Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 26 Frontline
late at night.

Zhuang Fan lay in the coffin bed.

The space fit him perfectly, like a mold.

To roll over, you must first tuck your arms close to your body, then carefully turn to the side, avoiding hitting your elbows and knees against the wall.

The air was thick with a lingering musty smell, and every breath made my chest feel tight.

"Cough...cough..."

A cough came from the berth next to me.

"are you OK?"

Zhuang Fan turned his head to the side, his gaze passing through a small hole that had been drilled by someone.

He could only see the blurry outline of the other person's head, which moved slightly in the dim light.

"It's okay, I can't die."

The man's voice was weak, but it carried a clear quality unique to young people.

"My name is Watson, what's yours?"

“Watson?” Zhuang Fan was taken aback.

"Yes, my surname is Hua."

"Guangtu," Zhuang Fan gave his pseudonym.

"Guangtu...a good name."

Watson tried to turn to face him, but the movement aggravated his wound, and he let out another muffled groan.

Zhuang Fan could barely make out his face through the small hole.

It was a very young face, probably only twenty years old, covered in dust and dried blood, making it look somewhat dirty.

Watson took a breath, his voice filled with gratitude: "Speaking of which, I have to thank you for bluffing him, otherwise that guy Nissen definitely wouldn't have let me off so easily."

"Small things."

Zhuang Fan's voice was flat.

He'd seen plenty of Nissen types; they were nothing more than bullies who relied on their power, but were actually more timid than anyone else. If you acted tougher than him, these kinds of people would naturally back down.

After a long while, Watson's voice rang out again, much lower and deeper.

“I used to live in the south of the city.”

"Since my parents died, my family couldn't afford the tax on air purification, so my sister and I were sent to military service."

"Of course, that was two years ago."

"Later, we finally managed to save up 3000 gold coins, hoping to start over in Linhai City and find a job, but we ended up at the city gate..."

He paused for a long time, as if gathering his strength.

"The border guards said my money was stolen, confiscated it all, and threw me here."

"Where is your sister?" Zhuang Fan asked.

"She realized something was wrong and turned and ran away. That's good... at least she didn't come in."

Watson felt a sense of relief, but more so a worry: "But I need to get out of here as soon as possible. It's too dangerous for her to be out alone."

Zhuang Fan listened quietly, but another slightly unfamiliar face kept flashing through his mind.

"How long are we going to stay here?" Zhuang Fan continued to ask.

"If we work our hardest, it will take at least one or two years."

Watson sighed.

"There are plenty of people who are slow, some haven't been able to get out for over a decade. Of course, they're still better off than those guys in the mutant camp next door."

"What happened to them?"

"The hourly wage is even lower, the exploitation is even more ruthless, and you work yourself to death every month, but your credit points are actually negative. If a mutant goes there, it's like a real life sentence."

Watson, with two years of military experience, clearly knew the ins and outs of the place better, and he lowered his voice.

"It's pretty much the same here as in the South City. The food you eat, the water you drink, the bed you stay in, even every breath you take, and the monthly fee for cleaning up the eerie fog—all of it will deduct credit points."

"Every item has been precisely calculated to ensure you have very little money left each month."

This was pretty much what Zhuang Fan had expected. Since there was cheap labor available, how could he possibly let it go so easily?

"Oh, right, and virtual brains too."

Watson added, "It's the virtual world. Many people can't stand the hardships here, so they hide in the virtual world. That stuff is even more expensive, so there are a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck, or even go into debt."

Since being unfrozen, Zhuang Fan has yet to experience the so-called virtual network.

“Now Nissen wants each of us to advance 1,000 credits, with 60% interest every year... He’s trying to drive us to our deaths.”

At this point, Watson suddenly remembered something, his tone tinged with surprise.

"By the way, out of the hundred new recruits just now, it seems you were the only one who didn't have your pay docked. Brother Guangtu, you're really lucky."

“Nissen is just the battalion commander’s lackey. He’s fine with extorting money, but he wouldn’t dare to confront a real villain.”

Zhuang Fan's voice was calm. "He was holding a chainsaw and had his chest exposed. It was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers; it was all for the sake of emboldening himself."

