Garrison

The streets of Pu Town were dyed a dusky yellow in the twilight.

Amidst this yellow hue stood a tall, straight figure, and beside this figure was a small, delicate one, creating a rather harmonious scene.
Zhao Sanyan watched as a dozen or so zombies emerged one after another from the houses lining the road.

He reached into his overcoat and pulled out a glass vial the size of his little finger.

This was no special secret weapon, just a glass bottle filled with fine sand, and also his most frequently used primary killing weapon as of late.

He skillfully popped the cap and casually flicked the open mouth of the bottle toward the horde of zombies.

The countless, minuscule grains of sand, enhanced by his ability, perfectly maintained the high velocity at which they left the bottle, shooting toward the zombie horde like ten thousand sharp arrows.

The scene was just like harvesting a rice paddy in autumn; an invisible, boundless blade seemed to sweep across the zombie horde, causing them to fall in neat, orderly rows.

The cap was tied to the mouth of the bottle with a thin string, a reusable item.

Zhao Sanyan recapped the bottle and returned it to the inside of his overcoat.

His expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, as if casually wiping out a small group of zombies was a trivial matter to him.

“Captain, it’s dangerous to stay out at this hour,” Huang Jing said, standing beside him.

At this time, she was the only one still with him.

Zhao Sanyan had been in this small town for almost a week.

After the battle in the city center, almost everyone had been promoted by one rank, but Zhao Sanyan had not.

He was still just a captain.

He had refused the military’s promotion because he could not accept this merit, which had been obtained by selling out his own boss.

Although he had been kept in the dark from start to finish, he still refused to accept it.

Ignorance was not the same as innocence.

Zhao Sanyan took out a cigarette and lit it for himself.

It was a pack of off-brand cigarettes he had found in a small shop earlier.

He didn’t recognize the unfamiliar brand, but he recognized the spicy yet mellow flavor.

He hadn’t smoked in a long time, not due to a lack of supplies after the apocalypse—he had quit before it began.

But when he found this pack of cigarettes, he started smoking again.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he would often think of his boss.

“It’s more dangerous at night. You should go back first. I’ll stand guard a while longer,” Zhao Sanyan said, looking at the pretty young woman beside him.

She once had an equally beautiful sister, but now she was all alone.

Thinking of Huang You’s death, Zhao Sanyan often felt a pang of regret, followed by remorse and self-blame.

If he had kept Huang You properly by his side back then, that horrifying tragedy would not have occurred.

Ever since Huang You’s death in the city, Zhao Sanyan had been particularly concerned about Huang Jing’s safety.

Perhaps this was also a manifestation of his regret for not having looked after Huang You properly.

Although Huang Jing had repeatedly said it wasn’t his fault, someone had died, and it wasn’t so easy to let go.

In the end, Huang Jing did not go back first.

As usual, she stood by Zhao Sanyan’s side, quietly accompanying him.

She was a bit clingy with Zhao Sanyan now, or rather, she only felt safe when she was by his side.

Even though the stronghold in Pu County was guarded by more than a dozen well-trained soldiers, it still couldn’t put her at ease like this man could.

Zhao Sanyan didn’t say much to his disobedient subordinate; after all, she had always been like this.

Feeling guilty about Huang You, Zhao Sanyan didn’t truly treat Huang Jing like a subordinate.

Their relationship was closer to that of companions among wanderers in the apocalypse.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Zhao Sanyan felt that today would be another fruitless wait.

The road from the city center to Su City was lined with strongholds like the one in Pu County, forming a large net that stretched across the back of the city.

This net had two targets.

One was the RV team, but according to military intelligence, they had already broken through the defensive line and reached Su City.

That monstrous team was simply unstoppable; they had smashed through eight off-road vehicles blocking the road, breaking through the blockade with the purest form of brute force.

That seemingly dilapidated little RV was not at all as simple as it appeared on the surface.

However, according to intelligence from Su City, Ren Anhua was not among the members of the RV team.

So now, the net had only one target left.

This legendary man, or rather, woman.

She was now the most sought-after asset by the military, even more so than before.

The military graded abilities into four levels—A, B, C, and D—based on their current performance and potential.

Zhao Sanyan’s ability was rated B-grade, a superior comprehensive ability with considerable area-of-effect damage and some applications in production.

However, its self-preservation was poor, and it required the assistance of others to achieve its best effects.

Ren Anhua’s former high-temperature ability was rated A-grade, a particularly perfect combat-type ability.

It was balanced in both offense and defense, with both aspects reaching near-peak performance.

It could also resist most toxins, making it almost unbeatable.

It was the most outstanding combat-type ability the military had discovered so far.

But all of this was nothing compared to the healing ability Ren Anhua currently possessed.

The military could not even assign a grade to this completely unreasonable healing ability.

