strictlysupreme Chapter 36 Dawn
Chapter 36 Dawn
Forest, highway.
In front of the three transport trucks, Newn told Mann everything that had just happened.
That's how it is; we should go back.
"no."
The curly-haired man immediately refused, his expression turning ugly.
He had already arranged to meet his business partner at Gathering Point 9. If he went back now, the business would inevitably fall through once the authorities dealt with the infected people, and he didn't know how long it would take to get another opportunity like this.
One month, one year, or ten years?
Mann said firmly, "It's still a day's journey from here to Settlement Nine. Since you've accepted the mission, you have to escort me there."
"You're risking our lives!"
"Since you're all doing overseas work, you should be prepared for this!"
The anger between the two sides grew increasingly intense.
Xu Yang stood beside him with his arms crossed.
He was equally furious. He had only come to do a simple task, but how did he end up encountering such a bizarre mess?
The area around the highway was gloomy, and he had a vague sense of unease.
There seemed to be something in the forest watching them.
It was cold and damp.
Xu Yang suddenly turned his head.
swoosh...
The wind whistled through the treetops, and there was nothing beside the last transport truck except for decaying leaves scattered on the road.
rub.
The blade popped out from his wrist.
The surroundings immediately fell silent, and the people who were arguing stopped talking and looked at Xu Yang, who was looking on guard.
"What's wrong?" Newt asked quickly.
Xu Yang made a shushing gesture, held his breath, and slowly approached the transport vehicle behind him.
He stopped at the side edge of the vehicle, then turned his body to the side and his gaze suddenly swept across the rear of the car.
There was nothing there.
He narrowed his eyes, exhaled, withdrew the dagger from his wrist, looked at Newt and the others who were watching him, and then shook his head slightly.
"It's nothing, I probably misheard."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and then turned their attention back to Mann.
Having gone through this ordeal, the latter calmed down a bit, glanced at the weapons in Newt and the others' hands, and said, "How about this, I'll compromise. Let's not continue down this road. There's another intersection not far ahead, we can bypass this area directly."
"We should go back the way we came!"
Instead of being forceful as before, Mann reasoned with them: "If you think about it this way, even if we go back the way we came, we can't guarantee that the previous route was safe, can we?"
"Infected people are also human beings. Before they got infected, they must have chosen the more common route. If we go back, we might be playing right into their hands. And the detour route is remote enough to be safer than going back the way we came."
"Moreover," he coaxed, "if you go back the way you came, it will be like you've worked for nothing."
Eisen and Newt looked rather grim, but remained somewhat hesitant.
Mann pressed his advantage, saying, "If we encounter infected people again on this detour, I won't say anything more. We'll just turn around and leave, and I'll still pay you."
The two sides reluctantly reached a consensus.
Xu Yang, alert to his surroundings, walked among the group and overheard their conversation.
Mann's statement did make some sense, so he didn't bother to interrupt. Moreover, it was clear that the other party would never give up on going to Settlement Nine, and under these circumstances, the vehicle was still provided by the other party.
If the negotiations ultimately fail and escalate into a bloody conflict, it will not benefit either side.
Fortunately, we were able to find a detour.
Without further delay, everyone hurried back to the car.
Once in the car, Xu Yang glanced at Mann's expression; the other was clearly also somewhat annoyed. "Brother Mann, how long will this detour take?"
"You need to sleep one more night. We'll arrive tomorrow morning. You can sleep for a while now, as we'll be on watch tonight."
Xu Yang nodded, glancing out the window at the deep, damp forest that stretched endlessly, seemingly carrying a malevolent gaze.
His previous fruitless operation left him feeling uneasy, and a gloomy expression settled between his brows.
He gently closed his eyes, but still occasionally opened them to glance at the rearview mirror...
Time flies by.
As dusk settled, Xu Yang ate the dried meat in his hand. Through the windshield, he saw a vast yellow wasteland ahead, with the forest left behind by the vehicle.
"That's quite a roundabout way to go," Mann remarked, his mood improving considerably.
"Let's rest for the night in the area up ahead."
"Let's drive a little longer. We just came out, and it's not completely dark yet," Xu Yang said.
"Okay then." Mann stepped on the gas.
……
The sky was as black as ink.
The three transport trucks gathered together again, a campfire was lit in the middle, and an iron pot was placed on the flames, emitting billowing steam.
goo goo goo...
Xu Yang added another bowl of meat soup to the tin can and sighed, "Sigh, so many troubles today, and this is the first mission I've ever been assigned."
"You'll get used to it if you do this job." Newt glanced at him. "By the way, was that little fireball you used this morning magic?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
The tall man asked, "Have you found the [Miracle Forge]?"
Xu Yang's eyes widened for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. "How did you figure that out?"
"I've heard from others that magic comes from a place called the Miracle Forge."
At this point, Newt paused, looked into Xu Yang's eyes, and slowly asked, "Does that place have magic that can bring the dead back to life?"
Xu Yang choked, and could only manage a forced smile: "Uh, I guess so."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Newt's eyes, but he continued, "Where did you find the forge?"
