26: Chapter 26 Dusk

base vehicle deployment progress: 32%.

Commander Lin Dong's peripheral vision swept over the flickering numbers on the panel, his finger resting on the trigger without letting go. The air in the B2 level of the underground garage was thick with the smell of concrete dust and engine oil. That twenty-two-meter-long silver-gray heavy truck was half-submerged in pale blue energy ripples; the front had already solidified, while the tracked rear wheels were still flickering between illusion and reality.

“Platoon Leader, they've stopped,” Wang Lei's voice came through the intercom, carrying a suppressed gasp.

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer immediately. In the upper right corner of his vision, forty-seven red light dots were stationary above the garage entrance ramp. Twelve of these dots had faint weapon icons around them—enemy data he had tagged via the panel three minutes ago.

【Prisoner Gang · Armed Personnel × 12】

【Equipment Stats: Shotgun × 5, Homemade Pistol × 4, Machete × 3, Unknown Firearm × 1】

【Threat Rating: Low-Medium】

【Remarks: No tactical coordination, intense emotional fluctuations】

“They haven't stopped; they're waiting,” Commander Lin Dong whispered, his gaze scanning the layout of the garage.

Level B2 was the lowest floor of the military camp's underground garage, with a ceiling height of 4.2 meters and a total area of about eight thousand square meters. The load-bearing columns were spaced six meters apart, forming a natural grid of cover. Their humvee was positioned behind a western load-bearing column, facing the entrance, with two bullet holes on the hood—remnants from their breakout half an hour ago. Thirty meters to the east, the base vehicle was stuck between two load-bearing columns while deploying. Within a three-meter radius around it, red alert-style radial patterns emerged on the ground; these patterns would flash each time a node was completed, emitting a low-frequency hum similar to a heavy machine starting up.

“They're waiting for it to get dark.” Communications Soldier Li Na leaned against the humvee's rear wheel, her voice weak but clear. Her left shoulder was tightly bound with a first-aid kit, and a palm-sized bloodstain seeped through the white gauze. “Rush out before dark... Platoon Leader Lin, I'm dragging you all down.”

Commander Lin Dong turned his head. Li Na's panel expanded in his vision:

【Li Na · Army Communications Soldier】

【Status: Gunshot Wound · Left Shoulder Penetration Wound】

【Health: 187/320 (Continuous -0.3/sec)】

【Blood Loss Critical Point: 120】

【Remaining Combat Time: Approx. 15 minutes (if no further blood loss)】

He remembered what this number meant—in fifteen minutes, without a blood transfusion or effective treatment, she would go into shock. And as for Type AB blood, not a single person in their group had it.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Commander Lin Dong withdrew his gaze, pulled a vial of morphine from his tactical vest, and threw it to the nearby senior private Zhang Qiang. “Inject half into her, save the other half.”

Zhang Qiang caught the morphine, his hands shaking. This armored soldier in his third year of service was only twenty-two, his face still holding a student-like greenness, but his eyes were now much heavier than when they had first met three hours ago. Back then, he was crying beside a stalled infantry fighting vehicle; now, he could give someone an injection amidst gunfire.

“Platoon Leader, what if they come down from both entrances at the same time?” Zhang Qiang asked in a low voice while injecting Li Na. “There are also two stairwells on Level B1 that lead to B2...”

“They won't,” Commander Lin Dong said, his gaze landing on the ventilation ducts at the top of the garage. “Look at their movement trajectories—all twelve armed personnel are concentrated at the main ramp entrance, no split forces. Either they're stupid, or...”

He didn't finish.

Or someone is waiting for a specific moment, and splitting forces would expose their tactical intent.

The base vehicle's progress bar jumped to 34%. The frequency of the energy ripples began to quicken, and subtle red lines started appearing on the vehicle body—the iconic livery of the Red Alert System was solidifying.

Twenty minutes ago.

“Platoon Leader! There's movement on the east side of the base vehicle!”

Commander Lin Dong had been in the depths of the garage clearing out the last few wandering zombies. Hearing Wang Lei's warning, he immediately abandoned the finishing blow and ran back with his combat knife in hand.