During the battle in the city, Ren Anhua’s performance as she fled caught the military’s attention.

Based on her performance at the time and the changes in the flora and fauna in the areas she passed through, the military conducted an in-depth analysis of this healing ability.

Completely illogical healing, a near-perfect state of health, including limb regeneration, disease eradication, and even the recovery of some acquired deformities.

This ability started purely from the genetic level, ignoring all acquired changes, and returned a human being to the most perfect state they should be in.

Of course, diseases at the genetic level could not be cured, but such people were too few and wouldn’t have survived until now.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to describe such healing as perfect.

Ren Anhua, who had just come into contact with the healing ability at the time, had unintentionally leaked streams of healing energy that lingered in the areas she passed through, taking root in the flowers and plants, allowing many soldiers to experience this mythical healing effect.

The military leadership reached a consensus: this pink-haired girl was now an unlimited, mobile, humanoid panacea of immeasurable value.

How many disabled elite soldiers could return to the battlefield because of her, how many outstanding generals could continue to command because of her.

Her value was infinite, especially in these turbulent times, and especially to the military.

Whether she joined the military or the military obtained her ability, the arrival of an era of peace would be greatly advanced.

The military was stunned by this miraculous healing.

Ren Anhua’s file was classified as top secret, and to prevent leaks, the military expended enormous manpower and resources, all for the sake of finding Ren Anhua as quickly as possible.

This net stretching across the back of the city was called “The Alliance,” which also reflected the military’s sincerity toward Ren Anhua.

They hoped to reach a mutually beneficial relationship with Ren Anhua based on voluntary consent, where the military would provide her with excellent living conditions, and she would work for the military.

Compared to the RV team, Ren Anhua, whose value was more certain, was their primary target.

Of course, what they didn’t know was that every member of the RV team possessed a value no less than hers.

Regardless, immense effort and a vast number of personnel were poured into the Alliance plan.

And Zhao Sanyan was one of the most proactive among them.

The small town he guarded was the one closest to the city center.

In the apocalypse, only such towns and county areas were suitable for human survival, with smaller populations and simple yet complete infrastructure.

The more populous an area, the closer it became to a human exclusion zone after the apocalypse.

City-level areas were almost all paradises for zombies; no human could survive there for long—with a few exceptions, of course.

The military had designated several areas that Ren Anhua might pass through and had assigned small garrisons to these locations.

The garrisons needed to monitor the main roads for long periods, and Zhao Sanyan could be said to be the most diligent one.

The reason was simple: his own big brother had to be found by him first.

The military’s actions could be said to be ahead of everyone else’s.

Of course, even so, the probability of finding Ren Anhua was still not high, because there were too many roads leading to Su City.

Moreover, the potential for accidental casualties from stationing so many personnel was not a small number, but the military believed it was completely worth it compared to Ren Anhua’s value.

Only the military could pull off such a grand gesture.

“Captain, it looks like a car is coming,” the silent Huang Jing suddenly spoke.

Her Hawkeye ability allowed her to see things ordinary people couldn’t.

“What kind?”

Hearing this news, Zhao Sanyan did not appear overly excited, because the newcomer was not necessarily Ren Anhua.

Several resource-gathering teams had already passed by in the last few days.

“Three vehicles, one off-road and two pickups. The target… is in one of them. She’s holding a tablet and looking at it very seriously, her face is a bit red.”

Huang Jing’s ability was truly formidable.

Zhao Sanyan looked into the distance and could only faintly see a vehicle approaching, not even able to make out what kind of car it was, yet she could describe it so clearly.

Of course, she didn’t need to be so detailed, because as soon as Zhao Sanyan heard that the target was there, the half-smoked cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.

She’s here, finally here.

Shi Mu patted Ren Anhua on the shoulder, signaling her to look ahead.

“Stop the car,” Ren Anhua said, putting down the tablet.

On the dusky yellow streets of Pu Town in the twilight, in addition to two people, there were now three more cars.

Ren Anhua looked at Zhao Sanyan standing before her.

It had been just over a week since they last met, but to Ren Anhua, it felt like a very long time had passed.

Perhaps it really had been a long time.

She almost didn’t recognize this former subordinate of hers.

She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and walked toward Zhao Sanyan.

Compared to the petite Ren Anhua, Zhao Sanyan’s figure was much taller, and the straight military uniform he wore made him look even more imposing.

Military uniform…

Ren Anhua’s fingers were already on the buckle.

Watching Ren Anhua walk toward him, Zhao Sanyan also walked forward, though he moved very slowly.

Accompanied by his imposing figure, he exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure.

The two figures approached each other, Ren Anhua’s expression growing colder and colder.

But when they were only three steps apart, the tall figure knelt down.

“Boss, I’m sorry.”