Chapter 102: Defending the City with Their Lives
The once lively atmosphere gradually faded.
Su Tao felt a sense of unease. She left the dormitory to look for Pei Dong, but from a distance, she saw her frowning deeply, listening to someone reporting urgent news.
Just as Su Tao was about to approach, Guan Zining suddenly grabbed her arm and shook her head.
“Xiaoqing might not make it back,” she said. “There’s another battle over there. This time, more than ten Blood Scythes showed up, along with hundreds of regular zombies. They’ve completely surrounded the camp.”
“The reinforcements Pei Dong sent couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Ye Xiaoqing and her team before they were forced to retreat.”
Su Tao froze in place, her mind blank, struggling to process his words.
She asked in disbelief: “What…?”
“What Do You Mean She’s Not Coming Back?”
Guan Zining was visibly irritated, her tone turning sharp, “It means she’s going to die. We can’t save them.”
Su Tao turned back to look at the simple dormitory. Inside, the untouched birthday cake and colorful balloons remained. She couldn’t hold back her tears.
“She’s only 23. She didn’t even finish her birthday… Is there really no way?”
Hearing her voice, Pei Dong walked over. Her posture remained straight like a soldier, her steps steady, but when she reached out to hold Su Tao, her hands trembled slightly.
“Tao, there’s no way… This is their mission.”
Su Tao didn’t even remember how she got back. When she arrived at the gate of Taoyang, she was still holding the gift she had prepared for Ye Xiaoqing—a dictionary. It had taken her a lot of pleading with Old Mei to get it.
She could still clearly remember the disappointed look on Ye Xiaoqing’s face when she admitted she couldn’t write.
Guan Zining got out of the car, grabbed the now completely melted ice cream bucket, and hurled it into the trash can. Then, she punched and kicked the trash can furiously.
Su Tao stared at her blankly for a while before silently turning back to her room.
She was too exhausted today. No construction work. Just sleep.
Lin Fangzhi, seeing that she had fallen asleep, quietly picked up the clothes she had tossed on the floor and put them in the washing machine. He also fed the cats and dog, tidied up everything, and then leaned against her door, falling asleep to the rhythm of her breathing.
That night, Su Tao’s sleep was restless.
In one dream, she saw Yan Yan at four or five years old, then suddenly grown into a teenager, so familiar it made her tremble.
In another, Ye Xiaoqing blew out the candles, unwrapped her gift, and smiled brightly.
When she woke up, her pillow was soaked—she didn’t know if it was from tears or sweat.
It was only 6 a.m.. She sent a message to Pei Dong, “How’s the situation?”
To her surprise, Pei Dong replied instantly, “We held the line. The zombies didn’t breach the city. Rest easy.”
They held the line… That meant they had been fighting all night.
How many others, like Ye Xiaoqing, had sacrificed their lives to protect the city?
Su Tao hesitated before sending another message, “Can we recover Xiaoqing? Even if it’s just… her remains?”
This time, Pei Dong took a long time to reply, “Not sure. The battlefield is too chaotic. We’ll hold a collective funeral for the fallen soldiers.”
Su Tao closed the chat and left a message for Shi Zijin, “Where are you? Are you okay?”
As usual, no response.
Unable to sleep, she got up and started scrolling through Dongyang’s news.
Most reports praised the stationed troops for their defense and celebrated their bravery. The Old Commander even promised to personally visit the families of fallen soldiers and ensure their families would be supported by the government.
Reading this, Su Tao felt a bit relieved.
She was grateful that Dongyang had an Old Commander who put the people’s interests first.
If it were another base, the Blood Scythes would have massacred civilians first.
Then, she realized something—Dongyang wasn’t the only city under attack.
What about the Yuncang Base?
And further away, what about the Shou’an Base?
Meanwhile, at Shou’an Base…
Shou’an was experiencing the same nightmare.
Dozens of powerful Blood Scythes and hordes of zombies had stormed into the city unchecked, slaughtering and devouring people at will. In just one night, the city had become hell on earth.
But the Shou’an warlords did nothing.
They hid inside the rich district, watching as rivers of blood flowed outside.
Inside one home, Wu Zhen and his family huddled together, hearing the screams of the dying and the howls of zombies outside. Warm blood splattered against their window every so often.
His wife, terrified and panicked, clutched their son tightly.
“How did this happen?! Everything was fine for twenty years—why did the city suddenly fall? Where is the military? Why isn’t anyone protecting us?!”
Wu Zhen took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
“Are you dreaming? You really think the warlords care about us? They’re scared for their own lives!”
His wife shook her head frantically.
“They don’t care about powerless commoners, but they wouldn’t abandon you! Call the Jiang family! Have them send troops to protect us! Hurry!”
Wu Zhen threw the communicator at her.
“Here. You call.”
With shaking hands, she grabbed the device and dialed the Jiang family’s steward.
She had been blocked.
She froze, completely stunned.
Wu Zhen let out a bitter laugh.
“After all these years, you should have realized by now… To them, I’m nothing. Just a pathetic clown for their amusement.”
His wife kept shaking her head, refusing to accept the truth.
Wu Zhen slumped onto the couch, utterly drained.
“If you hadn’t stopped me back then, we would’ve left for Dongyang with Su Tao. We’d be safe in Taoyang now instead of waiting to die.”
His wife snapped back, “And what if Dongyang has fallen too?! No matter where you go, you’ll die! Don’t try to blame this on me!”
Wu Zhen sat up sharply, pointing at her in frustration.
“You! Use your brain for once! Even if Dongyang fell, do you know how much they value food and agriculture? We would’ve been among the first ones evacuated and protected!”
His wife stared at him, speechless.
Was it really… all her fault?
