Chapter Fifty-Five: Quite Unexpected

After hearing what Shen Dong had to say, I fell into contemplation again. This XY City seemed increasingly unreliable, and that chemical plant was even more suspicious! What could possibly be inside to prompt Shen Dong’s father to utter such words? But it probably wasn’t anything too formidable—otherwise, how could half of them have managed to escape?

I decided I had to go and see for myself. After all, the goal of taking down a thousand zombies in three days was almost impossible to achieve. If I didn’t rely on some outside help, with my current abilities… I might as well run headfirst into a wall.

A thousand zombies weren’t just a thousand pigs standing in place, waiting to be slaughtered. If I wasn’t careful with even one, I could end up dead myself, becoming either a mindless walker or someone’s dinner.

“Brother Cao, are we still going?” Huo Bing’s determined gaze locked on me. Judging by her stance, as long as I agreed, she would follow me even if it meant walking into a sea of fire.

I laughed. “Of course we’re going. We’ve weathered storms together—what’s a mere chemical plant to us? But before that, we need to gear up with everything we can carry.”

“Brother Cao, this is too risky, and Xiao Bing… can she even go?” Shen Dong looked at us with concern.

From my perspective, though, he seemed more worried about Huo Bing.

“And why can’t I go? Shen Dong, do you look down on me? I’m Brother Cao’s right hand—you think I’m still the same person I used to be?” Huo Bing bristled, snapping at Shen Dong.

He sighed helplessly, saying nothing more. A man with a lame leg—what could he possibly do now? If he limped out there, he’d just be zombie fodder.

“There’s something good from that last batch of military supplies I had you store for me, Shen Dong. Now’s the perfect time to put it to use—I’m taking it with me.” I patted his shoulder, signaling for him to relax.

Shen Dong looked at me, puzzled. “I’ll take you there. But Brother Cao, do you really think that thing’s useful? Maybe it was a killer weapon in the old era, but now? It’s just for show—looks nice, but who actually uses it?”

“You talk too much. If I want to bring it, then it’s useful. Maybe it’s just a pretty trinket most of the time, but right now, it’s a genuine treasure.” I shot back with a laugh.

The weapons depot at the Lonely Gathering Zone.

The armory was about two hundred square meters, filled with weapons, equipment, and gasoline.

Once inside, I headed straight for the “killer weapon.”

Wave God—Hurricane. The latest domestically produced ultra-long-range thermal sniper cannon, capable of piercing fifteen-millimeter steel plates at a range of three thousand meters, with a muzzle velocity of two thousand meters per second. Weighing in at thirteen kilos, it was a true killer among thermal weapons.

This sort of thing was rarely issued even in frontline units—only specially trained, elite snipers could apply for such a weapon. In the old era, it was indeed a fearsome tool of death.

But now, its value had plummeted. It wasn’t as handy as a submachine gun, so Shen Dong’s earlier skepticism made sense.

The reason it was called a next-generation thermal weapon was because there were even more advanced models out there, ones that didn’t use standard bullets, but something else entirely.

“Assess the grade of the Wave God—Hurricane.”

“Analyzing…”

“Notice to the host: Wave God—Hurricane is classified as an A-grade thermal weapon based on its destructive power, but its overall rating is B-grade.”

That overall rating must refer to its drawbacks. The single-target lethality of a long-range sniper cannon was beyond question—whoever got hit wouldn’t stand a chance.

Except, of course, for certain mutated monsters or fiends—maybe even a direct hit wouldn’t bring them down.

Roughly speaking, its overall rating was similar to a rocket launcher. But I couldn’t very well haul a rocket launcher around everywhere—it was far too cumbersome.

Most importantly, the rocket launcher’s range was limited. Compared to the effective range of the Hurricane, it was no contest.

“This is the one. Oh, and just in case, I’ll also take a few rockets, a bulletproof vest, and a few grenades.” Surveying the array of weapons, I figured since scavengers hadn’t been assigned any tasks recently, I could help myself.

The new recruits were still in training anyway—it would be a few days before they did anything. By then, I’d be back.

Of course, consumables like these might not make it back intact. I couldn’t guarantee that.

I was taking this trip very seriously, bringing along everything I could possibly use—I was determined to succeed in a single stroke.

Naturally, Huo Bing became the pack mule, hoisting the heavy load onto her back.

Frankly, I worried it might stunt her growth—but she was already one-seventy in height, tall by any measure.

Still, she needed to toughen up more. Women simply weren’t as strong as men by nature, and Huo Bing’s training had lagged behind in recent times.

She was certainly tough enough—otherwise, after the collapse, she wouldn’t have survived. In the old era, she’d been the very image of a pampered heiress.

By her own admission, the only sport she’d ever been any good at was swimming.

She was still far from strong—couldn’t even compare to some of the new recruits, let alone in terms of agility.

After saying goodbye to Shen Dong, we headed for the parking lot. This time, we’d be using the same vehicle I’d already vetted before.

With no scavenging mission, there was no need for two cars—we could just share one.

And of course, we couldn’t leave behind Fourth Master, who was already barking excitedly. That mutt was my good luck charm.

Bringing him always meant a stroke of luck—one never knew when he’d come through in a pinch.

Last time, facing that level-three zombie enhanced by the moonlight, if not for Fourth Master’s gaping jaws, who knows what would have happened?

…

“Time check: it’s now six in the evening, four hours before moonrise. We’re still within the safe window—getting to XY City shouldn’t be a problem.” On the road to XY City, Huo Bing and I chatted idly.

Every gap in the vehicle was sealed tight, so there was no risk of our voices leaking out and attracting sharp-eared zombies to surround the car.

“According to the location Shen Dong gave us, the chemical plant is on the northern edge of XY City, right up against Xiaxia County. So the actual distance is a bit farther than we estimated.” Huo Bing sat in the passenger seat, shining a flashlight over a hand-drawn map.

Shen Dong had given her this map; the rest of the route we’d memorized.

“I figured as much. There’s no way a chemical plant would be in the city center. If something went wrong and it exploded, it’d be a disaster of epic proportions,” I replied calmly.

The reason I was bringing the Wave God was that if the plant did blow up, its blast radius would be horrifying.

Only with such an ultra-long-range sniper cannon, firing from a safe distance, could I ensure our safety.

The Wave God’s effective range was over five kilometers, and its advanced nano-zoom scope could precisely target anything within that distance—unless there were strong winds or some other act of God, there was no way I’d miss.

If the explosion could reach me at that range, well, then that was just bad luck—nothing to be done but accept my fate.