NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1091: Cooperation
Wu Heng, with his Skeleton Squad, hid behind a cluster of waist-high dry yellow shrubs, observing the settlement ahead from afar.
A wall roughly three to four meters high, reinforced with rough concrete and junk vehicles, stood in the distance. On top of the wall, the shadows of patrolling guards could be vaguely seen.
These guards mostly wore a mishmash of leather armor or coarse cloth clothes, yet they all had modern rifles slung casually over their shoulders.
This eclectic style gave off a strong sense of discordance, as if it were a city from another world inhabited by modern soldiers.
Wu Heng gazed into the distance, his eyes scanning over the graffiti and tattered slogans on the outer walls. A few blurred Spanish words confirmed the location underfoot for him.
"Mexico...!" he murmured to himself.
He still had a base in Mexico, which was handed over to Qi Hancai for management, and he hadn't been overly concerned about it afterward.
Unexpectedly, Lady had arranged a Resurrection Point around here.
In the distance, the city's metallic gates stood open, forming a busy passageway.
Survivors came and went, some carrying bulging backpacks, others pushing bicycles loaded with various supplies.
The flow of people wasn't sparse, indicating that this settlement had a significant scale, probably meeting the standards of at least a medium-sized refuge.
"A refuge of this scale is likely a member of the Dawn Alliance..." Wu Heng calculated internally. "If I can use their radio, I could contact Qi Hancai or Li Yahong."
This thought invigorated him.
But soon, practical concerns furrowed his brow again.
He glanced back at his own 'team,' consisting of ragged skeletons, a Skeleton Wolf the size of a grown bull, and a Skeleton Deer as tall as a horse, their eye sockets flickering with Soul Fire.
He now appeared as a child of five or six years old and was a Level 1.
Thinking about it, stepping inside would be risky.
Let alone borrowing a radio, the most likely scenario would be getting shot to pieces by the guards atop the wall as soon as he entered their range.
The risk was too high.
Wu Heng pondered for a moment before decisively abandoning the idea of approaching directly.
After another careful observation of the distant base, he softly ordered the skeletons, "Go this way, maintain concealment."
After that, he stood up and led the skeletons to change direction, leaving the main road.
...
Deep within a street lined with a mishmash of buildings.
Among the ruins lay various styles of architecture: low-level houses, abrupt three-story buildings, and clusters of apartment buildings.
The way these buildings stood haphazardly packed together gave the impression that a giant hand had carelessly scattered them across the land.
Roar~!
The growl of zombies echoed through the dilapidated streets.
Five zombies were frantically pounding on a shaky wooden door.
Inside, a steel knife occasionally jabbed through the gap in the door, landing on the zombies' chests or abdomens due to the awkward positioning.
Despite several stabs, the zombies continued battering the door.
Crack!
The wooden door finally gave way and splintered apart.
The zombies flooded inside, growling and clawing.
In the room, two adult men and a teenager clutched crude weapons, their faces pale and retreating step by step.
Just as the zombies were about to pounce on them.
Boom!
A burst of flame exploded at the doorway. Amid the swirling heat waves, two tall figures, fully armored and wearing masks and sunglasses, rushed in swiftly, driving straight into the zombies!
The three were momentarily stunned but quickly rallied and summoned the courage to join the fray.
In just a moment, the five zombies lay in a pool of blood.
The three survivors leaned against either the wall or the edge of a table, gasping for air.
The eldest man spoke up in trembling Spanish, "Thank you for saving us... Everything we found today can be yours, take whatever you like."
The two tall figures remained silent, standing by the door, their knives and axes still dripping blood, rifles slung on their backs.
In the ensuing silence, a clear yet calm child's voice came from behind them: "No need to be so polite, in the End of the World, survivors should help each other."
The three looked up to see an Asian boy slowly stepping out from between the two adults.
He had a childish appearance but an unusually composed expression.
"You are...?" the leading man furrowed his brow, both wary and puzzled.
The combination before him was too bizarre: fully armored adults remaining silent while a child spoke on their behalf—it was all very strange.
"I'm the one who calls the shots in our squad," Wu Heng casually lifted his hand, a fireball flaring in his palm and then extinguishing in an instant.
The three's pupils contracted.
Superpowered Man!
Awakening a superpower at such a young age... no wonder he calls the shots.
The man's tone softened, remaining respectful, "Thanks for saving our lives. These are what we found today..."
He opened the backpack, revealing a jumble of items inside.
Wu Heng gave them a glance—electronic components, an ashtray, old sneakers, and quite a few odds and ends of dubious use.
Wu Heng merely glanced indifferently, "I'll take the bullets inside in exchange for compressed biscuits."
He took two packs of compressed biscuits from his own bag and tossed them over.
The three caught the biscuits, joy flashing in their eyes, unable to hide it.
The three then devoured the food ravenously.
After they finished eating, Wu Heng finally spoke, "What should I call you?"
"Miguel Carlos Mendoza, just call me Miguel." The man wiped his mouth and pointed at the two people behind him, "This is my friend, Juan Angel Rodriguez, and my son, Diego."
He then politely asked in return, "And how should we address this Captain?"