Uncle Ray’s Secret: The Hidden Arsenal

Ethan Cross and Uncle Ray wandered through the frozen city, casually collecting supplies as they chatted about the current state of their residential complex.

Uncle Ray brought up the obvious: "People are already plotting against you, Ethan. It's all about that snowmobile—you know it's the only functioning ride left out here. Everyone wants it."

Ethan gave a rare chuckle. "You're asking me what to do? I was just about to ask you the same thing."

He sighed, his breath frosting in the icy air. "Right now, every single pair of eyes is fixed on my snowmobile. It's the only real means of transportation. Everyone wants to steal it from me. What can I do? All I can do is protect it—and myself."

Uncle Ray nodded gravely. "You're already doing more than enough, looking out for our building. But feeding the entire complex? Over a thousand people? That's just not realistic."

"Exactly," Ethan said. "Right now, I'm just taking things one step at a time, figuring things out as I go."

Uncle Ray hesitated, then said, "Actually… this morning, I heard from Huang Tianfang."

Ethan's eyes sharpened in an instant. "What did he want?"

Uncle Ray, facing away, didn't see the shift in his expression. "He's scared of you now, clearly. Wants to propose a truce."

"He also let slip something interesting—some of the other towers are starting to form an alliance. They're trying to put pressure on you. He's been invited to join them, but he said he'd stay neutral… if you supply him with food and winter gear."

Ethan snorted. "God, I'm getting tired of hearing this song and dance. Everyone wants a piece of me, huh? How scary."

His tone was light, but there was nothing timid in his eyes. If it weren't for his limited ammo, Ethan was confident he could wipe out the entire complex by himself—if he had the time.

"But Huang Tianfang... he's a dead man walking. So is the rest of the Wolf Fangs. I'm not letting any of them off the hook."

His tone was casual, as if he were talking about the weather—but his voice was cold as steel. They had made the first move, and that meant they had to die. In this frozen apocalypse, Ethan refused to let any threat to his survival continue breathing.

Uncle Ray nodded. "You're right. They've killed too many innocent people. And they tried to kill you. But... how's your ammo situation? You've been fighting a lot lately."

Ethan had looted a small arsenal from the local police station, but he had kept the full extent of it to himself. Uncle Ray had seen him return empty-handed that day and assumed he was running low.

Ethan's eyes flashed with amusement, and he sighed dramatically. "I won't lie, it's getting tight. But as long as it's not all-out war, I should be able to manage."

Uncle Ray scratched his head. "Ethan, what if we had more weapons? Would we be able to protect our people—and that snowmobile of yours?"

Ethan's eyes lit up. "Wait, you know where we can get weapons?"

While he still had a good stash, his sniper ammo was running low—and you could never have too much firepower in a world like this.

"All fear," he murmured, "comes from not having enough guns."

Uncle Ray grinned smugly. "Did you forget what I did before all this? I served in the military for five years."

"You were stationed here in Bayview City?" Ethan asked, suddenly hopeful.

"No, but I've got contacts here. And I know where the local garrison was located."

Ethan's eyes gleamed. If they could find the military base, they could get their hands on enough gear to turn the tide—maybe even tanks or armored vehicles.

"Hell yes, Uncle Ray, you're a damn treasure!"

Uncle Ray rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed by Ethan's enthusiasm. "Hold up, don't get too excited yet. The base is on the northwest outskirts—at least 100 kilometers from here."

"And with all this snow? We might not even find the place. It could be completely buried."

Military bases were typically in rural areas—open plains, empty fields. With weeks of snowfall, even finding the place would be a challenge.

Ethan calmed himself and nodded. "But you think you can pinpoint the location, even now?"

Uncle Ray nodded. "I know the area like the back of my hand. No skyscrapers out there, but some six-story storefronts should still be poking out. If we look carefully, we'll get a fix on it."

"I'm just worried it's buried so deep we won't be able to dig it out."

A crooked smile appeared on Ethan's lips. Digging? He had just the thing.

"Don't worry about that. As long as we can find it, I'll figure out how to get in."

His tone grew serious, and he placed a hand firmly on Uncle Ray's shoulder.

"We might be up against dozens—maybe even hundreds—of enemies soon. We need more weapons if we want to stay alive."

Uncle Ray nodded back with firm resolve. "Then let's go find them."

They hopped back on the snowmobile and rode off into the freezing winds, heading northwest, toward the promise of firepower—and survival.