Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 16 Refuge
Grey Goose knocked down Zhuang Fan cleanly and swiftly, without lingering on the spot, and signaled his men to carry him back first.

Deputy team leader Harry walked over and said in a low voice, "That sandworm is injured, so it must not have gone far. Catching it would be a great achievement."

Grey Goose shook his head: "The fog is too thick at night, there's no signal, we can't catch it."

“You don’t understand. We have a box of concussion grenades. They can’t block low-frequency sound waves underground. If all else fails, we can throw a few thermobaric grenades. They’ll definitely come out and run away.”

Faced with Harry's eloquent speech, Grey Goose interrupted him directly: "We are carrying out the highest level of bounty. Don't cause any trouble. If something unexpected happens, neither of us can cover it up."

"You don't understand how precious sandworms are on the black market."

“Harry.”

Grey Goose's tone left no room for argument: "I'm the team leader, and I'm in charge now."

Harry's gaze turned slightly cold. After staring at her for a while, he said nothing more and turned back.

The armored soldier carried Zhuang Fan with one hand without any effort. Just as the group was about to retreat to the airship, an unexpected change occurred.

The sandworm that had just escaped burst out of the ground from beneath the bottom of the airship, like a sharp tunnel boring machine, easily tearing through the outer armor of the hull.

"Raise!"

The pilot reacted extremely quickly, and the airship took off from the spot within seconds, attempting to shake off the sandworms.

The vessel has a shuttle-shaped hull and is driven by two rotors. Its structure is similar to that of common airborne vehicles, but it has a larger carrying capacity.

As the airship took off, the sandworm reacted even faster, its massive body burrowing directly into the cabin through the side opening, then coiling and strangling, smashing the two rapid-fire machine guns into twisted scrap metal.

The Grey Goose crew opened fire intensively, but the bullets only produced a few sparks when they hit the goose, causing some superficial injuries. They hesitated to use the powerful grenades, fearing they might injure it.

The armored soldiers' rotating machine guns unleashed their firepower, quickly turning part of its insect body into a bloody mess.

But Harry was extremely annoyed and yelled at the armored soldier, "Idiot, don't shoot the insect's body, shoot its connecting parts!"

The armored soldier glanced at Grey Goose, and she shook her head, saying, "Ignore him, focus fire, snipers in position."

The airship, dragging the sandworm that was clinging to it, shook violently in mid-air. Several soldiers inside the cabin were unable to dodge in time and were bitten to death.

The sandworm's body was mostly destroyed, but it clung to the hull relentlessly.

"Click——"

With a piercing metallic scraping sound, the power supply line of the left rotor was severed by the insect's body, spitting out dazzling sparks.

The airship went completely out of control and made an emergency landing on the ground amidst thick smoke.

The sandworm that had successfully launched the sneak attack was now only half a body, barely clinging to life as it detached from the hull and struggled back to the ground.

"Still want to run?"

Harry was furious and shouted to those around him, "Go get the big one! We're going to blow it out tonight!"

"Stop!" Grey Goose shouted sternly.

But Harry ignored him and quickly pulled two thermobaric grenades from his waist and threw them into the hole the sandworm had made.

"boom--!"

The ground trembled, muffled thuds echoed, and flames filled the sky.

The explosion also jolted Zhuang Fan awake.

Grey Goose punched Harry to the ground and pressed a pistol against his forehead: "This is not a threat. If you dare to act on your own again, I will shoot you dead."

Harry scoffed, "The airships are all gone. Go back and you can expect to be dismissed."

"That's something to do after we get back."

Grey Goose put away her gun and looked down at him. "Right now, I'm still the team leader, while you've been removed from your deputy position."

Everyone present knew that Harry's father was the company's new director, and this was his first time working with a team, but the team leader showed him no respect whatsoever.

"stinky woman"

Harry felt deeply insulted, but he swallowed the rest of his sentence, his teeth clenching so hard they ached.

Grey Goose ignored him and carefully sensed the surrounding movements, her expression unusually serious.

She asked the mechanic, "How long will it take to fix? The sooner the better."

"Team leader, the left rotor is severely damaged. Even a simple repair will probably take two hours."

"It's too late, don't bother fixing it."

Grey Goose looked at everyone, her tone grave: "The explosion just now attracted a horde of zombies. We have at most ten minutes to retreat."

Harry paused for a few seconds before finally realizing the enormity of his mistake.

A dense rustling sound came from the distant woods, and the sniper immediately warned: "Team leader, a large flock of red corpse birds is flying towards us from the northwest!"

Upon hearing the words "red corpse bird," Zhuang Fan's memories were rekindled.

The Red Corpse Bird is based on the Red-billed Finch, which is now rotting and emitting a foul stench. Its bright red and sharp beak can easily pierce the shell of a hovercraft.

