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Chapter 89

Chapter 89 

 

After delivering supplies to Haixin Island, An Minghui received a report from the island’s security team about recent observations on Ersha Island. 

 

The issue stemmed from an incident where individuals from Ersha Island attempted to smuggle themselves onto Haixin Island by boat. After capturing and interrogating these individuals, the security team learned that Ersha Island, a gray area neglected by the authorities, had become home to both exiles and a significant number of survivors. 

 

While the arrival of survivors on the island wasn’t unusual, these newcomers were particularly ruthless. Knowing that Ersha Island had minimal security patrols, they ransacked the island indiscriminately, breaking into villas regardless of whether they were occupied. They even killed those who resisted, acting more savagely than bandits. 

 

The wealthy residents who had once dismissed the security team as ineffective and bothersome were now gripped by fear. Some chose to cooperate, offering their resources or money voluntarily, while others rallied their private bodyguards to fight back, only to be killed by the intruders, who were armed with firearms. 

 

Those unwilling to become prey attempted to flee, but their private yachts were monitored by the invaders, and patrols around Ersha Island left no chance for escape. 

 

Interestingly, the intruders eventually released some individuals, providing them with a boat and instructions to reach Haixin Island without drawing the attention of the security team. 

 

When the interrogation ended, blood tests revealed that all the captured individuals were carriers of the zombie virus, without exception. 

 

It became clear that this was a deliberate act of provocation from the faction known as "Wujio." 

 

Faced with such a direct challenge, the security team couldn’t ignore the matter. After reporting the situation, the authorities dispatched a squad of commandos to Ersha Island, accompanied by members of the "Special Response Unit," including An Minghui and Hao Jian. 

 

To maintain cover, Hao Jian didn’t act alongside An Minghui. Disguised as a civilian, she infiltrated Ersha Island amidst the chaos to identify potential hidden members of "Wujio" for the authorities. 

 

While the commandos and An Minghui’s team focused on eliminating the overt members of "Wujio" and drawing enemy fire, the remaining members of the Special Response Unit were tasked with uncovering hidden operatives. Ideally, they hoped to infiltrate the enemy’s ranks. 

 

Hao Jian wasn’t certain whether "Wujio’s" growing arrogance was due to the lack of official restraint on their activities in the city center. However, she knew that the faction’s increasingly brazen actions suggested they sought global recognition. Their attacks on the authorities were likely part of a larger scheme to broadcast their existence to the world. 

 

Thus, the incident on Ersha Island could be interpreted as a calculated move to make their presence known. 

 

At dawn, before the sun had risen, the commandos launched an assault from a relatively open area to draw enemy fire, while An Minghui led his team ashore from the Haixin Island side. 

 

As gunfire erupted, Hao Jian quietly climbed ashore from a small boat. She scaled a stone fence and took cover behind a tree. 

 

Ersha Island was rich with vegetation, its riverside lined with towering trees and meticulously pruned shrubs. 

 

The wide streets were cluttered with parked cars, many of which showed signs of recent damage. 

 

Opposite Hao Jian was the rear entrance of a stadium, secured by tall wire fences. Beyond the fences lay two abandoned basketball courts, and much of the area was obscured by tall buildings. 

 

On the other side was one of the island’s residential complexes, mostly composed of standalone villas. Although the walls were low, they were topped with electric wires, and surveillance cameras were abundant. 

 

After some consideration, Hao Jian decided to head for the island’s police station or fire department. When the authorities evacuated the island, these locations were likely abandoned. While weapons might have been relocated, documents were probably left behind, which could provide valuable information about the island’s residents. 

 

With her system map offering a 10-kilometer range of visibility, Hao Jian wasn’t worried about getting lost. 

 

However, the island was still inhabited by zombies. While most had been drawn away by the gunfire, a few still roamed the area. Although they posed no threat to Hao Jian, she avoided using her gun to prevent alerting "Wujio" to her presence. Instead, she sprinted to evade the zombies. 

 

Arriving at the police station, she found the entrance wide open. Inside, the place was in shambles, with overturned desks and scattered documents, a sign that looters had ransacked the building after the official evacuation. 

 

Hao Jian cautiously explored the area before quietly closing the door behind her. 

 

The police station wasn’t large, consisting of a two-story main building. The first floor housed the reception area, office spaces, and two meeting rooms. 

 

Upstairs, access to the second floor had once required swiping an ID card. However, the security system had been destroyed, leaving the iron door wide open. 

 
 

Hao Jian aimed to locate the records room, knowing that such an important area wouldn’t be on the ground floor. She headed straight to the second floor. 

 

The second floor featured two meeting rooms and several offices. While the office computers had been removed, documents were scattered across the desks. 

 

Picking up a file in one office, Hao Jian discovered a report of a dispute between residents in Hongcheng Garden on a certain date. She noted down the names, addresses, and ID numbers of the residents involved. Searching further, she found several similar files. Extracting useful information, she organized it mentally and identified a few identities she could potentially use. 

 

As she worked, a noise from downstairs caught her attention. Unlike the aimless shuffling of zombies, this sound was deliberate. Hao Jian instantly became alert, drew her gun, and took cover behind the door. 

 

Though hiding here wasn’t ideal, she couldn’t find a better spot. 

 

Moments later, voices drifted up from below: 

 

“Not a single computer left, how could there be guns lying around?” 

