"Be extremely careful when you go out tomorrow," Gu Xun looked at Lu Zhao, his eyes filled with unmasked concern. "Don't stick your neck out. Come back alive."
Lu Zhao nodded firmly. "You too. In the Inner Zone... protect yourself."
With separation imminent, the unknown dangers and inescapable constraints weighed heavily on both of them like never before. Within this prison called "Hope," they would have to be more cautious than ever to find a glimmer of survival.
Before dawn the next day, Lu Zhao awoke to the shrill piercing of a whistle. He silently followed the other conscripted survivors toward the eastern assembly point. Gu Xun, meanwhile, was led away by two guards with stony expressions, bound for the Inner Zone's towering wall that separated two worlds. As they parted, the two exchanged only a glance—a silent understanding that spoke volumes.
Lu Zhao's search team was led by a brutish squad leader. Its members were mostly "disposable assets" like him—possessing offensive abilities—or ordinary individuals with formidable strength and fierce gazes. Their mission was to venture twenty kilometers beyond the base to an abandoned town, scavenging any usable supplies: food, medicine, metal, even undamaged books.
The mission was tedious and perilous. The town teemed with zombies, and occasionally they encountered troublesome mutants. Lu Zhao, relying on his increasingly precise wind blades and agile reflexes, saved himself from danger several times and even rescued a teammate who was nearly knocked down by a zombie. But he remembered Gu Xun's warning and refrained from showing off his abilities, barely fulfilling the squad leader's orders.
Yet, while searching a pharmacy, disaster struck.
A deafening explosion erupted from the pharmacy's depths, followed by a teammate's piercing scream and a wave of scorching heat!
"Fire! A massive fire!" "Ambush! Retreat immediately!"
Lu Zhao's heart sank. He caught the familiar, savage scent of flames in the air.
It was Jiang Jin! He had tracked them down! And now, he was actively attacking the base's outbound squads!
Chaos erupted instantly as the squad scrambled toward the exit. Amidst the retreat, Lu Zhao glanced back toward the pharmacy entrance. A figure, engulfed in flames and eyes wild with madness, flashed past. That gaze, filled with hatred and search, seemed to pierce through the chaotic crowd, locking firmly onto him.
Jiang Jin was forcing the base, forcing Gu Xun, to reveal himself through this method.
News swiftly reached the base: the outpost team had been attacked by an unknown fire-type psionicist, suffering casualties. Panic spread among the lower-level survivors, yet the base leadership's reaction was intriguing.
Inner Zone, a heavily guarded office.
"General, that fire-type psionicist roaming the outer perimeter possesses an exceptionally high energy level and immense destructive power. We've already lost three search teams." A man in a crisp uniform reported respectfully.
The man addressed as "General," facing away from him, studied the massive base layout on the wall. His voice was low and gravelly: "Find him. Monitor him. Capture him alive if possible. Such potent offensive abilities... hold significant research value. Or, he could become a useful blade."
"Yes, sir. What about... that new healing-type? He seems to be with that wind-type kid outside."
"Control him. His abilities are useful to us. Keep a close eye on him. If necessary, he can be used as bait."
Meanwhile, Gu Xun's days in the inner zone were far from easy. He was confined to a cramped but clean single room, his movements restricted solely to designated medical and dormitory areas, always under constant "supervision."
He was required to treat injured elite squad members and select inner zone administrators, depleting his abilities in exchange for meager rations and this limited "privilege." He could clearly sense the undisguised exploitation and control in the eyes of his watchers.
After treating the squad leader's burns one day, he overheard nurses whispering: "...That arsonist outside seems to specifically target squads with wind-type abilities... It's downright unnerving..."
Gu Xun's heart clenched sharply. Jiang Jin's targets had always been him and Lu Zhao. He was now trapped in the inner zone, while Lu Zhao faced Jiang Jin's madness and the base's dangerous missions outside.
Though sharing the same base, they were separated by high walls and rank, each bearing distinct pressures and perils. Jiang Jin's shadow hung over them like the Sword of Damocles, while the base itself bared its cold fangs. They were like insects trapped in a spider's web, struggling desperately to find a crack to escape.