"Brother Guangtu, what is a peacock?"

"Nothing much, just an ancient animal."

Watson gave a vague "oh" and then fell silent, realizing he was becoming a bit too talkative.

After a while, his breathing became even, and he fell into a deep sleep, even snoring.

This cramped hive was filled with all sorts of strange noises: snoring, sleep talking, occasional sobbing, and endless cursing.

Several fog-repelling lights were installed in various corners of the prison area, compressing the concentration of the eerie fog to almost zero.

This caused him great trouble in absorbing nutrients.

He tried to draw out the little bit of mist that had accumulated in his body and carefully reached for the collar around his neck.

The moment the eerie mist touched the collar, the three green lights instantly turned a blinding red.

A cold, electronic voice announced: "Increased concentration of eerie fog detected. Warning!"

Zhuang Fan immediately withdrew the eerie mist, and the red light on the collar flashed a few times before returning to green.

But it's too late.

Heavy footsteps approached from afar, and six guards armed with stun batons burst in, heading straight for his bunk.

The metal door was violently pulled open, and Zhuang Fan was dragged out and slammed to the ground.

What did you just do?!

"I don't know, I was sleeping soundly..." Zhuang Fan's expression was helpless.

The guard picked up the instrument and carefully examined the collar. All the data was normal, and no problems were found.

He gave Zhuang Fan a vicious warning, then kicked him back into the coffin.

The metal door slammed shut with a clang.

Zhuang Fan suppressed the pain in his chest, his expression turning serious.

The metal collar around his neck was tightening, gripping his fate tightly.

We need to think of other solutions.

……

It was five o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark.

A piercing alarm shattered the dead silence of the camp.

The metal gate slowly opened, and several guards holding stun batons stood at the entrance, expressionless.

Nissen pounded on the door and roared, "The zombie horde is here! All of you, get the hell out of here!"

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng were given special attention; they were the only two in the entire prison area assigned to the front lines, while the others were responsible for logistical matters.

"Watch your lives, and come back alive." Nissen brandished his chainsaw, his face fierce.

Zhuang Fan was pushed and shoved by the crowd, passing through the outer side of the thick city wall, and arrived at a ten-meter-wide combat platform.

The platform surface was pitted and uneven, and dark red bloodstains had long since seeped into every crack of the concrete, congealing into a dark brown color.

Brass cartridge cases and fragmented armor pieces are everywhere.

A line of mutants had already been formed.

There are bear-men who are three meters tall, elephant-men who are four meters tall, and tiger-men and lion-men who are strong and robust.

They were covered in patchwork armor, wielding huge steel shields and sharp blades, silently gazing ahead.

In front of the combat platform was a huge trench, ten meters wide and ten meters deep, somewhat like a moat, except that it was dry.

The pit walls were very smooth, probably made of some kind of high-strength alloy, and at intervals there were also high-speed rotating circular saws embedded to prevent anything from climbing out.

On the top wall of the platform, thick oil pipes are pointed at the bottom of the pit, ready to spray kerosene at any time.

This is an elaborate killing trap.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng were assigned a heavy flatbed cart, and their task, along with that of the other convicts, was clear:

While mutants and monsters are fighting, quickly drag the seriously wounded or dead mutants away from the front line to make room for the follow-up troops.

Woo——!
A deep horn sounded from afar, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

Soon, a gray ocean appeared on the horizon, and countless zombies roared as they charged toward them at an alarming speed.

The sky, which had just begun to lighten, gradually darkened.

The overwhelming number of red corpse birds emitted piercing screams as they swooped down, forming clusters of dark red clouds.

"Prepare--!"

The commander on the city wall issued orders, and his voice was amplified throughout the entire defensive line.

Unlike the zombie hordes Zhuang Fan had encountered before, this time, a small number of green-skinned creatures were mixed in with the zombie horde.

"Waaaa! Waaaaa!"

Wielding crude weapons and using the zombies as cover, they charged toward the city walls.

"boom!"

The snipers on the city wall opened fire first.

A green-skinned man carrying a launcher on his shoulder fell to the ground, his head exploding like a watermelon.

