Volume 1, Chapter 33: Rescue by the Government Forces

Inside the refuge level, Mo Youxue and An Ruoran were just about to dash out with the crowd when they were intercepted by Li Hang and a few of his men.

"Xue'er, don't be reckless!" Li Hang grabbed Mo Youxue’s wrist, his tone heavy. "Going up there now is just suicide!"

"Let go of me!" Mo Youxue struggled. "The helicopter is right up there; if we don't go now, it’ll be too late!"

"Calm down!" Li Hang growled. "This building is crawling with zombies. What’s the difference between rushing out now and throwing yourself into a tiger’s den?"

An Ruoran grew anxious as well. "Toad! What right do you have to stop us?!"

A vein throbbed on Li Hang’s temple as he suppressed his anger. "Listen, the helicopter isn't leaving immediately. We wait until the troops clear the zombies off the roof, then we go. Otherwise—"

"Bang!"

The alloy door of the refuge level was burst open by the last of the people rushing out. Immediately following, blood-curdling screams and the roars of zombies echoed from the outside.

Mo Youxue’s face turned deathly pale. She finally understood what Li Hang meant.

"Believe me now?" Li Hang sneered, signaling his men to seal the door again.

"Boom!" The alloy door slammed shut, cutting off the screams from outside.

Inside the refuge, the remaining survivors looked at each other, their eyes filled with a mix of terror and relief.

—

Meanwhile, three attack helicopters had landed on the roof of the Twin Towers.

"Move! Establish a defensive line!" the lead officer roared. "Machine gunners, suppress the horde! Rescue team, search for the target immediately!"

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

The heavy machine guns mounted on the aircraft fired wildly, bullets pouring down like a torrential rain, tearing the zombies swarming the rooftop into shreds.

"Report! We’ve detected a large number of survivors rushing up from the stairwell!"

"What?!" The officer’s expression changed drastically. "Stop them! Don't let the horde follow them up!"

But it was already too late.

"Boom!"

The fire door to the stairwell was smashed open. Dozens of blood-soaked survivors charged out frantically, and behind them—

A tidal wave of zombies surged forward.

"Open fire! Open fire!!" the officer shrieked.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!" The machine guns hammered away indiscriminately, bullets piercing through survivors and zombies alike, flesh and blood flying everywhere.

But there were simply too many zombies. They trampled over the corpses, lunging crazily at the helicopters!

"Sir! We can't hold them back!"

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" the officer gritted his teeth. "Abort the rescue, prioritize the safety of the helicopters!"

The three helicopters rose rapidly, but one of them had its landing gear gripped tightly by several zombies, causing the fuselage to shake violently.

"Damn it! We can't shake them off!"

"Use the autocannon!"

"Boom!" The autocannon fired, blowing the zombies into chunks, but the helicopter was damaged by the proximity of the blast, black smoke billowing from its tail rotor.

"Number 2 is damaged! Repeat, Number 2 is damaged!"

"Abort mission! All units, withdraw!"

In the end, only two helicopters successfully pulled away. The third, trailing black smoke, wobbled into the distance before crashing into a building complex several kilometers away, erupting into a massive fireball.

—

Inside the refuge, Mo Youxue and the others heard the explosion, their faces turning pale.

"It’s over..." An Ruoran slumped to the floor. "The helicopter... did it leave?"

Li Hang was silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. "No, they’ll be back. Because they never intended to save everyone."

He looked at Mo Youxue, his gaze deep. "Xue'er, these helicopters likely have only one target—and that is you."

Mo Youxue shivered.

Outside the Twin Towers, the zombie horde had been thoroughly enraged, swarming toward every entrance of the building...

A while later.

The two attack helicopters, like enraged falcons, circled back. The heavy machine guns under their bellies spat out even more violent tongues of fire!

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!"

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!"

The bullets, like two whips of death, lashed out fiercely at the clusters of zombies gathered near the roof and the stairwell exits!

The 7.62mm and even 12.7mm rounds easily shredded rotting limbs, kicking up sprays of foul-smelling blood.

Zombies fell in rows like harvested wheat, and black, putrid blood soaked the concrete of the rooftop instantly.

