were about to touch the container when the purple light emanating from inside the container suddenly intensified.

The mutant let out a sharp, painful screech as if it had been branded with a hot iron, then abruptly recoiled, its entire body convulsing violently in the water.

This discovery stunned the two of them. But before they could catch their breath, the sound of metal clanging behind them grew closer and closer, and several mutated creatures in the water ahead were slowly surrounding them.

The mutated creatures' hissing, mixed with the sound of military boots splashing through water, echoed through the tunnel.

Su Wanqing grabbed Lu Zhao's arm and ran back. The water splashed onto her calves, making her shiver from the cold.

Lu Zhao's breathing grew heavier and heavier, each step felt like walking on cotton, and the bleeding from his wounds stained the bandages dark red.

"Left!" Su Wanqing suddenly pulled him toward the iron ladder next to the tracks.

At the top of the iron ladder was a rusted iron door. She hit it twice with her jade bracelet, and metal shavings fell down in a flurry.

Lu Zhao took out his tactical knife and pried open the door crack, but the tip of the knife broke off in half as soon as it went in—there was a steel bar stuck behind the door.

"Go to the control room." Lu Zhao pointed to the sign on the side wall of the tunnel. "There's an abandoned control room fifty meters ahead. You can crawl through the ventilation shaft."

The two stumbled and rushed over. The door to the control room was ajar, and when Su Wanqing kicked it open, a layer of dust rose up.

Lu Zhao locked the door behind him and pushed the iron cabinet in the corner to the front of the door. Through the crack in the door, he could see the military searchlights sweeping over, and the shadows of the mutants shimmered on the water's surface.

"Three bullets left." Lu Zhao checked the rifle magazine, his voice hoarse. He leaned against the wall, sweat dripping from his forehead onto the floor. "How much longer can the core in your arms last?"

Su Wanqing didn't answer. The core container was burning hot through her clothes, and the jade bracelet on her wrist was throbbing painfully.

The sound of metal clanging came from outside; the military was loading flashbangs. The mutant's claws scraped against the door panel, and two of them squeezed in through the ventilation duct, their translucent skin rubbing against the duct wall, oozing a sticky liquid.

"It won't last five minutes." Lu Zhao pulled out the last grenade, fastening the safety ring on his finger. "You take the core and go first, I'll..."

"Shut up." Su Wanqing tore off his grenade and stuffed it back into her pocket, then grabbed an iron bar from the corner of the wall.

The mutant's claws had already dug into the door crack, the nails scraping against the metal with a squeaking sound.

The military's countdown began: "Three, two, one—"

"boom!"

The white light from the flashbang pierced through the crack in the door, and Su Wanqing squinted.

The next second, a metallic snapping sound came from above, the metal mesh of the ventilation duct was kicked away, and a dark figure slid down the rope.

Before she could react, the man had already thrown out three smoke grenades—the moment the gray smoke rose, he threw out a silver disc, which buzzed and made the mutant cover its head and retreat.

"Code name 'Thorns,' a member of the Dawn Organization, or more precisely, an undercover agent."

The mask covered half of his face, and his voice was low, "I've been following you for a long time. Now is not the time to explain. This place will turn into hell in five minutes."

She swung two tactical knives, pinning them precisely to the mutant's joints.

The monsters shrank into a ball in pain, and the military's thermal imaging became a static screen in the smoke.

Su Wanqing pulled Lu Zhao along as they followed. Jingji had already pried open the maintenance panel on the back wall of the control room, revealing a pipe that could only accommodate one person at a time.

"Climb in." Thorn pushed Lu Zhao and covered their retreat.

The pipes smelled musty and pungent, and Su Wanqing could hear the military shouts behind her fading into the distance.

After climbing for about 300 meters, the pipe exit was a waterlogged maintenance well. Thorns used a dagger to cut the lock, and the rusty well cover was pushed open a crack.

"The two sides are enemies on the surface, but in reality they are vying for control of the 'time loom'."

Thorn removed his mask, revealing a pale face with an old scar on his left eyebrow. "I'm an undercover agent sent by the military to Dawn. Six months ago, I intercepted a coded message—they planned to use seven cores to execute a 'purification protocol,' not to save survivors, but to screen them."

Lu Zhao leaned against the well wall, panting. The blood from his wound stained the water a pale red.

Su Wanqing took out her medical kit to treat him, but Jingji handed her a small silver bottle instead: "Use this. NR-7, for acute infections in enhanced individuals. I got it from the Dawn Lab."

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao inserted the medicine into his arm. The pain receded like the tide, and he let out a long breath. When he looked up, a transparent net suddenly appeared before his eyes—the jade bracelet on Su Wanqing's wrist was glowing, connecting with the core in her arms to form a thin golden thread.

Even more strangely, a pale purple light was pulsating at Su Wanqing's temples, with the same frequency as the core.

“We’re here.” Thorn’s voice pulled him back to reality. They were standing in the ruins of a subway transfer station, the route map on the wall torn to pieces.

Thorn unfolded a crumpled map and circled a red circle with a tactical pen: "The abandoned hospital, Xiao Ran and Xiao Ling are there. I'm not sure what 'Night' An's intentions are regarding the signal tower's rendezvous point."

