hsntnovel Chapter 98 Strange Movement
Chapter 98 Strange Movement
Chapter 98 Strange Movement
The continuous explosions from the distant core area served as a constant reminder to Xu Mo that the industrial zone was far from safe, making him even more cautious about patrolling the G627 area under his responsibility.
Throughout the morning, the roar of bomber engines, a sign of devastating destruction, echoed three times. Each time, it was accompanied by the piercing shriek of falling bombs, the earth-shaking roar, and the subsequent rise of massive plumes of smoke symbolizing death and annihilation.
It wasn't until after the third bombing that Xu Mo vaguely sensed that the explosions in the core area seemed to have subsided somewhat. They were no longer the incessant, frantic roars, but rather intermittent, sporadic firefights, as if they were clearing out the remaining remnants.
Around noon, the rain subsided slightly, turning into a misty drizzle.
Xu Mo was patrolling when he saw the scavenger surnamed Feng from across the factory gate. His name was Feng Dayong, and he was someone Xu Mo had encountered while searching for his patrol area.
At this moment, Feng Dayong was also frowning as he looked towards the core area, his face full of worry.
Upon seeing Xu Mo, Feng Dayong spoke first, his voice thick with accent: "This commotion is terrifying." He wiped the rain off his face and lowered his voice: "I've participated in this mission twice before. The first two times there wasn't much of a commotion, but this time even bombers were dispatched three times. There must be something really big inside."
Xu Mo walked to his side, and across the narrow road, they both looked towards the sky that seemed to have been scorched by flames, and nodded: "That's quite a show of force. Brother Feng, you're an old hand, there wasn't this much commotion here the previous two times?"
"No," Feng Dayong shook his head vigorously. "The first two rounds of perimeter clearing were basically just going through the motions. We occasionally encountered one or two lone zombies, which we easily dealt with. This is the first time we've encountered something like today, and I feel uneasy. I have a feeling that something is going to happen."
Xu Mo understood his unease; unknown threats, far exceeding the ordinary, are always the easiest to trigger fear. He comforted him, "Perhaps the obstacles inside are just rather stubborn, and Jiang Cheng wants to speed up the cleanup. If we guard our own territory and act according to orders, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Feng Dayong sighed, "I hope so. You be careful, brother. I have a feeling of unease about this." After saying that, he patted the machete at his waist and retreated back to his factory area.
As Xu Mo watched Feng Dayong's retreating figure, his suspicions became clearer. Jiangcheng's massive mobilization, even resorting to repeated bombing raids with precious air power, indicated that the infestation in the core area was not merely a horde of ordinary zombies or common mutants. It was likely a single entity or group possessing an extremely high level of threat, one that conventional ground forces would find difficult to eliminate quickly.
In the afternoon, the rain intensified, and the torrential rain pounded on the tin roof of the factory, creating a noisy cacophony. Even the distant explosions in the core area seemed to be drowned out by the rain, becoming increasingly indistinct.
However, for some reason, the vague unease in Xu Mo's heart did not dissipate as the gunfire in the core area subsided. Instead, it slowly accumulated and spread, just like the gradually increasing rain.
It was an indescribable feeling. Xu Mo always felt that this abandoned industrial area shrouded in rain was brewing something.
Time passed in the monotonous patrols and the sound of rain, and darkness gradually fell. The arrival of night added an even more eerie atmosphere to this already gloomy factory area. Xu Mo was on high alert, using the beam of his tactical flashlight to conduct his routine night patrol within the factory area.
Just as he was patrolling near the third factory building where semi-finished products and raw materials were piled up, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunshots rang out suddenly, breaking the silence of the rainy night.
Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly stopped, his body disappearing silently behind a pile of rusty steel frames like a cheetah. The gunshot wasn't far away; it definitely didn't come from the distant core area. It was very likely from some nearby mission area.
Sure enough, just two or three seconds later, a hurried, slightly trembling male voice came through the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. In the background, chaotic footsteps and a low growl could be heard: "Calling command! Calling command! Area G650 needs support! Repeat, G650 needs support! We've encountered—we've encountered a strange zombie attack, very fast. Requesting support! Requesting support!"
"Command received. Hold your positions. Support team is on its way and is expected to arrive in five minutes." The familiar, relatively calm response from the command center came quickly through the walkie-talkie.