When he rounded a load-bearing column, he saw this scene: five men in prison uniforms were surrounding the base vehicle. Leading them was a 1.9-meter-tall bald man holding a crowbar in both hands, attempting to pry open the base vehicle's cabin door. Of the other four, two held knives and two held homemade powder guns, aiming at the humvee where Wang Lei was hiding.

【Strength-type Esper · Lv.5】

【Strength: 18 (+6)】

【Status: Supernatural Ability Active】

【Threat Rating: Medium】

【Weakness: Requires 2.3s cooldown after burst】

Commander Lin Dong's pace didn't stop. He raised his gun while running, placing the crosshairs on the chest of a prisoner holding a powder gun—but just as he was about to pull the trigger, the bald man suddenly turned his head.

Something was wrong.

It wasn't just turning his head; it was anticipation.

The bald man had dodged the moment the gun was aimed at him, his movements unnaturally fast. The 18 points of strength brought not just raw power, but also explosive speed. Commander Lin Dong's bullet grazed his ribs and hit the base vehicle's energy shield, stirring a circle of ripples.

“Damn it!”

The other two prisoners with powder guns immediately opened fire. Lead shot hit the load-bearing column, kicking up a spray of concrete debris, forcing Commander Lin Dong to roll for cover. By the time he found a new position, the five men had already retreated behind the garage's support pillars.

“Boss! There are soldiers here!” the bald man roared toward the entrance, his voice echoing in the cavernous underground garage.

Soon, the sound of footsteps flooded down the ramp like a tide.

In that instant, Commander Lin Dong saw the newcomers clearly: at least forty of them, most wearing blue-gray prison uniforms, a few in civilian clothes, holding a motley assortment of weapons—steel pipes, machetes, homemade spears, and several men holding shotguns clearly looted from somewhere.

Leading them was a thin, middle-aged man wearing a stained white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. His left hand held a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun, and his right—Commander Lin Dong narrowed his eyes—his right index finger wore a silver ring, the face of which flickered in the dim light.

【??? · Suspected Psychic Awakened】

【Unable to scan accurately】

【Threat Rating: Unknown】

【Remarks: Faint energy interference on this person】

“Officer,” the Man with Glasses spoke, his voice unexpectedly gentle, even carrying a hint of refinement. “My brothers here aren't very sensible; they've offended you. We just want to borrow a vehicle to get away. You see... this big guy, could you lend it to us?”

As he spoke, his eyes never looked at Commander Lin Dong but remained fixed on the base vehicle deploying behind him. Those eyes narrowed slightly behind the lenses, and in his pupils was a light Commander Lin Dong couldn't quite read—not greed, but... calculation?

“That's not a vehicle,” Commander Lin Dong said, not lowering his gun. “That's military equipment; you can't move it.”

“Oh?” the Man with Glasses smiled. “Why would military equipment be deploying in an empty underground garage? Officer, I haven't read many books, but I'm not stupid. This thing appeared out of thin air, didn't it? An Awakened One, right? We're the same kind of people, why the need for all this fighting and killing?”

When he said “the same kind of people,” his right hand subconsciously touched the ring.

Commander Lin Dong didn't respond. His peripheral vision scanned the surroundings: those forty-plus people had begun to spread out, forming a semicircle to surround them. Although they were spreading out without any tactical sense, the numerical advantage was there. And on his side—two soldiers, Wang Lei and Zhang Qiang, plus the heavily injured Li Na, with fewer than a hundred rounds of ammunition combined.

“Thirty seconds,” Commander Lin Dong suddenly spoke.

“What?” the Man with Glasses was stunned for a moment.

“I'll give you thirty seconds to take your people and exit the ramp,” Commander Lin Dong said. “After thirty seconds, I open fire.”

The Man with Glasses' smile froze for a second, then turned into a genuine laugh—the kind of laugh one has upon seeing interesting prey.

“Interesting,” he said, then took a step back. “Then let's see, after thirty seconds, whether your gun is faster, or my men are faster.”

He retreated into the crowd and whispered something to the bald man. The bald man nodded and led over a dozen men with machetes toward the flank.

Commander Lin Dong's gaze was locked onto that Man with Glasses. The moment the other turned around, he saw a flash of red light on the ring.