 

“What if they missed something? Didn’t you see those people were armed? They must’ve found their guns in places like this. Let’s try our luck, if we find weapons, we won’t have to live in fear of them anymore.” 

 

“If you ask me, finding some body armor is a better idea. In a fight, who knows who’ll get caught in the crossfire?” 

 

“Body armor? You’ve got some nerve calling yourself an innocent bystander. Remember what you did the other night, messing with that woman right in front of her husband? And you left him half-dead. Didn’t see you holding back then.” 

 

“Don’t bring that up! That woman nearly busted my jewels. You think I’d let her go unpunished? Too bad her daughter escaped.” 

 

... 

 

From their conversation, Hao Jian deduced there were four men, none likely to be from "Wujio," but definitely not decent people. The situation wasn’t in her favor. 

 

Thankfully, her magazine was full. While she didn’t have extra bullets, she could buy ammunition, 50 rounds for 500 system points, if necessary. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

 

Peering through the gap in the door, Hao Jian saw two men approaching. They searched each room, armed with fire axes, batons, and knives. The arrogance of predators clung to them. 

 

One man, holding a fire axe, headed toward Hao Jian’s room. The large door gap forced her to pull back slightly, clutching her gun tightly. 

 

As he entered, the man suddenly braced himself against the door and shouted, “There’s someone here!” 

 

Realizing her position had been compromised, Hao Jian acted immediately. Waiting for all of them to gather would spell doom, so she pressed her gun against the door and fired. 

 

The man hadn’t expected her to be armed and instinctively recoiled. Hao Jian kicked the door shut and fired again, hitting the man in the leg. He howled in pain. 

 

Hearing the commotion, another man approached, shielding himself with a riot shield salvaged from the station. He glared at Hao Jian as the injured man limped toward him, yelling, “That bitch has a gun! She shot me!” 

 

“I see that!” their leader snapped, eyes fixed on Hao Jian. “Little girl, there are plenty of zombies outside. Aren’t you afraid you’ll attract them?” 

 

Hao Jian smiled coolly. “What, you think someone who shoots without hesitation would be scared by you? That shield of yours might block rocks and knives, but it won’t stop bullets.” 

 

Their expressions darkened, and they began to retreat cautiously. Predicting their intentions, Hao Jian fired again without hesitation. 

 

While the riot shield offered some protection, it couldn’t withstand her bullets for long. After her shot, the shield cracked, and the men scattered in disarray, fleeing the room in a panic. 

 

Hao Jian understood their original plan had been to trap her inside, but having learned her lesson once before, she wasn’t about to fall for the same trick. Recognizing these men as no better than predators, she fired without hesitation. 

 

The three remaining men fled desperately, but the injured one couldn’t get far. Collapsing to his knees, he begged, “Please don’t kill me! I never meant to hurt you!” 

 

“I heard everything you said. Do you think someone like you deserves mercy?” Hao Jian sneered, the barrel of her gun trained on his head. 

 

This wasn’t her first time pointing a gun at a living person. In prior instances, however, she hadn’t been directly responsible for any deaths, giving her the false sense she’d never taken a life. Still, she knew better aiming a gun at someone meant blood was already on her hands. 

 

The man sobbed, clutching his wounded leg. “I didn’t kill anyone! I just joined in after the others… I never initiated any of it!” 

 

Hao Jian cared little about his justifications. She cut him off with a cold question: “If you cooperate and answer my questions, I might let you live.” 

 

“I’ll tell you everything! Please don’t kill me!” The man’s bravado had crumbled entirely now that his life was on the line. 

 

“You’re not residents of this island, are you? When did you arrive?” 

 

The man replied, “We’re not from here. We escaped to this island about ten days ago. We wanted to leave, but the bridges were blown up, trapping us here…” 

 

He explained that he and his companions were originally ordinary workers. After fleeing to the island, they had hoped for government assistance, but with the zombie virus spreading and the wealthy refusing to make room for them, the authorities eventually abandoned the area. 

 

Like them, over a thousand other survivors had taken refuge in public spaces like gyms and parks, though food shortages quickly became their biggest problem. 

 

In desperation, some began looting restaurants and shops, while others worked as bodyguards for the wealthy. As the virus spread among them, the living grew fewer, and zombies multiplied. 

 

The remaining survivors split into two groups: the timid continued hiding, while the bold began looting villas, driven by hunger and hatred. They sought revenge against the wealthy who had refused to help them, venting their frustrations on any women they found. 

 

The affluent often had security or strong defenses, forcing these looters to operate in groups. 

 

A few days ago, armed newcomers began arriving on the island. Unlike the looters, these individuals weren’t driven by greed but by violence. They shot anyone who resisted, though those captured seemed unharmed when released the following day. 

 

The man admitted he and his companions had considered joining these armed newcomers, but when they noticed some released individuals looked sickly, like those infected with the zombie virus, they became convinced the group was conducting experiments on their captives. 

 

Fearing capture, they avoided the newcomers entirely. Searching for weapons to defend themselves, they ended up encountering Hao Jian. 

 

The “newcomers” the man described sounded like members of "Wujio," though Hao Jian was skeptical about the alleged experiments. Instead, she suspected “Wujio” was using infected individuals to distract the security forces, a tactic they were known for. 

 

This thought led Hao Jian to a troubling question: how were “Wujio” members identifying those infected with the virus? 

 

The only explanation Hao Jian could think of was that “Wujio” had infiltrators embedded within the scientific research teams.