However, no sooner had the command center's reply faded than another, even more panicked male voice blared through the walkie-talkie, filled with utter terror: "Help—help! Area G649 needs—ah!!!"
A piercing scream came through the radio waves, followed by a tooth-grinding sound of flesh being torn apart, and a grunting sound that sounded like a wild beast gnawing at flesh. Then the communication abruptly stopped, leaving only the crackling noise of electricity.
That scream seemed to be a signal, a signal that ignited the fuse of panic.
"G648 has been attacked, number unknown, requesting backup."
"G647 was also attacked suddenly; they emerged from the sewers."
"G646 needs... Ah!!"
"G645—Bang bang bang—Retreat! Retreat now!"
"G.
""
In an instant, the public channel on the walkie-talkies descended into complete chaos. Terrified cries for help, the sounds of intense gunfire, desperate screams, and strange, never-before-seen, sharp or low growls mingled together, creating a chilling symphony of death. Panic, like a plague, spread rapidly along the mission area numbers, starting from G650 and heading towards Xu Mo's location at G627.
Xu Mo also frowned deeply.
"G650—G649—" Xu Mo quickly recalled the area distribution map he had roughly looked at when he received the mission. These areas that had been attacked were located to the side and rear of his G627 area, distributed in an arc.
At this speed—
"I'm in area G627, and it seems I'm about to be attacked by those so-called strange zombies."
Just then, the relatively calm voice from the command center rang out again, but this time, his speech was noticeably faster, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency: "Attention all personnel in Area G! Attention all personnel in Area G! We have encountered a small-scale horde attack! The situation has changed. Please immediately abandon your current posts and evacuate in groups to the bus rendezvous point! I repeat, evacuate in groups immediately!"
Return immediately? Or evacuate together?
A question mark instantly popped into Xu Mo's mind.
Why not send in the better-equipped and more well-trained military squads to take the lead and use their firepower advantage to eliminate the zombies rushing to the perimeter, instead of ordering all the scavengers on the perimeter to immediately abandon their positions and retreat? This is somewhat illogical, unless the "things" that are rushing in are so difficult for even the military to deal with quickly in the complex terrain, or their characteristics make holding out for reinforcements extremely risky, or even cause greater chaos and casualties.
However, there was no time for Xu Mo to ponder the reasons at this point. Especially in such a sudden crisis, obeying orders was the first principle of survival.
"Let's go back together—" Xu Mo glanced at the dark G628 factory area across the street, wondering if the guy surnamed Feng was still there. Without further hesitation, he didn't even bother to grab his sleeping bag from the office building. He picked up his AK47, loaded it, turned on his tactical flashlight, and dashed out of the factory gate.
Reaching the middle of the road, he immediately looked at the empty entrance of the G628 factory area across the street, with only the relentless pouring rain.
"An old bird is an old bird, he slipped away so fast!" Xu Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This Brother Feng's experience and sense of danger were indeed sharp. He probably made his escape the moment the command center issued the retreat order, or even earlier.
At this moment, the road was already filled with the panicked figures of scavengers running from other directions. Most of them were in groups of two or three, but there were also lone wolves like Xu Mo. Everyone was running as fast as they could towards the meeting point where the bus had stopped.
No one spoke; only heavy breathing, hurried footsteps, and the sound of rain mingled together, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
Xu Mo dared not delay and immediately joined the retreating crowd, running while vigilantly watching the darkness on both sides of the road. The chaotic cries for help and screams continued over the walkie-talkie, and seemed to be getting closer. The unknown "strange zombies," like a tide in the dark night, were rapidly surging in through the gaps between the factory areas.
Through the rain, shadowy figures appeared and disappeared in the gaps between factory buildings and in the darkness of the distance, approaching the retreating crowd at an alarming speed. Xu Mo glanced at them and immediately understood why the people on the walkie-talkie were calling them "strange zombies" in terror.
These shadowy figures weren't like the agile zombies he'd heard about or imagined, running on all fours like wild beasts. Instead, they were like normal people, standing completely upright and sprinting at an almost frenzied pace. They were incredibly fast, even exceeding the running speed of ordinary people, maintaining an eerie balance and swiftness on the muddy, slippery ground.
"Bang! Bang bang bang!"
Several scavengers with weaker mental fortitude were clearly terrified by the strange zombies. They ran in panic, firing wildly in the general direction of the shadowy figures behind them without looking back. However, accuracy was out of the question in this situation; most of the bullets flew off into the distance, with only a few hitting the factory walls or floor, scattering sparks and debris. They caused no real damage and nearly injured their companions to the side.
