Wasteland Rebirth

The danger of staying here for too long was undeniable. The explosions and flashes of fire would soon attract the nearby zombies, and with ammunition running low, even a small horde could spell the end for the team. Chuxiang carefully wrapped the dragon head and placed it in his pack, while Song Jun hurried to search for a way to leave. The vehicles were destroyed, and the fuel supply was gone; the road ahead promised to be anything but easy.

Under the care of Zhang Jingyao, Su Yulian slowly regained consciousness. Though cold and aloof, she was not the kind of spoiled young lady who demanded everything. Upon learning of Xu Changtian's sacrifice, she experienced a deep sense of loss, and her expression, so full of sorrow, was heart-wrenching to behold. After Chuxiang checked the team's weapons, he approached Su Yulian.

"Miss Su," he said gently, "Before Xu squad leader passed, he entrusted me with the task of taking you and the dragon head to Beijing. I'm sure you understand the perilous journey ahead. However, please rest assured, I will do everything in my power. If you have any suggestions or concerns, feel free to voice them, and we can discuss them together."

Su Yulian shook her head. She was a woman who valued quality of life, but her Honda car had been destroyed. She was no child, and she would not waste time on unrealistic notions. Moreover, seeing Zhang Debing injured, Chuxiang was now the only one she could rely on. Although he was a stranger to her, Xu squad leader had entrusted him with the task, and she trusted his judgment.

Chuxiang had expected Su Yulian to make demands, but she simply accepted the situation, which earned her a bit of respect in his eyes. If she had behaved like a princess, perhaps he would have walked away in frustration.

Upon inspecting the weapons, Chuxiang discovered the situation was dire. The Type 54 pistols had run dry, as had the two Type 56 semi-automatic rifles. Even Song Jun's arrows were down to only three. Facing a zombie horde was now an impossibility—five or six zombies would be enough to overwhelm them.

Su Yulian had been injured, but fortunately, her arm was the only part affected, leaving her able to walk. Zhang Debing, however, had both legs wounded. Wang Bin was young, Zhang Jingyao was a woman, He Er was prone to hiding when trouble arose, and Zhang Hongbing lacked the skill and agility of Chuxiang or Song Jun. In short, the team was far from capable. Going to the copper city? At this point, survival was the priority.

Song Jun walked over with a dejected look on his face. "Chuxiang, there are no usable vehicles around here. Even those that aren't broken are out of fuel. The only thing left intact is the motorcycle, which was thrown by the rampaging bull, but it can barely carry two people. What should we do? Can we still make it to the copper city?"

Chuxiang scratched his head and replied, "We must go. It's our only way out. Staying here means certain death. Though we're out of weapons, at least we have some food left. You ride the motorcycle with Zhang Debing and Su Yulian, and we need to move quickly. If we wait any longer, the zombies will surround us."

Song Jun pointed to the long-tongued zombie lying on the ground. "What's going on? Did the zombies mutate?"

Chuxiang sighed. "Who knows? We'll find out. If more zombies like that appear ahead, we're done for."

Su Yulian refused to get on the motorcycle. The Qianjiang 250 was fine for one person, but two would make it too cramped. Since she could still walk, Chuxiang didn't insist. The team quickly set off, following the bypass road.

Wang Bin stayed close behind Chuxiang, while Zhang Hongbing stuck close by. To these two, being near Chuxiang and Song Jun felt like the only way to stay safe. Su Yulian and Zhang Jingyao walked in the middle, while He Er lagged behind.

Zhang Hongbing turned to Wang Bin. "Little monkey, what's in your bag? You treat it like your wife. Did you hide some gold in there? Let me have a look."

Wang Bin scoffed. "What do you think I am, like you? Always messing around with useless trinkets? This is a laptop my dad bought for me. I treat it like my life."

Zhang Hongbing frowned. "Forget about my trinkets. A fire burned them all up. I didn't dare go searching through the ashes for melted gold. And our food and water... Looks like we're in for a hard time again. But when I was searching for usable vehicles, I found a jewelry box. Let me show you—it's got a big, beautiful diamond ring in it..."

Chuxiang overheard and turned to Wang Bin. "Do you know about computers?"

Wang Bin nodded. Seeing that Wang Bin wasn't interested in his diamond ring, Zhang Hongbing tried to mock him. "I bet you can only play games, huh? You post-90s kids don't have any real skills. You can't compare with us 80s folks. I'll tell you, I used to crack QQ accounts and game IDs. I once made over ten thousand a month."

Wang Bin snorted disdainfully. "I've been writing Trojan programs since I was ten."

Chuxiang, intrigued, walked beside Wang Bin. "Oh, you're a computer expert? You can even write programs? Does that make you a hacker? I've always loved watching those high-tech crime movies. I really admire hackers."

Wang Bin smiled calmly, displaying a maturity beyond his years. "Being a hacker isn't that big of a deal. At first, you'd be excited to break into a server, but after a while, it's just like going to and from school. There's nothing interesting about it. You and Song Jun are my benefactors. If you want to learn, I can teach you anything. But without power, we can't do much."

Chuxiang clapped Wang Bin on the shoulder. "We'll find power eventually. Don't mention being benefactors—we're teammates. Unity and mutual help are the basic principles."

Zhang Hongbing grinned. "By the way, Chuxiang, I've been meaning to ask—Song Jun was in a shooting team before, but what's your background? How do you throw throwing knives so accurately? That's so cool. I want you to teach me. Next time a zombie shows up, I'll throw one right at it. Damn, maybe a pretty lady will notice me."

Wang Bin chimed in. "Yeah, Chuxiang, your expression when you killed that scoundrel Wang Bo was so calm. You've definitely killed before, right? I don't think someone without special training could pull that off. Are you a special forces soldier? Your shooting posture is nothing like Zhang Hongbing's—he's a total rookie..."

Zhang Hongbing wasn't happy and grabbed Wang Bin's collar. "Who are you calling a rookie? What's wrong with my shooting? You're so calm, and the car was about to explode, yet you were busy trying to grab a broken computer. If Song Jun hadn't saved you, you'd be dead by now."

Wang Bin shrugged off Zhang Hongbing's grip and ignored him. Chuxiang, however, was lost in thought, reflecting on his transformation. He knew what kind of man he had been before his death, but since waking up, he had become someone else. He had no memory of what had happened, but it was clear that something significant had occurred. His body had evolved, and now he was a master of firearms, combat, and even driving—skills that seemed to have always been in his mind. This wasn't normal. He needed to figure out what was missing from his memories. Perhaps he should ask Bai Xiaowei.

By now, the sky had brightened, and the open road gave them a better chance of spotting zombies before they got too close. Chuxiang quietly walked at the back of the group, pulling out his PDA. Though his query yielded no answers, the intelligent program, Bai Xiaowei, informed him that much of the relevant information had been sealed in the database.