C17 Lin Lan

"Move! Get those grenades now! Everyone, to your battle stations! Open fire!" Han Feng barked out the commands.

As he fired his weapon, Han Feng berated himself internally. How could he have been so idiotic? If he had realized the zombie threat even a few minutes later, they would have been all over him!

Seconds later, the Winter Soldier arrived, arms laden with boxes of grenades.

Upon opening the wooden crate, Han Feng was greeted by rows of neatly packed explosives.

With a swift motion, he grabbed two grenades. "Two for each of you, aim for the pile of corpses at the base of the wall, and let them have it!" No sooner had Han Feng issued the order than he hurled the grenades out the window.

"Duck for cover!" he yelled. Almost immediately, two blasts thundered in unison.

An arm hurtled through the window...

The already battered zombie was now torn asunder, its parts scattered by the force of the grenade blasts.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of grenades detonating was relentless outside the wall.

As the smoke from the explosions began to clear, Han Feng peered down once more. The mound of bodies had been significantly reduced; a few remained, but the situation was vastly improved.

Exhausted, Han Feng collapsed to the ground, exhaling deeply.

That was too close... way too close.

Before he could even catch his breath, Han Feng noticed the policewoman stirring.

"What kind of freakish resilience is this? Am I cursed with bad luck?" The continuous stress was pushing Han Feng to his limits.

"Winter Soldier, with me. Everyone else, keep up the assault." After giving the order, Han Feng and the Winter Soldier approached the policewoman.

"Uh... Who are you people?" asked the policewoman, her voice feeble but her presence still a concern for Han Feng.

"Who are you? How did you end up here?" Han Feng countered, sidestepping her inquiry.

"Private militia, carrying illegal firearms! Are you aware of the consequences you're facing?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

Han Feng froze.

Indeed... his Red Police Soldiers might have been summoned, but they were still soldiers! Despite the chaos brought by the zombies, Agrorewia would eventually need to take back control. When that time came... how would he explain their presence?

Han Feng hesitated, wanting to explain but unsure of where to begin.

"Do you think having money gives you the right to do whatever you please?!" The policewoman pressed him, clearly mistaking the Red Police Soldiers for Han Feng's bodyguards and pegging Han Feng as a wealthy heir.

At a loss for words, Han Feng simply nodded, playing along with the misunderstanding that they were indeed his bodyguards.

"Who are you?! Answer me!" the policewoman demanded, struggling.

"Never mind who I am! Who are you, and why are you here?" Han Feng countered, his voice rising as he questioned the policewoman.

"I'm with the special police! Let me go!"

"Special police? Ha, you think I'm a fool? Since when do special police have such impressive skills?" The image of the policewoman taking on four adversaries was etched in his mind, and he knew well that the four individuals he had summoned were not mere street thugs but genuine warriors.

"I'm the chief instructor of the special police in Nanjing Province, satisfied?" The policewoman glared at Han Feng, her words edged with frustration, "Who are they fighting?"

Blocked by the gun cabinet, the policewoman couldn't see the Red Police Soldiers in action, but the relentless gunfire told her a battle was underway.

"Carry her over," Han Feng instructed the Winter Soldier before rising and heading to the window.

"How could this happen?" the policewoman asked, bewildered. She couldn't fathom how three perfectly cut openings had appeared in the solid equipment warehouse.

Han Feng didn't respond to her question. Instead, he simply told the Winter Soldier, "Show her."

The Winter Soldier hoisted the policewoman up to the window, allowing her to peer outside.

"How can this be? They..."

"Exactly as you see!" Han Feng cut her off and signaled to the Winter Soldier to pull her back from the window.

"Listen closely, this world isn't what you once knew. For the last time, who are you?!" Han Feng demanded, asking the policewoman once more.

"I... I'm Lin Lan..."

"Why are you here?"

"I was assigned to guard this place."

"With such a large arsenal, you can't be the only one here. Who else is with you?"

"Five of my colleagues... they knocked me out here to protect me. I fear they've already made the ultimate sacrifice..."

"..."

"This mission isn't something you'd hand off to SWAT. Do you have another identity?" Han Feng sensed the complexity of the situation and probed further.

With a complex look in her eyes, Lin Lan met Han Feng's gaze. After a pause, she spoke slowly, "I do have another identity, but it's tied to a secret code. I can't disclose it to you."

Lin Lan's response left Han Feng in silence.

A realization dawned on Han Feng. Lin Lan... she was undoubtedly military.

The sound of gunfire persisted.

Three hours had passed, and dusk was nearing.

Han Feng approached the window, observing the relentless swarm of zombies below.

He turned to check his ammo. After relentless firing, his assault rifle was nearly depleted.

The handgun was fully loaded, and a few boxes of grenades remained.

"Holding out here isn't a strategy. I can free you, but you need to follow my lead. We're in this together now, for better or worse, got it?" Han Feng said to Lin Lan, a note of hesitation in his voice.

"Take a look. We're almost out of assault rifle ammo, and the grenades won't last much longer. You think a handgun will stop them? And the bodies piling up? It's only a matter of time before they break through! Forget whatever you're thinking and focus on how we're going to escape!" Han Feng implored, his voice laced with urgency.

"Okay..." Minutes later, under Han Feng's watchful eye, Lin Lan consented to his plan.

The Winter Soldier released Lin Lan from her bonds, and she stood, stretching her limbs.

"Do you recall what happened before you passed out?" Han Feng inquired, watching Lin Lan's movements.

"Yes, I remember. One of your guards was about to shoot, and all I could think was that I didn't want to die. When that thought peaked, you all seemed frozen. I knew you were in charge, so I tried to take you down first. But then, my body suddenly weakened. Do you have any idea why?" Lin Lan asked, turning to lock eyes with Han Feng.

"I think I have an idea. A friend's brother of mine, after taking down a few zombies, seemed to tap into some latent speed potential. Then he'd become weak, kind of like you," Han Feng mused aloud.

...

Lin Lan stretched for a bit before they both walked over to the window, gazing up at the sky.

It was almost nightfall.

"We need to get moving soon. Never mind if our ammo will last until tomorrow. We're also running low on grenades for clearing the piled-up bodies..." Han Feng furrowed his brow, half speaking to Lin Lan, half lost in his own thoughts.

"Is fifteen seconds enough?" Lin Lan asked Han Feng, standing beside him.

"Fifteen seconds? What are you talking about?" Han Feng turned to face Lin Lan.

"I'm sure I can immobilize them in a certain radius. Will fifteen seconds be enough for you?" Lin Lan inhaled deeply, as if steeling herself for a significant decision, and addressed Han Feng.

Instead of responding directly to Lin Lan, Han Feng turned and grabbed a backpack.

Once it was packed, he set it aside.

"Count the ammo! Check the equipment! Tally the personnel!" Han Feng barked out the commands.

"Captain Han, reporting 23 grenades!" Wynne responded first.

"Captain Han, reporting 50 full magazines for the assault rifles, totaling 1,500 rounds!" The Winter Soldier's voice followed.

"Captain Han, there are ten handguns in the backpack!" Number Two chimed in.

"Captain Han, the backpack holds a hundred boxes of handgun bullets, 5,000 rounds total, with ten spare magazines!" Number Three reported.

"Seven people in total," the engineer's voice concluded.

Lin Lan, listening from behind, was astounded. Their professional combat discipline, unwavering obedience to commands, and readiness to face death head-on... It was just like Agrorewia's elite military forces!