Soon,
The three of them put on simple double-layer vests made of bent sheet metal that Merlin had found over the past few days.
A layer of cowhide was sandwiched between the two sheets of metal.
Although uncomfortable and ugly to wear, they did provide some protection.
Then, they put on oversized black coats over the metal vests.
Clang! Clang!
Merlin tapped Lami's abdomen, producing a dull metallic sound. A smile appeared on his face:
"Not bad. Ugly as it is, it's useful."
Lami poked Merlin's abdomen curiously with her finger. "It's so hard. Will this stop their bullets?"
"Probably not?" Yol chuckled and rubbed Lami's head. Merlin sighed: "It can only provide simple obstruction.
"Their high-quality firearms can likely penetrate this armor unless we get lucky."
Speaking of this, Merlin looked at Yol:
"For this breakout, Yol, your task is to carry Lami and our suitcase.
"Once we rush out of the barrier, hold Lami tight, don't look back, and run full speed in a serpentine pattern towards the back mountain."
Yol nodded seriously. "I know. But you be careful too. Bullets don't have eyes."
"Mmh, I understand."
Merlin said softly, "Take twenty grenades. Bring a rifle and the katana."
A moment later, looking at the ninety grenades strapped to his body, a sense of security rose in Merlin's heart.
He looked at Yol and said, "You two sleep now to replenish your energy. I'll wake you when it's time."
Yol nodded. "Okay, you take some time to rest too."
Merlin nodded. He watched Yol lean back on the quilt with Lami in her arms and close her eyes.
Merlin picked up a water bottle, took a sip, and then leaned back on the quilt, squinting his eyes to recover his physical and mental strength in a state of half-sleep.
From time to time, he took out his pocket watch to check the time.
2:10 AM.
Merlin got up, woke Yol and Lami, then went outside to briefly explain the follow-up work to Eric and the others.
He led them into the tunnel. Amidst Eric's group's shock, they reached the other end of the tunnel. Merlin retrieved the two booby-trapped grenades he had placed there in advance.
Then, a total of ten people arrived in the cellar under the ranch.
They rested there for a while.
When the time was about right, he led them into the orchard outside.
3:00 AM.
The time when sleepiness was heaviest.
Behind an earthen slope,
Everyone lay prone, covered with dry grass.
Yol and Lami were to Merlin's right, and Eric to his left. The moonlight tonight wasn't too bright or too dim. Merlin's pupils dilated, staring clearly at the barrier three hundred meters away.
There was a bonfire every hundred meters, and a simple tent beside each fire.
Merlin had observed over the past few days that there were four people at each bonfire, resting and keeping watch in shifts of two.
The spot where Merlin and the others appeared was close to the coast.
The defense in this area was the weakest, with only two bonfires, meaning there were only eight guards nearby.
In other words,
This was the safest place to break out.
At this moment, he handed a half-meter-long bolt cutter from his waist to Eric:
"We'll crawl over in a bit. I'll be responsible for keeping watch, you're responsible for cutting an opening in the fence big enough for us to pass through."
Eric nodded solemnly. Then, Merlin turned sideways and started taking grenades out of his backpack, saying to Eric:
"Three for each person. Hold them in your hands. When we rush out later, we will definitely be discovered. Use the grenades to buy us time to escape."
Seeing the grenades being distributed one by one, emotion flashed in Eric's eyes.
Over the past few days, they had almost exhausted all their grenades.
But now Merlin gave out twenty-one at once, showing his generosity.
However, seeing the three rows of grenades wrapped around Merlin's waist—at least thirty of them—the corner of Eric's mouth twitched: "Aren't you afraid of a stray bullet hitting you and setting them all off?"
Merlin's expression didn't change. "Thanks for the reminder, but I know what I'm doing."
Merlin glanced at the taped-together pairs of grenades on his body. The power of these combinations would surely be beautiful when the time came!
Looking at the quiet border line in the distance, Merlin said:
"Let's go! We're crossing."
As Merlin spoke, the group lay on the grass and slowly crawled towards the barrier under the cover of moonlight.
In the night sky,
Under the moonlight,
Amidst rustling sounds.
Everyone was a bit nervous, but perhaps because no survivors had attacked this area in the past two days, the guards weren't strict.
The group reached the bottom of the fence without being discovered by the soldiers.
Eric slowly moved to the wire mesh, swallowed, and began cutting the wires one by one with the large bolt cutters.