Then, the Man with Glasses vanished into the crowd.

Thirty seconds.

Commander Lin Dong didn't wait thirty seconds. He fired the moment the Man with Glasses disappeared.

The first shot hit the knee of the foremost armed prisoner, the second shot shattered another man's shotgun stock, the third shot—

The gun jammed.

It wasn't a malfunction; it was out of ammo.

“Retreat!” Commander Lin Dong growled, rolling backward at the same time. Wang Lei immediately opened fire from behind the humvee to provide suppression, while Zhang Qiang dragged Li Na toward the depths of the garage.

In the chaos, Commander Lin Dong saw the bald man rush toward the base vehicle again. But this time, the moment his hand touched the vehicle's energy ripples, he was flung back as if struck by an electric shock, falling three meters away.

The base vehicle emitted a low hum, and the numbers on the progress bar jumped to 35%.

A system prompt popped up in Commander Lin Dong's vision:

【Warning: Unauthorized unit contacting base vehicle】

【Automatic Defense Mechanism Activated · Low Power Mode】

【Next contact will increase to lethal power】

The bald man scrambled up from the ground, looking at his hand. His palm was charred black, emitting faint smoke.

“Witchcraft!” he roared, but didn't dare step forward again.

Just then, the Man with Glasses appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the bald man: “Go! Retreat for now!”

“Boss, that vehicle—”

“I said go!” the Man with Glasses' voice suddenly became shrill. The bald man shuddered and actually turned to run.

The forty-plus people retreated like a tide, vanishing into the shadows of the ramp.

Silence returned to the underground garage, leaving only the low-frequency hum of the base vehicle deploying and Li Na's suppressed groans of pain.

“They're waiting for it to get dark,” Wang Lei repeated Li Na's assessment, pressing the last bullet into his magazine. “The lighting in B2 was dim to begin with. Once it's dark, their night vision... wait, do they have night vision?”

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer. He crouched by the humvee, using a dagger to draw a simple floor plan of the garage on the ground.

“Ramp entrance, one,” he drew a diagonal line. “Stairwells from B1, two. Ventilation ducts, four, but the diameter is only sixty centimeters, an adult can't crawl through. Freight elevator, one, but the power's been cut for a long time.”

“So they can only come down from three directions,” Zhang Qiang chimed in. After injecting Li Na with morphine, his emotions were much more stable.

"Theoretically, there are three," Commander Lin Dong said. "But look at their attack pattern—forty-seven people, and they only came down the main ramp once. They retreated after just a probe. That Man with Glasses..."

He paused, remembering the look in the other man's eyes when he saw the base vehicle.

"He's observing."

"Observing what?"

"Observing our firepower, observing the base vehicle's reactions, and observing our weaknesses." Commander Lin Dong's dagger pointed at the humvee's position. "Li Na getting shot—he saw that. Our low numbers—he saw that. He's also calculating how much longer the base vehicle needs to deploy."

Wang Lei fell silent. After a few seconds, he asked, "Then what do we do?"

Commander Lin Dong stood up, walked to the back of the humvee, and opened the trunk. Inside was their entire stash from the armory: five full magazines (30 rounds each), a crate of Type 79 submachine gun ammo (200 rounds, though the gun was lost during the breakout), four Type 67 Grenades, two Type 84 Smoke Grenades, a bundle of military detonators, three cans of spare gasoline (originally intended for the humvee), several rolls of wire, and a car battery.

[Currently Available Tactical Resources]

[Lethal Force: Rifle Magazines ×5, Grenades ×4, Detonators ×12]

[Non-Lethal/Auxiliary: Smoke Grenades ×2, Gasoline, Battery ×1]

[Personnel: Commander Lin Dong (Lightly Wounded), Wang Lei (Uninjured), Zhang Qiang (Mild Stress), Li Na (Critically Wounded)]

Not enough.

Commander Lin Dong's brain was working at high speed. If forty-seven people rushed down from three directions simultaneously, even if they landed a headshot with every bullet, they only had enough ammo to kill a third of them. Not to mention that Man with Glasses—he still hadn't figured out the man's background.

A Psychic Awakened?

What was that ring?

