Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 89 Protection
Xiong Er pulled the trigger.

"Bang! Bang!"

A hundred meters away, the heads of two fanatics exploded, and their bodies collapsed limply.

The remaining fanatics remained expressionless, not even glancing back at their fallen comrades.

They moved swiftly, stuffing decoy grenades into the launcher and accurately launching them toward the recovery station.

One of them, through a broken window on the first floor, rolled into the center of the hall.

"Om-!"

Amidst the piercing buzz, pheromones spread, instantly igniting the horde's ferocity.

The horde of zombies spiraled out of control and surged toward the recycling center.

They trampled each other, just to get closer to that deadly source of attraction.

Several fanatical believers looked up at the clock tower, a triumphant smile on their faces.

The next second, they spread their arms and let themselves be overwhelmed by the surging horde of corpses.

Not even a scream was left behind.

Xiong Er cursed under his breath and grabbed the communicator.

"The zombie horde has changed direction! Run!"

But it's too late.

Thousands of zombies converged into a torrent, surging towards the recycling center.

Soon, they surrounded them completely.

In the basement.

Hua Xin realized something was terribly wrong as soon as she heard the first explosion.

The basement was not safe, and there were two other people upstairs who were completely isolated and helpless.

She shoved aside the clutter behind the door, grabbed an automatic rifle, turned to look at the crowd, and spoke with a resolute voice.

"Those who don't want to die, grab your weapons!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a heavy hammer blow.

Fear was spreading, but the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything.

Everyone quickly got up from the ground, grabbed their weapons, and rushed outside.

"Don't forget the ammunition, hurry up and move it up!"

Cole called to several members, who quickly carried boxes of ammunition up to the second floor.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of zombies poured in through the broken windows on the first floor.

The rotting limbs crowded together, leaving sticky trails on the ground.

They roared and charged straight to the second floor.

“Da da da da—!”

A barrage of gunfire erupted.

Hua Xin, Ke Er, and others used the narrow terrain at the stairwell to build a line of fire defense.

The rifle spat fire, and the scalding hot cartridge cases fell onto the concrete floor with a clanging sound.

The zombies at the forefront were riddled with bullets, their rotting flesh flying everywhere, but they couldn't stop the horde of zombies behind them.

"Hold on! Don't let them get up there!"

Gage roared, the rifle in his hand firing continuously, the barrel already getting hot.

in the room.

Watson had just finished changing a bottle of all-purpose vitamin solution and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He dared not move Zhuang Fan easily, for even the slightest disturbance could have serious consequences.

He grabbed the automatic rifle beside him, rushed out, and quietly closed the door behind him.

"I am coming!"

Watson's arrival solidified the defense.

After calming down from their initial panic, the group skillfully launched a counterattack.

But there were just too many zombies pouring in.

The stairwell was blocked by wreckage, and the zombies behind them stepped on the corpses of their companions to continue climbing upwards.

Worse still, enormous corpse monsters easily dug their claws into the concrete walls and climbed directly onto the outer walls.

"boom!"

At the top of the clock tower, Xiong Er calmly opened fire, blasting the head of a corpse monster to pieces.

He specifically targeted the big men because they posed the greatest threat to the defense.

"Decoy grenades!"

Watson shouted as he changed the magazine, the gunshots almost drowning out his voice.

"I have five left!"

Hua Xin stared intently at the zombies on the first floor, her face damp with sweat.

"Put them in drones! Send them all out!"

"it is good!"

Watson made a quick decision: "Gage! You take control and use them to relieve some pressure on the defensive line. It would be best to create a big commotion and draw the zombie horde away!"

"Roger that!"

Gage responded immediately, his fingers flying across the control panel.

The mechanical dogs were the first to activate, their backs fitted with automatic rifles, and they began firing wildly at the horde of zombies.

Immediately afterwards, ten drones roared out of the second-floor windows and activated their defense mode.

“Da da da da—!”

They fired precisely at the corpse monsters on the outer wall.

However, the red corpse birds circling in the air began to swoop down, shrieking as they crashed into the drone.

Three drones narrowly escaped, then flew over the horde of zombies carrying decoy grenades.

The zombies below were immediately drawn to the scene, causing a moment of chaos in their formation.

About half of the zombies were lured away.

Inside the recycling station.

Watson took out the two remaining high-explosive bombs and threw them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Boom——!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, the staircase was shattered, cutting off the zombies' path upstairs.

But this treats the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Even from the broken wall on the second floor, monsters continued to crawl in.

They are extremely resilient and very difficult to kill.

In addition, the zombies' wounds are slowly healing under the influence of the eerie fog.

Some severed limbs can even be pieced back together, allowing the person to stand up unsteadily.

They are practically immortal.

The group was in such a hurry when they came out of the basement that they forgot to bring fog lights, which caused the entire room to be covered in eerie fog, turning it into the monster's domain.

In this situation, fire is the only option.

Cole picked up the Molotov cocktail, but Watson stopped him.

"No, we can't set a fire here!"

