44: Chapter 44 Blood and Data

The emergency lights in the underground garage sliced the entire space into fragments of light and shadow.

Commander Lin Dong crouched beside Li Na, his right hand pressed against the wound on her left shoulder; his palm could clearly feel the warm blood gushing out at an unsettling speed.

The bullet hole was about three centimeters below her collarbone and had not penetrated through—this meant the bullet was still inside her body.

"A through-and-through wound would be easier to handle than this," he murmured, as if talking to himself or explaining to the unconscious Li Na, "At least the bleeding channel would be straight."

The Conscripts behind him maintained a tactical formation, five of them guarding the three entrances to the garage.

In the distance, the cursing of the fleeing criminal gang could still be heard, gradually fading away.

But Commander Lin Dong knew that was only temporary—the other side had lost eleven men, and their leader, the Strength-type Esper, had his knees broken by him, but that white-collar Man with Glasses had escaped in the chaos.

This kind of person was more dangerous than a rampaging thug.

"Commander." The voice of Conscript #1 came from the fifth entrance, carrying the flat tone unique to system units, "Detected that the target's vital signs are dropping at an accelerated rate. Estimated time until complete blood loss is 17 minutes."

Commander Lin Dong did not turn back. He had already calculated it in his mind.

Li Na's panel hovered thirty centimeters above her body, visible only to him:

【Name: Li Na】

【Status: Near Death (Hemorrhagic Shock)】

【HP: 47/210 (Continually decreasing, -3HP/10 seconds)】

【Blood Loss Rate: 15ml/minute (Wound not compressed) → 8ml/minute (After compression)】

【Remaining Survival Time: 14 minutes 30 seconds (After compression) → Emergency blood transfusion required】

【Blood Type: AB】

【Note: Rh-negative rare blood type, inventory match rate 0.3%】

14 minutes.

Commander Lin Dong looked up toward the garage exit. The base vehicle had deployed to 78%, its massive silver-gray body slowly transforming, the low-frequency hum of the hydraulic system echoing through the underground garage.

The basic structure of the building could already be discerned from its outline—a square base, support pillars extending upward, and the energy core interface currently taking shape.

But the base vehicle did not produce blood plasma.

"System." He called out in his mind to the data panel that had suddenly appeared three days ago, "After the Barracks is constructed, do the summoned Conscripts possess complete physiological characteristics?"

【Answer: Red Alert units are composed of energy condensation + basic matter and possess a complete human physiological structure, including a circulatory system.】

"What about blood type?"

【Randomly assigned, consistent with normal human blood type distribution patterns. AB Rh-negative accounts for approximately 0.34% of the Chinese population.】

Commander Lin Dong closed his eyes.

5 Conscripts. A 0.34% probability. The mathematical expected value was 0.017 people.

"Have them report their blood types one by one," he opened his eyes, his voice as calm as if he were issuing a routine training order, "Starting with number one."

When Conscript #1 ran over, his tactical boots tapped out a rapid rhythm on the ground. He looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six, with a square face and wheat-colored skin from long-term outdoor training, and an old scar on his left cheek—a manifestation of the "background setting" bestowed by the system.

"Reporting, Commander. #1 reporting for duty."

"Blood type."

"Type A."

"Go guard the entrance."

"Yes."

Conscript #2 was younger than #1, still retaining a scholarly air about his features. Commander Lin Dong recalled that the system data showed these Conscripts' "memory templates" came from different backgrounds—there were veterans, workers, and fresh college graduates. The moment they were summoned, they knew they were members of the Red Alert Corps, knew they had to obey absolutely, and knew they could die for the Commander.

But they were also human. They had blood, flesh, and beating hearts.

"Blood type."

"Type B, Commander."

"Go."

#3. Type O.

#4. Still Type O.

On Li Na's panel, the remaining time was ticking down. 12 minutes. 11 minutes 30 seconds. 11 minutes.

Conscript #5 stood before Commander Lin Dong. He looked ordinary, the type you wouldn't notice if thrown into a crowd, his only distinct feature being that he was very young—he looked no older than twenty-two, his eyes still holding the callowness not yet smoothed away by the fires of war.

"Blood type," Commander Lin Dong asked. His voice was steady, but the hand pressed against Li Na's wound could feel his own heartbeat accelerating.

0.34%.

Conscript #5 stood at attention and answered, "Type AB, Rh-negative, Commander."

Commander Lin Dong did not speak.

He looked up at this young Conscript. The other's gaze looked straight ahead, without the pride of seeking credit, nor the fear of donating blood—only the calmness of waiting for the next order.

A mathematical expectation of 0.34%. The probability of a match in five samples was less than 2%.

But it was a match.

"What is your name?" Commander Lin Dong asked.

There was a momentary flicker in the Conscript's eyes. This was a question outside the system settings—the Commander did not need to know the names of individual units, only their serial numbers.

