“Shit, what the hell is this?? What exactly is PU-31?!”

“Did the command center suddenly change our mission?”

“Use your brain, there’s no way they’d change our mission at the last minute.”

“Could it be that our frequencies got mixed up with someone else’s mission? Or is it just a prank from Team Nine?”

“And what the hell is this ‘Dark Pursuer’?! We can’t go back unless we finish this?!”

“Captain Song, have you ever encountered something like this before?”

The barrage of questions stopped as Ji Yushi spoke up, bringing silence to the group.

The black combat uniform made Ji Yushi look particularly slender, but compared to his teammates, his tone was quite calm.

“First time,” Song Qinglan replied. “Have you guys ever encountered this in a recorder mission?”

Seeing his silence, it seemed he hadn’t encountered it either, so Song Qinglan raised an eyebrow and said, “What, are you scared?”

Ji Yushi shook his head, “No, I’ll just lie down and win.”

The group was shocked: “!!!”

They couldn’t believe Consultant Ji actually said something like that! Was it really okay to say something like that in such a critical and confusing situation?!

Ji Yushi looked completely calm, showing no sign of psychological burden.

Determined to be a salted fish.

Song Qinglan: “…”

Fine, to each their own.

Not wanting to say more, Song Qinglan glanced around, picking up a broom from the park management office as they stepped outside.

The black wall was right in front of them. Song Qinglan poked it with the broom, and it surprisingly went through, indicating it wasn’t solid. But the weight of the broom in his hand suddenly lightened, and when he pulled it out, the part that had entered the black wall was gone, neatly sliced off as if the wall had “eaten” it.

This terrifying scene sent chills down everyone’s spine.

They couldn’t help but imagine the gruesome scenario of losing a limb or being sliced in half if they accidentally touched the black wall.

As they had seen earlier, the black wall could move.

Though it was stationary now, no one knew if it would move again, so they had to leave the park management office as quickly as possible.

Song Qinglan discarded the broken broom: “What did the mission rules say earlier?”

“De-Death elimination,” someone responded.

“Good, remember that.” Song Qinglan’s expression was stern as he addressed the group, “Grab your gear, and don’t any of you dare die. Since we can’t go back, whatever PU-31 is, we’ll face it head-on.”

The team exited the park, arriving at a narrow street.

In the year Xingyuan 1470, building density was much higher than the time period they had lived in ten years ago. Leaving a patch of land open for a park in the city center was already a luxury, so the streets around the park were relatively narrow.

The city was desolate, more deserted than they had imagined, with no sign of life.

The streets were cluttered with damaged cars, and various shops looked like they had been looted and burned. Bloodstains were everywhere, and occasionally, a corpse or two would appear, making the scene look like an apocalyptic wasteland, with devastation as far as the eye could see.

The deeper they ventured into the city, the more silence enveloped them. The only sounds coming through the communicators were heavy breathing—no one spoke.

The team moved along the walls, advancing from cover to cover.

They couldn’t tell if the black wall had moved again, and every few steps, they would look back, but the wall remained in the distance, erasing half the world.

“Wait.”

Song Qinglan’s voice came over the public channel, accompanied by a clenched fist gesture.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

It was now 6 AM.

Late summer sunlight shone through the gaps between the skyscrapers, casting a golden line across the charred asphalt.

In that blinding light, there was a group of people.

Or more accurately, a group of zombies.

In the middle of the road lay a bloody mess, clearly a freshly gutted corpse, surrounded by the zombies as they feasted. They were frantically tearing at the flesh, limbs, and entrails, chewing and swallowing.

The sound of their feeding, mixed with hoarse, raspy growls, came from just seven or eight meters away, painfully clear.

Though they had mentally prepared, witnessing humans eating humans was still shockingly horrifying.

The group hadn’t had time to process what they were seeing when a terrified scream rang out from behind them.

“Ah!!!”

A blood-soaked woman burst out of a building not far away, from a shadow untouched by the sunlight. Behind her, two or three dozen zombies poured out of the building’s dark entrance, frantically chasing her down, intent on tearing her apart.

Meanwhile, the woman’s scream startled the group of feeding zombies in the sunlight.

They jerked their heads up, their gray-white eyes and blood-red mouths resembling demons from hell, and they quickly charged towards the team!

“Shit!”

Someone cursed, followed by, “Save her!”

“Bang, bang, bang!” Several gunshots rang out as Song Qinglan took down three or four zombies behind the woman. Meanwhile, another teammate fired several shots, and the charging zombies fell to the ground with their brains splattered.

The city’s silence was shattered by gunfire.