His face was grave as he smashed aside a zombie that lunged at him with the butt of his gun and quickly explained.

"The space here is too cramped, we'll be burned alive. We have to break out and draw the zombie horde away!"

"Yes, let's burn it outside!"

Gage frowned: "But it's open outside, making it difficult to defend against the Red Corpse Birds."

“You have to give it a try!”

Hua Xin volunteered: "I'll lead a team out, who among you will go?"

"Count me in!"

"I am coming too!"

Five or six members stepped forward.

They would rather die in the open than be trapped here.

Watson nodded emphatically at her.

Without further hesitation, Hua Xin took a running start and leaped out of the second-floor window, landing steadily on the roof of the adjacent warehouse.

Others followed.

After Hua Xin regained his footing, he threw a decoy grenades into the distance.

The piercing buzzing sounded again.

Nearly half of the zombie horde below was instantly attracted, changed direction, and surged towards the warehouse.

"Fire!"

Dense lines of fire intertwined into a net, pouring down on the horde of corpses below the warehouse.

The zombies piled up layer upon layer, stepping on the corpses of their companions, and soon formed a writhing little mountain.

Countless rotting arms reached upwards, trying to climb to the top of the warehouse.

"Buzzing—"

The drone swarm arrived in time and unleashed a barrage of fire on the mountain of corpses.

The barrage of bullets repeatedly shattered the zombies into pieces, and the mountain of corpses collapsed time and time again.

Cole leaned out of the recycling station window and threw down a box of Molotov cocktails one after another.

The glass bottle shattered amidst the horde of zombies, and flames spread rapidly, engulfing the zombies one by one.

Only when they are reduced to charcoal can they be prevented from reviving.

The pressure on the recycling center's defenses has been greatly reduced.

Inside the recycling center, Watson, along with a group of mechanical dogs, once again suppressed the horde of zombies on the first floor.

The broken window was completely blocked by corpses, preventing the zombies outside from climbing in for the time being.

The red corpse bird, circling in the sky, let out a piercing shriek and swooped down like lightning.

"Bang bang bang!"

The crowd immediately raised their guns and returned fire.

The drone changed direction and engaged in a fierce battle with the Red Corpse Bird in the air.

Flames and feathers flew together.

"boom--!"

A drone was torn to pieces and plummeted downwards, billowing black smoke.

One of the scavengers was unable to dodge in time and had his throat bitten off by a red corpse bird.

Blood spurted out.

"withstand!"

Watson led the rest of his men out and joined the warehouse defenses.

A hint of worry flashed across Hua Xin's face.

“Brother Ya is still inside…” “Don’t worry.”

Watson's voice was very low.

"The door is blocked, and there aren't many zombies inside."

Once they reached an open area, everyone felt less constrained.

Molotov cocktails were thrown one after another into the horde of zombies, and flames surged and spread.

Under the combined assault of the crowd, the number of zombies on the ground was reduced to less than two thousand.

But the red corpse birds in the sky are the real trouble.

Most of the firepower was forced to turn to the air to fight the swooping Red Corpse Birds.

The drones conducted precise shots from the air, dealing with the massive flock of red corpse birds.

One drone after another was shot down, turning into fireballs as they crashed to the ground.

"Come on! Let Master Xiong give you a good welcome."

At the top of the clock tower, Xiong Er threw away the sniper rifle that had run out of bullets and picked up a flamethrower.

He breathed a fire dragon at the oncoming flock of red corpse birds, burning the first dozen or so into fireballs.

When the battle reached a stalemate, Hua Xin made a decision.

She took a few steps back, then took a running start, leaped, and landed precisely in the distant truck.

When Watson saw her climb into the driver's seat, he instantly understood her intention and his eyes widened in fury.

"return!"

Hua Xin did not respond.

She placed the team's last remaining decoy grenade on the roof of the truck and then started the engine.

"boom--"

The engine roared loudly.

She drove the truck off, crushing the horde of zombies in her path and sending them flying in a bloody mess.

She then slowed down, letting the decoy bombs on the roof explode, drawing the remaining horde of zombies into the distance.

With the pressure on the warehouse defenses greatly reduced, everyone was able to unleash all their firepower to deal with the Red Corpse Bird.

Gunfire became sparse, and ammunition was being consumed rapidly.

Everyone was bloodthirsty, mechanically loading, aiming, and firing.

Blood splattered all over his body, numbness overwhelmed the panic.

Another hour passed, and the last red corpse bird fell to the ground.

The gunfire finally subsided.

The entire recycling center was a mess, inside and out.

Watson was soaked in sweat and collapsed to the ground.

The other survivors stood or sat, their eyes vacant, their faces smeared with blood.

In this battle, two of their members died, and three others were injured and needed immediate purification injections.

Xiong Er came down from the top of the clock tower.

He looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and reminded everyone.

"Burn the body quickly, the danger isn't over yet! The Apocalypse Cult could attack at any moment!"

"The Apocalypse Cult?"

Watson frowned: "Did they bring the zombie horde?"

