Before everything goes out

On the elevated highway, take advantage of the wide view to plan your route, and then exit the highway at the nearest point.

Back on the ground, the group pulled out their guns again, and the relaxed, strolling expression on their faces gradually disappeared.

It's completely different from the elevated bridge.

The situation on the ground is complex, with cover, wandering zombies, and possibly other things lurking in abandoned buildings...

This is why Li Fei chose to walk on the bridge instead of under it.

According to Zhang Cheng, there are indeed several powerful forces in the city. Although none of them are benevolent, they check and balance each other, and their areas of activity are basically fixed. Therefore, he is not too worried about running into trouble with guerrillas or the like.

but.

Even if he were to collide with it, he wouldn't be too afraid.

After all, they had guns, were well-equipped, and were wearing ringed clothes.

"Sir."

Judging from how city dwellers refer to Huanzi, this skin should be quite useful. Imagine if they were ambushed and targeted in the shadows at some point, the other party would definitely have to think twice before messing with these military men.

So the question is...

Zombies.

Zhang Cheng didn't mention a single word about the zombies roaming the city.

This is strange.

When he first saw the zombie kebab at the service area, he thought it was an isolated incident, or that it was so weak that it was not worth paying attention to. But now it seems that even outside the Fourth Ring Road, there are quite a few zombies, which can definitely be considered a threat.

And if you go further in, there will only be more.

So why didn't Zhang Cheng mention it at all?

Is someone trying to trick them?

wrong.

The zombies aren't that dangerous yet.

Moreover, under those circumstances, Zhang Cheng had no need to conceal information that was so obvious.

So there's a high probability...

"Three years ago, when Zhang Cheng and his group left Changjiang City, the zombies did not exist."

Li Fei reasoned in this way.

On the dilapidated streets, while pondering other possibilities, he led his team toward the Wanshiyao Garden.

of course.

Even though they weren't afraid of the inconvenience, they didn't make a show of it; instead, they stayed close to the bottom of the buildings and walked on the slightly hidden sidewalk.

"There are cars driving by on this road, be careful."

She Qingqing's voice came from not far away.

Following his gaze to the middle of the road, there were some faint tire tracks. From the fresh soil scattered around the tracks, it was clear that they were not historical remnants, but rather recent vehicle tracks.

Two or three days, or a week?

Li Fei is uncertain.

However, the thought of the car immediately reminded them of Huanzi, and their expressions quickly changed.

"It might not be a ring. There should be quite a few cars that can move in this city. If we put on our protective gear, it will have a deterrent effect if someone discovers us in secret."

At his reminder, Niu San and She Qingqing also put on bulletproof masks.

"Sniper shot".

After Zhang Cheng's battle, the group realized more clearly how deadly a bullet could be for ordinary people like them.

at the moment.

Although they have Huanzi's identity as a deterrent, there's no guarantee that there might be a gun pointed at them from a window in some building, so being careful is never a bad thing.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly along the way.

The only slightly thrilling part.

Several zombies sprang out from a chain supermarket on the street.

However, just like in the towns before, these zombies, although they had the desire to attack, were still slow in their movements, so they did not pose much of a threat.

The group exchanged glances and, without firing a shot, instead smashed him down with the butts of their rifles and crushed his head.

at last.

Less than an hour later, when the tattered watch on Niu San's hand pointed to 5:40, the group stopped at the entrance of the residential area.

"Ugh!"

Following the little mute boy's excited gaze, Li Fei finally figured out the real name of the neighborhood.

It wasn't Wan Ming, nor Wan Jun, but Wan Jin.

"Wanjinyuan".

At the deserted entrance of the residential compound, three relatively clear characters were welded onto the heavily corroded iron frame.

That's not a problem, the problem is where are the people?

As a gathering place for survivors in the city, shouldn't there be some security guards or something at the entrance?

"Be careful, he was abducted by Zhang Cheng three years ago, who knows what the situation is like here now."

Li Fei addressed his teammates in this way.

Guided by the mute boy, the group advanced with guns raised.

Passing through the entrance of the residential area and walking along the main road, Li Fei looked around curiously.

The landscaped pond had long since dried up, with withered branches and fallen leaves piled up like mountains. When passing by, one could smell a peculiar stench from the fermentation of plants.

Beside the pool stands the classic Manneken Pis statue, but its wings are long broken, and the plaster has turned a rough gray-black color due to its age.

"Nobody here?"

Li Fei frowned slightly.

Along the way, we saw no sign of any living people.

There were some limbs and bones by the roadside, but they could only be considered traces of the dead.

Looking up, there wasn't a single ray of light in the buildings of the community.

It's getting late. If someone is indoors, they should at least turn on a few lights.

Could it be that this place was destroyed by someone during the three years that the little mute boy was gone?

Just like Shuanghe Village?

"Where do you live? Can you remember?"

"Hmm..."

The little mute boy shook his head.

Looking at the buildings not far away, I couldn't pinpoint them accurately.

"How about I shout a few times? If there are still people living here, I can send a few down to ask?"

Niu San's suggestion was immediately rejected by Li Fei.

"No, what if there's no one left here, only zombies? That would be a real problem."

Li Fei frowned slightly.

After considering it, he decided to take the little mute boy for a couple more walks around the neighborhood to help him remember.

The neighborhood wasn't very big, and even at their current slow pace, they quickly completed another loop and returned to the pool in the center of the neighborhood.

"How are you feeling now?"

Li Fei asked the little mute boy.

The little mute boy continued to shake his head, a hint of self-reproach on his face.

"It's okay. If we can't remember right now, we can find a room here for the night and talk about it tomorrow. That way, we won't have to set up a tent."

Li Fei considered it this way.

It was already late, and there was no need to travel in the dark, especially in this complex city.

Furthermore.

He had already observed the area when he came in; the second floor of the sales office was quite nice, with a wide view and convenient access.

"Alright, before it gets completely dark, let's take one last walk..."

Wang Wang!

He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by Ertong next to him.

To the astonishment of the group, the two-barreled bow shot out like an arrow and disappeared around the corner of a building.

"What happened?"

"Something's up?"

The group immediately followed.

Turning the corner, all I could see was Ertong shaking his head and tearing at something from behind a flowerbed overgrown with weeds...

A few seconds later.

A disheveled old man was dragged out by his cotton-padded coat.

Li Fei raised his gun, only to find that the other person was unarmed and looked so terrified that he was almost about to wet himself.

"Woof!"

At She Qingqing's command, Ertong opened its mouth but did not actually attack.

The old man struggled to his feet and turned to run away, but then he heard a shout.

"Stop! Run again or I'll shoot!"

The old man was quite sensible.

After being yelled at by Li Fei, he immediately stopped running and turned around to kneel down in front of the group, his face pressed devoutly to the ground.

"Sir, spare my life! Sir, spare my life!"

"I'm just a nobody, just a nobody. I'll give you whatever you want, even though I don't have much left..."

The old man's series of pleas for mercy was extremely smooth, as if he had rehearsed it many times.

The group looked at each other, about to say something, when they heard a hesitant voice coming from the group.

"Ugh..."

The little mute boy walked out of the line, trembling.

Beneath a neat buzz cut, his eyes were fixed on the old man, his mouth opening and closing as if silently saying something.

"Yangyang?"

The old man raised his head, and a variety of emotions flashed quickly in his aged eyes.

Doubt, speculation, shock, confusion.

Finally, all emotions converged into surprise, culminating in a shout that was almost a sob.

"Yangyang!!"