C25 The Shelter Fell into a Tide of Zombies and Split into Two Sides.(1)

Two more people gone, and the bus's atmosphere grew even heavier.

Silence reigned, a silence as profound as death.

Tang Bing was oblivious to the bus's mood, cocooned in the luxury car ahead. His spirits, however, were far from high.

The military sanctuary loomed closer. After the steep descent ahead and a winding S-curve, they would arrive—it was a mere two kilometers away.

From atop the slope, one could already spot the sanctuary with the naked eye. The destination was tantalizingly close.

But that sanctuary was not Tang Bing's intended end.

Approaching the camp, Tang Bing's inner turmoil resurfaced. Soon, everyone on the bus, Qin Mengli included, would be safe within the camp's walls, under military protection.

Despite being rejected by Mengli, and her clear statement that there was no hope for him, the thought of her entering the sanctuary and possibly never seeing her again threw his emotions into chaos.

What was he still hoping for? She had made it clear they were worlds apart. Tang Bing could see that Mengli had never felt anything for him; his had been a one-sided passion for four long years.

Even with Zhang Tao out of the picture, there could be a Li Tao or a Wang Tao in the future. His sadness was futile; the harsh truth remained unchangeable.

In this lawless world, Tang Bing could force Mengli to be with him without fear of punishment. But he refused to stoop so low, preferring to release her swiftly and spare them both the pain.

Besides, in this nightmarish world, he couldn't be sure he wouldn't fall victim to the zombies the next moment. Perhaps letting go was indeed the best choice...

His heart weighed heavy with these thoughts, even as he tried to rationalize them. The knowledge that Mengli would eventually leave him still sent his heart into disarray.

As the downhill stretch neared, his mood sank further.

Suddenly, a figure emerged on the horizon, directly in the road's path.

Tang Bing, startled to see someone ahead and relieved it wasn't a zombie, reacted instantly. Swerving to avoid a collision, he steered the car onto the roadside grass.

The luxury car suddenly veered off the road, startling Zhao Dagang who was trailing behind. He quickly hit the brakes in response.

Struggling up the slope was a middle-aged man in his forties, clad in a loose suit, clutching a wooden stick wrapped in wire. His face was smeared with grime and exhaustion.

The sight of the oncoming luxury car took him by surprise, nearly causing him to lose his footing and tumble down. Fortunately, he regained his balance just in time to avert a fall.

Reaching the top of the incline, he noticed only two cars parked by the roadside and not a single zombie in sight. Gasping for air, he sat down and vigorously wiped away the sweat pouring down his face with his sleeve.

Tang Bing was badly shaken; he had almost collided with the car moments before. Exiting his vehicle, he approached the middle-aged man, fire axe in hand.

The man, seeing Tang Bing descend with the fire axe, quickly got to his feet, gripping his wired stick tightly. "What do you want? I'm not a zombie! I've never been bitten!" he exclaimed.

The survivors on the bus behind watched the middle-aged man through the windows, their eyes filled with apprehension.

Tang Bing meant no harm; they were all survivors, after all. Realizing his approach with the fire axe might seem threatening, he paused, placing his right hand, still holding the axe, behind his back. He asked the man, "Did you come from the military sanctuary?"

"Yes!" the man replied, visibly relieved as Tang Bing stopped and put away his weapon. "Are you heading to the shelter?"

"I'm taking them there," Tang Bing said, glancing back at the survivors on the bus.

"I'd advise against it," the middle-aged man warned, shaking his head.

"Why?" Tang Bing asked, frowning. The shelter was so close, and he was not pleased to hear this unexpected caution.

"Do you have any food?" the man asked, sidestepping the question.

Tang Bing paused, reached into his pocket as if to grab something, then pulled out a piece of bread from his virtual backpack. "We don't have much, but you can have this."

"Thanks!" The middle-aged man wasted no time, eagerly taking the plastic-wrapped bread and devouring it hungrily.

Within seconds, he had polished off the entire loaf.

Tang Bing watched as the man choked briefly, pounding on his chest and patting his back until he managed to swallow everything down. Once he caught his breath, he inquired, "Why do you advise against going to the military sanctuary?"

The other survivors on the bus fixed their gazes on the middle-aged man, anxiously awaiting his reply.

They had all chosen the military sanctuary as a haven, hoping to find sufficient food and water to endure the horrors of a world overrun by zombies. So naturally, they were on edge when someone suggested it wasn't the safe refuge they believed it to be.

With the bread gone, the middle-aged man's complexion improved noticeably. He nodded in thanks to Tang Bing before explaining, "I'm a recent escapee from the military sanctuary! Not long ago, the sanctuary's defenses were breached by an overwhelming zombie horde. They swarmed the place!"

"How can that be? Weren't they equipped with ample weapons and ammo?" Tang Bing's eyes were wide with disbelief, mirrored by the shock on the faces of the other survivors.

"The military certainly had their arsenal," the man replied with a rueful chuckle, "but the horde that appeared was indescribably massive. The sheer number of zombies was staggering! Despite the soldiers' valiant efforts, the defense lines were relentlessly pushed back until they finally gave way. There were simply too many zombies; even relentless machine-gun fire wouldn't have been enough to take them all down."

"What about the military personnel? Why did only you make it out?" Tang Bing asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Most were cornered inside, with little chance of making it out alive," the man sighed. "Realizing they couldn't hold back the onslaught, the military personnel left the survivors behind and evacuated by helicopter. I was fortunate to find a motorcycle and got out before the zombies sealed the exit. There were other lucky survivors who broke free as well, but we scattered in all directions. I'm the only one who ended up here. My luck ran out halfway, though—the motorcycle was low on fuel, forcing me to cover a great distance on foot. Thankfully, no zombies gave chase!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Bing quickly sprinted to the slope ahead and swiftly pulled out his monocular to survey the military sanctuary.

Just as the middle-aged man had described, it was overwhelmed by an uncountable horde of zombies. There had to be tens of thousands, at the very least, as every street, building, and even the smallest of spaces around the sanctuary was overrun with the undead, swarming like a dark tide from every direction.

The sight of the ghastly zombie surge made Tang Bing's skin crawl. If he tried to drive through, he'd be swamped in an instant, swallowed by the sea of zombies.

"We need to get out of here, now!" the middle-aged man urged. "Take a detour, and let's get away from this area as fast as we can."

"But where can we go?" Tang Bing shuddered at the thought of the horrific zombie deluge at the sanctuary.

"I've heard that there's another shelter in B City's military zone, equipped with tanks, artillery, and the like," the middle-aged man answered. "I got this from the soldiers. It seems their helicopters are heading straight there to regroup. I'm planning to head directly to B City's military sanctuary. Do you want to join me?"

After a brief pause, Tang Bing replied, "I'm not planning on leaving A City, but the survivors on the bus might be interested. Let me ask them what they think and see if they'd like to join you."

"Sounds good!" the middle-aged man extended his left hand. "Oh, and I'm Qin Fen, by the way!"

"Tang Bing," he responded, returning the courtesy with a firm handshake.

Tang Bing then led Qin Fen to the bus.

The survivors inside had overheard their exchange, so before Tang Bing could even broach the subject, Sun Meng hurried down the steps. "Bing, you're not leaving with us?"