B Military Region, Emergency Communications Room.

"The summary analysis report is out. All Omegas, regardless of gender, have been genetically identified. The target is not among them."

The red emergency light flickered, reflecting on the female researcher's sweat-drenched face. Her chest heaved from running. An old man with a general's star on his shoulder buried his face deep in his hands. After a few seconds, he looked up and said, "I understand."

The old man picked up the satellite phone in front of the console and dialed a direct contact code. After a long half-minute wait, the call was answered from the other end: "Lieutenant General Qian, please report the results."

The old man opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The unspeakable silence said it all.

"We will conduct another strict search of all the cities on DC918's flight path. If the plane has crashed, it will definitely have left a trace somewhere." The voice on the other end was also very heavy. After a pause, it asked, "Has the feedback from the Unit 118 Secret Brigade come back yet?"

"...I sent out all eight of my squadrons. Three are confirmed to be completely wiped out, two are missing, and two returned with nothing. The Sixth Squadron, led by Major Zhou, rescued several hundred trapped civilians, but after the rescue helicopter was infected, we lost contact with them too..."

Lieutenant General Qian took a deep breath to stabilize his emotions, his voice hardening slightly. "I can send out the last two teams, but we must have more information about the target. Otherwise, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. We're completely reactive, and it's impossible to complete this mission!"

"Can't be done." The person on the other end refused flatly. "For the past six months, the target has been in single-line contact with Deputy Minister Guo of State Security. All identity information is top secret, and Deputy Minister Guo has been confirmed killed during the evacuation."

Lieutenant General Qian said angrily, "Identity unknown, appearance unknown, the only thing we know is that they're extremely vigilant and their political stance is unclear. How are my men supposed to find them? Are we supposed to broadcast on a loop in the centers of major cities and wait for them to come knocking on our door?"

"..."

"To prevent the target from avoiding Alpha Pheromones, all my special forces soldiers have used Beta Disguise Agent and gone deep into Zombie territory fully armed. It's proven to be completely useless! The target might have already died in the plane crash!"

"If they are dead," the voice on the other end of the line was cold and clear, saying word by word, "then all our current hopes... will be completely... gone."

Anxious breathing was muffled by the static on the line. Lieutenant General Qian closed his eyes weakly. Just as he was about to say something, a dull thud came from the corridor outside the communications room.

Several researchers shot to their feet, their faces changing color. Lieutenant General Qian whipped his head around.

Boom!

Another sound, closer this time.

"They... They're here." Lieutenant General Qian swallowed with difficulty, hung up the phone, and drew his gun with a reverse grip.

In the deathly silence, a third loud bang sounded right at the door, then stopped.

Everyone's hearts pounded. Desperate gazes were fixed on the sealed metal door. From the other side came sounds like a beast impatiently pawing the ground and panting. After about ten seconds, a deafening sound suddenly erupted: BANG!!!

The room shook violently, and cries of alarm arose. Everyone watched as the metal door bulged inward, forming a terrifying arc—

·

The next morning, six o'clock.

Daylight faintly peeked through the overcast clouds. The wind was filled with a salty, fishy, damp smell. The survivors woke up one by one, talking, getting out of the vehicles to stretch, or staring blankly out the windows wrapped in blankets. Zhou Rong had already taken some men to check the vehicles on the highway one by one, finding fuel tanks with some diesel left in them. They siphoned a few buckets of it with a clear hose and returned, everyone's mouth full of the taste of diesel, all standing on the roadside spitting.

They set off at six-thirty and arrived at the Industrial Zone at seven. The minibus slowly stopped in front of a Fertilizer Plant.

Yan Hao led a small team inside to search the area. They cleared out a dozen or so Zombies and came out to signal that the others could enter.

The factory building was a mess, with blood everywhere, but the facilities weren't too badly damaged. There was even half an acre of vegetables planted and a few chickens raised in the backyard. The thirty-odd survivors were assigned to the workers' dormitories. The men, led by Ding Shi and Zhang Yingjie, started a major cleanup, repaired the wire mesh fence, and further scouted the surrounding area. The women, meanwhile, found pots, pans, and gas canisters in the kitchen and took on the important task of cooking.

Zhou Rong stood by the faucet in the front yard, letting out the rusty yellow water and hastily washing his face.

"The terrain is high, the factory is sturdy, there's food stored in the warehouse, and the nearest residential area is five kilometers away." The special forces soldier under him named Guo Weixiang stood behind him, reporting methodically, "If we still can't contact the military region, we can at least station ourselves here for a while and act according to the situation."

Zhou Rong didn't answer. He stuck his head under the faucet for a frantic rinse, then shook his head violently, sending water droplets flying. His stiff, short hair stood on end.

