The First Strike

Shen Mu stood in the dim light of the central room of the fortress, his eyes fixed on Luo Qi and Zhao Ling as they shared information they knew about the Crimson Fangs.

Luo Qi sat on a rusted metal crate, his face stern. Mostly he was quiet, but it was obvious that something churned in his head. "Crimson Fang aren't ordinary bandits," he said softly. "They are strong, brutal. They don't look for supplies; they hunt survivors. Anyone they find, they take them or kill them as they please. I have watched them in other cities."

Zhao Ling stands with his arms crossed, over near the crowd, "Recently they've got bolder especially toward those individuals with some established form of shelter. They follow a man by the name of Zhuo. That man is the epitome of strategy. Most intelligent probably a very dangerous individual leader."

Shen Mu darkened. "Zhuo?"

"Yeah," Luo Qi said, nodding slowly. "He's the sort who would plan his attacks with careful calculation. The Crimson Fangs aren't simply thugs-they have some form of military training, or at least access to hardware and strategy that far surpasses the most organized of militaries."

"And they've been following us?" Shen Mu asked in a voice that was harder than stone as he adjusted the strap of his blade.

Zhao Ling nodded. "It's possible. They'll be looking for the fortress, but they don't know where it is yet. Not unless someone talked. But they'll be out there. And they won't stop until they find it."

Shen Mu's hand clinched harder over the hilt of his blade, thinking deeply. The Crimson Fangs drew too near. He couldn't afford to have them stumble onto his stronghold. Those fortifications were strong but certainly not unbreakable.

"We can't risk them finding us," Shen Mu said under his breath. "We have to get some more information, learn what they plan to do. It's safer to take out the source first than let it come knocking at our doorstep."

Luo Qi shifted restlessly but did not argue. He knew Shen Mu spoke the truth. The Crimson Fangs were something to be feared. "What do you think we should do?"

"We go to the station," Shen Mu said firmly. "It's the last place we know where people might have been. We can gather information there, figure out if the Crimson Fangs have been through, and see if anyone knows where they are now."

Luo Qi hesitated but nodded. "I'll be with you. Just—just make sure we don't draw too much attention."

Zhao Ling opened her mouth, her voice cautious. "We can't be that dumb and walk into a trap. We have to be smart about this."

Shen Mu turned to her. "We will. But we can't waste any time. The longer we spend out here, the greater is the chance of them finding us first."

They decided. They would leave at first light.

The night was simply not good for what the next day held. This would entail making their way to the station. There was that oppressive atmosphere in that ruined city, as if everything was so full of yesterday. Shen Mu led the way as his instincts remained razor-sharp. Luo Qi came limping behind, the pain of his injuries having not yet subsided, but he kept up. Zhao Ling watched her surroundings continually.

They walked through narrow lanes and ruined streets, avoiding all open places where they might easily be seen by any vagrant bands or mutated creatures. Every step they took, Shen Mu stayed acutely attentive to the quiet. In this world, silence meant danger.

Finally, after some hours spent crossing the ruin city, he entered a road straight to the ancient station of train. Shen Mu reduced his gait while watching everything around as he was thinking over all those options.

The station looked very grim. It was once a bustling center of transportation that had now fallen into disrepair. Broken windows, collapsed walls, and the skeletal remains of old trains lay strewn across the grounds. One could tell it hadn't been used in quite some time, and the silence added to the eeriness of the place.

"We have to search every inch of this place," Shen Mu said in a low tone. "The Crimson Fangs could have passed here, or somebody else might know where they're hiding."

Zhao Ling nodded, taking out a small flashlight as she started scouting the entrance. "We'll find something. But we need to hurry."

They moved into the station, stepping over debris. The air inside was stale and reeked of decay almost to a nauseating level. Dust covered everything. Huge ticket counters loomed as hollow reminders of what had been. A few vacant offices lined the walls, with broken windows.

They ventured further, checking each room. The place seemed abandoned, but that did not mean it was safe. Shen Mu wasn't taking any chances. He moved cautiously, checking corners and peering into rooms.

It was Zhao Ling who found the first sign of life.

"Over here," she called, her voice tense.

Shen Mu moved cautiously, with his hand at the hilt of his sword. Zhao Ling stood before a small storage room door, which was slightly ajar. Inside, he saw signs of recent activity. Some crates were opened, with scattered supplies throughout the room, and the smell of food still lingered in the air.

"This could be recent," Zhao Ling said, bending down to take a closer look.

Luo Qi stepped in beside her, wincing as he knelt. "This isn't a coincidence."

Shen Mu's eyes narrowed. He took a few more steps forward, his hand still on the blade. "Keep searching. They might've left a trail."

They combed the area, but the more they searched, the more it became apparent that someone had been here. Not just anyone—a group. There were markings on the walls, crude symbols that Shen Mu immediately recognized.

"The Crimson Fangs," Shen Mu muttered, his voice low with growing tension.

Zhao Ling studied the symbols. "They've been here. But… why would they leave all this behind?"

Shen Mu scanned the room one last time. "They didn't leave it behind willingly. Something forced them to leave in a hurry."

Suddenly, a soft noise echoed from the back of the station. It was a faint sound, but it was enough to make them freeze.

Shen Mu silently gestured that the group of them should wait there, turned and moved through the darkness with the noise getting louder. With his senses wide open, the tension in all of his muscle stood ready at any moment in a fight scene.

As he rounded the bend of the railway station, that's when the group saw a human figure—a male figure, crooked over some sort of receptacle, ruffling through things in it by reaching into that crate.

Shen Mu moved swiftly, but silently. He was close now, close enough to strike if needed. He raised a hand, signaling for the others to stay back.

"Hey," Shen Mu called, his voice calm but firm.

The man spun around, startled, his eyes wide with fear.

"Who are you?" Shen Mu demanded, his hand tightening around the blade's hilt.

The man stammered, "I—I'm not with them! I'm not one of the Crimson Fangs!"

Shen Mu's face set into a grim mask, but his voice didn't crack. "Then who are you?"

"I—I'm just a scavenger," the man said, shaking. "I was just trying to find something to survive. I didn't know they'd come back… I—I just—"

Shen Mu didn't let him finish. "What do you know about the Crimson Fangs? Where are they now?"

He gulped, swallowing hard, with fear clear in his eyes. "They… they have been passing through here, searching for survivors. They. they intended to raid a village not too far from here, but I guess something must have gone wrong. They rushed out, but I heard them saying something about a new leader. A stronger one."

Shen Mu's eyes narrowed. "A new leader?"

The man nodded wildly. "I don't know much. But they said he was coming to take over. That they had to be ready."

Shen Mu exchanged a look with Zhao Ling and Luo Qi. "This is bad," Zhao Ling muttered.

Luo Qi clenched his teeth. "The Crimson Fangs aren't just coming for us—they're after something bigger."

Shen Mu turned to the man, his voice icy. "If you know what's good for you, you will leave this place and never return. Crimson Fang will show no mercy. Now, move."

The man nodded vigorously and backed away. Shen Mu watched the figure merge into the shadows of the station before turning back to his group.

"We head back to the fortress," Shen Mu said, his voice steady. "We need to prepare. The Crimson Fangs are closing in. And this new leader… He hardened his gaze. "We need to be ready for whatever's coming."