"The Military Region Shelter was built in the middle of the last century, originally as a super-large air-raid shelter. At the beginning of the disaster, the military command restarted it at the cost of countless lives, and in just a few short days, converted it into a shelter capable of accommodating over a million people."

Zhou Rong opened his tablet, tapped to zoom in, and a complex floor plan appeared on the screen.

"The shelter digs eleven floors down in a cone shape and is divided into five areas. The eastern Area A is mainly for housing the disaster victims, the western Area B is for centralized management, communications, and energy supply, the southern Area C is for troop rotations and the armory, and the central Area D is the underground drainage system and transportation hub."

"The northern Area E is the most important and has the highest security classification, responsible for medical quarantine and biological virus research."

"As the top-secret Unit 118, our identity keys can access all of Area A, Area B, Area D, and parts of Area C. When requisitioned, we can enter Area E under restricted conditions, which is the Biological Research Institute now suspected of having suffered an out-of-control virus outbreak."

Zhou Rong drew a line on the map and said:

"Our initial plan is to enter the central area through the drainage system, then split into two teams. One team will follow the underground light rail line to the armory in Area C—" he marked it on the map and said, "to transport supplies and replenish ammunition, and preferably get an armored vehicle. This group will be led by Yan Hao, accompanied by Xiangzi and Ding Shi."

"The other team will go with me to Area B to check the situation. The objective is to use the base's satellite communication facilities to contact other Military Region Shelters. If necessary, we will enter Area E to retrieve the latest data on the virus from before the Biological Research Institute fell, preserving the fire seed for future organizations to continue the research."

Zhou Rong looked around and asked, "This group will be led by me, accompanied by Chuncao and Yingjie. Any other questions?"

Inside the armored vehicle, the special forces soldiers squatted in a circle on the floor.

Outside the window, the last glimmer of twilight was slowly sinking below the horizon. Birds swarmed the sky, night was about to fall, and the collapsed surface buildings of the shelter gradually sank into shadow.

Si Nan raised his hand. Zhou Rong tapped with his pen, "Comrade Xiao Si, please speak."

Comrade Xiao Si asked, "Which group am I with?"

"Which group do you want to be with?"

Si Nan stared at the map on the tablet without a word. After a moment, Yan Hao coughed and said to Zhou Rong, "The armory isn't that dangerous, we don't need four people. You take Da Ding, Si Nan can come with us."

But Zhou Rong neither agreed nor refused, asking Si Nan, "What do you think? Choose for yourself."

Si Nan was silent for a long moment. Only the sound of rising and falling breaths could be heard in the vehicle. It was impossible to say how much time had passed, perhaps only a few short seconds, when his hoarse and brief voice was suddenly heard: "I'll go with you."

He wasn't looking at anyone when he said this, but Yan Hao knew instantly that he was talking about Zhou Rong.

"Very good, teams are set!" Zhou Rong tucked the military tablet under his arm and stood up abruptly. "Now, everyone stay alert, grab your gear, let's move out!"

·

With a muffled bang, the sewer pipe gate on the ground was blown open. A foul stench, accompanied by distant, miserable howls from deep underground, rushed out to meet them.

Everyone pulled down their gas masks in unison. Choking on the stench, Zhou Rong coughed a few times, pointed his index finger forward forcefully to signal everyone to follow closely, then was the first to jump into the calf-deep black water.

The pipe extended straight down, the angle growing steeper, and the filthy water gradually rose to their thighs. The underground was pitch-black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Only the searchlights on their helmets swept back and forth.

The seven of them waded forward in a single file line. The tunnel grew wider, and the splashing sound of their wading echoed for a long time in the underground space.

"Hey," Chuncao, second in line, finally couldn't stand it anymore and broke the silence. "This mission is so dangerous, we should at least chat a bit before we split up."

A muffled howl from a Zombie sounded faintly in the distance, answering her right on cue.

“...”

Behind Chuncao, Si Nan waded earnestly. Behind Si Nan, Zhang Yingjie laughed, "When is it not dangerous?"

"But this time is especially dangerous."

"Then what should we talk about?"

Chuncao thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about why we joined Unit 118. I joined because I got the conscription letter and thought it was super cool. What about you, Rong-ge?"

Zhou Rong, clearing the way ahead of her, replied without turning his head, "The pay is good."

Ding Shi said honestly, "Same as Rong-ge."

Guo Weixiang: "To prove myself!"

Yan Hao: "...Promotion is fast in the special forces."

"My wife and child can live with the army." Zhang Yingjie said, a bit embarrassed, "The special forces brigade where I was before only gave leave once a year. Rong-ge said if I transferred to Unit 118, he could arrange a confidential job for my wife and send my kid to the military region's elementary school..."