"Although there's no electricity, the factory has a diesel generator. Yan Hao is registering the survivors' information and preparing to organize a guard team to ensure there are patrols twenty-four hours a day..."

"Two days from now," Zhou Rong suddenly interrupted him.

Guo Weixiang: "?"

"If the nukes still haven't come, I'll go to the B Military Region to check out the situation. You guys stay here, settle the civilians, and wait for my news."

Zhou Rong lifted the hem of his T-shirt to wipe his face. His camouflage pants hung low on his V-line, revealing solid eight-pack abs. Guo Weixiang immediately grew anxious and followed behind him, saying, "You can't go, Rong-ge! To get to the military region, you have to cross the entire B City. Unless you can fly, you'll definitely die. Can you grow wings or something?!"

Zhou Rong shot him a teasing glance. "Tell your grandpa to approve a helicopter for us, rich boy?"

Guo Weixiang said irritably, "If I could get in touch, I'd have him approve an F-22 fighter jet for you. If it's missing a single wheel, I'll admit defeat."

"Rong-ge!" Suddenly, Chuncao ran out from the east end of the factory building. "Come quickly, we found a..."

Both of their first reactions were 'Zombie'. But unexpectedly, Chuncao rushed over, grabbed Zhou Rong's hand, her face tense, and after a long moment, squeezed out two words: "...pregnant woman."

Zhou Rong: "Huh?!"

Zhou Rong's head immediately started to ache.

"...What's your name?" Si Nan asked, stunned, as he sat in the cafeteria.

There were only six women among the survivors. Two of them, girls in their twenties, were probably friends and had been huddled closely together on the road. The weather at the end of September was already cool, and one of them was dressed particularly thickly. On the way, everyone had just thought she was a bit chubby and afraid of the cold.

Who knew she was pregnant. Six months.

"Wang... Wang Wen..." the pregnant woman answered, shrinking back. "I'm very strong, I can work..."

Her friend, a pretty girl with delicate features, stood in front of her and quickly said, "She doesn't eat much, and she doesn't need to be taken care of. If she does need care, I can look after her. We won't be a burden. We can run fast. We managed to run out of the mall with everyone else, didn't we?"

Si Nan and Yan Hao exchanged a look.

"Please don't leave her behind, okay?" the girl pleaded again, her gaze shifting between the two young men in front of her.

The younger one on the right was handsome, but he rarely spoke on the journey and always had a cold aura about him. He didn't seem like a soft-hearted person.

The special forces soldier on the left, however, was thoughtful and considerate. He had protected the survivors on the minibus during their escape, and his actions were gentler and more approachable.

"We can both eat less." The girl had made her decision. She leaned toward Yan Hao, blinking her already large and bright eyes as hard as she could, and begged, "It's not easy for anyone these days. Her husband is trapped in T City, and we don't know if he's alive or dead. If you make her leave, how can a pregnant woman survive? Please, handsome, you must be a good person. My name is Wu Xinyan, you can call me Yanyan..."

Wu Xinyan was indeed a pretty girl. Pleading so softly made her look quite pitiful and endearing.

Unfortunately, Yan Hao wasn't paying attention to that. He stared at Wang Wen's belly for a long time. Si Nan spoke up from the side, "Six months. Can't abort it."

His tone was stating a fact, but that wasn't how it sounded to the two girls. Wang Wen's face instantly turned pale.

Yan Hao quickly stopped them. "Don't cry, we're not thinking of making you have an abortion! It's just... if you give birth... diapers, baby formula and all that..."

Yan Hao's mind was a complete mess. Spotting Zhou Rong's figure at the cafeteria entrance, he hurriedly stood up and said, "I'll go ask our captain."

Zhou Rong was a ruthless character in these people's eyes. Wu Xinyan panicked. As Yan Hao walked past, she grabbed his hand, almost pressing it against her own chest. "Big brother, I'm begging you!"

Yan Hao quickly pulled his hand back and reflexively glanced at Si Nan. "It's fine, I'll speak for you." He then walked quickly toward Zhou Rong.

'...Why is he looking at me?' Si Nan thought, baffled.

Then he caught Wu Xinyan's gaze—the young woman was looking at Yan Hao as if he were her savior, her eyes full of apprehension and hope.

'Oh, he's afraid I'll snitch on him to Zhou Rong.' Si Nan instantly understood, watching their backs from a distance and thinking, 'The love affairs of two gays are quite complicated.'

"Don't say anything for now." After hearing the whole story, Zhou Rong pondered for a moment before giving his orders. "There are over thirty people, and nobody knows anyone. Have the pregnant woman stay by herself as much as possible, and don't let her wander around every day."

