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Fu Shiwu was still in shock, but he composed himself and shook his head. "I'm fine," he said. Tang Xuhai brought the wheelchair over, and Fu Shiwu helped Wen Zhaoming onto the electric wheelchair.
"Can you manage on your own?" Fu Shiwu asked, lowering his head.
"What are you planning to do?" Tang Xuhai's twin blades pointed towards the ground, the blood on them nearly washed away by the rain.
"Taking down the mutants!" Fu Shiwu declared firmly.
Tang Xuhai chuckled. "Alright, your spirit is high. Let's do it together!"
He turned to Wen Zhaoming.
Wen Zhaoming waved his hand. "This area's mutants are almost cleared out. It should be safe. I'll rest a bit and catch up with you."
Tang Xuhai smirked, saying nothing more. If Wen Zhaoming had asked them to stay and protect him, it wouldn't have made Tang Xuhai think less of him, but this display of independence was admirable.
Fu Shiwu didn't dwell on it. Seeing that this part of the area had been thoroughly cleared by the military and special forces along with the squad of mutants, he believed Wen Zhaoming would be safe. So, Fu Shiwu and Tang Xuhai dashed towards the other half of the area.
It had been almost an hour since the mutants broke through the drainage cover. The torrential rain had finally started to ease after over an hour of continuous downpour.
With clearer visibility, more people noticed the exceptional efficiency with which Fu Shiwu and Tang Xuhai coordinated to eliminate the mutants.
Their outstanding performance stirred the competitive spirit among the mutants, with various abilities' glows shimmering, almost illuminating the warehouse in the midst of the night rain.
Leading the charge, Tang Xuhai dashed forward. Whenever he neared a mutant, a bullet would fly in at just the right moment, sometimes creating an opportunity for him and other times directly ending a mutant's life.
As the battle gradually reached its conclusion, the sky began to lighten, and the rain ceased.
Wen Zhaoming had stayed in the corner. When Fu Shiwu and Tang Xuhai returned, he discovered that the electric wheelchair's battery seemed to have malfunctioned.
"If I hadn't pushed you, it probably wouldn't have malfunctioned," Fu Shiwu pushed up his glasses, soaked to the bone, looking worriedly at Wen Zhaoming.
"If you hadn't pushed me, I might not be alive now," Wen Zhaoming shook his head. "And it seems the battery got soaked by the rain, not damaged from the fall."
"I'll find someone to help you out," Tang Xuhai said.
Of the three, only Wen Zhaoming had been relatively inactive, but he was equally dirt-covered.
With the battle outside concluded and not requiring all three of them for cleanup, they returned inside the warehouse.
The bodies inside the warehouse had been removed, but it was chaotic everywhere, including their compartments, jostled out of place.
Fortunately, due to the boards around the warehouse, the items inside were intact.
After a brief tidying up and changing clothes, Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming lay down in warm sleeping bags and fell asleep almost instantly.
Tang Xuhai, however, acted unusually, tossing and turning before finally dozing off.
Mutants could infiltrate through drainage pipes and enter the warehouse. This place didn't offer him any sense of security, making it impossible for him to relax enough to sleep.
Mutants were becoming increasingly uncanny. Tang Xuhai sighed inwardly, wondering where could be safe anymore.
He drifted off to sleep and woke to find Fu Shiwu and Wen Zhaoming had already left.
The two returned a while later with bread and water.
"How's it outside?" Tang Xuhai stretched, yawning lazily.
"It's all clear now," Fu Shiwu's expression was serious. "Many casualties."
"Last night, estimates suggest there were over 3000 regular mutants and nearly twenty evolved mutants that infiltrated the warehouse," Wen Zhaoming said.
"So many?!" Tang Xuhai exclaimed.
"I actually think that's not a lot," Wen Zhaoming analyzed calmly. "Cloud City is a Level 3 city with a population of nearly a million. Since the appearance of mutants, despite continuous exterminations, those that survive have stored enough energy for evolution. There might be more mutants than this number."
Tang Xuhai nodded silently.
It had been almost two months since the celestial event, and there were around 40,000 mutants near Cloud City. Last night's incursion was just a tenth of that number.
"The warehouse is dangerous," Tang Xuhai said gravely.
"Tang Xuhai, don't think I'm exaggerating. We need to prepare to evacuate from here at any time. Staying near Cloud City is absolutely not safe," Wen Zhaoming asserted solemnly.
"Why?" Fu Shiwu, who had been listening, distributed the food while asking, concerned.
Wen Zhaoming held a multi-functional lunchbox and thanked quietly before continuing, "The military expended almost all their ammunition last night. According to my assessment, the reinforcement battalion that was supposed to supply ammunition is likely in a dire situation, and the departing battalion is also at risk."