She shoved the map into Su Wanqing's hand and turned to leave. Lu Zhao suddenly grabbed her wrist: "Does NR-7 have side effects?"

“Visual enhancement, I can see energy fluctuations.” Thorn withdrew her hand. “Don’t take it too seriously, the effects will wear off once the medicine wears off.”

She paused, then added, "Remember, don't trust organizations that claim to be doing what's best for the majority—they don't actually want the lives of the majority."

Su Wanqing touched Lu Zhao's forehead. His temperature had returned to normal, but his eyes were a little vacant.

Lu Zhao stared at the jade bracelet on her wrist, opened his mouth, then closed it again. The distant howl of a mutant echoed, and Thorn's figure had already vanished into the darkness.

The floodwaters at the subway transfer station reached above Lu Zhao's shoes. He leaned against a rusty billboard support, the blood from his wounds mixing with the water to spread a dark red stain around his feet.

Su Wanqing spread the map out on her lap, the three words "Abandoned Hospital" circled in red were wrinkled from the creases.

"Let's go to the hospital first." Lu Zhao's voice was hoarse. "Xiao Ran and Xiao Ling are there. We need more people and more information."

"You're carrying the core—" He pointed to the bulging area in Su Wanqing's arms, "Now you're a sitting duck for all factions. The military and Dawn are watching that signal tower; rushing in recklessly is tantamount to suicide."

Su Wanqing folded the map neatly and stuffed it into her pocket, her fingertips brushing against the rough edges: "There's not enough time. Jingji said the time window for the purification protocol is narrowing, and Lin Che's brainwave data showed three more abnormal readings yesterday."

She looked up at Lu Zhao, "Do you remember the last reincarnation? Lin Che lasted until the seventh day..."

“I remember,” Lu Zhao interrupted her, his Adam’s apple bobbing, “but how much of what ‘Night’ said is true?”

He claimed to be Wayne's consciousness, but Wayne died at Orion Base ten years ago. "Also," he pressed his temple, "I can now see energy fluctuations as a side effect of NR-7."

Su Wanqing paused. Lu Zhao stared at the jade bracelet on her wrist, then glanced at the core she hid in her bosom, his pupils contracting slightly: "There's a golden thread connecting the jade bracelet and the core, and there's a cluster of purple light at your temple that resonates with the core. Wanqing, this isn't a coincidence." He took a half step forward. "You might be the anchor point of the time loom; you're what they want."

Going to the cell tower now would be like walking right into a trap.

Su Wanqing touched her temples, her fingertips feeling a faint throbbing under her skin.

She recalled the words "human anchor point" flashing on the screen when the spare body cabin door opened in the laboratory.

“That’s why we have to go.” Her voice was soft but steady. “If I’m the anchor point, only I can figure out what they want. Lin Che’s condition can’t wait, and Xiao Ling’s abnormal brainwaves can’t wait either.”

She pointed to the digital clock on the wall, the numbers flashing. "It's 2:17 a.m. now. Thorn said the purification protocol will be activated before sunrise."

Lu Zhao's breathing became heavier. He tore off the tactical bandage wrapped around his arm and re-tightened the wound: "Twelve hours."

He suddenly said, "If I can't contact you within twelve hours, I'll lead Xiao Ran and the others to storm the signal tower."

Su Wanqing looked up at him. Lu Zhao took out half a box of hemostatic medicine and a folding knife from his tactical backpack, the handle of which was polished to a shine: "This knife was given to me by my father. Take it with you."

He shoved the item into her hand. "The core must not leave the body. Have you tried the jade bracelet's barrier function before?"

Su Wanqing nodded. Just now in the control room, she closed her eyes and tried to focus her attention on the jade bracelet on her wrist.

The core began to heat up, and the two energies intertwined like two snakes. The surrounding thermal imaging spots suddenly blurred for a moment—that was the military's drone scanning.

“There’s something even stranger.” She took out a pebble she’d picked up from the pipe and let it fall.

When a pebble hits the puddle, the splashing water droplets hang suspended in mid-air, moving so slowly that you can count the patterns on each droplet.

Three seconds later, it fell back onto the water with a "plop." "The core energy may be related to time."

Lu Zhao stared at the puddle of water for a while, then suddenly smiled, a bitter smile: "That's why you need to come back alive. There are some secrets," he said, bending down to tidy his backpack, "that we need to unravel together."

The screech of the mutants came from afar, closer than before. Su Wanqing tucked the folding knife behind her waist and stuffed the hemostatic medicine into her inner pocket.

Lu Zhao slung his backpack over his shoulder and checked his communicator: "The hospital is in the northeast direction. There's an underground passage two blocks away."

He pointed to her chest, "Keep the core tightly hidden, and use the barrier when there is danger."

Su Wanqing hummed in agreement. The two stood in the puddle, neither of them moving.

Lu Zhao suddenly reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear: "Twelve hours."

He repeated, "I'm counting the seconds."

Su Wanqing turned and walked southwest, her boot shattering a pane of glass. She didn't look back, but she could hear Lu Zhao's footsteps moving in the opposite direction, growing fainter and fainter until they were finally drowned out by the mutated creature's hiss.

The jade bracelet on her wrist was vibrating, and the resonance with her core was like a heartbeat, tapping against her bones.