Why couldn't his interface accurately scan that person?

The base vehicle's progress bar jumped to 41%. Time remaining...

[Remaining Time for base vehicle Deployment: Approx. 3.5 hours]

Three and a half hours. In three and a half hours, they had to use the strength of four people (one of whom was critically wounded) to hold at least three entrances and block the assault of forty-seven enemies.

Commander Lin Dong's gaze fell on those three cans of gasoline.

Then it shifted to the support pillars.

Finally, it landed on the ventilation ducts at the top of the garage.

An idea began to take shape in his mind. He started pulling up data on his interface, calculating rapidly:

[Garage B2 Level Data]

[Floor Height: 4.2m]

[Support Pillars: Reinforced concrete structure, diameter 0.8m, load-bearing threshold approx. 50 tons]

[Gasoline Combustion Temperature: 800-1000°C]

[Concrete Thermal Expansion Coefficient: Approx. 1.2×10^-5/°C]

[Structural Strength Decrease of Support Pillars after 10 Minutes of Heating: Approx. 15%-20%]

Not enough.

He looked at the roll of wire and the battery again.

"Wang Lei," he spoke, "do you know how to wire a circuit?"

Wang Lei was stunned for a moment. "I studied to be an electrician before enlisting. Why?"

Commander Lin Dong pointed at those support pillars. "If I splash gasoline on these pillars and light it, while simultaneously connecting the battery to the rebar—what are you trying to say?"

Wang Lei's eyes slowly widened. "Platoon Leader, are you saying..."

"The steel rebar inside reinforced concrete is conductive," Commander Lin Dong said, his voice as calm as if he were explaining a tactical manual. "The conductivity of concrete increases after heating. If we ignite it when they rush down and simultaneously apply electricity—"

"They'll be electrocuted to death?" Zhang Qiang interjected.

"Not necessarily to death," Commander Lin Dong said. "But it will break their formation. When they're in chaos, that's the time to harvest them."

What he didn't say was that the success rate of this plan was only forty percent. It required precise timing for the ignition, the electrification, and the enemy's charge speed. Moreover, the smoke from the burning gasoline would obscure their own vision, making precision shooting impossible in the thick smoke.

But forty percent was already better than waiting to die.

"Platoon Leader," Li Na suddenly spoke, her voice weak but clear. "That Man with Glasses... his ring, I think I've seen it somewhere before."

Commander Lin Dong turned his head.

Li Na's face was terrifyingly pale, but her eyes were bright. "The military-issued... biochemical crisis manual... there's a page that talks about... special items on Awakened One... that can interfere with electronic equipment... when my interface scanned him just now, the numbers were jumping..."

As she spoke, her head tilted, and she lost consciousness.

[Li Na's HP: 145/320]

[Comatose State · Decreased Metabolism]

[Blood Loss Rate Slowed: -0.1/sec]

[Estimated Awakening Time: Unknown]

Commander Lin Dong stared at that number for two seconds, then looked away.

"Prepare according to the original plan," he said, his voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Zhang Qiang, move her behind the innermost pillar. Wang Lei, help me set up the wires."

"Platoon Leader," Wang Lei suddenly stopped him. "That Man with Glasses, who exactly is he?"

Commander Lin Dong was silent for a second.

"It doesn't matter who he is," he said. "If he wants to steal the base vehicle, he has to die."

As he said this, his right hand subconsciously touched the military knife at his waist.

The hilt was still stained with black blood left over from killing zombies three hours ago.

By the time the sky grew dark, the base vehicle's progress bar jumped to 67%.

Commander Lin Dong crouched behind the support pillar closest to the ramp, staring at the entrance through his night vision goggles. Wang Lei and Zhang Qiang had already followed his instructions, splashing gasoline evenly on three support pillars. One end of the wire was connected to the battery, and the other was taped to exposed rebar—an interface they had spent two hours hammering and chiseling out.

