Chapter 151
Chapter 151
Ganxi.
Inside an abandoned house, several people dressed in gray-green uniforms were scattered throughout the room.
Outside was a vast expanse of white snow. It was a little warmer indoors, but only a little. The cold still seeped in through the cracks around the doors and windows, swirling through the room.
Beside the window, a sharp-featured woman was speaking into the radio in her hand.
She wore a thick military greatcoat with its collar turned up, concealing half her face. But it could not hide her eyes. They were bright and piercing, like a hawk’s.
“Snow Mountain.” She lowered her voice, though it retained its commanding tone. “Keep searching by satellite. Find out where the nearby airdrops are.”
The other end of the radio went silent for a second. Then an irritated female voice replied, “There aren’t any.”
The woman frowned and clicked her tongue. When she spoke again, her tone had changed, carrying a hint of ingratiation.
“Think of something.”
The woman on the other end, codenamed Snow Mountain, was even less polite.
“Haven’t I thought of enough solutions for you this past month? Go ask Senior Colonel Liu.”
The woman leaned back against the wall, her lips curving into a shameless grin. “I’m begging you. My dad isn’t nearly as capable as you. You’re the only one I trust.”
The other end fell silent. Several seconds passed before the voice returned, now tinged with resigned amusement.
“Don’t let the senior colonel hear you say that. I’m afraid he’d beat me to death.”
The woman said nothing. She merely smiled.
“All right.” The voice on the other end turned businesslike. “Actually, I’ve already put in a request for a helicopter for you. Just hold out for a few more days.”
The woman’s eyes lit up.
“But stay alert,” the other woman continued, her tone turning grave. “A rift opened over at Xiangjiang too. It’s been sealed, but we don’t know how many Madmen escaped. I have to go.”
Bzzzt–
The radio went silent.
The woman stared blankly at the small device in her hand for several seconds.
“Wait…” she murmured at last, so softly that she seemed to be talking to herself. “You didn’t use your own military merit to get that request approved, did you…? Idiot.”
She fell silent for a moment, then tucked the radio into her pocket and looked up.
The others in the house were still in their original positions.
Three had their eyes closed, taking the chance to rest. Two others stood by the door and window on watch, their vigilant gazes sweeping across the snowy ground outside.
There were also two younger soldiers, a man and a woman, who had their heads lowered as they talked to a child sitting between them. They appeared to be bickering.
The female soldier spoke animatedly, gesturing wildly with her hands.
“Listen to your big sis. There was this other time too. When he saw your Great-grandpa Liu, his legs started shaking so badly! I almost died laughing…”
The male soldier beside her rolled his eyes. “As if you weren’t shaking too. Don’t listen to her. Let your big bro tell you a joke instead.”
The child between them was a little girl of seven or eight. She was bundled up in a padded coat that was clearly far too large for her, leaving only her tiny face exposed. As she watched the two soldiers’ exaggerated antics, a stiff smile appeared on her face.
The female soldier paused, then immediately reached over and kneaded the girl’s cheeks.
“You should smile more, kiddo. You walk around with that long face all day–you really do take after your grandpa.”
The woman’s name was Liu Yan. She was twenty-nine years old and held the rank of Major. She had formerly served as Deputy Company Commander in the reconnaissance battalion of the 73rd Group Army’s Southeast Sword Special Operations Brigade.
Her codename was Goshawk.
She was the Captain of this hastily assembled search team.
The team consisted of twelve people: five veterans and seven recruits. Their mission was to locate Senior Colonel Fang Jingzhi, Fang Shuyao, Zhou Yaping, and Zhou Ya’an, then bring them back behind the lines.
Aside from the tracking signal on Zhou Yaping, which occasionally showed movement, Senior Colonel Fang, Sister Shuyao, and Xiao An’s signals were either completely still or had vanished altogether.
Liu Yan’s temples throbbed. The conclusion in her heart was on the verge of surfacing-there was likely no explanation other than death.
But… she couldn’t accept that.
A gentle, beautiful face appeared in her mind. She slowly lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows beneath them.
Before the apocalypse broke out, she had just completed a six-month overseas infiltration exercise. Her performance had been rated “perfect.”
Before she left, Sister Shuyao had personally promised that she would throw Liu Yan a welcome-home celebration the moment she returned.
Now Liu Yan was back, but she hadn’t even had the chance to say, “I’m back.” And now, she might never get the chance.
Lost in thought, she felt someone gently nudge her shoulder.
She turned her head. It was one of the soldiers resting nearby, watching her. He was a few years older than her, with a scar across his face that made his smile look a little vicious. His codename was Wild Wolf, and his real name was Sun Huan.
“Goshawk,” he asked, “what are you thinking about?”
Liu Yan shook her head. “Nothing.”
Sun Huan studied her with eyes that seemed able to see right through her. “Still thinking about Leopard?”
Liu Yan fell silent.
Leopard’s real name was Yang Liao. He had been the helicopter pilot for their search team.
That day, after finally bringing Zhou Yaping back safely, they had rushed to rendezvous with the helicopter–only to nearly be wiped out.
No one knew when Yang Liao had become infected. Even less had anyone imagined that an Infected who had already gone mad would deliberately use the radio to lure them back by making them think it was safe.
When they returned, all they found were severed limbs scattered across the ground–and Yang Liao, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he grinned savagely at them.
Sun Huan gently patted her shoulder. “We all volunteered for this. We were prepared to die before we ever came.”
He looked at the comrades who were still bickering, then at the child among them. “Besides… Major Fang practically raised all of us. His granddaughter is naturally our little sister too.”
Liu Yan murmured an acknowledgment, but her mind remained fixed on something else.
Had that grenade killed Yang Liao?
If it hadn’t–if Yang Liao, now a Madman, was flying that helicopter…
What would the consequences be?
A helicopter. A Madman who knew how to fly, roaming the skies over Jiangxi. Life would become even harder for every survivor in the area.
Liu Yan withdrew her gaze, stood, and clapped her hands.
Everyone looked over. The three who had been resting with their eyes closed opened them. The two keeping watch turned around. The man, the woman, and the child also stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
Liu Yan’s expression turned solemn. “Get ready. Snow Mountain requisitioned a helicopter to take us back.”
The room went silent for a second.
Then the female soldier was the first to leap to her feet. “Really?!”
The male soldier broke into a grin. The two on watch exchanged a glance, smiles tugging at their lips. The three who had been resting sat up straight, their faces lighting up.
Only the child showed no reaction, merely blinking as she watched them.