Chapter 4: The Armory

The expenses of running the safe zone were considerable, and they needed to go out for supplies regularly. Besides food, water, clothing, and daily necessities, there was also a need for gasoline, firearms, ammunition, and the like. For someone like Zhang Xingmin, naturally, he had been conscripted for these dangerous errands.

This time, yet another supply run was being organized, and newcomers like Zhang Xingmin and Lin Xiaofeng had to go—it was their initiation, their test of loyalty. No matter how tough Zhao Nana was, she was still a woman and ordinarily might have been excused, but unfortunately, she was one of the only doctors. In dangerous situations, she was indispensable, so she had to tag along.

Zhao Nana was actually eager to get out. After being cooped up in the safe zone for days, she felt like a fish trapped in a tank—one eyed by a thieving cat, at that. The world outside might be more dangerous, but it offered far more freedom.

As their vehicle left the safe zone and slowly made its way toward Jiangzhou’s city center, Zhang Xingmin and the others felt a surge of excitement. Although the city was even more dilapidated than a few days ago, filled with ruins, corpses, and bullet holes, remnants of its former prosperity could still be glimpsed.

Food and daily necessities were relatively easy to obtain; large supermarkets and warehouses still held stock, unattended and nearly free for the taking.

The real challenge was obtaining weapons. The current Federal Government, like most other nations in the world, prohibited civilian arms trade—a tradition said to date back to the twentieth century.

Normally, the main sources were smuggling and the black market—shady, secretive channels. Now, with transportation and commerce all but paralyzed, one might think the arms trade would have dried up, but instead, it was booming. With government institutions no longer functioning properly and their grip loosened, corruption flourished in related departments and factories, and the rise of organized crime only fueled this trend. All these factors combined to spur the post-disaster reconstruction of the military-industrial complex—but that was a story for another time.

This time, Zhang Xingmin and his group were simply going to rob an armory. Just a month ago, even the boldest wouldn't have dared attempt such a thing. But times had changed, and he had no time to mourn the lost era of peace and stability.

His most pressing concern now was survival. According to reports from a scouting team, the route ahead was fraught with danger. First, they had to pass through neighborhoods infested with monsters. Second, they weren’t the only ones eyeing this stash. Even if they managed to reach their destination, bringing anything back would be difficult: after the original guards had perished, the military had begun redeploying reinforcements.

In such precarious times, danger could strike at any moment. As they passed Jinshui River, disaster struck. Of their three trucks, one had just crossed when a worm-like monster shot out of the water, shattering part of the bridge. It seemed the structure could no longer bear the weight of the trucks.

To make matters worse, someone panicked and fired their gun. The noise drew more monsters and zombies, emerging from the water and nearby streets. In an instant, chaos erupted.

Facing the onslaught of monsters, the group had no choice but to fight and retreat—they would be courting death to stand their ground.

Zhang Xingmin’s truck had already made it across, so they simply pressed on. But the other two trucks had to find another route, taking them farther from their destination—at least forty minutes out of the way. Looking back, Zhang Xingmin saw a burly, fierce-looking man on one of the other trucks, swearing furiously: “Who the hell fired that shot? Trying to make things worse, are you? What were you doing, throwing a party? Don’t you know those creatures have sharp ears? If you’ve got a death wish, go die on your own, don’t drag us with you...”

Amused, Zhang Xingmin watched the man rant, but in the end, there was nothing to be done; they had to take the detour.

About an hour later, Zhang Xingmin’s vehicle reached their destination: a small military armory hidden inside a mountain in the city, the kind where the interior had been hollowed out.

Since their truck was at the front, and as planned, only expendable personnel were on board, they couldn’t proceed further and had to wait. To avoid detection, they drove the truck into a side road and hid it, forming a circle as they got out, ready for any surprises.

By the time the other two trucks arrived, dusk was falling, and they were far behind schedule. Judging by their battered state, they had fought hard to get here—there was still blood on the trucks, and some wounded were groaning in pain.

Seeing their sorry state, Lin Xiaofeng shuddered and said to Zhang Xingmin, “Brother Min, do you think we’ll end up like that one day? I don’t want to die.”

Zhang Xingmin nodded grimly.

Zhao Nana, on the other hand, was quick with her humor and teased, “Don’t worry, Xiaofeng! With your tender, juicy flesh, the little monsters would surely love you. It’ll be over in a snap—not even hurt a bit.”

Lin Xiaofeng shot her a sidelong glance.

