Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 88 Attack and Defense
Watson stared at the vital signs monitoring curve on the panel.

Everything is stable.

Suddenly, a stream of bright red liquid gushed from Zhuang Fan's nostrils.

"Boss!"

He quickly grabbed a clean piece of cotton cloth and pressed it against Zhuang Fan's nose.

The blood quickly soaked through the cotton cloth.

Then, it dripped through his fingers, spreading a small patch of dark red on the sheets.

"No, it's completely unstoppable..."

He dared not move Zhuang Fan's body, picked up the spare multivitamin solution, and skillfully put it on.

The drip rate was set to the fastest.

The fluid flowed rapidly into the body through the IV tube.

The nosebleed began to slow down and eventually stopped completely.

Watson just breathed a sigh of relief.

The monitoring panel by the bedside suddenly emitted a rapid alarm.

The heart rate curve is fluctuating wildly.

The body temperature climbed steadily, eventually settling at an alarming number.

【Body temperature: 45℃】

This temperature can burn out the brain in minutes.

Strangely, Zhuang Fan's forehead was burning hot, while the rest of his body remained cold.

Immediately afterwards, his short, jet-black hair began to fade at a visible rate.

gray.

In just over ten seconds, his hair had turned completely white.

It was as if all life force had been drained in an instant, like a dying old man.

At that moment, Hua Xin appeared at the door.

She froze when she saw Zhuang Fan on the bed.

There was dead silence in the room.

She didn't say anything, but quickly walked to the bedside, picked up a towel from the basin, and wrung it out.

Then, carefully, it was applied to Zhuang Fan's forehead.

Her movements were very light, but her fingertips were trembling slightly.

Hua Sheng connected with Chu Ningyan's communication.

The light screen lit up, revealing the face wearing a tactical mask, which remained as aloof as ever.

But her first words were very direct.

"Explain the situation."

"He suddenly had a nosebleed, which just stopped, but he has a high fever of 45 degrees Celsius on his forehead."

"Also, his hair has turned completely white."

Without the slightest hesitation, the voice on the other end of the screen launched into a barrage of questions.

"What about brainwaves?"

"What about the spectrum analyzer?"

Watson immediately replied: "The brainwave activity is intense, but there is no organic damage."

"understood."

Her voice remained calm, and her instructions were clear.

"Go buy an ice maker, apply ice to your forehead, and cool it down physically immediately."

"it is good!"

As soon as the communication ended, Hua Sheng immediately dialed Mao Shanwang's channel.

"Old Cat, we urgently need a whole case of all-purpose vitamin supplement."

"And an ice maker, the sooner the better."

On the other side of the light screen, Mao Shanwang's simple smile disappeared.

"One case contains one hundred bottles, worth one hundred thousand gold coins."

He paused for a moment, then waved his large, fat paw.

"Ice maker... never mind, you can have it."

"Is his condition very bad?"

"Well, it's a bit troublesome."

"Wait, I'll be there soon."

Less than half an hour later, the warehouse truck pulled up at the door.

Xiong Da unloaded a brand-new ice maker and a box of vitamins from the car.

Watson immediately made ice.

Hua Xin took a bag of ready-made ice, wrapped it in a towel, and gently placed it on Zhuang Fan's forehead.

The cool touch calmed her down a little.

The first floor of the recycling station.

Cole and several scavengers did not go out today.

They stayed at the base, assisting Gage in repairing the damaged walls.

Thick steel plates were welded on one by one, and the external wall defense was gradually reinforced.

Gage stood on the scaffolding, his face illuminated by the sparks from the welding.

But his movements were a beat slower than usual.

His gaze kept involuntarily drifting towards the new warehouse next door. Inside, mountains of scrap emitted a thick, musty fumes, thankfully suppressed by fog lights.

The waste has not been processed for four days.

The boss hasn't shown up for four days.

Where did the boss go?
This question lingered in his mind.

He put down the welding torch, rubbed his temples, and the feeling of unease lingered.

Day .

The new warehouse is already overflowing with unmanageable waste.

Before setting off, Hua Xin emphasized this to everyone.

"Today's task is simply to search for small, high-value parts."

"Because the warehouse is almost full."

Cole followed behind her and whispered a reminder: "I see those junk items haven't been sold yet."

Hua Xin paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

"I know."

Her voice carried a barely perceptible hint of somberness. "Do as I say."

Cole remained silent.

That evening, the scavenging team returned home exhausted.

When another truckload of scrap was unloaded and the warehouse was completely filled, everyone fell silent.

A sense of oppression was spreading.

Hua Sheng quietly walked up to Hua Xin.

"It can't go on any longer."

His voice was deep, “Scavenging must be stopped.”

Hua Xin nodded, and her cat ears drooped down.

She looked at her brother and asked softly, "We can't hide it anymore. Should we tell everyone about the eldest brother?"

Watson took a deep breath.

"Let me tell you."

Watson then gathered all the members.

The crowd gathered in the hall, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Watson met everyone's gaze: "Boss has an urgent matter and needs to leave for a while."

"During this period, I will be fully responsible for all affairs of the base."

A murmur arose from the crowd.

Watson raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"Starting tomorrow, we will suspend scavenging and everyone should reinforce the fortifications of the recycling station."

He paused for a moment before recounting the most difficult part.

"In addition, everyone's salary will be temporarily halved."

"We'll make up for it all when the boss comes back."

The murmurs that had just been there vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly silence.

Most people's faces were filled with shock and unease.

After a long while, Cole was the first to step forward. He looked at Watson, his voice hoarse.

"We...understand."

In fact, Kerr could accept the halving of his salary; he was just worried that there might be deeper problems behind it.

He didn't want this fledgling team to just disappear like that.

Suddenly, Xiong Er's alarm sounded on the clock tower.

"A small horde of zombies is approaching from the southeast. Stay hidden!"

The zombie horde attacked at any time and in any place, making it highly random, so the group wasn't too surprised.

Watson issued the order: "Activate the war readiness plan!"

All the lights in the base went out instantly, the huge alloy door slowly fell down, and the metal windows were sealed shut one by one.

The entire recycling bin went into a silent state.

Everyone hid in the basement, but Watson remained on the second floor, never leaving their side.

This horde of zombies is far smaller than the last one.

They migrate aimlessly across the wilderness, passing by the recycling station without stopping at all.

As the last wave of walkers receded into the distance, Watson breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to come out.

But that's it.

A rocket, trailing a plume of flame, hurtled in from the shadows of the distant ruins.

"boom--!"

The windows on the first floor were shattered by the explosion, and the silence was torn apart by the deafening sound.

The horde of zombies, which had been heading away, paused slightly.

The horde of corpses behind them began to slowly turn around.

"Dry!"

Despite the risk of being discovered by the red corpse bird, Xiong Er emerged from the haystack and locked onto the attacker.

Five or six mysterious figures dressed in white robes emerged from the underground ruins.

They set up two launchers.

"What! A madman from the Apocalypse Cult!"

(End of this chapter)