The automatic turret spun, and a barrage of fire instantly tore dozens of green-skinned creatures to shreds. A swarm of drones swept past, precisely locking onto every green-skinned creature that tried to approach.

The defenders on the city walls didn't even bother wasting a single bullet on those mindless zombies and undead that just charged forward.

More greenskins poured out of the horde of zombies, pushing heavy, spring-loaded war machines.

"Roar--!"

A colossal creature, five meters tall, burst forth from the green-skinned formation.

It wore heavy, patchwork iron armor, wielded a huge steel blade the size of a door panel, and spewed acid from its mouth, instantly shooting down a drone.

The Hulk, a secondary variant of the green skin.

It forcefully passed through the dense barrage of fire, its leg muscles bulging, and with the immense thrust of its spring mechanism, easily crossed the ten-meter-wide trench.

"boom--!"

The combat platform emitted a loud bang, and the ground trembled.

The mutant at the front roared, and the heavy tower shield slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

The Hulk swung his steel blade and slammed it hard against a tower shield, the sound of metal scraping against metal filling the air and sparks flying everywhere.

The bear-man warrior wielding the shield was jolted back several steps by the immense force, his tiger's mouth split open.

More zombies jumped over, and the bloodiest melee battle broke out on the narrow platform.

Claws and steel blades collide.

Everywhere there were scenes of blood and flesh flying everywhere, and the cracking sound of bones breaking was incessant.

Black and red blood splattered everywhere, mixed with a strong, pungent stench that assaulted the senses.

Zhuang Fan and Watson hid behind the defensive line formed by mutants, only able to glimpse scattered battlefields through the gaps between those enormous figures.

The armor of an elephant-man was torn open by sharp claws, and flesh and blood rolled out.

Immediately afterwards, a battle blade pierced through from the side, splitting open the skull of another monster.

Only the suppressed groans of the mutants and the dying roars of the corpse monsters remained on the battlefield.

More zombies slipped and fell into the trench, scratching futilely at the pit walls.

"call--"

Fire erupted from the oil pipes on the city wall, instantly turning the incineration pit into a sea of ​​flames.

The zombies that fell in let out shrill screams, turning into writhing fire figures and quickly becoming charred remains.

Quadcopter drones hovered above the horde of zombies, dropping white phosphorus bombs at the Hulks.

The incendiary agent adhered to their skin, igniting clusters of pale flames.

The Hulk roared madly in excruciating pain, his attacks becoming increasingly ferocious, but he was quickly shot in the head by a sniper.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng pushed a creaking flatbed cart, weaving through this living hell.

A stray bullet grazed past Zhuang Fan's ear, but he didn't turn around. He and Watson worked together to lift the unconscious bear-man onto the cart.

The bear-man weighed at least 800 kilograms, and even just dragging it exhausted all the strength of the two men.

The ground was covered in sticky blood and bits of flesh, causing the wheels to slip several times and making them difficult to move.

"Watch out for what's above you!" Watson shouted.

A red corpse bird swooped down, its sharp beak aimed at Zhuang Fan's eyes.

He suddenly ducked down and swung the handrail on the flatbed cart upwards.

"boom!"

After being hit, the Red Corpse Bird tumbled to the ground and before it could get up, a passing minotaur stomped on its head and crushed it.

"Thanks, Brother Niu!"

"Watch out!" Brother Niu said in a deep voice, and strode away.

The two pushed the cart, struggling to move across the battlefield. After only seven or eight trips, they were almost exhausted.

"help me……"

A tiger-man lay in a pool of blood, a huge gash torn open in his abdomen, his colorful intestines spilling out onto the ground.

With his last ounce of strength, he grabbed Watson's trouser leg, his eyes filled with pleading.

"I can still be saved... Don't throw me down..."

Watson was stunned.

Not far away, two other criminals, to save time, were working together to push a still convulsing rhinoceros-man toward the edge of the burning pit.

"Pfft!"

The massive body plunged into the sea of ​​fire, unable to even utter a scream.

Without thinking much, Zhuang Fan bent down, grabbed the tiger-man's arms, and pulled hard.

"You should move your butt a little yourself, we really can't lift it anymore."

Finally, the two used all their strength to drag the tiger-man onto the cart and push it toward the medical area at the rear.

