Chapter 01- A soldier

(Please note: This book primarily focuses on a post-apocalyptic world. For the purposes of the narrative, the countries, landscapes, and political ideologies depicted are purely fictional. Please refrain from analyzing them too deeply. Thank you.)

In the early fall, there is a hint of coolness in the air. Thick clouds stick closely in the sky, making the already oppressive sky appear even more gloomy. The sun, which should be shining down and bringing warmth to the earth, is completely blocked by these natural barriers made of gas. Only a dim, bluish light filters through the dark grey clouds in the relatively thinner areas.

Ling Xiang lay on the slightly damp ground, his camouflage combat uniform covered in brown mud. At first glance, he had become one with his surroundings. Only his deep, hidden eyes, hidden among the rocks and debris, revealed a subtle hint of tension and excitement. He stared fixedly at the intersection about twenty meters in front of him. This was the intersection of two main roads, and also the only way out of the city, which had been consumed by death and filled with the smell of decay. In the center of the intersection, the round traffic control tower, painted with red and white stripes, had been knocked to the side. In its place were two thin, slightly hunched figures. They patrolled back and forth, scanning every corner with their cruel and sinister eyes.

Swallowing a mouthful of slightly sticky saliva, he slowly moistened his parched throat in this way. Ling Xiang's hand also unconsciously tightened its grip on the dagger it held. He knew that in order to pass through this intersection, he would have to kill these two beings. Moreover, in some sense, "they" were no longer human. All babies are born with two perfectly intact arms, but this standard of measurement no longer applied to these creatures. "Their" left arm at the front end of five fingers, which should have been able to extend and flex, had long been replaced by a crescent-shaped hard shell. On the thin blade, there was a faint halo of light. September 11, 2015, was a day worth remembering in human history. "Discovery 2" spacecraft carrying the "Voyager" spacecraft probe returned to Earth from deep space. The scientists were surprised at the unprecedented space photos, but they did not notice that four of the returning astronauts had been infected with an unknown virus. A week later, a message came from Houston, North America: The astronauts who were on vacation suddenly went berserk, killing all their families and then attacking several local hospitals and schools. That was when this strange virus began to spread rapidly in human society, turning normal people into violent beasts, bloodthirsty creatures.

Half a month ago, the 75th Infantry Division where Ling Xiang was stationed, was ordered to enter Kunming to protect citizens from safely evacuating from infected areas. At that time, he never dreamed that nearly ten thousand well-trained soldiers would be killed by these mutants in less than a week. Ling Xiang was lucky. When the entire squad was surrounded by mutants, he was rescued by the squad leader. The two men escaped along the dirty sewage to the outskirts of the city. It was then that he killed the squad leader himself. The squad leader was a 30-something northwest Han, hearty and straightforward. He always liked to laugh when he spoke, but after his shoulder was bitten by a mutant, his purple and square face never smiled again. Each mutant is a living virus carrier.

Whether it is a slight bite or killed by them with a knife, all infected organisms will become new virus hosts without exception. The virus that enters the body through the wound will rapidly divide and occupy the host's entire body in the shortest amount of time, creating a new mutant. Ling Xiang clearly remembers: many of his comrades died at the hands of mutants, but hours later, they climbed out of the pile of corpses. Apart from the completely transformed left arm with a horned bone blade, their physical characteristics have hardly changed. However, their eyes, slightly confused, emitted an extremely cruel blood-red light. If he did not kill the squad leader, he would have died instead.

Normally, a person would never cover themselves in dirty mud and soak in feces that emit a nauseating smell. But Lin Xiang did just that. He knew that compared to staying alive, dirtiness and stench didn't matter much.

In this way, he used a slow and patient speed that even a leopard couldn't match, spending nearly six hours to crawl out of a sewer manhole and crawl to a spot just a few tens of meters away from the street corner. The vigilant mutants didn't notice that, hidden under a pile of dirt that had an uncertain shape and a few flies flying around, was a living human.

Crossing the street, on the other side of the empty ground was the stockpile point for the troops' supplies before the attack. Lin Xiang remembered that there were several military jeeps filled with fuel. These monsters, no matter how agile they were, couldn't outrun four wheels.

However, before that, he had to wait. Wait for a perfect opportunity, one that would allow him to escape. Perhaps it was the effect of the virus! The individual combat abilities of the mutants were extremely strong. Their legs could easily jump distances of over 10 meters, and with the horned bone blade on their left arm, they could strike any living creature from the air. What was even more terrifying was that their bodies no longer had any common points with humans after they mutated. They became extremely tough and had unbelievable regenerative abilities. A wound from a bullet would heal completely in just a few minutes. Without heavy firepower weapons, ordinary bullets could only kill them by directly hitting the heart or head. Lin Xiang had a wave blade combat dagger and a remaining four-bullet M98F standard handgun, besides that he had nothing. Facing two mutants alone was undoubtedly seeking death. He could only wait for one of them to be alone or for both monsters to leave... Although, such a wish seemed unlikely.

Ever since the virus spread, mutants have occupied the entire city of Kunming. But what puzzled Lin Xiang was that these monsters did not seem eager to attack nearby cities, but instead divided into small groups and patrolled the corners and edges of the city.

What were they trying to do?

