Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 154 People's joys and sorrows are not shared.

"What are you looking at? Why are you grinning like that?"

The veteran looked at Sun Qi and moved closer.

After the main force stormed into the target shelter, they gained a rare window of opportunity to rest and recuperate, while the armored group turned around and penetrated deeper into the city to meet up with the survivors who had been gathered there.

Faced with the veteran's question, Sun Qi put away the letter in his hand: "Go away, go away, it's a letter my wife wrote to me, what are you doing here?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, who cares if they want to watch?"

"Just be envious."

"I envy you?" The old soldier seemed to have heard a joke. He pulled a photo out of his pocket: "You have a wife, but I have a daughter. Do you? Do you have a daughter as cute as mine?"

It was clearly a photo taken before the Great Cataclysm. The background was a beach, and the azure sea under the bright sun pushed the cascading waves onto the shore. The little girl in the center of the photo was only four or five years old, holding an ice cream in her hand, with a bright smile, as delicate and beautiful as a white jade dumpling.

Sun Qi glanced at the other man: "Brother, isn't it a bit dangerous for you to bring your daughter's photo to the battlefield?"

The veteran glared at him: "You have the nerve to talk to me like that? Aren't you the same with your wife's letter in your pocket?"

The two then started arguing, and their teammates moved aside, keeping their distance from the two show-offs.

Yes, they're just showing off. One is showing off that he has a wife, and the other is showing off that he has a daughter.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared; others only find their noise bothersome.

"Not tired, huh? If you're not tired, I'll run five kilometers with you guys?"

The class monitor couldn't stand it anymore and cursed, which made the two glare at each other and stop talking.

Despite their lively arguments, the two were actually the best friends in the class; it was just a daily routine of friendly teasing and sarcasm.

After resting quietly for a while, someone called the squad leader out. The group looked at each other, guessing that a new mission was about to be assigned. They all stood up, straightened their uniforms, and packed their weapons.

But this time the squad leader seemed to be gone for an unusually long time. Half a day later, just as everyone was wondering what was going on, the squad leader came back with a sour face and angrily.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

The soldiers couldn't contain their curiosity, and the squad leader put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"The mission assigned by our superiors was to escort the group of survivors back home, which probably meant that we would stay at our post in Hailing County."

"What? They won't let us fight anymore?"

A group of soldiers were getting impatient. They came to the battlefield to kill the enemy, but now they were being asked to turn back before they had even finished killing the zombies. As soldiers, how could they tolerate this?
"I need to find the company commander... no, I need to find the regimental commander!"

The veteran couldn't resist wanting to leave, but his squad leader called him back.

"Come back? You think I didn't go looking for you? Why are you getting involved now?"

The class monitor explained to everyone, "It's not just our class that's retreating; the entire Haiqu Teachers' College should be retreating as a whole."

"There are some things that haven't been explicitly stated, but many people have probably guessed them. After those survivors are evacuated, the plan might be to use nuclear weapons to clean up the occupied area. Are you going to stay here and get bombed along with the zombies?"

He paused, then looked at the soldiers before him: "I know you are all eager to kill the enemy, but since the order has been given, all we need to do is obey."

“The battlefield is not safe after all, so retreating isn’t a bad thing. We came safely and we’ll go back safely. We were the first to arrive near the shelter, and we also did a good job in establishing the bridgehead earlier. I heard we might get a third-class merit.” “Then we’ll go back to the safe zone wearing big red flowers, find our wives, and take care of our children.” As he said this, he glanced at Sun Qi and the old soldier, which made them grin.

"But let's get back to the point. Preparing to head back doesn't mean the battle is over." The squad leader added, "Do you think the journey back will be easier? The zombie horde will bite us like mad dogs, or even more ferocious. Retreating is much harder than attacking. Our mission is to ensure the safety of the people during this process. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers also became serious.

"Understood!"

With the mission explained clearly, the group became determined, boarded their vehicles, and set off towards their target location.

Gunfire continued on the battlefield, but the main force had already set up firing points along the way as it advanced, creating a passage that was not very safe but barely passable amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. At this time, various vehicles could be seen gathering on the passage.

These vehicles were of different models and mostly came from civilian organizations. They either took on missions for the safe zone or spontaneously responded to the call to go to this place to help the troops transfer survivors and transport ammunition and supplies. Sun Qi and his team's mission was actually to ensure the safety of these people along the route.

However, those who dare to come here possess a certain level of combat capability. Occasionally, one can even see large-scale convoys that appear to be quite organized and professional. These convoys either come from official logistics or are flying the flag of the Hunter Association.

Even with the support of firing positions along the line, it was not safe here. Zombies frequently infiltrated the transportation line. As soon as they entered their combat positions, the group immediately began dealing with any zombies that had escaped. Without a stronghold to rely on, fighting these zombies on the ground was indeed no less dangerous than before.

The team that set out from Hailing County was responsible for three shelters and a group of survivors who had voluntarily gathered in the danger zone. The rest of the team was assigned to other troops from various places.

The survivors they need to rescue may not be the most numerous, but they are the ones who have penetrated the deepest danger zone. They can even see the occupied area from here, shrouded in a crimson halo that rises and falls like ocean waves, which is particularly terrifying.

"Bang bang bang!!"

Several mutated zombies broke through the fire blockade, overturning a car on the spot. The next moment, Sun Qi, holding a machine gun, blasted the zombies into pieces.

The chain of trailing light grazed the car body, but thanks to the powerful control, it did not damage the car in the slightest.

"Sit tight and hold on, I'll help you lift the car up!"

Sun Qi patted the car window, then grabbed the edge of the car and forcefully lifted it back up.

"How's it going? You're not hurt, are you?"

The survivors sitting in the car seemed to be in great shock. The person by the window was a woman with an old wound on her forehead, and blood was seeping out from the haphazardly bandaged wound.

It couldn't really be called a bandage; it was just a strip of cloth torn from somewhere. Fearing her wound would get infected, Sun Qi shouted behind him, "Medic! Medic!"

"Someone is injured, come and re-bandage her!"

"No, no need..."

"fine."

Sun Qi smiled kindly: "Now that you're here, you're safe. If you have any problems, just let us know. It's alright."

"After your wounds are treated, hurry up and follow the convoy. The military will protect you along the way. Once we reach the safe zone, you'll be completely safe!"

The woman stared at him blankly, opening her mouth as if to say something, but was gently pulled back by her companion. Before she could even finish her thought, Sun Qi had already rushed off to the next battle.

"Who's injured? Let me see!" A medic had already come over after hearing the voice.

(End of this chapter)