“Roar—”

They had stirred up a hornet’s nest. Within seconds, zombies swarmed out from all directions, emerging like a tidal wave from the shadows, buildings, and unseen corners of the streets, moving at terrifying speed.

“Go, go, go!!”

“Move!!”

Gunfire erupted from every direction, echoing down the entire street.

The woman was just about to reach them when Ji Yushi moved to grab her, only for his expression to change drastically!

In the short distance of a few meters, the woman transformed from a living human into something else. Her face turned greenish with visible blood vessels, her pupils turned gray, and she had become one of the monsters!

“Shoot her!!! She’s no longer human!!”

Someone shouted from behind him.

Ji Yushi snapped out of his daze, pulling the trigger. The Diamond Bird’s shot hit her square in the head, and the zombie’s brain matter exploded with a “pop”!

The woman immediately collapsed, trampled and overwhelmed by the zombies rushing forward.

“Behind you!!”

Ji Yushi was roughly shoved, and a gunshot exploded near his ear, followed by a sudden warmth at his neck. Song Qinglan had blown apart the zombie’s head behind him. Blood mist sprayed across Ji Yushi’s face, blurring his vision. The ringing in his ears was intense, and though Song Qinglan was speaking to him, he couldn’t hear a word.

In an instant, the street was swarming with zombies, making it impossible to discern a clear escape route.

“Bang—”

Song Qinglan had already leaped onto the roof of a car amidst the hail of bullets, and Ji Yushi felt as if he could hear the sound of him landing on the steel-plated roof.

Wielding his gun with one hand, Song Qinglan unleashed his full firepower, clearing a bloody circle around the team.

The group took a moment to catch their breath.

Li Chun followed suit, jumping onto another car while shooting and shouting, “Captain Song! There are more and more of them!! What do we do?!”

Song Qinglan’s long eyebrows furrowed, his pupils contracting slightly, “Front left, convenience store!”

Most of the shops on the street were destroyed, making the convenience store with its iron gate stand out.

More and more zombies were drawn by the gunfire, and the nearby zombies continued to charge at the living without hesitation.

Amidst the bloodshed and scattered corpses, no one paid attention to what they stepped on, all desperately trying to break through in the direction Song Qinglan pointed out.

Tang Qi and Tang Le took positions on the left and right, while Zhou Mingxuan charged ahead.

From their elevated positions, Song Qinglan and Li Chun had the advantage and quickly cleared a bloody path for the others.

Ji Yushi wiped the blood off his face as they reached the convenience store entrance.

“Locked!” someone cursed.

Years of camaraderie made Duan Wen act without hesitation. He shot the store’s access panel, triggering a piercing alarm, and Zhou Mingxuan had already pulled the iron gate open, creating a gap just large enough for them to bend through!

Ji Yushi glanced back and saw Song Qinglan had already jumped down from the car roof. He rolled on the ground to cushion the impact and quickly strode towards them, avoiding the horde of zombies closing in.

Song Qinglan’s face was as cold as frost, shooting while shouting furiously, “Li Chun! Are you fucking done yet?!”

Li Chun, eyes bloodshot, was cursing as he mowed down the zombies climbing onto the car roof around him.

Song Qinglan’s roar snapped him out of it. He looked at his teammates rushing towards the convenience store and yelled, “I’ll cover them for a bit longer! Go now!”

When Song Qinglan reached the store entrance, his incredible strength helped Zhou Mingxuan pull the iron gate open wide enough for someone to squeeze through.

“Roar—!”

To their surprise, as soon as the gate was pulled open, five or six zombies with grayish-white eyes and ghastly faces burst out from inside the convenience store, charging at them like rabid dogs!

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!!”

Several gunshots rang out in quick succession, and the bodies hit the ground.

Each bullet was a precise headshot.

Everyone was momentarily stunned: “!!!”

Ji Yushi, standing right at the entrance, was covered in blood, his expression unreadable.

Both hands gripped the Diamond Bird, and the recoil from the continuous shots left his arms numb and slightly trembling.

Lying before him was the last zombie, its eyes wide open, with a bullet lodged right in the center of its forehead.

Song Qinglan was also momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure and commanded, “Clear the entrance, get inside, and close the door!!”

There was no time for jokes. Duan Wen immediately dragged the bodies away and rolled inside, followed closely by Ji Yushi, who seemed like a different person, astonishing everyone.

Neither of them let their guard down for a second, raising their guns to quickly survey the area once inside.

The convenience store was a mess, with most of the shelves empty, as if recently looted. Other than that, there were no other zombies inside, making it relatively safe.

Amidst the gunfire and growls, Li Chun was the third to roll into the store.