Inside the cockpit, the lead officer’s face was as dark as a storm cloud. He growled into his headset, his voice suppressing immense anger and a subtle, stinging sense of loss:

"Cover each other! Fire in relays! Conserve ammunition! Dammit... we lost a squad of brothers and a precious Hind in just one encounter! It’s all the fault of those brainless idiots!"

Through the porthole, he looked at the mountains of mixed human and zombie corpses piling up near the stairwell. There was no pity in his eyes, only coldness and annoyance.

"At least... we brought enough ammo this time!" He glanced at the heavy ammunition crate secured to the cabin wall, filled with gleaming yellow belts of ammunition. "Enough to sustain thirty minutes of high-intensity combat!"

He took a deep breath and grabbed the microphone connected to the powerful external loudspeaker. His voice, amplified by the waves, cut through the roar of the rotors and the gunfire, clearly reaching those below:

[Miss Mo! Miss Mo Youxue! Please stay calm if you can hear me!]

[We are the East Sea Garrison Special Rescue Team! Sent by Mr. Mo to extract you!]

[The threat on the rooftop is being cleared! Please remain where you are! Stay hidden!]

[Repeat! Please remain where you are! Stay hidden! Do not attempt to rush to the rooftop without our explicit orders!]

[We will resolve all threats! Wait for the safety signal!]

The officer’s voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable tone of command.

Inside the refuge, Mo Youxue lifted her head abruptly. Her dim eyes were instantly lit with hope!

"It’s Dad! It really is Dad who sent people! They are calling my name!" She grabbed An Ruoran’s arm in excitement, her voice choking with emotion.

Li Hang’s assessment had been correct; the helicopters were indeed here for her!

This feeling of being firmly chosen dispelled some of the suffocating despair hanging over her heart.

"Hmph! I suppose they’re good for something!" An Ruoran pouted, but her tense body visibly relaxed.

Just then, Li Hang walked over.

He wore an expression of perfectly measured concern, holding half a bar of slightly crumpled chocolate.

"Xue'er," he said gently, offering the chocolate to Mo Youxue. "Eat this. Replenish your strength. Later... we might need to do some running."

His gaze swept over the sealed alloy door as if assessing something.

Mo Youxue looked at the chocolate, then at Li Hang’s sincere expression.

The hunger in her stomach and the stress of the impending escape left her unable to refuse.

She didn't thank him, just silently took it and carefully broke off a small piece to put in her mouth.

The rich sweetness melted on her tongue, bringing a fleeting, false sense of comfort.

She carefully stored the rest away; this was life-saving energy for a critical moment.

"Hey! Toad!" An Ruoran complained loudly. "What about mine? You only gave it to Sister Xue'er? That’s too biased!"

Li Hang’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, a flash of offended irritation flickering deep in his eyes.

But he forced a helpless smile onto his face:

"Miss Ruoran, I’m truly sorry, this is all I have left. I... I gave the rest to the injured men earlier."

He spread his hands, indicating he was powerless to help.

An Ruoran puffed out her cheeks in anger. "Hmph! Cheapskate! Sister Xue'er, let’s ignore him!"

She hugged Mo Youxue’s arm and turned her head away.

Li Hang paid no more attention to An Ruoran’s petulance. He looked deeply at Mo Youxue.

"Conserve your energy and stay alert," he whispered, then turned and walked to a relatively quiet corner, sitting down against the cold wall.

He closed his eyes, appearing to rest and conserve his strength.

However, his right fingers, in an angle no one noticed, unconsciously and repeatedly rubbed a hard protrusion hidden beneath his clothing at his waist.

His other hand reached quietly into his pocket, feeling the three remaining individually wrapped, highly concentrated energy chocolate beans.

He counted them silently: three, enough to fuel one high-intensity burst of speed.

Outside, the gunfire on the roof remained intense, as dense as popping beans, punctuated by the dying groans of zombies.

Each roar of the heavy machine gun caused the floor of the refuge to vibrate slightly, sending dust drifting down.

Li Hang kept his eyes closed, but a cold curve slowly formed on his lips.

He tilted his head slightly, "looking" in the direction of Mo Youxue, his eyes dark and unreadable in the shadows.

The sky outside the window was stained a haunting orange-red by firelight and smoke.