C28 The Weapons in the Police Station

Dawn had broken at some unknown hour, and Sunn Shuhai found himself tied to a stool, having spent the entire night in that position. His limbs were numb, but thankfully, his captors hadn't mistreated him. In this apocalyptic world, being incapacitated could mean a death sentence.

As the clock neared six in the morning, the door swung open once more. Lee Yuanhong entered, his gaze falling on Sunn Shuhai without a trace of emotion. He produced a bottle of mineral water and a piece of bread that had turned stale, approached Sunn Shuhai, and said, "I'm setting you free today. Eat this, and then you're free to go."

Without another word, Yuanhong set down the provisions, untied Sunn Shuhai's hands, and left the room, the door closing behind him with a definitive snap.

Once alone, Sunn Shuhai quickly freed his feet, stood up to stretch his stiff limbs, and cautiously opened the door to peer outside. The coast was clear; it appeared everyone had departed. Glancing out the window, he caught sight of a figure resembling Yuanhong disappearing around the eastern street corner. They had truly gone.

Sunn Shuhai rushed back inside, grabbed the water and bread, and devoured his makeshift breakfast. A thorough search of the room yielded no weapons—those bastards had stripped the place clean. "Damn them, they're too cruel," he muttered to himself, "leaving me empty-handed."

Eventually, he stumbled upon a mop pole in an overlooked corner. "It's better than nothing," he reassured himself, "It'll have to do for now."

With cautious steps, Sunn Shuhai made his way out. He was neither brave nor altruistic. Had he not witnessed the crowds looting the supermarket, he wouldn't have dared leave his neighborhood. Upon reaching the supermarket, he found it overrun by bandits. Sunn Shuhai, ever the opportunist, ingratiated himself with the thugs. Learning they were on the hunt for someone, he seized the chance to offer his services, suggesting they use a car to attract zombies and trap their quarry.

The strategy was sound, yet the bandits remained distrustful of him, assigning him the risky task of surveillance. Had it not been for his shrewdness, Lee Yuanhong and those greenhorns would have been no match for someone with nearly two decades of workplace experience. He managed to bamboozle them effortlessly; otherwise, he would have truly been in peril. Despite being the leader, Lee Yuanhong lacked a killer instinct and was too tender-hearted. He might stand a chance against zombies, but in a confrontation with humans, he'd likely be knocked out in the first round.

Sunn Shuhai walked with contempt for Lee Yuanhong in his heart, yet he remained vigilant. Stepping outside, the county hospital sign across the street gave him a rough sense of direction. Now, Sunn Shuhai needed to return to the supermarket to report the overheard information to the bandit leader. This was a golden opportunity. With this feather in his cap, he was confident the bandits would start seeing him as one of their own. Not only would his food worries be over, but he might also get to indulge in the spoils of their raids—the captured girls. The thought alone made Sunn Shuhai salivate.

The supermarket was a mere ten kilometers from the county hospital, but the sight of zombies roaming the streets sent shivers down Sunn Shuhai's spine. He had never killed a zombie since the apocalypse began, and if not for the commotion the day before drawing many of them away, he might have lost the nerve to even step outside.

In the past, a ten-kilometer journey would have taken under two hours, but it wasn't until two in the afternoon that Sunn Shuhai made it back to the supermarket.

Upon arriving at the entrance, he spotted two punks with dyed hair chatting away. Sunn Shuhai had no respect for these thugs, but he approached with a beaming smile. "Mr. Wang, Mr. Cheng, I've returned."

The thugs at the door gave Sunn Shuhai a sidelong glance and sneered, "We heard you got cornered by zombies yesterday. Didn't think you'd make it back."

Sunn Shuhai quickly bowed and nodded, saying, "Isn't this all thanks to you two brothers? Not only am I alive, but I've also got some very important news. I rushed back to report to Boss Woo!"

"Important news?" asked one of the thugs, the older one.

"Yes, about firearms," Sunn Shuhai replied, his smile growing even wider.

At the mention of firearms, the two thugs became more attentive. The older one exchanged a few words with his companion and then led Sunn Shuhai into the supermarket.

Inside, the supermarket was dim and reeked of foul odors. Lustful sounds emanated from dark corners. The products that once lined the shelves were now gone, and many shelves had been dismantled, covered with cardboard or foam, with people lying or sitting on them, looking soulless.

Sunn Shuhai paid no mind to this and eagerly looked towards the second floor. As he followed the thug upstairs, they encountered two muscular men sitting at the corridor entrance, whispering and occasionally bursting into low, lewd laughter. Upon seeing the thug and Sunn Shuhai approach, the men stood up attentively. Five steps away from the duo, the thug called out, "Brothers, have you seen the boss? Sunn Shuhai's back with some important news."

The two muscular men gave Sunn Shuhai a quick glance and replied, "The boss just finished up; he's free now."

"Great, I'll take him through," said the thug, smiling and bowing slightly.