Yan Hao nodded.

"Give her one of the eggs from the hen in the backyard every day. Don't let anyone else see. Everyone is under a lot of mental stress, stretched as tight as a bowstring. It's best not to have any source of conflict before we re-establish contact with the base."

Yan Hao agreed to everything. Seeing Zhou Rong turn to leave, he asked casually, "Captain, where are you going?"

"To find something in the storeroom."

"What are you looking for?"

Zhou Rong opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly caught sight of Si Nan out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that Si Nan had been sitting with Yan Hao just now, and his heart sank slightly.

"...Nothing much." Zhou Rong smiled and said, "Grabbing a couple of cases of beer. We'll have a get-together tonight."

Zhou Rong personally went to the storeroom and moved several boxes, stacking them in the rear factory building. He then carried out a case of beer. At dinnertime, as expected, he gathered everyone in the factory cafeteria and gave a short motivational speech.

"We can't contact the military region for now due to communication issues, but please believe that the government and the army will not abandon a single survivor. The supplies we brought from T City and the food stored in the factory warehouse are enough to last us three months. During this time, we will definitely be able to lead everyone to a shelter base."

"A chance to cross a river in the same boat is a bond forged over a hundred years. It doesn't matter if we knew each other before; being alive and sitting here together now is fate. We will not abandon a single civilian, and I ask that you all help and support each other." Zhou Rong raised his beer, toasted everyone around him, and said solemnly, "Thank you, everyone. Here's a toast to you." With that, he tilted his head back and chugged two big gulps of beer.

The crowd was moved. Someone took the initiative to come forward and offer him a cigarette, while others began to introduce themselves: "I'm in sales, I was at the mall to see a client that day..."

"I'm a security guard at the mall..."

"A telecommunications engineer. A scholar is useless in times like these!"

"I work in the surgery department at the Municipal Committee Hospital. Ai, don't even mention it..."

"Surgery?" Zhou Rong's ears twitched.

Zhou Rong immediately got up and went over, enthusiastically shaking the middle-aged doctor's hand and forcefully pulling him aside. "A pleasure, a pleasure! May I ask what kind of illnesses you can treat?"

"...Huh?"

"Do you know how to deliver a baby?"

"I... I know a little. I interned in that department during my rotations..."

Zhou Rong clapped him on the shoulder and said, "I have the utmost respect for people who save lives and heal the wounded!"

The middle-aged man, surnamed Zheng, had clearly seen the scene where Zhou Rong confronted a doctor in the T City mall. He was terrified by Zhou Rong's sudden change from arrogant to respectful, and he quickly offered a toast with an apologetic smile, humbly stating that he could do anything and was willing to follow the group's arrangements.

Wu Xinyan held a beer can, stood up, and came to Yan Hao's side, saying shyly, "Hello. Thank you so much for this afternoon..."

As she bowed her head, her long hair slipped from her cheek and almost brushed against Yan Hao's shoulder. Her hair was thick and soft, carrying the faint, unique fragrance of a young woman.

But unexpectedly, before she could finish her sentence, Yan Hao stood up from the table and said, "It's nothing."

Wu Xinyan's "I'd like to toast you" got stuck in her throat. She watched as Yan Hao walked around her and, in a few steps, sat down at another table.

Si Nan was eating a flatbread with plain water and was choking on it, feeling flustered. He didn't notice someone sitting down in front of him until he looked up, his eyes asking, 'What's wrong?'

"..."

Yan Hao had long eyebrows and bright eyes, with very deep double eyelids—a face that would make teenage girls' hearts flutter on screen. When he looked at something with such a complex and focused gaze, few people could bear to look away and not meet his eyes.

Si Nan stiffened his neck to swallow the flatbread and asked with difficulty, "What is it you want to say?"

Yan Hao didn't answer, but asked instead, "Are those few boxes in the rear factory building yours?"

"Yeah. Zhou Rong said you guys ran out of bullets, so I thought I'd look for some nitric acid, glycerin, and iron filings to see if I could make some crude bombs."

Yan Hao was silent for a moment.

Si Nan raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly questioning, politely conveying his limited patience during his meal break.

After a long while, Yan Hao finally whispered:

"...The captain is usually busy. You don't have to go to him. Next time you need to move things, you can call me."

"And for any other help... you can come to me. Anytime."

His attitude was so serious that Si Nan didn't understand at first. It took him a good few seconds to remember the gay relationship between these two Betas in front of him. He immediately understood and said apologetically, "I won't next time."

Yan Hao lowered his eyelashes, gave a nervous smile, and walked away.