Xiong Er nodded solemnly and began loading sniper bullets.

Watson clenched his fist: "Are you crazy? We didn't provoke these lunatics."

No one can answer this question.

They attached a huge excavator to the front of the vehicle and piled up all the scattered bodies together.

The zombies in the recycling center were all removed by the androids.

Finally, all the bodies were doused with gasoline and set on fire.

The raging fire illuminated the night sky, and the air was filled with a pungent, acrid smell that lingered for a long time.

A black airship glided silently by and hovered above the recycling station.

The nuclear group emblem on the side of the submarine made Watson's heart skip a beat.

A dozen soldiers descended from the sky in perfect unison.

When the leading officer landed, his tactical boots landed right next to a pool of sticky blood, just a hair's breadth away.

He moved away in disgust, walked up to Watson, and his tactical goggles swept across Watson's face.

"You're the ones who caused this commotion."

He used declarative sentences, without any questioning.

"Yes."

Watson nodded. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The officer didn't ask any more questions, but raised the scanner on his wrist and scanned Watson's iris and face.

Match failed, no record found.

The officer put down the scanner but did not leave immediately.

He walked into the recycling center, which was in complete disarray.

The remains have been cleared away, but dark red stains that cannot be washed off remain on the ground and walls.

The officer frowned, faintly smelling a mixture of blood and mold.

His gaze fell on the second floor.

Upon seeing this, a soldier stepped forward to ask for instructions.

"Sir, the stairs have collapsed. Should we send a drone up to check it out?"

"No need."

The officer's tone was full of impatience.

"A bunch of trash, dying in their own doghouse, nothing to see."

He waved.

"Collect the team."

The soldiers quickly assembled, boarded the airships, and soon disappeared into the night.

Watson leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

Two hours later, Hua Xin returned in his battered truck.

She walked into the recycling center, which was eerily silent.

The survivors leaned against the wall, exhausted, and no one spoke.

"boom!"

Another sniper shot rang out in the distance.

Everyone instinctively gripped their weapons, tensing up abruptly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after it was confirmed that Xiong Er had fired the shot.

Xiong Er came down from the top of the tower and walked up to Hua Sheng.

"We just sniped a sentinel from the Apocalypse Cult. They could attack again at any moment. Let's strengthen our defenses now."

"Oh, and buy me a few boxes of sniper ammunition and decoy grenades, and a lot more fuel for the flamethrowers too."

Hua Sheng nodded, his voice steady: "I have already contacted Mao Shanwang urgently, and he will be here soon."

Xiong Er grunted in response and said nothing more.

He carried his sniper rifle and climbed up another hill to change his sniping position.

At this moment, a member of the scavenging team stepped forward; her face was pale and her voice trembled.

"I...I want to quit. I'm scared."

Watson looked at her, his lips moved, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything to stop her.

In that instant, he thought of many things.

What would you do if the boss were there?

He might not be as silent as I am.

He might calmly observe them and, in the simplest of words, dissect the harsh reality of the wasteland—leaving would only hasten their demise.

But he will also provide a reassuring plan, a clear and feasible one, showing everyone the specific steps for tomorrow.

What it represents is order and hope.

Watson knew that the real difference between himself and his boss lay here.

He sighed inwardly and nodded.

Is anyone else leaving?

Then, two more members quietly stepped forward.

Watson did not try to keep them. He paid the three of them their full wages and gave them some food and water.

Hua Xin watched them leave this place of trouble, her cat ears perked up the whole time.

Afterwards, Watson distributed everyone's salaries without missing a single penny.

Looking at the faces that remained before him, he knew that no empty promise could compare to the most tangible fairness.

Trust is the cornerstone of all order.

He needed to use this method to tell the remaining people that as long as they were alive, no one would be abandoned.

Not long after, King Maoshan personally led a large caravan to arrive.

When he saw the devastation outside the recycling center, the smile disappeared from his round face for the first time.

"You're in big trouble."

Mao Shanwang looked at the craters all over the ground and fanned himself with a palm leaf fan.

"We're being watched. Shouldn't we consider moving to another location?"

"Is there a better place?" Watson asked.

Mao Shanwang thought about it carefully and shook his head: "I can't find a suitable refuge, they're all taken."

Watson was in a dilemma: "The supplies are all here, and the boss's situation is complicated, so we can't move them easily."

Mao Shanwang put down his palm-leaf fan: "I'll go check on him."

Watson and his sister exchanged a glance and agreed.

Mao Shanwang entered the room, glanced at Zhuang Fan lying on the bed, and frowned.

"His condition is indeed not good."

"It seems that there can't be any bumps or jolting."

Watson asked softly, "Old Cat, you're very experienced. Why don't you give us some advice on how to strengthen the defenses of this place?"

Mao Shanwang patted his round belly.

How much money do you have left?

"Less than 400,000 gold coins."

"That's barely enough, leave it to me."

　From now on, I'll combine two chapters into one, each 5 words long, which will make writing smoother.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)