Before Xu Yang could speak, Eisen suddenly said, "Newt brothers, it's useless for you to ask about this. The Miracle Forge can move; you can't find it unless it shows itself."
"I...I've heard that before." Newt's lips moved slightly, "but..."
"Has someone important passed away?"
Newt sighed, nodded, and silently touched the pendant around his neck.
A moment of silence fell as the three of them drank their soup, the flames crackling and popping.
After a while, the bracelet on Eisen's wrist suddenly vibrated, and he quickly answered it:
"Hey, um, um, I've arrived. I didn't encounter any danger, but I just heard that the route back will be closed for a while."
"Don't worry, I know. Just stay home and take good care of the kids. I'll be back in a few days."
……
"Okay, that's all for now, bye-bye." Eisen laughed and hung up the phone.
Xu Yang listened to the conversation, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Only reporting good news, brother, family?"
"Ah, yes, my wife. She just asked me how things were going and when I was coming back, but I can't tell her because of this incident, so as not to worry them."
Eisen sighed again, and said self-deprecatingly, "Sigh, I deliberately chose a relatively simple task back then, but it really surprised me. I guess I should just stick to farming from now on."
"This is a special case for us, but now that you're married and have a family, you really shouldn't be doing this kind of work. Settle down and spend more time with your family." Newt looked at the campfire, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
Eisen smiled, shook his head, cleared his throat, and said:
"Alright, let's not talk about those unpleasant things anymore. We'll arrive in a little while tomorrow. Should we keep watch again tonight like last night?"
"Can."
"I'm fine."
As soon as they finished speaking, the two men patted Xu Yang on the shoulder and walked past him.
Xu Yang gazed at the flickering flames. A night breeze blew by, and he turned to look at the transport truck behind him. After a creaking sound of the truck being loaded, silence returned.
He sensed a dangerous atmosphere.
In the inky darkness of the night, there were no wild beasts, no forests; on the wasteland, only withered grass rustling in the wind was the sound of the earth.
rustle……
time flies.
After hearing three different snores, Newt's footsteps sounded from behind.
"Go to sleep."
"Okay, be careful, call for help if anything happens," Xu Yang said, then turned and walked towards the carriage.
He glanced at the silent figure by the campfire, then boarded the carriage and closed the door with a creak.
The man put on his trench coat and slowly closed his eyes.
Accompanied by soft snores, the boundless evening breeze blew across the wasteland, breathing out low gusts of air against the metal of the transport truck.
Tick-tock, tick-tock...
At some point, it seemed as if a light rain had fallen, and then things gradually quieted down.
Until the distant horizon, the first hints of dawn appeared.
Bang!
A gunshot shattered the silence.
Xu Yang suddenly opened his eyes, just as everyone else was in a state of panic and disorientation.
With a bang, he slammed open the car door, his face flushed by the damp air, his black trench coat draped over his shoulders.
In the dim dawn, embers floated on the fire, and beside it, a dark-skinned man lay on the ground, a bloody hole in his forehead, his empty eyes staring at the sky.
In front of the body, under the transport vehicle, a bloodied and mangled hand reached out, holding a pistol in its palm.
A few pale bones were exposed between the skin and flesh, and the next moment, it pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Xu Yang's pupils contracted, and he lunged to the right. His chest sank as the bullet struck him, but was stopped by his trench coat and inner lining and fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, using joint movements unlike those of a human, the monster twisted and crawled out from under the car.
Half of its face was smoothed out, and its eye sockets were filled with dense, gray-green mycelium.
Fungal infections
[Once a normal human being, it has been completely infected by a fungus; its thinking is no longer human, and its body has been enhanced by the fungus.]
[Note: Master, it hurts so much...]
……
Xu Yang immediately drew his pistol.
boom!
Bang bang bang...!
The entire magazine was emptied instantly, and the cold metallic sensation still lingered on his fingertips as Xu Yang stared intently at the infected.
A total of 17 bullets were fired. The latter's body trembled like a leaf, his arm holding the gun was directly broken off, and the remaining bullet holes were embedded in his face, which was now only half a sheet of dough.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud...
Just as Xu Yang breathed a sigh of relief, a loud noise suddenly rang out.
"Holy crap! What kind of monster is that?!"
Bang…!
"Ah, don't come any closer! Ah!!!"
……
Screams and gunshots rang out continuously. Xu Yang suddenly got up from the ground, ignoring the mud on his body, and ran towards the transport truck.
Almost instantly, Xu Yang saw the scene clearly: several infected people were approaching the carriage, some of them already climbing inside...
Bang!
A loud crash was heard, and Newt rushed out of the carriage, rolling on the ground with an infected creature in tow.
"Die!"
He drew the dagger from his waist and, with a soft thud, plunged it into the monster's throat, from which a stream of blood with a grayish sheen gushed out.
The infected person writhed beneath him with increasing strength, and in an instant, Newt was about to be completely overturned.
Xu Yang rushed over in time.
