Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 52 Team
Zhuang Fan didn't move, nor did Hua Sheng.

The air froze for a few seconds until the figure in the darkness slowly stood up and emerged from the shadows.

It was a girl, petite in stature, wearing a faded gray outfit.

A layer of soft, short, orange and white fur covered her bare skin, and she had a pair of cat ears on her head and a gently swaying tail trailing behind her.

Her face retained the delicate features of a human, but her cheekbones were higher, her nose was flatter, and her lips were thinner.

These features combine to create a bizarre beauty that lies somewhere between humans and felines.

She is Hua Xin.

The girl held the pistol high, her voice tense:
"who are you!"

"Sister, is that you?" Watson's voice trembled with uncertainty.

"You are."

"It's me, Watson!"

The girl's body stiffened, and her emerald cat-like eyes widened suddenly as she stared intently at the unfamiliar face before her, both confused and wary.

Zhuang Fan then realized that the two of them were still pretending.

He opened the briefcase, peeled off his nano-skin, and revealed his true form.

Watson immediately did the same, removing the disguise that belonged to "George" from his face.

When Hua Xin saw her brother's familiar face, her vigilance instantly crumbled.

"elder brother!"

She rushed over, sobbing, and threw herself into Watson's arms.

Watson wanted to say something, but his throat was blocked, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense for months, finally settled down.

Zhuang Fan stood aside, watching the brother and sister reunite without disturbing them.

After a while, Hua Xin's emotions gradually calmed down. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked at Zhuang Fan.

"Brother Wuya, thank you."

"This is what I should do."

Zhuang Fan's gaze swept across the warehouse, which was in complete disarray.

The few fog lights he had left behind were all shattered, and darkness swallowed every corner.

"What happened here? What about those people outside?"

"I do not know."

She shook her head: "I listened to you and stayed here without going out. Later, I heard strange noises outside, and soon, that group of people broke in."

Her voice trembled as she tried to recall.

“As soon as they came in, I opened fire, but there were too many of them. They smashed all the fog lights and tried to drive me out.”

"As soon as the light broke, I felt something explode inside my body. It hurt so much, my bones felt like they were going to break. When I came to my senses, I was already like this."

She paused, looked down at her short-haired hands, and saw blood on her claws.

“When they came in, they tried to carry me away. My mind was in a mess, and all I wanted to do was tear everything apart. My body was also much more agile than before.”

Hua Xin's face paled slightly: "There were five of them. I... I scratched four of them, and one ran away."

Scratching, what an elegant way to express it.

Zhuang Fan could understand her current anxiety. It's always uncomfortable to feel this way for the first time, but you'll get used to it after a while.
When did this happen?

Hua Xin thought for a moment: "About two hours ago."

He nodded, and seeing that Hua Xin was still shaken, he whispered to comfort her, "It's okay, you were defending yourself, you did a great job."

Afterwards, Zhuang Fan walked out of the warehouse, squatted down, and carefully examined the corpses.

The weapons were machetes and iron-pipe pistols, and they were in very poor condition.

The clothes were typical of a scavenger, patchwork of different fabrics, badly worn, and covered in mud.

He discovered that on the back of these people's clothes was a huge arm bone pattern sprayed with white paint.

He had seen this pattern more than once in other landfills.

Clearly, he was being watched when he left.

However, this group did not expect that there was another girl in the warehouse, and she was very powerful, so they were unable to take her down in time.

Zhuang Fan gave her two handguns and a modified surveillance rifle, which could be aimed at the gate and fired in full automatic mode.

“The enemy is organized, and its size is unknown. Now that one of them has run away to inform us, I'm afraid they won't let this go easily.” Zhuang Fan stood up, his voice deep: “We must leave here as soon as possible.”

Watson realized the seriousness of the problem. He glanced at the warehouse and said, "Brother Guangtu, this piece of land..."

"If people are saved but land is lost, then both people and land will be saved. Let's burn it all."

The three of them took immediate action.

They looted everything of value from the warehouse; Watson was in charge of carrying sacks, and Hua Xin was in charge of carrying the guns.

Zhuang Fan dragged the four corpses into the warehouse, then set them on fire. Flames shot up, black smoke billowed out, and crackling sounds filled the air.

After doing all this, Zhuang Fan mobilized the little bit of eerie mist in his body to stir up the remaining eerie mist around the warehouse.

In particular, he completely absorbed the unique, eerie mist that belonged to Hua Xin.

He didn't believe that a demon general-level being would appear in such a place, nor did he believe that any human being besides himself could perceive the subtle differences in the eerie mist.

But it's always better to be careful than to make a big mistake.

After everything was taken care of, the three turned and disappeared into the wilderness.

Half an hour later, the three stopped at a relatively safe, deserted ruin.

Looking at the brother and sister in front of him, Zhuang Fan knew in his heart that it was time to lay his cards on the table.

The relationship between the three of them has reached a crossroads. Whether they will separate or stay together, they must find a clear direction.

The choices his siblings made will determine which response plan he should implement next.

"What are your plans next?" Zhuang Fan asked.

"Intend?"

Watson stood still.

Previously, in order to escape from prison, he had become accustomed to following Zhuang Fan's detailed arrangements. Now that he was truly free, he didn't know what to do.

He glanced at Hua Xin; both of them looked somewhat bewildered.

In this wasteland, few people think about tomorrow, except for trying to survive.

Now that Hua Xin has become a cat-person, she probably doesn't even have the right to live. Wherever she goes, she will become a target for hunting.

"Brother Guangtu, I don't know."

Hua Xin, standing to the side, silently grabbed her brother's clothes. Her attitude was clear: wherever her brother went, she would go.

Watson raised his head, his gaze finally settling on Zhuang Fan, and tentatively asked:

"How about... my brother and I continue to follow you, and we'll do whatever you ask us to do?"

Hua Xin nodded quickly, her face full of hope.

Looking at the brother and sister struggling to survive in the wasteland, Zhuang Fan's tone became serious: "Since that's the case, I'll be frank with you."

He laid out his entire plan.

"I need to stay near Linhai City to confirm the whereabouts of a family member, whether he is alive or dead, I need to know."

"During this period, I will work hard to scavenge, earn money, and arm the team."

That strange ability to "turn trash into gold" was enough for Zhuang Fan to accumulate assets in a very short time.

"I also have a regular partner named Maoshanwang. He's quite reliable, Huaxin, you should know that."

Hua Xin nodded.

"But the problem is..."

Zhuang Fan's tone turned serious: "My current identity is very sensitive. The Nuclear Group has issued a warrant for my arrest throughout the city. If you follow me, you will be in great danger."

"So you need to think carefully about whether you want to get involved in my troubles. Think it over carefully, don't force yourself."

He looked into their eyes and said, word by word, "If you want to leave, I'll give you some money, enough to settle down somewhere else."

Watson looked grave.

"Brother Guangtu, I have only one question."

"You said."

"You'll take care of our meals, right?"

Zhuang Fan looked at them, and after a long while, slowly made a promise:
"Enough food."

"That's fine then." The two siblings laughed.

(End of this chapter)