"Reporting, Commander. #5."

"I asked for your name."

There was a silence of two seconds. Then the young Conscript spoke, his voice a little lower than before:

"Zhang Chengliang. Commander."

Commander Lin Dong nodded. He handed the compression object on Li Na's wound to #4: "Continue to apply pressure, keep time, and report the blood pressure once every minute."

Then he stood up and walked toward the base vehicle. Deployment progress was 83%. The energy core module had already formed, its surface flowing with a pale blue light. He opened the emergency supply compartment—this was the initial configuration that came with every Red Alert base, and there should be medical kits inside.

Sure enough, there were.

Three standard military medical kits, each containing 500ml of saline, hemostatic powder, morphine injections, antibiotics, and—Commander Lin Dong tore open the label—a field blood transfusion set.

There were no blood bags. The transfusion set could only draw blood from one person and transfuse it directly to another.

He returned to Li Na's side with the medical kit. Zhang Chengliang was still standing in the same spot, his posture unchanged.

"Sit down," Commander Lin Dong said.

Zhang Chengliang sat down.

Commander Lin Dong tore open the transfusion set packaging, his movements as skilled as if he had done it a thousand times. He had learned battlefield first aid in the Reconnaissance Company, including field blood transfusions—a skill to save one's life in the event that medical evacuation was interrupted. He hadn't expected to actually use it.

"You might feel dizzy, nauseous, or cold," he inserted the needle into the vein of Zhang Chengliang's left arm, "Normal reaction. If you feel like you can't catch your breath, tell me immediately."

"Yes, Commander."

The other end of the transfusion set was inserted into Li Na's right arm. In the transparent plastic tube, deep red blood began to flow, exiting Zhang Chengliang's body and entering Li Na's veins.

Commander Lin Dong stared at Li Na's panel.

【HP: 37/210】

【Transfusion Rate: +8HP/minute】

【Expected Recovery Time: 22 minutes to reach safe threshold】

Enough.

Only then did he realize his back was covered in sweat. The temperature in the garage was less than fifteen degrees, but his combat uniform was already soaked through.

Ten minutes later.

Li Na's breathing had stabilized somewhat. The panel showed HP had recovered to 112, and the blood loss status had changed from "Near Death" to "Severe". Zhang Chengliang's face was somewhat pale, but his sitting posture remained straight, his eyes fixed on the direction of the entrance, maintaining a state of vigilance.

Conscript #4 was reporting: "Commander, no abnormalities at the east entrance."

"Received."

Commander Lin Dong sat beside Li Na, holding a small notebook in his hand—this had been his habit for the past three days, to hand-record key data from the panel. He trusted data, but he trusted backups even more. What if the system disappeared one day?

He had already recorded over a dozen pages in the notebook:

【Zombie F-Class: HP 80-120, Head hit coefficient 2.5, Limbs 0.2, Torso 0.3. Auditory radius 50m (stationary) ~ 200m (noise), Visual radius 20m (moving targets only)】

【Mutant Lv.3 Speed-type: HP 200, Movement speed 7.5 m/s, Weakness (Observed): Right hind leg tendon has a 0.3-second stiffness during high-speed movement】

【Gasoline explosion radius: 12m, Shrapnel kill radius: 25m, Equivalent coefficient: 1L gasoline ≈ 0.8 kg TNT】

【...】

Each piece of data was precise, cold, and emotionless. Just like Commander Lin Dong himself.

But what he was writing now was not this.

He wrote: 【Survivor Li Na, blood loss 1500ml, blood donor Zhang Chengliang (Conscript #5), blood transfusion volume 800ml, time 22:47-23:05. Blood type match. AB Rh-negative rare blood type, probability 0.34%.】

After writing the last few words, he paused.

Then he added a line of small text on the side: 【Out of five Conscripts, exactly one matched. Mathematical expected value 0.017 people.】

He did not write down what he was thinking at the time.

But the tip of his pen left a dot under that line of text, the ink bleeding out, like words left unsaid.

Li Na's fingers twitched.

Commander Lin Dong immediately put away the notebook and leaned over to check. Li Na's eyelids fluttered a few times, then slowly opened. Her pupils were unfocused at first, only focusing on Commander Lin Dong's face after a few seconds.

"Lin... Company Commander?" Her voice sounded like sandpaper scraping across a wooden board.

"Don't talk," Commander Lin Dong pressed down on her right hand as she tried to lift it, "You were shot, and you are currently receiving a blood transfusion. Keep lying down."

Li Na's gaze followed the transfusion set, seeing Zhang Chengliang at the other end of the tube. The young Conscript nodded at her, his lips somewhat pale, but he said nothing.

"He..." Li Na wanted to say something, but Commander Lin Dong interrupted her.

"His name is Zhang Chengliang. Conscript #5. Your lifesaver."