In addition, these creatures reproduce extremely quickly, with numbers often reaching tens of billions, making them one of the largest flocks of birds in the wasteland. They also like to hunt alongside hordes of zombies.

The crew members unloaded all usable equipment from the airship, and the mechanic shut down the engine and all electronic equipment, making the airship look more like a cold wreck, hoping to escape the zombie horde's attack.

"It's no use. Those zombies are smart. They won't let this airship go."

Grey Goose glanced at the electronic map and said in a deep voice, "There's a strange rocky hill three kilometers ahead. I recognize the leader there. Let's hide there for a while."

Strange rock hill?
Zhuang Fan suddenly felt that his luck wasn't too bad. He had been traveling all day, and his destination was Strange Rock Hill.

Because there is a forward shelter hidden there.

Durian pulled a linen tablecloth from the bottom of the trunk, unfolded it, laid it on the dining table, and smoothed out the four corners, leaving not a single wrinkle.

Then the porcelain plate, silver-plated salt shaker, and napkins were placed in order, and he would use his thumb to precisely measure the distance between each item.

He lit two white candles, the flames dancing on the dark, dirty walls, driving away the damp, cold air in the cave.

everything's ready.

Durian picked up his sterling silver knife and fork and slowly and methodically cut the smoked meat on his plate, his expression focused and his movements meticulous.

If it weren't for the old man inside the iron bars crying out in despair, he believed he would have enjoyed this meal quite elegantly.

Inside the iron bars, seven people, bound by chains, were dressed in rags, their faces streaked with blood and mud.

Durian raised his glass and nodded to them as if they were the real guests.

"Demon, give me back my son!" the old man cried out in despair.

Durian cut off a small piece of smoked meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, savoring the taste.

"The meat is very tender and delicious."

He touched the corner of his mouth with a napkin, looked up, and lingered his gaze on each prisoner's face for two seconds to make sure they were still looking at him.

"Traitors, this is what happens to them."

The candlelight reflected off his silver fork, giving it a faint, cold gleam.

"Report!"

A sentry rushed into the cave, his face tense: "Chief, someone has set fire to the southeast, and the fire has already spread into the valley!"

Durian asked in as calm a tone as possible: "Who did it?"

"I couldn't see clearly. The person had already run away, but the commotion was so great that it attracted the horde of corpses from the outskirts."

Durian's face darkened, and he finally put down the silver fork in his hand, his eyes turning cold: "How large-scale?"

“Several waves of zombies are converging, probably exceeding 300,000 in total.” Durian slowly stood up, put on his greasy leather jacket, and said in a chilling tone, “Turn off all the lights, seal the gate, pull up the iron gate, and then tie all those traitors into the iron cage truck.”

"Yes!"

He turned to the seven prisoners in the iron cage and gave them a fake smile: "Gentlemen, I will see you off on your journey."

Soon, the vehicles started, and several prisoners were roughly thrown into three cage cars equipped with high-decibel speakers.

"Turn all the speakers to maximum power. Oh, and let them bleed a little more, keep letting them bleed."

A moment later, several cars, heading southwest, plunged into the eerie fog, accompanied by wailing cries and disco music.

After a group of people finally managed to put out the wildfire, a new variable emerged.

A radio message came from the hilltop outpost: "Report: A small armed group is approaching. They are using short-range communications and requesting refuge."

"reject."

Without much hesitation, Durian said, "Tell them to get lost."

"Boss, the other party showed their access code and identification, indicating they are from the Edge Mercenary Group."

Sharpness?

Durian frowned and remained silent for five seconds.

No one dares to underestimate this title. It is said that the power behind it comes from the South City, and its strength is unfathomable. It only accepts high-difficulty S-level bounties.

"Let them in," Durian finally said.

"clear."

The iron gate outside the rocky hill opened slowly, its sound jarring in the dim valley.

The entire Grey Goose team wore tactical masks and remained vigilant even after entering the rocky hill.

Her group, excluding Harry and Zhuang Fan, consisted of 16 members: 6 riflemen, 2 machine gunners, 2 armored soldiers, 2 flamethrowers, 1 medic, and 1 mechanic. The team was quite well-equipped.

Durian surveyed their equipment, his gaze lingering on the two armored soldiers for a few seconds longer, but he showed no sign of greed.

"Thank you for opening the door."

Grey Goose glanced around and asked calmly, "Is Chief Batu not here?"

"Oh, Chief Batu went to the South City a week ago, but I don't know exactly what he did there."

Durian’s tone was natural. “I’m in charge of Strange Rock Hill now. My name is Durian, you can also call me Old Durian. It’s nice to meet you.”