*Whoosh!* The blade was drawn.
click-
With the sound of skull being shattered, half of the head was instantly severed from the middle, and the pale contents hanging with traces of blood collapsed on the ground.
Newt shoved the body aside, took a breath, and quickly picked up the pistol at his feet, his arm still trembling from the force of the movement.
But there was no time to rest.
The screams of others echoed in their ears. Almost simultaneously, two more infected charged at them, one of them clutching a dagger, pointing it at Xu Yang's throat, and suddenly thrusting it out—
Clang!
The latter raised his dagger, and as he parried, sparks flew from the blade, forcing the infected to retreat under the force.
A cold glint flashed in Xu Yang's eyes.
The opponent's strength is inferior to one's own.
He suddenly exerted force with one hand to press down on the infected person, while his other hand instantly moved to the person's armpit.
The cold light shines upwards.
Clang!
The sound of bone cracking rang out, and the tip of the knife suddenly pierced through the jaw, instantly revealing a cold glint from the top of the skull.
At the same moment, Newt next to him also pulled the trigger, and with a cold gunshot, the head of another infected person exploded.
Red and white substances were splattered all over the ground.
The two monsters died instantly.
But the two survivors felt no joy. The wails around them gradually subsided as the other infected rushed toward them.
Xu Yang was about to rush towards him.
Bang!
He felt a weight on his back.
Behind him, a dark gun barrel was pointed at him. The infected man gripped the gun handle, and a strange smile seemed to curl up at the corner of his mouth.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Swish!
Xu Yang flung open his trench coat and charged straight at Newt.
Bang bang bang!
The gunshots rang out and then went out, and the two rolled together to the back of the transport vehicle.
My body was covered in mud and blood, and the sound of gunshots still echoed in my ears. Although the bullets hadn't pierced my skin, the spots where I'd been hit still felt burning.
"Ugh..."
Beside him, Newt groaned, clutching his waist, and a stream of bright red blood oozed from between his fingers.
He was shot.
Xu Yang's expression darkened. Just one carriage away, a group of infected people were approaching, and what's more, one of them was pointing a gun at them.
We need to take it down first!
"Can it still hold on?"
"Cough, it'll do." Newt forced a bitter smile.
Xu Yang's eyes turned cold, and he made a decision instantly.
"Then cover me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly darted out from the back of the carriage, bullets whizzing against his black trench coat, causing a slight sting.
He rammed into an infected person, who didn't even have time to react before the knife had already slashed through the vulnerable neck.
Its head was half-hanging, swaying.
boom!
Minced flesh remained on the alloy inlays of the spiked gauntlets. Xu Yang smashed off the opponent's head, used it to shield his face from the corpse, and quickly approached the infected man with the gun.
Bang bang bang!
A burst of gunfire rang out, and the corpse trembled silently.
Until a certain moment, the instant that finger pulled the trigger, there was no sound.
Xu Yang suddenly flung the corpse aside.
Charge!
At the same time, the infected person took out the magazine and quickly closed it into the magazine slot.
With a click, the magazine was in place.
Suddenly a cold wind brushed my face.
The next moment, a pair of cold eyes met the infected person's writhing eye sockets.
A cold glint flashed.
Snapped.
A piece of wrist fell to the ground before the infected person could react.
The next moment, *pfft*.
A sharp blade embedded itself in the infected person's abdomen, and fresh blood gushed out.
Xu Yang's eyes were icy, and he raised his arm, which was covered by a blade.
Click...
Flesh and bones shattered instantly, the infected man's entire upper body was ripped open in a flash, the blade cutting along his throat straight to his forehead.
puff!
Blood splattered all over his body.
The corpse knelt on the ground.
However, Xu Yang's expression changed.
The corpse's hands were tightly clutching his leg when he heard hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around—
An infected person with a crazed expression.
It was lunging at him with a knife, inches away, but the corpse beneath his feet prevented him from moving, leaving him no time to dodge.
The rusty blade was aimed straight at the neck.
A sense of horror suddenly washed over him. In an instant, all the possibilities flashed through Xu Yang's mind, leaving only the last one!
Abandon--
boom!
With a muffled thud, Xu Yang's face flashed with astonishment as he saw a large hole burst open in the monster's forehead, its corpse falling to its feet.
He looked in the direction of the sound.
"Continue!" came a rough, trembling voice.
Newt was leaning against the side of the carriage, one hand clutching his stomach and the other holding up a pistol.
Scalding hot smoke billowed from the muzzle...
"Good gun."
Xu Yang let out a slight breath, then looked at the other infected people who were moving around, and kicked the corpse away.
He shook the blood off his daggers and charged at the infected again without stopping.
……
The blade sliced through flesh and bone, accompanied by perfectly timed gunshots.
……
Before long, Xu Yang, covered in blood, stood in the slaughterhouse and, with a soft "plop," pulled the blade out of the infected person's body.
This is the last one…
He exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at Newt, who was leaning against the car, clutching his wound and panting heavily.
Listen again.
Inside the carriage, the screams of the group of fellow travelers had ceased.
At this moment, only a faint cry remained.
"Help me..."