[Setup Complete]

[Gasoline Combustion Range: 3m radius around the three support pillars]

[Electrification Voltage: 12V (Battery) × Step-up Device (Improvised) × 2 = Approx. 1500V]

[Effective Lethality Radius: Approx. 5m within the damp ground area]

[Warning: Friendly personnel must be insulated during electrification]

Commander Lin Dong checked his gear once more: four rifle magazines tucked into his chest rig, two grenades hanging from his belt, and smoke grenades placed in the most accessible spot on his right. The military knife was strapped to the outside of his left leg, its sheath already open to ensure a quick draw.

Wang Lei was behind another pillar thirty meters away, responsible for controlling the battery switch. Zhang Qiang was in the deepest part guarding Li Na, while also being responsible for detonating the remaining detonators at the final moment—that was Commander Lin Dong's last order to him:

"If we all die, the base vehicle must never fall into their hands."

When Zhang Qiang heard this order, his face went pale for a second, then he nodded.

68%.

69%.

70%.

Noisy sounds began to drift in from outside the garage. Footsteps, cursing, and the occasional gunshot—firing at them from time to time, as if driving something along.

Commander Lin Dong's pupils constricted slightly.

What were they driving?

The answer was revealed three seconds later.

First was the smell—a thick, putrid stench, the unique scent of zombies that Commander Lin Dong had become nauseatingly familiar with over the past seventy-two hours.

Then was the sound—low growls and chaotic footsteps rolling down from above the ramp.

Finally, the visual—

Over twenty zombies were being driven down the ramp, burning strips of cloth tied to their bodies. Firelight flickered in the darkness, illuminating the faces of the crowd behind them.

Leading them was that bald man, holding a spear, the tip pressed against the back of the last zombie.

The Man with Glasses stood beside the bald man, his right hand pressed against his ring, his lips moving slightly as if chanting something.

Despite being scorched by the flames, those zombies didn't attack the people within arm's reach. Instead, they charged straight toward the depths of the garage—toward the base vehicle.

Commander Lin Dong's heart gave a violent thud.

Mental control.

That Man with Glasses could control zombies!

[Abnormal energy fluctuation detected]

[Enemy Unit: Suspected Psychic Awakened · Lv.?]

[Ability Type: Primary Mental Manipulation · Can simultaneously control ≤20 F-rank units]

[Threat Rating: Recalculating...]

"Fuck!" Wang Lei cursed over the radio. "Platoon Leader, do we still light it?"

In a hundredth of a second, countless thoughts flashed through Commander Lin Dong's mind:

If he lit it now, burning these twenty zombies would be no problem, but the gasoline would be wasted. When the forty-seven people behind them charged down, they would have no second line of defense.

If he didn't light it, these twenty zombies would charge over. They would have to deal with them in close combat, which would not only consume bullets but also reveal their positions.

But if—

"Wait," Commander Lin Dong lowered his voice. "Let them in."

"What?!"

"Let them in! Let them pass through!"

Wang Lei didn't ask further. Obedience to orders was etched into his bones.

Over twenty zombies roared as they charged past the first row of support pillars, past the second row, and pounced toward the base vehicle—

The base vehicle emitted a low hum, the frequency of its energy ripples suddenly accelerating.

Then, those zombies stopped five meters away from the base vehicle.

They didn't stop on their own. It was the manipulation of that Man with Glasses—he controlled them to stop at the edge of the energy ripples, then turned them around to face where Commander Lin Dong and the others were hiding.

Reflected in the firelight, over twenty decaying faces turned in unison, orange-red light flickering in their hollow eye sockets.

The Man with Glasses' voice drifted down from the ramp, still gentle and refined:

"Soldier, I know you're there. I can't move this thing, and neither can you. Shall we talk?"

Commander Lin Dong's index finger rested on the trigger, unmoving.

The base vehicle's progress bar jumped to 73%.

The Man with Glasses waited for three seconds. Receiving no response, he sighed.

"Then don't blame me."

The ring on his right hand suddenly flared with light.

Over twenty zombies roared simultaneously and pounced toward Commander Lin Dong's hiding spot.

And behind them, forty-seven prisoners holding weapons swarmed down the ramp like a tide.

Reflected in Commander Lin Dong's pupils were the charging horde of corpses and the mass of dark figures behind them.

His right hand moved from the trigger toward the pull ring of the smoke grenade.

73%.

Still two and a half hours to go.

And the battle had only just begun.

[End of Chapter]