The medical area was also a scene of utter devastation.

A tree-man nearly five meters tall was using its withered branches and vines to firmly restrain the howling werewolf.

The human doctor, expressionless, picked up a blood-stained chainsaw and began amputating the werewolf's limbs without anesthesia.

"Zi la - zi la -"

The sound of the bone saw grinding together, mixed with screams of agony, made Watson turn pale as he watched from the side.

The tiger-man was clearly frightened by the sight before him and said in a weak voice, "Brother, drag me back to the battlefield, I won't be treated."

"Keep going, hang in there."

Zhuang Fan patted him on the shoulder, gave him an approving look, and then tossed it to another doctor.

Upon closer inspection, he quickly discovered that the entire combat platform, including the city walls, was equipped with a large number of fog-expelling devices.

This makes it difficult for him to collect enough of the eerie mist.

Only on those dying mutants would a thin mist emanate.

But with this dosage, let alone condensing black mist, it wouldn't even be enough to gather enough dark mist.

The zombie horde's attack lasted for a full five hours before slowly receding.

The roars gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling sound of the flames burning in the incinerator.

The smell of burnt blood and gunpowder was so strong it was almost overwhelming.

Zhuang Fan and his companion were so exhausted they could barely move their legs. The sound of a loudspeaker from the medical area filled their ears:
"The number of wounded personnel has been reached; treatment has been suspended."

The platform was now littered with the remains of mutants and monsters, their blood splattered with hot bullet casings.

Brother Niu lay in a pool of thick blood, struggling to breathe through his nostrils. His waist had been cut open horizontally, and his upper body was slumped to one side, with only a section of his spine still attached.

It strained to keep its eyes open, its gaze passing over the chaotic battlefield, and met Zhuang Fan's eyes.

help me
Zhuang Fan was startled and called over Hua Sheng, who was slumped on the ground. As he pushed the flatbed cart over, a soldier walked over.

He raised the muzzle of his gun.

boom--

Its head snapped back, its eyes widened, and then gradually turned ashen.

The dark brown hands tried to grasp something, but could only let go limply.

Only his eyelids remained open.

Zhuang Fan was disheartened, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, and just watched as the soldiers killed one seriously wounded man after another.

After a long pause, he surveyed the scene. Nearly 10% of the mutant soldiers had been killed, and more than 20% were seriously injured.

It was extremely tragic.

Half an hour later, all the mutant soldiers had left the scene.

However, for Zhuang Fan and his team, the work was far from over, as they still needed to clean the bottom of the fire pit.

Some resilient corpse monsters, even when burned to half their original size, still have their flesh and tissue moving and even reorganizing.

They had to use long iron forks to pick out these "living dead" pieces and throw them into the nearby incinerator to burn them completely to ashes.

Finally, all the valuable bone charcoal at the bottom of the pit must be collected and put into a cart.

"What's the use of these bone ash?" Watson couldn't help but ask, having never cleaned these things before.

"Are you new here?"

An old criminal standing nearby glanced at them, his eyes blank and his tone impatient.

"They were all sent to the sugar factory for decolorization."

Zhuang Fan understood instantly.

No recyclable materials will be wasted here.

There was another group of people in the trench, responsible for repairing the corroded walls and platforms, each with their own duties.

Drones and soldiers patrol overhead, and any act of laziness will result in an electric shock.

Zhuang Fan tried to move away from the trench, but the collar immediately issued a location alarm, which would be triggered if he went beyond the designated work area.

He had no choice but to behave himself for the time being.

The battle lasted five hours, and the cleanup afterwards took a full eight hours.

As the sun sets, the sky is dyed a deep purple-red.

The quartermaster drove up in a supply vehicle.

Zhuang Fan and Hua Sheng received their rations for the day: a tasteless nutritional paste and a protein bar.

The two sat on the edge of the platform, their legs dangling over the still-smoking incineration pit.

The evening breeze carried the stench of burning corpses that was nauseating, but one got used to it after a while.

They silently ate their food.

In the distance, there were ruins strewn with corpses, and the wilderness stretched endlessly without end.

The setting sun cast long, long shadows of them.

(End of this chapter)