51: The treacherous roads of the neighboring county conceal unpredictable dangers; the clash between good and evil reveals the true nature of humanity.

Chapter 53: Perilous Journey in the Neighboring County Hides Deceit, Good and Evil Clash to Reveal Human Hearts

Three days passed in a flash, and the 2000 soldiers of the Assault Regiment were ready to go.

Five transport planes loaded with supplies roared over Dawn City. On the ground, the Blade Squad, wearing Bone Armor Power Armors, formed neat formations. The Awakened Ones vanguard stood at the front of the team—Wang Hu, a Strength Awakened One, had bulging veins on his arms; Lin Yan, a Speed Awakened One, moved as lightly as a swallow; and Chen Hao, a Perception Awakened One, closed his eyes, concentrating on sensing every rustle within a five-hundred-meter radius.

Lin Zhou stood on the command vehicle, looking at this brand-new unit, and shouted in a deep voice: "Depart! Target: Qingyang County! Remember, we are going to clear out zombies, but more importantly, to rescue survivors! However, human hearts are unpredictable. In this apocalypse, some devils in human skin are even more terrifying than zombies!"

The roar of the battle vehicles shook the earth, and the Assault Regiment's convoy, like a steel dragon, sped towards the neighboring county.

According to the intelligence sent back by the Scout Soldiers, the zombie density in Qingyang County was not high; only a small horde of zombies occupied an abandoned factory in the south of the city. Lin Zhou divided the troops into three routes: one led by Wang Hu, responsible for clearing out the factory zombies; one led by Lin Yan, to infiltrate the county town and rescue survivors; he, along with Chen Hao and the remaining troops, would command from the rear.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.

Wang Hu's team advanced like a hot knife through butter. The flamethrowers of the Bone Armor Power Armors spewed raging flames, instantly incinerating ordinary zombies into ash. In less than half a day, most of the zombie horde in the southern city factory was cleared. Lin Yan's team also reported good news: they found over twenty trapped survivors, mostly elderly and children, in the old residential buildings in the county town.

But just then, Chen Hao suddenly opened his eyes and spoke with a solemn expression: "Regiment Commander, something's wrong! Three kilometers to the northwest, there are a large number of human heartbeats, and also... faint zombie roars. The two are mixed together, as if they are... confronting each other?"

Lin Zhou's heart sank, and he immediately ordered: "All troops assemble, follow me to the northwest!"

The battle vehicles sped along, and when the team arrived at their destination, the sight before them made everyone's eyes burn with fury.

It was an abandoned granary, its gate tightly locked. Outside the wall, a dozen ordinary zombies wandered aimlessly. Inside the wall, hundreds of survivors huddled in corners, each one gaunt and emaciated, their eyes filled with fear. In the center of the granary, a dozen burly men, armed with machetes and iron rods, were punching and kicking a thin young man. Leading them was a Bald Man with a cruel face, and under his foot, a heavy bag of rice.

"Kid, still daring to hide food?" The Bald Man sneered, kicking the young man in the chest. "I told you, everything in this granary belongs to me! If you want to live, you have to obey!"

The young man curled up on the ground, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, but he still gritted his teeth: "That's everyone's food! You hid all the food, and the elderly and children are starving to death! What's the difference between you and a zombie?"

"Difference?" The Bald Man seemed to have heard the biggest joke. He bent down, grabbed the young man's hair, and placed a machete against his neck. "The difference is, I can make you die a worse death than a zombie!"

The zombies outside the wall seemed attracted by the commotion inside and began to violently smash against the gate. The dull thudding sound was like a drum, making the survivors tremble.

"Commander, save... save us!" In the corner, a woman holding a child cried out, her voice hoarse.

Lin Zhou's face was as cold as frost. He raised his hand and waved: "Assault Team One, follow me to rescue the people! Assault Team Two, guard the gate and kill all approaching zombies!"

"Yes!"

The battle vehicle crashed through the granary gate, and a harsh metallic screeching sound erupted. The Bald Man suddenly turned his head. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes when he saw the fully armed soldiers, but it was quickly replaced by greed. He yanked the young man in front of him, held the machete to the young man's throat, and roared at Lin Zhou: "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll kill him!"

The burly men behind him also raised their weapons, their faces contorted in a ferocious but outwardly brave expression.

"Put down your weapons, surrender, and I can spare your lives." Lin Zhou's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Spare our lives?" The Bald Man burst into maniacal laughter. His gaze swept over the Bone Armor Power Armors on the soldiers, and a fervent light flashed in his eyes. "If you want to save them, you can! Leave your armor here and give me a hundred crystal cores! Otherwise, I'll die with this kid!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the survivors on the wall let out cries of despair.