"Go on," one of the brutes gestured with a wave of his hand before sitting back down to resume their conversation.

The thug then led Sunn Shuhai further into the second floor.

The second floor was considerably brighter than the first, with a room partitioned off by numerous shelves, clearly stocked with various goods. Two muscular men stood guard at the entrance. Next to the goods was a small room, nestled against a window and sealed off with the store's curtains, making it impossible to see inside from the outside. The thug stopped at the entrance of this sealed room and called out softly, "Boss Woo, you there? Sunn Shuhai has returned with some important matters to report."

No sooner had the words left his lips than a gruff voice echoed from within the room: "Come in!"

The thug, head bowed, passed the doorman and ushered Sunn Shuhai into the cottage.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a lewd stench. Sunn Shuhai kept his head down, not daring to let his gaze wander. The gruff voice boomed again, "Sunn Shuhai, didn't you report being besieged by zombies yesterday?"

Still not lifting his eyes, Sunn Shuhai replied with a sycophantic tone, "Boss Woo, thanks to your good fortune, I'm alive. And I've stumbled upon some crucial information."

"What crucial information?" The voice was tinged with skepticism.

"Well, after being encircled by zombies yesterday, I lost my walkie-talkie in the chaos. I had no choice but to take refuge in a nearby building. That's where I uncovered a significant secret."

"Get to the point, no more circling around," the voice demanded, growing impatient.

"Right, right. I discovered that our people weren't all dead. As they fled, they passed by the building where I was hiding. I overheard their next move," Sunn Shuhai said, his head sinking lower.

"Hmm, they're alive? How many made it out? Is that woman among them?"

"I was too scared of being discovered to look outside, but from their voices, it sounded like five or six people. And yes, it seemed the woman was with them."

Silence settled in the room briefly before the gruff voice prodded, "So, what's the secret you found out?"

"They were discussing a cache of firearms at a nearby police station. They're planning to retrieve them tomorrow."

"Really? How did they come to know about the guns at the station?"

"Turns out, one of them is a cop. He leaked the info. They had planned to get the weapons within the next couple of days, but our actions threw a wrench in their plans. Now, feeling the heat, they're desperate for arms and are rushing to get them."

Once he finished, the room lapsed into silence once more. Sunn Shuhai could feel the piercing gaze of two icy stares. He kept up his smile, but beads of sweat involuntarily broke out on his forehead. After a tense dozen seconds, the cold scrutiny seemed to lift, and the gruff voice rang out again, "Do you believe their words hold truth?"

Sunn Shuhai pondered for a moment before saying, "I think the truth of the matter is irrelevant."

"Oh? How so?" The gruff voice perked up with a hint of interest in Sunn Shuhai's perspective.

"Well, if it's true, we'll keep watch outside the police station. The moment they walk in, we'll have them trapped like fish in a barrel. If it's a setup, the worst we'll do is waste a day waiting outside. As long as we don't go into the station, his trap won't spring," Sunn Shuhai explained with caution.

"Hahaha, that's the spirit! I never pegged you, Sunn Shuhai, as a strategist. If we pull this off, you're going to be my right-hand man, my very own strategist," the rough voice declared with a hearty laugh.

"Thank you, Boss Woo, thank you!" Sunn Shuhai expressed his gratitude with a bow, though internally he scorned, "What a brute."

The voice continued, "You must be famished after your trip. Here, take these two cans of food. Once you've eaten, lead us to the police station. We need to set up our ambush early and give them a little surprise, hahaha!"

"Yes, of course!" Sunn Shuhai agreed, nodding subserviently. He then glanced up to accept the canned meat passed to him by a street tough.

As Sunn Shuhai took the cans, his gaze fell on Brother Wu, who sat shirtless on the bed, his skin adorned with a menacing wolf tattoo. Its fierce eyes and blood-red maw seemed poised to strike. His muscular torso seemed to barely contain the power within. Despite his square-jawed, short-cropped look, his face bore no scars or ink, yet the air of brutality was unmistakable.

Behind Brother Wu, a scantily clad woman sat, tenderly kneading his shoulders. Her features held a seductive quality, and though she was only in her twenties, her countenance suggested a life of many encounters.

Sunn Shuhai averted his eyes quickly, grabbing the cans and backing towards the door. Just as he was about to leave, Brother Wu's voice stopped him, "Oh, Sunn Shuhai, no need to go downstairs now. We'll all head out together from the second floor later. It'll be less of a hassle."

Turning to a nearby thug, the gangster instructed, "Huang Mao, head down and select ten people. We're heading out together later, and we can't just feed them for nothing. And yeah, make sure they get something to eat; we can't have them unarmed if we run into trouble tomorrow—that would be a real headache."

"Got it, Boss Woo!" The thug, Huang Mao, acknowledged and promptly exited the room. The room fell silent for a brief moment before it was filled with the sound of lascivious noises.