C21 The Gun and the Special Police

Lee Yuanhong led his riflemen to the second floor, only to be halted by an iron door with two persistent zombies banging against it from the other side. Rather than squander the opportunity, Lee Yuanhong put Lee Dongchen and Lee Yanhu through their paces. By the time he was done, the pair were so exhausted they couldn't even rise from the floor.

After dispatching the zombies behind the door, Lee Yuanhong instructed Lee Luoxia to unlock it, and they proceeded into the inner sanctum of the police station. The second floor was likely home to the chief's office, the archives, and the armory. Lee Yuanhong methodically checked each room, eliminating two additional zombies but finding nothing of note—except for one handcuffed zombie, suggesting a criminal past.

Having searched every room without uncovering the armory, Lee Yuanhong wondered if the station lacked one altogether. Just then, Lee Luoxia peeked out from the chief's office, gesturing to Lee Yuanhong before quickly ducking back inside, her expression making it clear she preferred to avoid any further interaction with him.

With a resigned smile, Lee Yuanhong acknowledged that he must have truly vexed the young woman, given her continued disdain.

Accompanied by his riflemen, he entered the chief's office to find Lee Luoxia standing before a filing cabinet. She looked at Lee Yuanhong and instructed, somewhat absently, "Move this filing cabinet."

Together with the riflemen, Lee Yuanhong shifted the cabinet, revealing a hefty iron door concealed behind it.

Curious, Lee Yuanhong inquired, "How did you discover this door?"

"It was obvious. There were drag marks by the cabinet and a thick layer of dust, indicating it had been hastily moved and not put back properly," she explained.

Impressed, Lee Yuanhong gave her a thumbs-up. "Clever! You truly are the descendant of a master thief."

Lee Luoxia smirked with satisfaction, clearly having moved past her earlier irritation.

Lee Yuanhong then had the riflemen search the zombies for a key and, sure enough, they found a distinctive key on the remains of a dismembered zombie. It was undoubtedly the key to the iron door.

Using the key, Lee Yuanhong instructed the gunmen to partially open the door before making some noise to check for any signs of life behind it. When no response came, he signaled for the door to be fully opened. A foul odor wafted out, prompting them to wonder if they had mistakenly entered a restroom. The interior was pitch-dark due to a power outage, and without working lights, they relied on their flashlights to survey the room.

The room, devoid of windows, was surprisingly spacious and lined with three rows of filing cabinets on each side, as well as a gun cabinet that held only a few pistols, no rifles, and a scant number of bullet boxes. Police batons and helmets were present, along with two riot shields. Near the door, a figure slumped in a chair, unidentifiable as either dead or alive.

Lee Yuanhong had a soldier prod the figure with his rifle, eliciting a grunt. For safety, he ordered the soldier to secure the shadowy figure and the chair with a rope before carrying them out of the hidden room.

In the light, they discovered a man with a ghostly pallor and severely chapped lips, clad in a special police uniform. Evidently, he had been trapped in the room for an extended period without food or water, leading to severe dehydration. Lee Yuanhong had the soldier administer mineral water with a pinch of salt to the man.

After several attempts, the man's eyes fluttered open, though they were devoid of vitality. He had been pushed to the brink by days without sustenance. If not for Lee Yuanhong's timely intervention, he might have been beyond saving within another day. With the man now conscious, Lee Yuanhong instructed the soldier to continue hydrating him, adding sugar to the water as a makeshift glucose solution.

While attending to the man, they cleared out the room's contents. The anticipated bounty fell short; they found only three police handguns, three helmets (one repurposed by the man as an emergency toilet, narrowly avoiding a messy accident for Lee Yuanhong), ten boxes of ammunition with twenty rounds each, and four magazines. Nonetheless, Lee Yuanhong was pleased to discover two riot shields, allowing him to retire his makeshift lid shield and pass the extra one to Fatty Looh.

After completing their search, Lee Yuanhong and his group quickly left the police station, carrying the special police officer they had found with them. The proximity to the market—a veritable powder keg—was too great a risk, and Lee Yuanhong had no intention of courting danger.

They secured a small building two kilometers from the police station. The structure, an old cylindrical apartment block, likely served as factory worker dormitories before being converted into rental units. Amidst the predominantly two- and three-story homes, this six-story edifice stood out, towering above the rest. Lee Yuanhong had chosen this location for its excellent vantage point, which made it easier to spot any impending danger. With the increasing number of Level One zombies, the ability to evacuate at a moment's notice was crucial.

In the evening, following dinner, Lee Yuanhong approached the special police officer who, after an afternoon of rest, was showing signs of recovery. Though not yet able to walk, he seemed likely to be back on his feet within a couple of days. Lee Yuanhong took the opportunity to size up the officer, who exuded a rugged masculinity in his snug special police combat uniform, his resolute features framed by wiry hair. Had he not been in need of a shave, with hair grown slightly too long, he would have been the epitome of a handsome man, probably in his late twenties—a heartthrob before the world's end.

As Lee Yuanhong took a seat across from him, the special police officer scrutinized him closely before asking with a hint of uncertainty, "Are you part of an army rescue team?"

Lee Yuanhong looked down at his own military camouflage attire and replied, "No, we're civilians—survivors who banded together to stay alive. We found these uniforms at a wholesale market. By the way, I'm Lee Yuanhong. And you are?"

"I'm Wang Jingrong," the officer responded. Upon learning that they weren't military, a shadow of disappointment crossed Wang Jingrong's eyes.

Lee Yuanhong didn't dwell on the officer's disheartened mood and pressed on, "How did you end up locked in a secret room?"

"The folks at the Wang Zhuang Subdivision reported they'd found a drug dealer. To prevent any mishaps, they requested backup from the special police for the arrest, and I was dispatched. The station chief there was an old squad leader of mine, and we've always gotten along well. The arrest went smoothly that night, so we headed back to the station to rest, planning to transfer the suspect to headquarters for questioning come daylight," Wang Jingrong recounted, a pained expression crossing his face. He went on, "But who could have predicted that the next morning, the criminal would snap, biting two officers who were on guard. Director Huang and I went to investigate, thinking he was trying to escape, so we intervened. Little did we know..." His voice trailed off as his eyes misted over.

Lee Yuanhong gave Wang Jingrong's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Take some rest now. We'll talk more once you're feeling better."

Without a word, Wang Jingrong continued to gaze out the window into the night, his eyes seemingly piercing through the darkness to something beyond.

Lee Luoxia observed quietly from a distance. After Lee Yuanhong stepped away from Wang Jingrong, she stealthily followed him to another room and asked with curiosity, "Why didn't you keep questioning him?"

"No need," Lee Yuanhong replied. "What comes next is a tale as old as time, the kind of traditional man's story that's become a cliché. Everyone knows how it goes without it being spelled out."

The more she heard, the more puzzled Lee Luoxia became. "What do you mean by a 'man's story' or a 'woman's story'?"

Lee Yuanhong responded with a hint of exasperation, "Don't you read novels? They often feature scenarios where someone sacrifices themselves to save a comrade. The old squad leader holds off the zombies while the SWAT officer takes refuge in a safe room. It's a narrative that's been done to death."

Lee Luoxia still seemed to struggle with the concept. "But why wasn't it the station chief who took shelter, or why didn't they both hide together?"

"It's likely the chief was bitten too, so while he was still lucid, he forced the SWAT officer into the safe room," Lee Yuanhong explained, his tone growing somber. "That's why it's a man's story." He then turned to the window, silently drawing a cigarette, but he never struck a flame.