Lin Xiang couldn't figure it out and didn't want to guess. Besides survival, he couldn't think of any more questions in his mind...

Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration from far away while lying on the ground. Along with the rushing wind and the sound of approaching engines, he was surprised- who would be so bold to enter the city at this time?

Could it be a reinforcement from the army?

Suppressing the doubts and excitement in his heart, Lin Xiang still lay motionless among the piles of rocks. He would not make a move until he had confirmed the identity of the newcomers. After all, the chance of survival was in his own hands.

The mutants had clearly also noticed the commotion in the distance. They exchanged glances, and without a word, quickly crouched down and scurried to the back of a abandoned "Xiali" car. They silently watched the end of the road with hostile and extremely cold eyes.

Under the vibrations, loose sand and gravel shook loose from the cracked concrete blocks and fell straight down. A group of military vehicles painted in combat camouflage, also raced quickly from the other end of the road. The light assault vehicle in the lead had a bright red and yellow-bordered five-pointed star emblem on the engine cover, which served as a symbol of the army.

As the vehicles approached the street corner, they slowly stopped. Three heavy machine gun-equipped assault jeeps formed a "Triangle" shape, surrounding a wheeled light infantry fighting vehicle. As the armoured vehicle cover opened, several federal soldiers armed with live ammunition jumped out of the sturdy cabins and cautiously observed their surroundings.

Just as Lin Xiang leaped out from his hiding place, shouting out a warning, the two sinister-looking mutants also jumped out from behind the car. Using the huge thrust generated by kicking the ground with their strong hind legs, they swung their left arms, which had already become bone blades, and fiercely hacked at the defenseless soldiers on the assault vehicle.

Everything happened too quickly. No one had expected that there would be two terrifying killing machines hiding so close by. Especially with their ghostly speed and sudden attack methods, the soldiers on the vehicle were left feeling blank in their minds. It wasn't until the sharp bone blades pierced through their chests and ripped their soft muscles and internal organs into shreds, that the unbearable pain spread to their brains and they realized that they were already dead.

Lin Xiang gritted his teeth and ran at full speed, aiming for the heart and head of his target, quickly pulling the trigger of his handgun. Many of his comrades had died in this sudden attack, killed by the fast mutants. To deal with these terrifying monsters, the only way was to directly hit the vital points, or rely on the bullets' powerful impact force to slow down their attack speed and then concentrate firepower to kill them. The 9mm caliber handgun bullets were extremely powerful. One mutant with a hit on its jaw was instantly killed, flipping over on its back. The other mutant, hit in the shoulder and stomach, only slightly swayed and raised its bloody bone blade again, fiercely stabbing towards the closest soldier. The sudden gunfire caused a delay, though only for a couple of seconds, but it was enough for the living. In shock, the soldiers quickly turned their gun barrels and rained countless bullets on the mutated person, turning them into a bloody mess. Lin Xiang, who had rushed forward, approached the motionless mutated person with a cold face and without a word, walked to the one lying on the ground, and tightened the dagger towards the other's throat, cutting it fiercely. In the sound of muscles and bones breaking, the terrifying head, which had no signs of life, was completely severed from the body.

"For these guys, bullets may not be fatal. The safest way is to smash their heads and crush their hearts." Looking at Lin Xiang, who was covered in blood and dirt, a military officer, who was about forty years old, burly, and had an colonel's insignia on his shoulder, walked out of the crowd. He spoke in a slightly grateful and commanding tone, "Thank you! Soldier, please state your identity and unit number."

I am Private Lin Xiang of the 2nd Squad, 16th Combat Team of the 75th Infantry Division, 6th Battalion. And you?" Lin Xiang quickly asked, grabbing a fallen soldier's M5G43 assault rifle and pulling the body away. "Which unit are you from? Can you lead us to our division?" The Colonel nodded and replied, "We are from the 64th Mobile Unit, Asian Subdivision. Where is your division located? Can you take us there?" Lin Xiang was surprised at the simple exchange of information. The 64th Mobile Unit is a elite unit composed entirely of special soldiers, and it is the essence of the Chinese army. The selection criteria for the unit are extremely strict, and the chances of being selected are almost one in ten thousand. Even so, being able to join the unit and become a member is still the greatest dream of all soldiers.

The word "elite" may only apply to humans. When facing the brutal and completely unfamiliar mutant creatures, even the best soldiers have to re-recognize these new opponents.

The soldier who was killed unexpectedly on the assault vehicle is the best example. Clearly, they did not have the experience of fighting against those monsters.

However, while knowing the identity of the other party, Lin Xiang also had another question in his mind: "Commander? You want to find our commander?"

The Colonel nodded: "We have an important mission, and we must get the full cooperation of the 75th Infantry Brigade. Based on the current situation, you are the only organized federal army in the nearby area."

"Hahaha...you guys don't know anything. Brigade...the entire 75th Brigade is gone, where is there a brigade? To be honest, in this damned place, you guys are the only normal human beings I've seen in weeks." The officer's expression changed upon hearing this, "75th Brigade has been completely wiped out? Is this true?" "Wiped out? Hahaha! At least, my luck is still good, I can be considered a lucky survivor." Looking at the shocked people around him, Lin Xiang bit his teeth and said in a urgent and undeniable tone, "If you want to survive, you must evacuate the city now."