"Yes, a greylag goose."

Grey Goose remained calm and collected. Batu was a name she made up on the spot, but the other party responded quite quickly.

She secretly counted the number of people on Durian's side:

Twenty well-equipped regular soldiers, 20 militiamen responsible for logistics and security, plus an old-style power armor and three lightweight exoskeletons.

This group of people is clearly not simple.

Just then, the sound wave recognition device on her mask issued a warning, reminding her that the man in front of her named Durian was an A-level wanted criminal.

Durian, whose real name is Leon, was once a bodyguard for Yuanchuan Energy. He fled after stealing company secrets and killing his employer. Now he is a bandit leader, ruthless and cunning, and has a bounty of one million gold coins on his head.

It's a medium-sized fish; I'll wait for another opportunity to catch it.

She didn't say anything, just nodded and said, "Thank you for taking us in. We'll leave once the zombie horde is over."

Although the enemy's weapons were old, they had a numerical advantage, so she would not engage them in combat unless absolutely necessary.

Durian gestured for them to make their way: "I have arranged a rest room for you. Please make yourselves at home."

The greylag goose became more alert and politely declined, saying, "No need, we can stay here."

Zhuang Fan was thrown into a corner, his hands and feet bound by steel rings, making it difficult for him to move. His face was covered with an old cloth that only left holes for his eyes and nose.

Instead of waiting to die, he gathered a small cloud of dark mist on his wrist, slowly corroding the steel ring, trying to find an opportunity to escape.

Before either side could even get their footing, a commotion arose again from the distant mountains, followed by a dull tremor in the ground, as if a colossal creature was approaching.

The zombie horde is here again.

"impossible!"

The outpost soldier exclaimed, "Boss, those zombies weren't lured away by the sound system; they're heading this way instead!"

Dulian snatched the binoculars and saw that in the distance, eerie mist surged and shadowy figures of corpses rushed toward the strange rock hill, completely surrounding the area.

"What the hell"

Durian, unsure of what was wrong, drew his pistol and yelled, "Raise the drawbridge! Prepare for battle!"

Grey Goose looked at him seriously: "Is there no way out here?"

No, but...

Dulian was very agitated. After hesitating for a moment, he said truthfully, "There is a refuge at the end of the cave."

Grey Goose frowned. When did Strange Rock Hill become a refuge? She had never heard of it when she traded with the people here before.

What problems are there with this shelter?

"The biggest problem is that it can't be opened."

Durian's face was grim: "It took us a week to dismantle the outermost automatic machine gun and flamethrower turret, but that alloy door is too hard; we simply can't blow it open."

Harry chimed in with a hint of sarcasm, "One torpedo is enough to deal with a small shelter like this, or two if necessary."

"Where's the torpedo? Show it to me."

After leaving Harry speechless, Grey Goose ordered her team: "Set up defenses immediately! Morey, you come with me to check the situation inside."

The mechanic known as Morey, who is also a pilot, now has a much lighter workload with the airship destroyed.

The Grey Goose squad prepared quickly. Flamethrowers immediately connected fuel tanks, riflemen set up positions, and machine gunners and snipers sought firing positions at higher ground.

Two armored soldiers stood on either side of the formation, their machine guns pointed directly ahead, the barrels already slowly pre-rotating.

Grey Goose and Durian walked deeper into the cave and indeed saw a smooth, silver-gray alloy door. There was no terminal or physical switch on the door, only a probe used to detect visitors.

Morey fiddled with it for a while, then said somewhat discouragedly, "Team leader, if we can't use directional explosives, then we'll have to rely on biometric identification to open the door."

Grey Goose nodded; she had no better solution. "If all else fails, we can blast the rock wall of this passage to block it. If we have enough reserves, it should last for more than half a month."

Durian's expression turned unnatural. He realized that he had just released seven prisoners, who were practically bloody targets.

"Old Du, what's up?"

Durian's expression was strange: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we don't have enough food. We've been consuming a lot lately and forgot to restock."

Grey Goose noticed that something was wrong with him: "Then there's no better way. We'll have to endure it even if we're hungry."

On the way back, the grey geese finally discovered something amiss. Under a tattered burlap sack in the corner of the hall, a corner of an iron cage was visible, with fresh, still-wet bloodstains at the bottom.

She became even more wary.

At this moment, the zombie horde advanced very quickly, and in an instant, they rushed to the edge of the cliff.

With the suspension bridge already raised, the zombies at the front fell like dominoes into the hundred-meter-deep cliff, dying in droves.

None of the human defenses fired a shot; they were all conserving their strength, waiting for the tough battle to come.

There was only one guy on the field who was standing aside. He gently tugged at the steel cable, and finally it showed signs of loosening.

(End of this chapter)