Zhou Mingxuan and Song Qinglan followed.

Zombies piled up outside, and Song Qinglan kicked away a zombie trying to squeeze in before finishing it off with a shot. However, the presence of living people attracted even more zombies. They crowded at the entrance, frantically trying to get in, their blood and brain matter staining the entrance, turning it into a sea of corpses. The iron gate rattled under the pressure, as if it would collapse at any moment!

As the group struggled to hold the entrance, Tang Le was finally shoved into the store by Tang Qi.

Tang Le’s hair was already soaked with blood. He turned and shouted, “Brother! Get in here!!”

Tang Qi was just outside, his face covered in blood. After pushing Tang Le inside, he abruptly pulled the iron gate down, locking himself outside!

Everyone was shocked!

“Tang Qi—”

Song Qinglan suddenly dropped his weapon and lifted the iron gate, but in that split second, Tang Qi raised his right hand and wiped the blood from his face.

Three fingers on his right hand were missing, the bite marks still oozing blood.

Just like the woman who had mutated earlier, a web of greenish-blue veins was spreading across Tang Qi’s young face, and his once bright, determined eyes were quickly turning gray.

Zombies crowded behind Tang Qi, biting and clawing at him.

He remained unmoved.

“Brother!!!” A desperate howl echoed inside the store as Tang Le, witnessing everything, lunged toward the entrance like a wounded beast.

His teammates held him back, their eyes red with emotion.

Outside, Tang Qi’s eyes had turned completely cloudy. In just a few seconds, everything that made him who he was had vanished. He joined the horde of zombies, growling hoarsely and clawing madly at the iron gate.

He had become one of them.

“Brother!!!” Tang Le, pinned to the ground by his teammates, wept bitterly, his large frame shaking with sorrow, “Brother!!!”

Song Qinglan took a few steps back and slammed his fist against the wall!

His black hair hung over his forehead, the veins on the side of his head pulsing, and his entire body radiated intense rage.

“Are we doomed?! There’s the black wall behind us, and zombies outside!” Li Chun’s eyes were red, “So quickly… there are so many outside, what do we do?!”

The zombies outside swarmed like a tidal wave, one after another, filling every space. There was no way to fight through them. Once bitten, mutation occurred in almost ten seconds—Tang Qi was a perfect example.

The convenience store’s iron gate didn’t seem like it would hold much longer either.

The moment Li Chun asked that question, the store fell into silence.

The situation was hundreds of times more dangerous than they had anticipated. They were cornered from the start, and no one had expected things to turn out like this!

Ji Yushi stood in the corner, blood-stained hair dripping with thick drops.

The horrifying sight of Tang Qi’s sudden mutation was enough to make anyone feel fear.

The iron gate clattered loudly as more and more zombies gathered outside the store.

Listening to the growls just inches away, the small convenience store felt like it was closing in on them, despair filling everyone’s hearts.

But then Song Qinglan spoke up, “Staying here means certain death. It’s not time to give up yet!”

Ji Yushi looked up.

He saw Song Qinglan pick up the weapon on the ground, not even glancing at the clouded eyes of the teammate who had fought by his side.

Understanding that everyone was relying on him, Song Qinglan gritted his teeth and issued a stern order: “Look for another way out!”

The teammates quickly got to work, soon returning to their original positions.

“Captain Song! No luck!”

“The restroom has a window, but it’s only thirty centimeters wide—we can’t fit through.”

“The storage room should have an exit.”

Ji Yushi’s ears were still ringing painfully from the gunshots, making his voice sound slightly off.

Having witnessed his teammate’s death firsthand, Ji Yushi’s blood-streaked face was pale: “But I’m not sure what’s outside the exit—it could be worse.”

Everyone was taken aback.

The newly joined Consultant Ji, who just showcased his skills at the entrance, now looked as fragile as a battered greenhouse flower, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

Yet, everyone couldn’t help but recall the row of zombies that had fallen under his gunfire just moments ago.

Duan Wen said, “I’ve already checked; the warehouse is surrounded by walls on all sides!”

Ji Yushi responded, “No, that’s not the case. I remember the layout of the buildings in this area!”

Song Qinglan blurted out, “You’ve been here before?”

But no, Song Qinglan quickly dismissed this thought. They had only just arrived at this so-called PU-31, not even fully understanding where they were. It was impossible for Ji Yushi to have been here before.

Ji Yushi explained, “No! On our way here, I saw the window layout of these buildings. This is a commercial district, and the exterior of the buildings follows strict regulations. Therefore, the ground floors of each shop are identical, which means the warehouse must have an exit.”

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Ji Yushi nodded, “I’m sure.”

