Chapter 53: Disappearance

After the cargo ship regained its power, it quickly broke away from the danger zone. With the assistance of the Lone Wolf squad's helicopters, the survivors returned one by one to the Survivors' Alliance camp at the Jianglu Machinery Factory. However, until everyone had evacuated the vessel, Zhao Qiang, who had plunged into the water, never showed his face, and radio calls yielded no response.

Upon learning of Zhao Qiang's disappearance, Saber handed Qianxun and the survivors over to the Lone Wolf squad and returned alone to the waters where the incident occurred. He dove into the water again and again, trying to find any trace of Zhao Qiang. After a brief rest, the Tiger squad took over the defense duties from the Lone Wolf, and Yang Zining also joined the search and rescue operation with his men.

No one knew what had happened beneath the surface. A living, breathing man had simply vanished into the rolling river, leaving behind no body and no trace. Judging by Zhao Qiang's personality, it was utterly impossible for him to leave alone without any warning. There was only one explanation for the current situation: while underwater, Zhao Qiang had encountered some kind of accident that caused him to lose consciousness within a short time. Following this logic, people should be able to find his tracks further downstream from the incident location.

Helicopters searched back and forth over the dock and a nearly ten-kilometer range downstream. Underwater, Saber and the divers from the Lone Wolf squad meticulously combed every area beneath the surface. The search lasted for a full two days, until the exhausted people finally had to temporarily suspend the operation.

In the conference room, the atmosphere grew exceptionally heavy. Zou Lin silently wiped away Peng Sha's tears, whispering into her ear from time to time. As she spoke, her own tears began to flow, and the two women hugged each other and sobbed. Wei Tao buried his head in his hands, his brows tightly furrowed. Saber paced back and forth incessantly, muttering under his breath as if calculating something. Cigarette butts piled up like a small hill in front of Chen Ergou and the other team members, and the entire room was thick with smoke.

"We must find him!" Zhang Yonging stepped forward at the right moment. This time, he couldn't foresee any information related to Zhao Qiang at all, yet he firmly believed that Zhao Qiang was still alive.

"How do we find him?" Saber pulled at his hair in frustration. He had participated in the search and rescue from start to finish—by air, land, and water. No one had poured more energy into it than he had, yet they had found nothing. It was he who had made the decision to let Zhao Qiang go into the water, and it was he who had hastily taught Zhao Qiang how to use the underwater breathing apparatus. Diving itself was a high-risk activity with too many unknown factors affecting a diver's safety, let alone diving at night. With such a tragedy occurring, Saber was the one who regretted it the most.

"Are we just going to stop looking then?" Zhang Yongming slammed his fist on the table. Over the past few months, following Zhao Qiang all the way, the friendship they had built was immensely profound. He didn't even know how to explain to his son why Uncle Zhao couldn't come play hide-and-seek with him anymore.

...

"You're awake?" a man asked, an 81-type rifle resting casually across his knees, a trace of apology in his eyes.

Zhao Qiang didn't move, secretly assessing his condition. The stabbing pain in his chest had vanished, replaced by a tight, binding sensation, while his hands and feet remained tied together, unable to move.

"Why am I here?" Zhao Qiang asked coldly, secretly applying strength to his hands. The ropes were tied very tightly, but under his efforts, there was a slight sign of loosening.

"I carried you back," the man said flatly. "You should thank my son for this. He found you by the riverbank and insisted on saving you."

"Was that you just now?" Zhao Qiang stared at the 81-type rifle; the butt of the gun did not feel pleasant.

"It was me, but not just now, yesterday," the man nodded. "I thought you were a zombie. You know, you were badly injured at the time, and surviving that is nothing short of a miracle."

"I think it's a miracle too," Zhao Qiang twitched his lips. He currently had no concept of how long he had been unconscious; expected and unexpected blackouts always seemed to circle around him. Zhao Qiang raised his bound hands. "Can you help me untie these?"

"Sorry," the man shook his head. "This is just a precautionary measure. I hope you can understand."

"It's fine, I get it." Zhao Qiang lowered his hands with a wry smile. A single man traveling with his son couldn't possibly survive until today without remaining vigilant at all times.

"Can you tell me who on earth you are?" the man asked.

"Why do you ask?" Zhao Qiang countered.

"Because of your shoulders, and the calluses on your fingers and the webbing of your hands," the man explained. "Ordinary people don't grow calluses in those places. That's why I can't let my guard down." While bandaging Zhao Qiang's wounds, he had noticed these details that ordinary people rarely paid attention to. Once a person like this woke up, it would be fine if they harbored no malice, but if they had ill intentions, the man felt it wasn't worth taking the risk.

"Have you ever heard of the Survivors' Alliance?" Zhao Qiang suddenly felt like a clumsy salesman, pitching the Survivors' Alliance product to everyone he met.

A look of disbelief appeared on the man's face. "You mean you're from the Survivors' Alliance?"

"What, is that strange?" Zhao Qiang asked. This was the first time he had seen someone get so excited simply upon hearing the name of the Survivors' Alliance.

"No, no, no." The man was clearly quite agitated. "Are you really from the Survivors' Alliance?"

Zhao Qiang was completely baffled by the man before him. "Is there any reason for me to lie to you?"

"Then why did you people do that?" The man's tone grew increasingly agitated, and he looked thoroughly angry.

"Wait, what did we do?" Zhao Qiang was utterly perplexed.

In the outside world, there were countless survivors just like this man. Either they desperately evaded the overwhelming hordes of zombies, or they scavenged everywhere for food. They had no fixed residence—some traveled in small groups of three or five, while others were entirely alone—struggling like stubborn weeds in this apocalyptic era.

Sometimes, these wandering survivors would gather together to form a new settlement, but more often than not, they chose to roam around. At some point, an organization called the Survivors' Alliance had emerged. Legend had it that this organization possessed formidable military might capable of repelling any zombie assault. They had food, an army, and an invincible elite unit known as the Tiger squad.

No one knew the exact location of this alliance. It was rumored that the coordinates of the alliance headquarters were known only to the leaders of a few large settlements.

[...Chapter 53: Missing (Fastest Text Update)...] @!!