"Your wife isn't in this shelter, is she?!" Guo Weixiang asked in alarm.

"No, she went back to her hometown in the Northeast when it happened." Zhang Yingjie sighed wistfully. "It should be winter there by now. The weather is freezing, so the Zombies' mobility is low, and the vegetables in every household's cellar can last a whole winter... I hope they're still safe."

The group fell silent for a moment. Zhang Yingjie seemed to regret making the atmosphere even heavier and proactively changed the subject, "What about you, Si Nan? We haven't heard you talk much about yourself. You come from a good family, right?"

Si Nan, hidden quietly behind his gas mask, finally uttered a few words after a long pause: "I don't remember."

This answer instantly sparked countless theories among the eavesdropping group, from a broken home to a rebellious runaway child to issues with adolescent education... After a few rounds of speculation, they finally heard Si Nan's voice again, adding, "I really don't remember."

"What about your parents?" Yan Hao asked from the rear of the team.

"Forgot," Si Nan said indifferently.

The atmosphere became even more bizarre than before.

The group waded through the deepest, waist-high part of the wastewater. The arched roof of the drain suddenly rose higher, and a faint breeze from circulating air could be felt ahead. Zhou Rong looked down at the dense sewer system map on his tablet, his tone enthusiastic. "No problem, Comrade Xiao Si! Now that you've entered the doors of Unit 118, Sixth Squadron, you're a member of our united and loving family! When we get back, remember to remind me to give you an official position. Is there anything you need the organization to specially arrange? For example, having your girlfriend stationed with the army, or your child enrolled in the military region's kindergarten? Do you have an emergency contact?"

"..." Si Nan said, "No."

"Then you need to get one," Zhou Rong said regretfully, stepping onto a submerged ledge.

The pipe had reached its end. Ahead was a stone wall covered in moss, and a manhole above was emitting a cool, whistling wind.

Zhou Rong pried open the manhole cover with his military dagger, gripped the edge with both hands, and with a grunt, "Heh!", did a pull-up, flipping himself out in a spray of water.

"Central District, Blue Line subway tunnel, end of the line," Zhou Rong surveyed his surroundings and said softly, "It's safe, come on up."

The six team members climbed up in a line, each of them soaking wet and reeking to high heaven.

"If you die gloriously, the organization will send the death benefits to your emergency contact..." Chuncao whispered to Si Nan, explaining, "They'll also help arrange work if needed, support the elderly, and stuff like that..."

Zhou Rong turned on his tactical flashlight and carefully observed their surroundings.

This was the back of the control room at the end of the tracks. It was a small space, filled with thickly dust-covered electrical wires, and sealed off from the outer area by an iron grating. Because the light rail had been out of service for a long time, the power and ventilation systems were no longer running, making it hard to see what was behind the grating even with a flashlight.

"There's something I've never understood," Si Nan finally asked Chuncao the question that had been puzzling him. "What exactly is Unit 118?"

The question wasn't exactly complex, but it wasn't simple either. Chuncao was about to answer but got stuck. "Uh... you can think of it as a really elite special forces unit, specifically responsible for top-secret national matters. Like the king of soldiers among special forces."

Si Nan nodded slowly in understanding, then after a moment, asked cautiously but politely, "Then it must be very difficult for a Beta to be selected, right?"

The entire team went silent.

"None of you have taken drugs, right? Aren't special forces soldiers supposed to be Alphas?"

After a suffocating silence, Zhou Rong finally said slowly, "...Who told you that?"

Without any hesitation, Si Nan sold out his source, "Those bodyguards of Feng Wentai."

Zhou Rong immediately refuted him forcefully:

"That's completely baseless, pure jealousy and slander! —Are we the same kind of people as those idiot Alphas?!"

His tone was decisive and powerful, each word striking home. The entire team stared with their mouths wide open. After a long moment, Guo Weixiang finally said with a trembling voice, "I... I've never admired Rong-ge as much as I do right now..."

Chuncao covered her face and asked, "Rong-ge's thick skin?"

On the other side, Si Nan mulled it over and was actually convinced. "I really shouldn't have believed them."

Zhou Rong was very satisfied with Si Nan's apology and said earnestly, "In our team..."

He pulled aside a tangled mess of wires blocking the path, used the screwdriver on the back of his military dagger to unscrew the nails one by one, and said, "We place great emphasis on the combination of individual quality and team spirit, understand? It means you not only have to obey the organization unconditionally, but you also need outstanding individual combat skills and a tenacious spirit to endure hardship. We firmly believe that every gender is born equal. As long as you're willing to challenge your own limits, you can transcend the genetic differences between Alphas and Betas..."