Li Na looked at that young face, her lips moved, and in the end, she only said two words:

"Thank you..."

Zhang Chengliang shook his head and replied in a somewhat hoarse voice: "Mission accomplished, Comrade."

Comrade.

The word made Li Na freeze for a moment.

She looked at the combat uniform on Zhang Chengliang that lacked any rank insignia, looked at his face that was no different from an ordinary young man, and suddenly realized one thing—

These people, these people "summoned" by Commander Lin Dong, what exactly were they?

They were like soldiers, but not from any army she knew.

They were flesh and blood, could feel pain and could die, yet they were absolutely obedient.

They had names, but usually only used serial numbers.

They would donate blood to save people, then say it was "completing the mission."

Li Na wanted to ask Commander Lin Dong, but she was too tired.

Her eyelids felt like they were filled with lead, and her consciousness began to blur again.

The last sentence she heard before passing out was Commander Lin Dong asking:

"On the criminal side, did anyone see the deployment process of the base vehicle clearly?"

"Report, Commander. During the battle, it was confirmed that the opposing side had a Man with Glasses who continuously observed the base direction for about 8 seconds before retreating.

This person did not participate in direct combat and was covered during the retreat by two armed personnel."

"Characteristics."

"Height about 172, slightly chubby, black-rimmed glasses, a tattoo visible on the right wrist cuff, suspected to be some kind of text symbol."

"Write it down." Commander Lin Dong's voice turned cold. "This person will be trouble."

The blood transfusion ended at 23:05.

Commander Lin Dong pulled out the needle, injected Li Na with an antibiotic, and then re-bandaged the wound with sterile dressing from the medical kit.

Zhang Chengliang sat in place for ten minutes before standing up; his steps were a bit unsteady, but he refused Commander Lin Dong's order to rest.

"Commander, I can continue to carry out the mission."

Commander Lin Dong looked at him and did not insist.

Units of the Red Alert Corps all had self-healing capabilities, and consumed energy could be replenished through eating and resting.

Eight hundred milliliters of blood would likely take two days to recover.

"Go to the No. 2 sentry post and relieve No. 4. Let him go eat," Commander Lin Dong said.

"Yes, Commander."

Zhang Chengliang ran away, his steps already steadier than before.

Commander Lin Dong walked to the side of the base vehicle.

Deployment progress 97%.

The main structure had taken shape—it was a small base covering about five hundred square meters, including the power plant base, the Barracks entrance, and the prototype of an unactivated Ore Refinery.

The silver-gray alloy surface shimmered with cold light under the emergency lights, with pale blue energy veins flowing at the seams.

He reached out and touched the wall.

【Red Alert Outpost Base (Level 1)】

【Building Completion: 97%】

【Activated Modules: power plant (pending connection), Barracks (pending connection)】

【Modules Pending Activation: Ore Refinery, Battle Lab (Locked), War Factory (Locked)】

【Current Energy Points: 320】

【Current Minerals: 0】

【Hint: Detected small Iron Mine (distance 8.7 km, reserves approx. 1200 units), suggest prioritizing construction of Ore Refinery and occupying the mining site】

1200 units of minerals.

According to the system conversion rate, it could build 12 Grizzly Tanks, or 60 Conscripts, or 3 defensive turrets.

But the mining site was in the east-southeast direction, highly overlapping with the position of that signal flare just now.

Commander Lin Dong opened the military map—this was one he had brought out from the military camp duty room, a paper version that wouldn't be affected by electromagnetic interference.

In the eastern suburbs of Beiling City, eight kilometers away, there was a small Iron Mine owned by the City Steel Group, with an annual output of 300,000 tons.

Next to the Iron Mine was the station of the Armed Police Mobile Detachment.

The signal flare had been fired from near there.

Three long and two short—the PLA standard distress signal, "Requesting support."

Commander Lin Dong's fingers rubbed across the map.

If there were still people alive at the Armed Police station, that was the best news—soldiers who had received formal training, complete weapons and equipment, and possibly communication devices to contact the outside world.

If what was alive were zombies, it was the best mining site, but also the most dangerous battlefield.

He did not rush to make a decision.

Three days of experience told him that the scarcest resource in the apocalypse was not bullets, not food, but information.

He turned and walked toward the Barracks.

The Barracks was a small three-story building, its appearance not much different from ordinary military dormitories—gray exterior walls, green doors and windows, with solar panels and antennas on the roof.

The only difference was the material: this was not cement or bricks, but the alloy composite material unique to the Red Alert base, with a strength five times that of ordinary building materials.

Commander Lin Dong pushed open the door.

The first floor was a hall and a canteen.

Long tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and tactical charts hung on the walls—these were automatically generated by the system, but the content was a real-life map of Beiling City, marking major streets, buildings, and high ground.