As they bantered, the fat man who had been cursing earlier bellowed again, “What are you doing over there? Why are you all chatting? Got nothing better to do? Hey, you—doctor—get over here, I got bitten by one of those damn things, hurts like hell! The rest of you, start loading up—move it! What are you waiting for? Haven’t you eaten? Don’t be lazy...”

Hearing the call for a doctor, Zhao Nana hurried over. Lin Xiaofeng, annoyed by the man’s bluster, dragged Zhang Xingmin with him to help carry supplies.

Guns didn’t interest Zhang Xingmin much; the only time he’d held a real one was during his university military training. Lin Xiaofeng, by contrast, was ecstatic.

“Brother Min! Look—assault rifles, rifles, submachine guns, so many weapons...”

“AK-47s! Such vintage models, my favorite...”

“Over here—sniper rifles! So cool!”

“Wow, third-generation AI submachine guns, the latest unmanned tank—awesome.”

As he spoke, Lin Xiaofeng swallowed hungrily.

Seeing this, Zhang Xingmin quickly pulled him aside, signaling him to keep a low profile. Now was not the time to stand out; in a group of desperadoes who wouldn’t blink at killing, being too conspicuous was dangerous.

“Hurry up! Stay sharp! You two—get those crates from the east side and load them on the truck...”

Zhang Xingmin and Lin Xiaofeng bowed their heads and obediently went to lift the crates. They were heavy and awkward, hard to carry even between two people. But after just a couple of trips, they were interrupted by gunfire outside the warehouse.

Some grabbed their guns, alert and ready, while others panicked and looked for places to hide. Zhang Xingmin sneered at the cowardly rabble but mimicked them, picking up a gun—even if he barely knew how to use it.

Lin Xiaofeng, by contrast, was a natural—he picked up a gun, aimed, and shot an enemy right between the eyes.

Zhang Xingmin stared at him in disbelief. Was he really that good a shot? Could he have a military background? If so, his story about his father being a university professor and his mother a lawyer must have been a lie. But then, who didn’t have secrets? At least he’d just saved Zhang Xingmin—no harm done.

Lin Xiaofeng, proud of himself, turned to Zhang Xingmin, seeing that he was in shock.

“Brother Min! You okay? You’re a grown man, surely you’re not scared?”

There was a teasing tone in his words.

Truth be told, that last moment had shaken Zhang Xingmin—the enemy’s gun had been aimed right at him, and a bullet had whistled past his shoulder. But hearing Lin Xiaofeng’s playful concern, he put on a bold front. “Of course not! I’ve fired a gun before, maybe not as good as you, but I’m no slouch.”

As he spoke, Zhang Xingmin watched Lin Xiaofeng’s face for any reaction. There was none, so he figured Lin wasn’t hiding anything. In truth, Lin Xiaofeng was so caught up in showing off his marksmanship that he’d completely forgotten he’d ever claimed not to know how to use a gun.

Zhang Xingmin followed behind Lin Xiaofeng, the two moving in tandem—one facing forward, the other watching their backs—as they slowly relocated. It was a bit like a live-action game of capture the flag.

Soon they found a relatively safe spot to hide and observed the chaos from a distance.

“What now? Do we retreat?” Lin Xiaofeng asked for Zhang Xingmin’s opinion.

“What about Nana? We should bring her along,” Zhang Xingmin replied.

“I don’t know where she is. Maybe we should wait a bit longer.”

At that moment, Zhao Nana was crouched in the bushes across from them. She only knew how to use a knife, not a gun, so at the first sound of gunfire, she’d hidden herself, not daring to move. Finally, she spotted Zhang Xingmin and Lin Xiaofeng and felt a surge of relief—only for the two fools to walk right past her without a glance.

She waved—no response.

She tried mimicking a bird call; there was a reaction, but they couldn’t find her.

Are you both blind? In frustration, she started tossing small stones.

Thunk!

At last, one hit Zhang Xingmin on the shoulder. He looked over and saw Zhao Nana, wild and desperate, barely able to suppress a laugh. Lin Xiaofeng, noticing Zhang Xingmin’s signal, looked too, and the sight nearly brought him to tears of laughter.

The two pretended not to see her, then circled around and approached her from behind. Lin Xiaofeng gently tapped the despondent Zhao Nana on the shoulder and whispered, “Big sister Nana, were you thinking of us?”

She jumped in fright, but hearing the familiar voice, joy and relief washed over her, and she almost cried out—luckily, she was stopped in time.