"With this kind of mentality, going out to scavenge is practically suicide." Xu Mo curled his lips. In a situation like this, panic and wasting ammunition are the most fatal.
"Brothers, keep an eye on the front for me, I'll handle the back."
After speaking, Xu Mo didn't wait for a response from the person in front of him. He turned around and started running backwards towards the pursuers. This move was extremely dangerous on the slippery road, but it was nothing to Xu Mo, who had exceptional body control. Holding up the AK47, Xu Mo, relying on his superhuman dynamic vision and muscle control, steadily aimed at the three strange dark figures rushing in front of him even as he was jolted backwards.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
Three crisp bursts of fire, almost perfectly timed, their muzzle flashes briefly against the rainy night.
In the distance, three sprinting figures fell to the ground. Two of them were shot in the head, instantly losing all momentum and collapsing to the ground, motionless. The third, possibly hit in the shoulder or torso, slumped to the ground, emitting a low, painful whimper that was neither human nor animal, struggling in place, temporarily unable to pursue.
"Beautiful!" Someone nearby exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Xu Mo's precise marksmanship.
However, the crisis was not over.
"Ah! There are some up ahead too!"
The scavenger running in the lead suddenly screamed.
Xu Mo felt a chill run down his spine and turned around. He saw a figure suddenly leap out from the shadow of an abandoned guard post on the side of the road leading to the rendezvous point, crashing straight into the flank of the retreating crowd.
Using the faint light from the distant rendezvous point and the afterglow of his tactical flashlight, Xu Mo finally saw the true face of this "strange zombie" clearly.
It largely retained its human form, but its skin was an unnatural, dark green, resembling seaweed, and its surface appeared to be covered with a layer of fine, sticky scales. Its face was severely deformed.
Its nose protrudes forward, its lips disappear, revealing jagged, sharp teeth, and its eyes are small and cloudy, gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.
The most peculiar thing about it is its hands. There seems to be a translucent, webbed membrane connecting its fingers, which makes its palms look exceptionally large and eerie.
The monster, which had been lurking there for an unknown amount of time, pounced like a ghost with astonishing speed. It directly tackled a middle-aged man who was running at the edge of the group and reacted a little slower, opening its massive jaws filled with sharp teeth and biting down hard on his neck.
"Crack!" A tooth-grinding sound of bone breaking rang out, and blood gushed out instantly. The middle-aged man only had time to let out a short whimper before he fell silent.
At the same time, the green zombie swung its sharp claws, slashing open the arms and shoulders of two scavengers who couldn't dodge in time. They cried out in alarm, clearly injured.
"court death!"
Xu Mo's eyes were icy, and his reaction was lightning fast. Almost the instant the monster pounced on the first person, he had already turned his gun. There was no time to aim carefully; he relied entirely on muscle memory—"Bang! Bang!"
Two precise single-shot bursts! One shot hit the back of the green zombie's head, and the other followed up with a shot to its temple.
The monster's movements suddenly froze, its gnawing stopped, the light in its tiny eyes quickly dimmed, and then it collapsed heavily beside the corpse it had bitten to death, its dark green, viscous blood mixing with the rainwater and flowing out.
"Hurry up! Don't stop!"
Xu Mo shouted sharply, startling everyone who was stunned by the sudden attack. Suppressing their fear, they ran even more frantically towards the rendezvous point.
The bus assembly point was now in sight, and it had changed dramatically. Several high-powered searchlights had been set up, illuminating the area around the parking lot as if it were daytime. Two wheeled infantry fighting vehicles were parked at an angle at the entrance, their heavy machine guns pointing menacingly into the darkness, exuding a reassuring aura of menace.
Dozens of fully armed soldiers had already set up a makeshift defensive position, standing guard with grim expressions. The scavengers who had arrived earlier gathered behind the position, still shaken, many of them slumped on the ground, panting heavily, their faces still bearing the marks of extreme fear.
Xu Mo followed the crowd into the illuminated safe zone, finally letting out a slight sigh of relief. He looked back at the industrial area shrouded in darkness and rain, and could still faintly hear screams and sporadic gunshots in the distance.
Tonight's evacuation was filled with eeriness and bloodshed, and those "strange zombies" with dark green skin and webbed fingers left a deep impression on him.