Chapter 132 - 124: Annihilation
Li Tie and Li Yu waited downstairs for a while, then at the spot where the woman fell, they picked up a piece of torn cloth to cover the body.
This house emanated an eerie feeling, damp and cold inside, so both decided against entering again.
They unpacked a pack of cigarettes, distributed it, and Li Yu, Li Tie, Li Gang, and Dapao stood in front of the car, puffing smoke clouds into the air. Li Yu no longer intended to search the house, as the base was not lacking in resources, and searches usually occurred when specific items were needed.
It had just rained, and the sun was out, the air fresh. The four waited in place for a while.
Then they saw Dapao and Li Hang emerging from behind the building, expressions unreadable. Yet, the mud on their trouser legs indicated that their pursuit had not been easy.
"Those two were shot dead. These guys ran too fast; they even made it to the river and hid under the bridge. If Xiao Hang hadn't been sharp-eyed, they would have escaped," Dapao explained when he saw the questioning looks of the four.
Without hesitation, Dapao reached for a cigarette from Li Yu's hand and joined in the smoke. Hearing Dapao's words, Yang Tianlong was particularly appreciative.
"Wow, Xiao Hang is really impressive now! Let's applaud!" Yang Tianlong's face was overly exaggerated as he enthusiastically clapped.
Beside him, Li Tie and Li Gang also laughed and clapped. Usually thick-skinned, Li Hang felt somewhat shy this time, scratching his head, "I just shouted once. Brother Pao was so accurate, two shots and they were gone."
After a brief discussion, there were 12 men, and according to the numbers given by the man they interrogated—if he wasn't lying—this time, they had probably cleaned them all up.
After finishing their cigarettes, everyone got into the vehicle and started heading back to the base.
This outing had been quite lengthy. They hadn't returned to the base yet and had to promptly come out again to deal with potential aftermaths.
All the way back, everyone safely reached the base.
It's worth mentioning that, after this event, everyone heightened their vigilance significantly. Every time they returned to the base, they proactively cleaned up any tracks, avoiding any observant eyes.
A distance from the base, towards the direction of the county, the Salvation Army's convoy had arrived. Meanwhile, in a small building in the suburbs, Song Min and her team were reporting their encounter with a group from the Salvation Army.
Li Yu was unaware of all this.
He hardly slept the previous night, and with the day's earlier occurrences with the insane woman, his nerves had been on edge; now, he just wanted to sleep soundly.
At the base, although tired, feeling sticky all over, Li Yu quickly showered before collapsing into bed to sleep.
The window was open, and a breeze wafted in, carrying a hint of moisture mixed with the earth—a unique fragrance.
Li Yu slept very soundly, appreciating how well the six of them had coordinated today. With sufficient firepower and mutual trust in the team, their efficiency wasn't just doubled—it was much more.
Li Yu felt at ease. Although the situation with the Salvation Army was unclear, he was confident in facing them.
He slept from 4 pm until 6 am the next morning, awoken by his unchanged internal clock.
Feeling refreshed, Li Yu stood up, his bones cracking, eyes and mind clear.
Taking a deep breath, a pleasant mood spread as he hummed a little tune. After quickly putting on a tracksuit and washing up, he began his morning run.
Morning exercise.
The people of our nation are wise, balancing yin and yang, tension and relaxation.
There always needs to be a balance; humans are not machines and need to change states to set off anew.
Even though Li Yu still had the Salvation Army on his mind, he wasn't overly worried.
If the Salvation Army was heading north, they would definitely pass through the County, and if any disturbances arose, Li Yu would learn something when he visited later.
He decided to wait and see.
For now, he would rest at the base for a while.
In the base, Ding Jiu and several workers, who had joined a while ago, were growing increasingly attached to the base. In fact, they had recently approached Li Yu with a suggestion to raise the height of the perimeter walls.
Due to the raised foundation combined with the electric fences above, the walls were currently about 8 meters high. Following their advice, they planned to increase the wall height by another 4 meters,
which would make it approximately 12 meters high, roughly the height of a four-story building.
Luckily, there was a cement plant in the neighboring town, and a larger factory further away. In recent years, the Government had been constructing basic infrastructure and developing housing in the County, leading to a surge in suppliers of steel and concrete.
However, Li Yu was contemplating another matter—whether to expand the base by building an even larger wall outside the existing one.
But that was a decision for later.
It had been raining continuously, making construction very inconvenient. Additionally, with the zombies outside being extremely aggressive, it wasn't the right time to venture out. Staying home seemed like a good option.
In the days following Qingming Festival, the rain had intensified, keeping everyone inside the base.
Aside from those on duty, everyone else stayed inside their rooms. They had purchased a diesel generator which they had been testing these past few days.
Normally, their solar storage provided ample electricity, more than they could use, but the continuous rain presented a good opportunity to utilize the stored power.
Within their rooms, everyone had their tasks—like Li Suxin and Second Aunt's younger children, whose outdoor activities had been canceled, so they spent their days studying in the classroom.
Xiao Hang, on the other hand, had been very calm lately, spending his days under the eaves of the small courtyard in front of the mountain top where the rain couldn't reach, practicing with his Crossbow.
Every morning during his exercise routine, Li Yu would encounter Xiao Hang. Although they didn't talk much, they could clearly sense each other's thoughts.
A harmonious atmosphere still prevailed in the base.
Li Yu always liked the rain, but since the apocalypse, the rain meant increased madness among the zombies, and heavy rain could even spur a Zombie Tide. Nowadays, rain meant more, and more dangerous, zombies!
So, since the apocalypse began, Li Yu hadn't enjoyed listening to the soothing sound of rain, with neither the time nor the mood for it.
These recent days had been filled with light, continual rain. Although there were still plenty of zombies outside, there was no large-scale Zombie Tide.
With two people always on guard atop the walls, plus the rotating patrols and observers in the surveillance room, the base couldn't be said to be completely airtight, but it was relatively safe.
Under these circumstances, Li Yu felt he could settle down and do some of the things he wanted.