He removed the last nail, shook the heavy iron grating, and the clanging sound echoed far down the tunnel.

"Take me, your Rong-ge, for example. I've never thought Alphas were superior in any way. Rong-ge only respects people who work hard and strive. All genders, except for Omegas, are equal in my eyes..."

Zhou Rong spun around and delivered a lightning-fast back kick. The wind whistled, the kick was heavy and fierce, and it instantly sent the hundred-plus-kilogram iron grating flying!

CRASH—!!

The iron gate hitting the ground set off a chain of echoes that instantly resounded throughout the entire tunnel!

"Just like that," Zhou Rong retracted his leg and said politely to Si Nan.

Si Nan answered him with a completely blank expression.

Zhou Rong took the lead, ducking through the opening where the gate had been. Just as he stepped onto the tracks, he suddenly felt something was wrong and glanced down.

The next moment, he scrambled back on all fours as if he'd gone mad, stumbling as he landed and grabbing onto Si Nan, roaring, "Fucking hell, so many cockroaches—!!"

Si Nan snatched the tactical flashlight from his hand. "What happened to gender equality?"

Si Nan, with no psychological hang-ups whatsoever, slung his tactical pack and submachine gun, clenched the flashlight in his teeth, and vaulted cleanly onto the tracks. In the exact same motion as Zhou Rong just moments before, he looked down at his feet.

The next second, he lifted his head. The others saw the tactical flashlight in his mouth jerk rapidly from side to side at an alarmingly fast frequency. Then, he swiftly unslung his submachine gun and started sweeping the area with gunfire!

Everyone simultaneously: "Ahhh—"

In the confined space, bullets ricocheted, casings flew everywhere, and sparks flashed with a blinding light in the darkness. After a few seconds, the storm of gunfire finally ceased. Gunsmoke filled the air, and a pungent, foul stench made it hard to breathe. The sound of retching rose from all around.

Si Nan turned back, his face pale. "The bugs underground grow pretty big..."

Zhou Rong roared, "Don't say it!"

·

In the sunless subterranean world, at the mouth of the long-decaying drainage pipes, an environment filled with garbage, mold, and accumulated dust and dirt had formed a terrifying ecosystem.

Three minutes later, the group crossed the tracks and began to advance toward the central transportation hub.

"I just wasn't mentally prepared..."

"Rong-ge, don't say any more. It's really fine."

Zhou Rong led the way, his face pale. Chuncao occasionally offered a few words of comfort. Behind them, Zhang Yingjie laughed. "Rong-ge has a phobia of dense clusters of insects, it's a psychological scar from a past mission. Although he can overcome it most of the time, seeing them unexpectedly can still get to him a little, hahaha—"

Si Nan said coldly, "I just want to know what 'all genders except for Omegas are equal' means. I bet even an Omega wouldn't have reacted like Zhou Rong just did. By the way, can you guys give me another magazine?..."

The group of seven passed through the checkpoint smoothly and walked along the light rail line for half an hour before the tunnel ahead suddenly opened up.

This large air-raid shelter was designed so that even if the shelter fell and the main power was cut, the backup power would be sufficient to maintain basic ventilation and lighting in key areas.

Ahead was a hub-like space resembling a subway station. A pale white light shone from the platform on the left, and the faint sounds of Zombies' dragging footsteps and howls could be heard. To the right, a set of tracks extended into the deep darkness. Zhou Rong turned back and made a gesture to Yan Hao at the rear of the team.

The tracks led to Area C on the south side, the armory.

Zhou Rong's team, however, had to get on the platform here and head to Area B on the west side to find the satellite communications office.

—They had to part ways here.

Yan Hao nodded, led Ding Shi and Guo Weixiang across the tracks, and headed into the depths of the tunnel with his flashlight.

Zhou Rong stood his ground, gesturing for Chuncao, Si Nan, and Zhang Yingjie to gather around. Just as he was about to give instructions, he suddenly saw Yan Hao turn back from a short distance away and walk straight toward Si Nan.

“...?”

Si Nan furrowed his brow slightly, but before he could ask, Yan Hao suddenly reached out and gave him a tight, fervent hug.

In full view of everyone, the hug lasted so long that even Si Nan was stunned.

No one spoke, and no one moved. Zhou Rong silently lowered his gaze.

After a good ten seconds, Yan Hao let go, took half a step back, and looked at Si Nan with a slight smile.

The smile was a little sad, but Yan Hao's expression was always gentle. His eyes were bright, his lips soft; he was like a well-mannered and thoughtful big brother from next door.

Then he waved, raised his tactical flashlight, and turned to walk into the depths of the tunnel.