Chapter Nine: The Air-Raid Shelter

After much questioning, Deng Sen finally revealed the matter he had been hesitant to mention. The Jianglu Machinery Plant was a traditional military enterprise. Beyond producing heavy machinery like tanks and excavators, it also manufactured light weapons for export: the QBZ97 rifle and its corresponding 5.56mm ammunition.

Hearing this news, Zhao Qiang could no longer sit still. The base’s greatest deficiency was weapons and ammunition; every bullet fired was one less in stock. While there was still a certain supply, the problem would inevitably become increasingly severe over time. The information Deng Sen brought was undoubtedly the best gift possible. With this production line, there would be no more need to worry about the scarcity of ammunition.

This exhilarating news quickly reached Meng Longwei and Wei Tao. Everyone was overcome with excitement at this unexpected gift; what could be more thrilling than an ammunition production line? Consequently, without any surprise, operational orders were quickly issued to every squad member.

The members, having just survived an intense battle and having barely shed their uniforms and gear, received the order to deploy again before they could even catch their breath. Yet, the moment they learned the purpose of this mission, their exhaustion vanished. They donned their heavy equipment with lightning speed and arrived at the parade ground, brimming with spirit.

The Jianglu Machinery Plant was located in the suburbs of Xiangtan. Surrounded by lush trees, its towering walls and barbed wire warned passersby that this was no place for a leisurely outing. In this once strictly guarded facility, an eerie atmosphere now prevailed, with zombies wandering everywhere.

During the previous rescue mission, the soldiers had routed the main horde of zombies but failed to locate the "Intellect" hidden in the shadows. The zombie army had successfully breached the plant's heavy gates but had stopped short before the administrative building. Had the rescue team arrived a few minutes later, the consequences would have been more than Deng Sen could have borne.

Although all survivors had been rescued, the remaining zombies did not disperse. Instead, they scattered to every corner of the plant. The Intellect hiding in the dark clearly understood how vital such a place was to humanity.

After focusing their strength on repairing the gate that had been smashed by a Crusher, the detachment split into two groups. One group remained within the facility to search for and eliminate any remaining zombies, while the other, led by Zhao Qiang, searched the surrounding area for the Intellect.

The search did not go smoothly. The environment around the plant was far more complex than Zhao Qiang had imagined. There were middle schools and residential complexes nearby, and the area requiring a search was unimaginably vast. Although there were no large hordes, a few mindless, ordinary zombies would occasionally rush out from corners, creating minor disturbances for the squad.

"I think we're going in the wrong direction." After searching for a long time, Zhao Qiang frowned. If an Intellect were nearby, there would be more than just these few small fry causing trouble. Regarding Intellects—those clever yet cowardly zombies—every encounter Zhao Qiang had with them was fraught with complications. The closer one got to an Intellect, the more zombies would appear; when the Intellect realized the zombies could not halt the intruders, it would choose to flee in a panic.

This time, there were clearly no clues regarding an Intellect. The zombies appearing everywhere were obviously acting on instinct alone, showing no signs of being controlled.

"Zhao, did you miscalculate? There's no Intellect here at all." Cai Jiashu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. The sporadic gunfire echoing from inside the plant contrasted sharply with the quietness here. The zombies seemed interested only in Zhao Qiang, who was walking at the front of the line; every suicide charge was neutralized by the machete in his hand, leaving Cai Jiashu without even a chance to fire his weapon.

"We'll finish searching the school ahead. If we find nothing, we pull back." Zhao Qiang looked at a school not far away, a sense of unease rising within him.

...

"Field Team One, this is Field Team Two, do you read? Over!" A call from Team B came through the earpiece.

"Field Team Two, this is Field Team One. What's the situation? Over!" Zhao Qiang looked around; the school was empty, devoid of the expected zombie army.

"You'd better come take a look at this. We've found an air-raid shelter. Over!"

"Copy, on our way. Stay at your position. Do not enter until we arrive. Over!"

...

The air-raid shelter at the Jianglu Machinery Plant was a product of the preparations for war and famine during the 1960s and 70s. Through the efforts of an entire generation, guided by the philosophy of "digging deep tunnels and storing grain everywhere," the civil defense system had become a vast underground labyrinth. As national defense strategies shifted, this magnificent underground architecture gradually faded from history and out of public view.

The entrance to the shelter had originally been fitted with an iron gate to prevent unauthorized persons or mischievous children from wandering in. Now, however, the gate, welded from thick steel bars, lay on the ground at an awkward angle. Blood-red palm prints were smeared on the walls, and cold wind, carrying the low, ghastly groans of zombies, wafted from the nearly two-meter-high entrance, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhao Qiang’s unease grew increasingly intense. He remembered clearly that the closer he got to an Intellect, the stronger this feeling became. So, you were hiding here! Zhao Qiang finally realized he had been looking in the wrong direction all along. The Intellect he had been searching for was hiding in a place like this.

"Old Cai, this is it!" Zhao Qiang leaned down to touch a pool of nearly congealed blood on the ground, rubbed it between his fingers, and stood up. "I can feel it."

The air-raid shelter had fallen into disrepair and had no electricity. Sunlight only provided a sliver of illumination for a few meters past the entrance, beyond which it turned into pitch-black darkness. High-intensity flashlights could only cut a short line through the thick, impenetrable gloom. The detachment’s pace slowed significantly.

"Zhao, something’s not right." Cai Jiashu felt increasingly unsettled. He was usually fearless, always ready to roll up his sleeves and charge into battle, but no one knew that this man, whose name belied his true nature, was terrified of such dark, enclosed spaces.

The low groans of zombies echoed continuously through the tunnel, and the sound of heavy dragging footsteps seemed to linger just ahead. The squad had been walking for nearly half an hour without encountering a single ordinary zombie. The members whispered to each other, while the eerie atmosphere within the shelter grew increasingly stifling.