Just as the situation grew desperate, a convoy appeared behind the zombie horde! Intense gunfire followed.
Rescue had arrived! Could it be the national army? From a distance, the vehicles looked like military-specific ones—those army-green large Jeeps!
"Mengshi SUVs? It's the army!" Canaan, who was far more knowledgeable about vehicles than I, recognized the model instantly.
We were saved! Morale soared instantly, and everyone grew exhilarated, brushing aside the earlier panic.
Though we were out of bullets, everyone carried sharp knives. Since we were behind the iron gate, we rushed forward, stabbing fiercely through the gaps at the zombie heads pressed against the bars. Putrid zombie fluids and blood splattered all over us, but with backup now, we fought with god-like courage.
Caught between our attacks, the unarmed zombie horde was torn apart like leaves in the wind! The bodies outside the compound piled up like a small mountain!
The battle ended quickly thanks to the weapons used by our rescuers. Unlike us, who fired pistols one round at a time, they unleashed full-auto suppression! They even had guns mounted on their vehicles—could those be the legendary machine guns? The kind Li Yunlong loved so much?
After all the zombies were dealt with, we cleared a path and invited the military vehicles into the compound. I counted—wow, twelve military vehicles!
But when the people inside stepped out, we were stunned. They weren't in uniform—they didn't look like soldiers at all!
The atmosphere grew tense immediately. If they weren't military, how did they have such powerful equipment? If they were post-apocalyptic bandits, our compound would be finished!
However, these people remained orderly after exiting their vehicles. They didn't move around recklessly but stood still, observing us.
Just then, Aze returned with his team. Seeing these people, a flicker of tension crossed his eyes.
A man and a woman stepped forward from the group. Both were tall—the man looked about 1.9 meters, and the woman stood over 1.75 meters, towering over everyone else.
"May I ask who's in charge here?" the man spoke up.
I nudged Sixth Brother. In a situation like this, I was sure he could take control. He'd seen his share of the world, after all!
Sixth Brother stepped forward. "I'm the person in charge here. Thank you so much for your assistance! May I ask who you are?"
His directness made my heart race nervously.
"I'm A-Qiang, and this is my girlfriend Ting-Ting. We're from Ayuan City, heading south. We heard the situation is better down there—at least the weather isn't as harsh." So the man was named A-Qiang.
Ayuan City was the nearest mid-sized city to our Bincheng. The route south from Ayuan indeed passed through our city.
"Your equipment is so professional. Were you formerly military?" Sixth Brother remained calm.
"Not at all. We're an advanced outdoor group from Ayuan City. Everyone here is part of our team. As for the equipment, one of our members is from the SWAT team. After the incident, he took us to secure these supplies. We were just passing through, looking for a safe place to rest for a few days and stock up on food when we saw the zombie horde attacking your compound. It was nothing—no need to thank us!" A-Qiang seemed proud. His height gave him a somewhat condescending demeanor, but we understood one thing: they were just passing through!
I knew a bit about outdoor groups. Most people were accustomed to comfortable city living, but a small group preferred enduring hardships in the wild, seeking survival methods in primitive environments to strengthen their resilient nature. I truly admired such people!
And now, standing before us, was clearly a group of outdoor enthusiasts.
"We entered Bincheng to find a suitable place to rest for a few days. The journey has been tough, but we won't stay long. There are 52 of us in total. I hope you have enough space? Don't worry—we promise not to disrupt your normal lives!" A-Qiang seemed to read our concerns and addressed them succinctly.
"That's great! This is Duo Duo—she'll arrange your accommodations. To thank you, we'll treat you to a warm home-cooked meal tonight!" Sixth Brother, reassured of their identity, relaxed and shook A-Qiang's hand.
"Brother, go freshen up and rest first. At dinner, you must tell us about your journey!" Sixth Brother tried to pat A-Qiang's shoulder, but the man was too tall, so he settled for patting his arm. I barely suppressed a laugh.
I assigned them to the lower-floor rooms in Units 1, 2, and 3 of Building 5. Those rooms had been emptied of supplies and were vacant. Other units had their heating cut off and were too cold to inhabit temporarily.
A-Qiang and his group went to shower and change. Given their journey, they likely rarely had such a safe place to rest.
Dinner time arrived. We sent only a few representatives to host A-Qiang's group. There wasn't any grand feast—we just cooked with what we had, mostly seafood, as other ingredients were scarce.
But they thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the rice—each person ate five or six bowls!
Of course, we provided beer—that was a must!
"Ting-Ting, could you tell me your story?" I sat beside her, constantly serving her dishes. She nodded gratefully, her mouth too full to speak. Heh.
"Sister Duo, thank you so much! Since the incident, I haven't had a proper meal!" Ting-Ting finally finished eating, patting her full stomach contentedly. She was tall and slim but looked sturdy, much like European and American girls.
"We figured out what was happening early on, unlike some who thought it was some mental illness outbreak—and got eaten!" Ting-Ting's beginning was similar to what I'd imagined. Preserving so many people likely relied on quick thinking and swift action.