The stove in the canteen was connected, but there was no fuel or ingredients yet.

The second floor was the dormitory.

Eight-person rooms, bunk beds, with mattresses and bedding complete—all military green, folded like tofu blocks.

Commander Lin Dong knew that when the number of Conscripts increased, this place would be full.

The system would automatically expand the space, always maintaining a state where "every unit has a bed."

The third floor was the command room and communication center.

Commander Lin Dong went upstairs and pushed open the door.

There were two tables in the room.

One held communication equipment—it looked like a military radio, but more advanced, with a quantum encryption module.

The other was a tactical table with a projection-style sand table on it, which could display the distribution of units within five hundred meters around the base in real-time.

Commander Lin Dong walked to the communication equipment and turned on the power.

The green light lit up, and the device began self-checking.

He put on the headset and tuned to the public emergency channel.

In the three days since the apocalypse began, this channel had only contained repeatedly broadcast government announcements, fanatical religious prayers, and various distress signals.

But tonight, he heard something different.

"...static... Beiling Armed Police... static... requesting support... coordinates... static... we still have... 37 people... static... 12 wounded... static... surrounded by zombies... static... ammunition only left... static..."

The signal was intermittent, but the keywords could be heard clearly.

Commander Lin Dong immediately pressed the transmit button: "Distress signal received, report your unit's exact coordinates and current situation. Over."

Waiting.

Ten seconds.

Thirty seconds.

One minute.

There was only the sound of static in the headset.

He repeated the call three times, but there was still no response.

Commander Lin Dong took off the headset and walked to the tactical table.

The projection sand table had started, and with the base as the center, the terrain and units within a radius of five hundred meters were clearly visible—green dots were friendly units (5 Conscripts + Li Na + Commander Lin Dong himself), red dots were zombies (scattered in the surrounding streets, the closest one in the direction of the gas station, about 230 meters away), and gray dots were unknown units (3, located 400 meters northeast of the base, motionless).

400 meters northeast.

That was the direction the criminal group had retreated in just now.

Commander Lin Dong zoomed in on the sand table.

The three gray dots were distributed in a triangle, with a small distance between them, not like a combat formation, but more like—surrounding something.

He remembered that Man with Glasses, who had stared at the base vehicle for 8 seconds before retreating.

The gray dots persisted for five minutes, then began to move, heading due east.

That was the urban-rural fringe, and further east was the Iron Mine and the Armed Police station.

Commander Lin Dong stared at the movement trajectory of the dots until they disappeared at the edge of the sand table.

Then he took out a notebook and wrote on a new page:

【44th Hour Observation Record】

【1. Li Na is out of danger, expected to recover mobility in 24 hours】

【2. Base is about to be completed, construction of mining site can begin tomorrow morning】

【3. 3 unknown units in the northeast direction, suspected to be reconnaissance personnel of the criminal group, heading due east】

【4. 37 survivors at the Armed Police station, coordinates pending confirmation, communication interrupted】

【5. Man with Glasses, tattoo on right wrist, highly suspected to possess intelligence analysis capabilities, danger rating: medium-high】

After writing, he closed the notebook and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the night of the apocalypse.

No streetlights, no neon, only a few scattered flames flickering in the distance.

Occasionally, the howl of a zombie would come, then be blown away by the wind.

Commander Lin Dong looked to the northeast.

It was pitch black there, and he couldn't see anything.

But he knew that in that direction, there were 37 living soldiers waiting for support that they didn't know would come or not.

There was a Man with Glasses fleeing with the secret of the base vehicle.

There was an Iron Mine with reserves of 1200 units, which was the blood urgently needed by the Red Alert base.

And—he suddenly remembered one thing.

The coordinates of that Armed Police station were basically the same as the direction of the "gathering place" he had heard about from the deserters of the criminal group.

If the criminal group and the Armed Police encountered each other...

Commander Lin Dong closed his eyes.

In his mind, he began to simulate various possibilities: the worst-case scenario, the best-case scenario, and the most likely scenario.

Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes and walked toward the stairs.

Downstairs, the Conscripts were still at their respective posts.

Zhang Chengliang was sitting on the ammunition box at the No. 2 sentry post; his face was still a bit pale, but he held his gun very steadily.

Commander Lin Dong stood still beside him, looking at the night sky to the east.

"Commander?" Zhang Chengliang asked.

Commander Lin Dong did not answer.

He was waiting.

Waiting for dawn.

Waiting for the signal flare to rise again.

Waiting for that Man with Glasses to tell anyone who might become an enemy about the news of the base vehicle.

And in his mind, a plan was taking shape—after daybreak, split into two groups.

One group to go to the Iron Mine to scout the mining site and the Armed Police station.

One group to stay behind to reinforce the base and prepare to meet the next attack.

Because that Man with Glasses who escaped would definitely come back.

Bringing more people.

【End of Chapter】