The scenery in the pouring rain was obscured as if by a veil, making it difficult to see clearly.
The security room had been cleared, and inside was only a zombie that used to be a security guard.
On the wall hung police batons, riot control staffs, lassos, shields, and standard-issue helmets.
The helmets wouldn't provide ballistic protection, but they could guard against blunt force trauma.
“Captain, should we take these things now?” Wu Tian looked at the wooden shield in his hand and then at the fine steel shield, feeling a pang of desire.
During missions, he would call him Captain, maintaining a professional demeanor.
Lin Yuan tapped the shield twice and was surprised by how quiet the sound was. The thickness was also decent, not just a thin sheet.
“Yes, the sound of this shield doesn’t travel, and its protective capability is quite good.”
The two quickly switched to the steel shields. The wooden shields were too large, and for good protection, they were also quite heavy.
They then looked at the other weapons. Riot control staffs and similar items could be used now, but other things like police batons were less suitable.
Police batons were too short; they could be used to hit people, but against zombies, they were ineffective. They lacked sufficient stopping power. Hitting a zombie with one was like trying to tickle it.
The riot control staffs were made of stainless steel and made clanging noises when bumped. They would need to be wrapped with cloth before use. However, with the rain, they could be made to work for now.
Lassos could also be used, but these required a bit of training to be used accurately. They would be handed over to Wang Zhihai.
The helmets were not ideal. They hadn't brought the tactical goggles from the airdrop on this outing, only masks. Motorcycle helmets were more secure.
“Once we’re done packing, let’s get ready to move. We still have three more buildings to clear of zombies.”
Even though assault rifles without bayonets were useless without bullets, turning into mere fire pokers when fighting zombies, they had to maintain the habit of either returning them to the armory or keeping them in hand. They couldn't be placed carelessly.
Besides, carrying them on their backs didn't hinder their movement.
After a short rest, Lin Yuan and his team set off towards the three buildings to the south. These buildings were close to the central park of the residential area. Unlike Lin Yuan's location, they weren't on long slopes but were connected by several short paths, with lush green trees surrounding them.
The sound of leaves being hit by raindrops echoed in their ears again, like a chaotic symphony.
“Maintain vigilance towards the green belts,” Lin Yuan warned. They were in no mood to enjoy the rain; they had just dealt with a zombie that had suddenly emerged from a bush, and they were still a bit shaken.
These bushes, usually vibrant with greenery and birdsong, now resembled scenes from a horror game under the cover of the rain.
“Roar!” As expected, another zombie leaped out from the bushes.
“Captain, what is this zombie doing?” Zhao Anjing, startled despite being prepared, asked with a hint of confusion.
The zombie in front of them was looking around and lunging without finding a clear target, only grasping at air and rainwater.
“Looking at it, it seems to have been an elderly person before death, someone who already had hearing damage. Now, with the heavy rain, it can’t distinguish properly,” Lin Yuan shook his head and explained.
Then, he went up with his axe and put it to rest. It was best for the elderly not to cause trouble in front of the young; their former kind and gentle appearance was so much better.
“Let’s move faster. Our clothes can’t withstand being soaked by the rain for too long.”
Although their immunity had improved, they weren't invincible. In the apocalypse, it was best to avoid getting sick; illness could be devastating.
Hearing Lin Yuan’s words, everyone quickened their pace. These three buildings were not connected but were separate, all sixteen stories high.
Under the suppressive fire of Lin Yuan’s suppressed pistols, the zombies in each building fell like wheat stalks, one after another.
They didn’t even need to use up all their bullets to clear the zombies in the corridors.
They prioritized using melee weapons whenever possible; bullets were precious.
After clearing the corridors, Lin Yuan and his team went door by door on each floor, hoping to find survivors. However, after checking two buildings, there was no response from any survivors.
They had even used keys from the zombies, but no one was there.
“Captain, could it be that there are no living people in these three buildings?”
Lin Yuan sighed. He didn’t know either. The official map didn’t mark any survivors in these three buildings.
To be precise, within the half-county area around Lin Yuan, the official map only marked five locations.
“Keep searching. Perhaps someone is trapped in a bedroom or something, with zombies blocking the exit from the living room. We’ll come back tomorrow and open the doors one by one.”
Just as Lin Yuan and his team were about to leave, a crashing sound came from the third floor.
Something had hit the door!
“Quick, go up and see!” Lin Yuan said, then sprinted upstairs.
In less than ten seconds, he reached the third floor. A room on the left was shaking violently.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then took an axe from a nearby fire cabinet, just in case.
“Meng Nan, follow my orders from now on.”