"What?!" Tang Xuhai was astonished. "You mean another battalion left the warehouse?!"
"Yes," Wen Zhaoming nodded. "Even the Special Forces split in half."
"Aren't they sending them to their deaths?!" Tang Xuhai slammed the ground fiercely. "No ammo, no heavy artillery—just relying on regular soldiers and mutants—250 kilometers away for supplies. Do you think they'll come back alive?!"
Wen Zhaoming was puzzled. How did Tang Xuhai know this much, even the distance?
He explained, "The military has no choice. Otherwise, they'll be surrounded by mutants."
Tang Xuhai's expression fluctuated. The decision was reckless, almost absurd, trading lives for supplies. But considering the warehouse's current situation, it seemed there was no other option.
"How's the defense at the warehouse's main gate?" Tang Xuhai lost his appetite upon hearing this and pushed away the food Fu Shiwu had handed to him.
"Right now, it's being guarded by a battalion and a team of mutants," Wen Zhaoming said in a low voice. "Though the mutants seem confident, facing 36,000 mutants without any ammunition—only relying on 200-odd soldiers and hundreds of mutants—half of whom are unreliable—do you think they can hold on?"
"I think... it's unlikely," Fu Shiwu pushed his glasses, speaking frankly.
Tang Xuhai glanced at him and then turned to Wen Zhaoming. "So, where do you think we should retreat to?"
Wen Zhaoming hesitated before saying, "One plan suggests moving to less populated areas. Another plan involves seeking refuge in a higher military zone without ammunition crisis."
"I understand the second one, but what's the first plan about?" Tang Xuhai inquired.
"The primary food source for mutants now is humans. The more people in an area, the more likely it attracts them. Conversely, sparsely populated areas have fewer mutants," Wen Zhaoming
explained.
These mutants were essentially chasing after human crowds. Wherever there were more people, they tended to converge.
The warehouse currently gathered tens of thousands of people, making it the most densely populated area in Cloud City. No wonder the mutants were relentlessly attacking it.
Wen Zhaoming took a breath, sounding anxious. "Since the evolved mutants were able to launch the first attack last night, there's a possibility of subsequent attacks. We can't hold on for long."
Although the internal drainage pipes of the warehouse were now guarded, they couldn't prevent mutants from re-entering through that route. The best option was to block off the pipes, but because of the construction of the walls, materials like quick-drying cement and special building materials had been exhausted.
Listening to Wen Zhaoming's analysis, Tang Xuhai thought it over. He sought out the captain they were with during the previous aerial attack and shared this information.
The captain chuckled bitterly, "We're aware of this situation. But our initial order was to guard the warehouse at any cost. You can leave, but we can't."
"Guard?" Tang Xuhai was astonished.
"Yes, don't you know? Many Level 4 cities and towns in Province H have already become active zones for mutants, forbidden areas for humans. If Cloud City falls, then nearly half of Province H will succumb. Humans will become even more passive. As long as this place remains, it's like a stake in the ground. When the day comes for a counterattack, this position in Cloud City will be quite crucial."
Tang Xuhai fell silent. "Do you think, in the current situation, humans will have that day of counterattack?"
"I believe there will be, and you should too," the captain replied.
The captain's decision was to hold on until the end, even though both Tang Xuhai and the captain knew that even sacrificing everyone wouldn't help hold the warehouse.
In this backdrop, Tang Xuhai secretly prepared, spending the entire day circling around the SUV where Wen Zhaoming was.
Some things had already been placed in the SUV. Wen Zhaoming and Fu Shiwu went to the military communication station.
Tang Xuhai arranged for someone to fix the electric wheelchair while they searched for the young soldier.
The soldier seemed unaffected by the tension in the air and eagerly helped Wen Zhaoming.
"Your battery got completely soaked, causing a short circuit. I can replace the problematic circuits for you, but the battery's lifespan has been severely affected. It holds less than half of its original charge now," the soldier regretfully explained.
Wen Zhaoming's expression dimmed for a moment, then he smiled at the soldier. "Even so, it's great. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
The two exited the military camp, gazing at the warehouse center, seemingly unchanged from before yesterday. They felt a complex mix of emotions, wondering how much longer this scene could persist.
Pushing Wen Zhaoming's wheelchair, Fu Shiwu suddenly encountered a bump.
"Sorry," Fu Shiwu apologized, then lowered his head.
He thought the wheelchair bumped a stone, but what he saw was a small raised section of the ground.
"Hmm?" Fu Shiwu was puzzled. "Wait a minute."
He squatted down and used his hands to pry open the cracked cement surface.
Underneath it, breaking through the cement, was a resilient patch of wild grass!
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