Just then, the young man being held suddenly struggled violently. He used all his strength to bite the Bald Man's wrist. The Bald Man cried out in pain, and the machete loosened slightly. The young man seized the opportunity to break free and lunged towards Lin Zhou.

"Seeking death!" The Bald Man's eyes were bloodshot. He raised the machete and chopped down fiercely towards the young man's back!

At that critical moment, Lin Yan's figure flashed by like a ghost. Her speed was extreme. The instant the machete fell, she kicked the Bald Man's wrist. The machete flew out of his hand, landing heavily on the ground.

Wang Hu followed closely. His fist slammed out like a sledgehammer. The Bald Man screamed and flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall and passing out. The other burly men dared not resist any longer; they all dropped their weapons and knelt, begging for mercy.

"Tie them up!" Lin Zhou ordered coldly.

The soldiers immediately stepped forward and securely bound the burly men. The survivors, meanwhile, gathered around, bowing and thanking Lin Zhou and his team. The thin young man struggled to get up and bowed to Lin Zhou: "Thank you, Commander, for saving my life! My name is Chen Yang, and I am the manager of this granary... These provisions are our life-saving food for everyone!"

Lin Zhou helped him up, his gaze falling on the gaunt elderly and children, a pang of sadness in his heart. He ordered the soldiers behind him: "Open the supply vehicle and distribute food and water!"

While the soldiers were busy, Chen Hao suddenly frowned. He tugged at Lin Zhou's sleeve and whispered: "Regiment Commander, something's not right! The heartbeats of these people... are too uniform, and I sense a strong energy fluctuation in the granary's underground warehouse, like... the aura of a crystal core, but much stronger than a Level 1 crystal core!"

Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately looked at Chen Yang: "Does the granary have an underground warehouse?"

Chen Yang was startled, then nodded: "Yes! But it's blocked by zombies, we can't get in at all..."

Lin Zhou's gaze fell on the burly men kneeling and begging for mercy. He suddenly thought of something and sneered: "Perhaps, it's not that you couldn't get in, but that they didn't want to get in at all, right?"

He walked up to the Bald Man and stepped on his chest: "What's in the underground warehouse? Confess honestly, otherwise, I'll throw you out to feed the zombies!"

The Bald Man gasped for air, his face pale as paper, but he still stubbornly said: "I... I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Is that so?" Lin Zhou raised his hand and pointed at the survivors. "You hid the food, watched the elderly and children starve, yet you guarded the underground warehouse and refused to leave. If there's nothing suspicious inside, who would believe it?"

Just then, a survivor suddenly shrieked: "I know! I know! They secretly went down before! They even brought up a... a monster made entirely of bones!"

At these words, the entire place erupted in an uproar.

The Bald Man's face instantly turned ashen. He suddenly looked up, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes: "All of you shut up! Anyone who dares to say another word, I'll kill him!"

Lin Zhou's heart was in turmoil—a monster made entirely of bones? Could it be... a Level 2 Mutated Zombie?

And just then, the granary gate suddenly let out a huge crash. The wall was broken through by zombies, and a dozen zombies roared and rushed in!

Even more horrifying was that the burly men, who had just been kneeling and begging for mercy, suddenly pulled out daggers from their pockets and stabbed at the nearest soldiers!

"Do it! Kill them, and seize their armor and crystal cores!" The Bald Man roared, his eyes gleaming with a 瘋狂 light.

The evil in human nature was exposed at this moment.

But just then, the survivors who had just received food suddenly stood up. Some held wooden sticks, others held stones, blocking the soldiers' path.

"Don't harm the commanders!" Chen Yang roared, picking up a machete from the ground and charging at a burly man.

"For the children! To survive!" The woman holding the child cried out, shielding a young soldier with her body.

The clash between good and evil reached its peak at this moment.

The roars of zombies, the shouts of the burly men, the cries of the survivors, and the gunshots of the soldiers intertwined, echoing throughout the entire granary.

Lin Zhou's gaze was as sharp as a knife. Looking at the scene before him, he had only one thought—

This battle was not only to clear out zombies but also to protect that faint glimmer of humanity.

And the secret in the underground warehouse, along with that strong energy fluctuation, hung like a huge suspense over everyone's hearts.

In the shadows, a pair of cold eyes peered through a crack in the warehouse, staring intently at everything outside.