The group quickly moved to the wall that surrounded them on all sides.

Without a good sense of direction, it’s difficult for someone in an unfamiliar space to clearly determine their location.

But in Ji Yushi’s mind, there seemed to be a vivid 3D map of the building. He pointed to a wall and quickly said, “There should be a window here, about 120 cm high and 80 cm wide. Since this was designated as a warehouse for the convenience store, considering issues like theft prevention and moisture resistance, it’s likely been sealed off. The owner might have kept a false window without altering the building’s exterior appearance.”

The others were skeptical. Could someone really remember everything they saw along the way without making a mistake?

Song Qinglan had already regained his composure and knocked on the wall.

Time was running out, and after confirming it was a thin brick wall, Song Qinglan asked, “What’s behind the wall?!”

Ji Yushi saw a trace of trust in his eyes, and calmly repeated, “An alleyway, though I’m not sure what the situation is in the alley.”

Without hesitation, Song Qinglan made a decisive call, “Blast through it!”

They wasted no time.

The group stepped back as Tang Le used a submachine gun, and together with Song Qinglan, they blasted the wall.

The wall crumbled, and daylight poured into the warehouse. Just as Ji Yushi had said, there was indeed an alleyway outside.

“Boom—”

A loud crash came from outside the warehouse!

In the blink of an eye, the iron gate could no longer bear the weight and collapsed! A horde of frenzied zombies rushed into the store, their chaotic and violent footsteps, along with the sound of falling shelves, was like the death knell of doom!

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!!”

“You go first!!”

The opportunity was right in front of them, but the warehouse door was just a thin layer of wood, quickly warping under the pressure of the zombies.

Zhou Mingxuan leaned against it, using his body as a shield to barely hold it up, urging loudly, “Move it!”

Li Chun followed Duan Wen, quickly squeezing through the window they had just blasted open in the wall.

But soon, the flimsy warehouse door collapsed, and zombies flooded in. Zhou Mingxuan didn’t have time to dodge and was instantly overwhelmed by the horde!

Gunfire erupted, and blood splattered everywhere.

Tang Le, already on the verge of breaking down, had bloodshot eyes, “Damn it!! I’ll take you all down with me!!”

The warehouse was filled with gore. Song Qinglan’s expression was tense as he wielded his gun, mowing down the zombies in a frenzied sweep.

Taking a brief moment to catch his breath, Song Qinglan grabbed Tang Le by the collar and looked back at Ji Yushi, his eyes blazing with intensity, “Ji Yushi! Get him out of here!!”

Covered in blood, Ji Yushi looked disheveled, “There are too many of them! Let’s go together!!”

Tang Le’s face was smeared with brain matter, whose it was, he didn’t know. He staggered back a few steps as Song Qinglan roughly shoved him away.

Song Qinglan, holding his gun with one hand, took down another wave of zombies and shoved him hard, “Didn’t you want to help? Stop fucking around! Get out of here!! I’ll cover the rear!”

More and more zombies were pouring in, and even the alley outside was drawing more of them in.

Seeing that Song Qinglan was struggling to hold them off, Ji Yushi hesitated no longer. He shoved Tang Le and leaped out of the window.

Li Chun shouted from the driver’s seat of a car not far away, “Get in the car!!”

“Bang!”

After landing, Ji Yushi took down a zombie charging at them, and he and Tang Le quickly jumped into the car.

Gunfire thundered behind them.

“Where’s Captain Song?!” Ji Yushi heard Duan Wen ask in the car, “Tang Le!! Where’s Captain Song?!”

The intense gunfire in the warehouse abruptly stopped.

Ji Yushi instantly realized what had happened, the resolute look on Song Qinglan’s face flashing through his mind.

He quickly turned to look at the window they had just jumped out of, where zombies were pouring out, but there was no sign of the domineering Song Qinglan.

Duan Wen’s voice broke, sounding like both a sob and a scream, “The ID card!! Find it quickly!!”

Dozens of zombies surrounded the car, the sound of their pounding echoing in everyone’s hearts.

In this era, cars needed a fingerprint lock to start, and the usual methods weren’t working. Li Chun’s hands shook as he finally found the spare ID card in the glove compartment.

The car roared to life, tires screeching against the pavement, white smoke rising as the car dragged a trail of dark red blood behind it, running over zombies in its path.

Outside the alley, the street was as it had been, bathed in bright sunlight.

In the distance, the black wall stood as a backdrop to the city.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down, and every disbelieving, terrified expression on their faces was frozen in place.

In the sunlight, a massive vehicle was speeding towards them from the distance.

Just as they had escaped with their lives, they were all crushed into a bloody mess.