Merlin focused his gaze on the patrolling soldiers thirty meters ahead and to the side.
Before long, Eric whispered excitedly, "Boss Merlin, this opening is big enough for us to get out."
Looking at the hole Eric had cut in the wire fence, large enough for everyone to crawl through.
Merlin's gaze hardened. He pointed to the two patrolling soldiers not far away:
"Can you shoot those two patrols?"
Eric hesitated. "We aren't very good with guns. Our aim might be off."
Seeing this, Merlin, who hadn't expected much anyway, grunted in acknowledgment. "Then we rush it."
Saying this, he turned his head to look at Yol on his right. Yol looked back at him, her light orange eyes full of determination. Merlin nodded slightly at her.
Then he sprang up, bursting through the opening in the fence. Simultaneously, Yol, holding Lami, exploded into motion, closely following Merlin.
In that instant, Merlin pulled the pin and threw the cluster grenade in his right hand towards the soldier by the bonfire. The grenade hit the bonfire accurately.
BOOM!
The bonfire exploded instantly, sparks flying everywhere. Under the impact of the explosion, the soldier was blown away in an instant.
By this time, Merlin had already pulled the pins of two more grenades, throwing one at the tent and the other at the soldier who was lying on the ground in fear from the explosion.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The quiet night was shattered by the explosions. Seconds later, as Merlin and Yol rushed past the shattered remains of the bonfire, ear-piercing alarms rang out.
At this moment, Eric and the others also pulled the pins and threw their grenades into the surroundings.
Rumble! The roar of explosions filled the area, and the entire border line instantly went on high alert.
Merlin and Yol were sprinting towards the back mountain, looking at the forest appearing four hundred meters ahead.
Simultaneously, bullets began to fly from the guard posts on both sides of the border line.
However, within seconds, a scream rang out from behind the group. Merlin turned his head sharply and saw a young man fall to the ground twenty meters away, shot in the chest and abdomen. Merlin could only sigh inwardly. As soon as he turned back, more screams rang out.
No need to look back to know which unlucky soul had been hit.
Remembering Merlin's words, Yol bent over while holding Lami, her long legs driving her forward in a fast serpentine pattern.
She shielded Lami's head with her arms, running with all her might.
Meanwhile, Merlin followed closely behind Yol, throwing grenades continuously towards the direction of the incoming fire as if they cost nothing.
A series of BOOM! BOOM! explosions kicked up dust and smoke around them, providing excellent cover for the group.
Gradually, amidst the hail of bullets, the forest ahead grew closer. At this moment, Merlin's gaze sharpened, and he threw a grenade into the woods.
An explosion erupted from within the trees. Merlin accelerated abruptly, rushing past Yol.
Behind him, the others paused, eyes filled with horror, thinking there was an ambush in the woods.
Merlin quickly reached a soldier sitting paralyzed behind a tree, kicked him over, and stabbed his dagger into the man's neck.
He glanced at the man's loose trousers and smelled the foul odor coming from the surroundings, a guess forming in his mind.
At this moment, Yol caught up, asking vigilantly: "Ambush?"
Merlin noticed blood seeping from Yol's upper arm. Yol, sensing Merlin's gaze, shook her head:
"Just a graze from a stray bullet. It's nothing."
Black flames wrapped around his right hand as he pressed it on her shoulder to absorb the calamity. Merlin said quickly: "No ambush, but we shouldn't stay here long. Let's go."
Eric looked at Merlin with his mouth slightly open, but then saw Merlin and Yol rushing into the forest without looking back.
He looked at the blood seeping from his thigh, then at the three people beside him, and the empty space behind where no one else was coming. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice:
"Let's go too!"
Then, he led the three survivors to chase after Merlin.
Not long after, a group of soldiers rushed to the spot but stopped at the entrance of the forest.
One of them asked: "Pursue? Those infected have rushed into this forest?"
Another gritted his teeth and said: "They have grenades, are you going to chase them?
"Let's go back and report first!"
"Mmh, okay, let's go back and report. We can't abandon the entire quarantine zone just because a few little rats escaped."
With everyone's agreement.
Before long, they returned to the border line.
At this time, they looked at the three people left behind. Two had been shot dead, but the last one was only shot in the leg and abdomen, and luckily, no vital organs were hit, so he survived.
At this moment, the captured young man knelt on the ground in panic, shouting with all his might:
"I'm not sick! My Amber Lead Syndrome has been cured! Don't kill me, I really don't have Amber Lead Syndrome!"