Chapter 30: An Attack in the Night, and a Miscalculation of the Dead

"No one? Are you sure?" Chen Yuan asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. The tracker is clearly in here. Did she change her name?

"I'm sure. There's no one here named Jiang Nan," Xue Wu said, his tone firm.

"A woman, about 170cm tall, short hair. She arrived the day before yesterday. Think again."

Xue Wu's reply was even more blunt. "No."

Hearing this, a dark feeling began to creep into Chen Yuan's heart. Could she have been... dealt with by these people?

He took a few steps back, slung the compound bow from his back, and smoothly drew an arrow from his quiver, nocking it. "You'd better give me an explanation. Otherwise, I don't mind getting my hands dirty."

As he spoke, he drew the bowstring, the arrow's tip aimed squarely at Xue Wu.

With two sharp, mechanical whirs, Tiedan and Tieqiong, who were standing beside him, also extended their mechanical arms. A moment ago, the men had thought they were just ordinary robot dogs. But now, seeing the exposed, sharp claws and the cold, metallic glint of the conical drills on their backs, they were overcome with shock.

SCRAPE... The men behind Xue Wu raised their own weapons, glaring at Chen Yuan with undisguised hostility.

"She has a tracker I gave her," Chen Yuan said, his voice cold. "I'm giving you two choices now. Either you release her, or I'll come in and get her myself."

He was the one who had sent Jiang Nan away. Now, to find that she had fallen into this group's clutches... a nameless rage began to burn in his chest.

Xue Wu's face was grim, his eyes locked on the man before him. The two sides stood in a standoff in the snow, neither willing to back down, neither speaking another word.

Inside the Science and Technology Museum, the team members behind the large glass windows were alerted to the commotion. Assuming it was a robbery, they all drew their weapons and charged toward the main entrance.

Jiang Nan, who had been mending some clothes, came out to see what the tense atmosphere was all about. When she saw Chen Yuan's iconic, silvery-gray thin jacket, she froze.

What is he doing here?

With no time to think, she rushed outside. She didn't believe for a second that Chen Yuan would come here to rob them of supplies; the man had plenty of good things of his own.

"Wait! Everyone, stop!"

Seeing Jiang Nan run out, a look of clear surprise flashed across Xue Wu's face.

"Captain, this is my friend," she said.

Hearing her words, Xue Wu finally let out a small sigh of relief. He waved a hand at the men behind him. "Everyone, lower your weapons."

Chen Yuan, seeing Jiang Nan appear before him, safe and sound, also lowered his compound bow. Damn, if you had come out a second later, I might not have been able to hold this bowstring back.

"Chen Yuan, what are you doing here?" Jiang Nan asked, her eyes filled with a deep, joyful light.

Chen Yuan looked into her bright eyes and smiled faintly. "I was bringing a couple of friends over and thought I'd check on how you were doing."

"Friends?" Jiang Nan asked, puzzled. She tilted her head to look behind him. When she saw two beautiful women, an unreasonable pang of jealousy pricked her heart.

You bastard! You wouldn't bring me here yourself, but you'll bring other women? Wait, no, why am I angry? I'm not his anything...

After a brief moment of self-consolation, the joy flooded back into her heart. She looked at Chen Yuan, spread her arms wide, and threw them around him in a tight hug. "Thank you for the compressed biscuits, and the water. I wouldn't have made it here without them."

The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. The very words "compressed biscuits" were starting to make him feel a little nauseous.

"Ahem, alright, alright. I'm just glad to see you're okay. But... you were clearly inside. Why did this guy say you weren't here?" Chen Yuan voiced the question that had been bothering him.

Jiang Nan shot a grateful look at Xue Wu, then stepped closer and whispered an explanation in Chen Yuan's ear. "I ran away from the Fenghuo Squad. The captain was hiding my identity to avoid trouble."

Chen Yuan nodded. So that was it.

He then introduced Qi Yan and Anna to both sides. Since they would be trying to survive together from now on, it was best to get along. Naturally, with Chen Yuan as the common link, the three women quickly became acquainted.

Chen Yuan, for his part, was invited by Xue Wu into the Science and Technology Museum. He did a quick survey of the place. The rest area, exercise area, food pantry, energy storage, and armory were all divided into separate sections and arranged in a neat and orderly fashion. His impression of the burly, rough-looking Xue Wu was revised once again.

"Brother Chen, where did you get those robot dogs? Can you get me a couple?" Xue Wu clapped Chen Yuan on the shoulder, already treating him like an old friend. He had initially been dismissive of this tall, thin man, but after seeing the robot dogs that never left his side, he was truly green with envy.

A slight smile touched Chen Yuan's lips. "You take good care of my friends, and maybe one day I'll give you one."

"Really?" Xue Wu looked like a child who was about to receive a gift, his excitement beyond words.

Chen Yuan nodded seriously. "I never lie. Besides, all three of my friends are here now, aren't they?"

"Yes, yes! Don't you worry, I will definitely take good care of them!" Xue Wu promised, pounding his chest.

Chen Yuan nodded, then his expression turned serious. "Let me ask you something. Have you encountered any zombies?"

Xue Wu's steps halted, a look of shocked suspicion on his face. He glanced around, then lowered his voice. "Come on, let's talk over there."

Chen Yuan nodded and followed him to a corner of the rest area. The "rest area" was really just several large sofas arranged in rows. As for entertainment, sorry, no electricity. The only recreational activity was sharpening knives.

The two men sat facing each other. Xue Wu rubbed the steel-like stubble on his face and began to speak slowly.

"Three nights ago... the night before Jiang Nan arrived, the brother standing guard outside was attacked."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan's own sense of alertness sharpened. "And then? How did you handle it?"

Xue Wu shook his head. "I was sleeping at the time. I heard a scream and charged out with my knife, but I only saw a figure quickly fleeing in the distance. I brought the man inside to try and save him. I found four deep puncture wounds on his neck, and blood was all over the floor."

"I got the hemostats and gauze and was about to stop the bleeding..." As he spoke, a flash of lingering fear crossed Xue Wu's face. "I was lucky I dodged quickly, otherwise it would have bitten my wrist."

Chen Yuan frowned. "And then?"

Xue Wu shook his head and sighed. "Then he attacked two other teammates. All three of them were infected. I had no choice but to kill them. It was after that day that some of our squad members started talking about leaving. I gave them some supplies and sent them on their way."

After hearing the story, Chen Yuan nodded slowly. From his description, it was clear there was more than just one zombie nearby. A dark feeling began to creep into his heart. He had a sense that in this small city, the number of zombies was far, far greater than he had ever anticipated.