“Understood, Captain!” Zhao Meng Nan stood ready with his authentic riot control staff, while Zhao Anjing held her spear in a defensive stance.
Holding the iron shield, he stood at the door of the vibrating room, crouching slightly in preparation to charge.
At this moment, the lock cylinder clicked.
Someone was opening the door.
Immediately after, a figure rushed out of the room. Lin Yuan, thinking it was a zombie, moved to block it.
“Get out of the way!”
The figure actually roared and tried to push Lin Yuan aside with its hands, creating an escape route.
Lin Yuan naturally moved aside because he saw another person inside the room struggling with a zombie, both wrapped in thick quilts, just like the one who had rushed out.
Seeing that the person inside was about to give up, Lin Yuan didn’t care about anything else and went up with an axe, beheading the zombie. Its head spun through the air several times before falling.
“Are you okay?” Lin Yuan reached out to help the person on the ground, and only then did he get a good look. Her long hair was greasy and matted into strands, her face was pale green, clearly malnourished, with hollowed cheeks.
But the person on the ground didn’t take his hand. Instead, she quickly removed the quilt wrapped around her, wound the rope tied to her pants around her right arm, and tears streamed down her face.
Lin Yuan finally saw it clearly: a row of bloody bite marks on her palm. His heart sank. Without time to ask how long ago she was bitten, he grabbed the fire axe he had just taken out and, disregarding her consent, swung it down at the bound limb.
“Ahhh!” Immense pain shot through her nerves, and an involuntary cry of agony escaped her throat, hoarse.
With Lin Yuan’s strength and the sharp fire axe, the arm was severed in one blow.
Only then did he see it was a woman, so thin she was almost skin and bones. No wonder he hit bone directly when he swung.
Large beads of cold sweat broke out on the woman’s face; the pain was unbearable and growing.
“Hurry, go back! Zhao Anjing, the medical kit! Quickly!” Lin Yuan, almost shouting, scooped up the woman who was on the verge of fainting from pain, carefully keeping her other hand away from the wound.
The man who had rushed out and was now being held by Zhao Meng Nan screamed like a woman, “What are you doing? She’s my girlfriend!”
Lin Yuan shot him a cold glance. Although this man looked a bit gaunt, his complexion was much better, at least better than the woman whose arm he had just chopped off.
Without further ado, he just told Zhao Anjing to spray hemostatic spray and wrap two bandages.
“Meng Nan, go get an umbrella from her place. Zhao Anjing, notify Wu Tian and the others to prepare to return. Today’s operation is over; we’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.”
The injured area was exposed to the outside; it was not good to be rained on.
Before Zhao Anjing could even go downstairs, Wu Tian and the others arrived.
They had seen Lin Yuan and his team rushing upstairs and had come down from another building.
“Captain, we’re here. Should we go back immediately?” Wu Tian looked at the woman, who had fainted from pain in Lin Yuan’s arms, without saying much, just sighing.
He approached and asked, “Could she be infected?”
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth, “I’m not sure. I don’t know how long ago she was bitten. I saw her being bitten and chopped off her arm in less than ten seconds. It’s up to fate.”
“Alright. I’ll keep an eye on you with my gun later. If she shows any signs of mutation, we’ll have to end her.”
“No problem. Oh, by the way, keep an eye on that standing man over there, Wang Zhihai. I feel something is off about him,” Lin Yuan felt this man had some issues.
Wu Tian had already gone to quietly instruct Wang Zhihai. The man who had rushed out was standing there like he was stunned.
Zhao Meng Nan had already gotten the umbrella. He put away his riot control staff and said softly, “Don’t just stand there, let’s go. Do you want to stay here and be eaten by zombies?”
He also felt the man was a bit heartless. His girlfriend was trapped inside, and he wasn’t helping, nor was he showing any concern, just standing there blankly. But people are prone to fear death; it was normal.
Although he didn’t like it, he had to admit it was realistic.
“Oh, okay.” He was still a bit shaken. Why did that man’s eyes look so terrifying just now?
He didn’t know that Lin Yuan’s gaze towards him at that moment was exactly the same as when he had repeatedly stabbed that crazy woman with a dining knife in the hallway.
If you yell and scream anymore, I’ll kill you, just like stabbing you a dozen times. Aren’t you afraid?
Of course, Wu Tian took the umbrella from Zhao Meng Nan and held it for Lin Yuan. The group, escorting the survivor, returned to Building One.
The rain was still heavy, and the pattering sounds drowned out the entire residential area.
The rainbow would eventually appear, but first, there had to be a downpour.