"Our group had long planned a self-drive trip to Tibet, scheduled to depart the morning the incident happened. But that morning, heavy fog delayed our departure. We gathered at the designated spot as planned, checking our vehicles while waiting for the fog to lift. If it didn't clear by noon, we'd postpone to the next day."
"Then, suddenly, it happened! Several team members turned strange and started biting others. When we tried to intervene, we realized they weren't right—they acted like zombies from movies, attacking anyone nearby! In just a short time, over half of our 100-plus members were injured."
"Brother Quan, from the city's SWAT team, and A-Qiang, both experienced outdoorsmen and group leaders, immediately decided to drive the uninjured members to the SWAT team for help."
"Our gathering spot was remote but very close to the SWAT compound. The fog had mostly lifted by then, improving visibility. We reached the SWAT compound in under ten minutes."
"The compound gate was locked from inside, and the usual sentry was gone. Brother Quan called the office inside, and one of his colleagues came out to let us in. The compound was huge, so we drove our vehicles in too, after which his colleague relocked the gate."
"Once inside, we found only about a dozen people! Apparently, leadership had ordered most of the team to secure the municipal government amid large-scale chaos outside. They never returned, and the dozen left behind couldn't contact them—that's when they realized something major had happened!"
"After hearing Brother Quan's account of the dire situation outside, they tried contacting leadership for instructions but failed. The dozen young SWAT officers were at a loss."
"Brother Quan suggested distributing the equipment for self-defense, but his colleagues refused, citing discipline violations. As you know, Sister Duo, that's a serious matter—they didn't dare. We couldn't force them either, and few of us knew how to use guns! A-Qiang did—he's from a shooting club—and so did Brother Guan and Brother Li. Not sure about the others."
"They did allow us to shelter in the SWAT compound. They locked the gates, and we waited inside together. Even the SWAT team had lost command—I don't know what they were waiting for. Were they expecting the police to rescue the SWAT team? Hah…"
Ting-Ting chuckled scornfully here. Her personality seemed bold and assertive, and she clearly had little patience for rigid rule-followers.
After a few sips of beer, she continued.
"After waiting over a week, we ran out of the food we'd brought for the trip. The SWAT compound had little food either—they had a small cafeteria, but these young officers usually ate out, so it was barely stocked!"
"Plus, the building was freezing—the heating had stopped."
"Brother Quan discussed with his dozen colleagues: since leadership was unreachable and no one cared about their survival, they couldn't just wait to die. They had to find a way out. Finally, they decided to take all the military SUVs, equipment, and ammunition and head south! Find a safe, warm place to build a refuge. You know, Sister Duo, up north, winter lasts half the year. Without heating, it's unbearable! In that regard, the south has an advantage!"
"When we left the SWAT compound, the streets were full of zombies, but some roads were clear. To save time, we didn't raid large supermarkets for supplies but stocked up from unmanned small shops and stores along the way. Since we were always on the move, we mainly needed food. There were plenty of shops and supermarkets in the cities anyway."
"This journey has been exhausting—no proper sleep or baths until today! Sister Duo, your place makes me feel like nothing ever happened!" Ting-Ting's tone held a hint of sadness here.
But I could tell this girl was exceptionally tough. Her arms were muscular—she must've trained regularly.
"Where are you headed?" I suddenly felt very concerned about their destination. Perhaps one day, we might need to seek refuge with them.
"Not finalized yet—Yunnan, Hainan? We'll see how far we get. The road is long; we've barely started. Sister Duo, would you like to come with us?" Ting-Ting asked abruptly.
I smiled wryly. "Of course I'd like to. If you'd asked yesterday, I'd have refused to leave. But after today's battle, I realized our perceived safety is only relative. There's no guarantee we won't be overrun someday. It seems nowhere is absolutely safe now."
"But we have too many people here. Moving everyone isn't realistic—this isn't some joyful caravan trip. We have over a hundred elderly and children. They couldn't survive leaving here. We must stay to protect them!"
Ting-Ting studied me carefully before asking again, "Sister Duo, we have limited spare seats, but if I invited your family of five to join us, would you consider it?"
Honestly, I was tempted for a moment. This group was clearly formidable, and most importantly, they weren't bad people! They were the most capable survivors in this chaotic world—well-equipped, skilled, and heading to the refuge Ting-Ting described. How appealing!
It wasn't for myself—I always thought of my little Shuai Shuai and my parents. If someday we lost utilities, heating, and safety… I couldn't bear to imagine what my baby would endure.
But I couldn't!
Although my husband and I had refused to lead the compound, everyone still looked to us as authorities. They trusted us not only to provide safety but also to protect them wholeheartedly.
How could we abandon everyone and leave? I'd never be able to eat another meal in peace!
"Ting-Ting, thank you, but everyone in this compound is my family. I can't leave," I said firmly, having made my decision.
"Sister Duo, if you change your mind, you're always welcome to join us!" Ting-Ting looked somewhat resigned.
I patted her arm affectionately. "Come, I'll have another beer with you. Get slightly drunk and sleep well tonight