Chapter 87: The life and death of a child (Part 1)

Hearing A Kai's voice, Lin Chen got out of bed, opened the door, and walked out. In the living room,

Xia Nuan was sitting on the sofa with gauze on her forehead, and A Kai was standing beside her, holding a Purple Lightning Purification Gun,

checking its energy. The sunset outside shone through the window, coating the living room in a layer of warm yellow light,

and the hamster was squeaking in its cage, seemingly welcoming Lin Chen.

Lin Chen walked up to Xia Nuan, kept his head down, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice: "I'm sorry,

I was too impulsive yesterday; I shouldn't have laid a hand on you, and I shouldn't have said those things."

Xia Nuan looked up at Lin Chen,

was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head and said: "It's okay, I was wrong too;

I shouldn't have argued with you at a time like that. The most important thing now is to find He Shao and stop him from causing more trouble."

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the two of them: "Then let's eat first, and we'll leave after we're done."

He pointed at the air, opening the entrance to the Infinite Space, and took out four self-heating hot pots,

handing one to Xia Nuan, one to A Kai, keeping one for himself, and taking an extra one to put aside—thinking that if they encountered someone in need, it might come in handy.

The three of them sat by the coffee table, unpacked the self-heating hot pots, poured in cold water, and waited for them to heat up.

A few minutes later,

the hot pots began to steam, and a rich aroma filled the air; in the apocalypse,

being able to eat a hot self-heating hot pot was a rare delicacy. Xia Nuan ate while feeding some breadcrumbs to the hamster, which was eating happily, constantly scratching at its food bowl with its little paws.

After finishing the hot pot, the three of them each drank a bottle of water, cleaned up the trash, and began checking their weapons.

Lin Chen tucked the Purple Lightning Purification Gun into his waistband and took an M416 rifle,

loading it with a full magazine; Xia Nuan carried a sniper rifle on her back and hung a pistol at her waist;

A Kai carried a Gatling gun and held several spare ammunition belts. Everything ready, the three of them walked toward the door.

Just as they walked out of the villa entrance, they saw a young man standing by the road, looking about 19 years old,

wearing a thin jacket, shivering from the cold, and clutching a tattered backpack tightly. The young man saw them, his eyes lit up,

and he ran over to Lin Chen and said: "Hello, can you take me with you?

I haven't eaten for two days,

and I don't know where to go,

and I don't want to die yet."

Xia Nuan stopped, looked at the young man's pitiful appearance, and said to Lin Chen: "He looks so pitiful,

let's take him with us,

one more person is one more bit of strength." A Kai also nodded: "Yeah, Brother Lin Chen,

he doesn't look like a bad person, take him with us; he can help us keep an eye on the situation on the road."

Lin Chen looked at the young man and frowned, feeling a bit hesitant—the "survivors" they had encountered before

had betrayed them, and he was worried about another accident. But looking at the young man's pleading eyes,

and remembering Xia Nuan and A Kai's words, he finally nodded and said: "Okay, but remember,

you must follow our commands on the road, don't act on your own, and don't play any tricks, otherwise we won't look after you anymore."

The young man nodded immediately and said excitedly: "Thank you! I'll definitely listen;

whatever you tell me to do, I'll do, and I'll never cause you any trouble!"

Lin Chen took an anti-extreme cold jacket from the Infinite Space and handed it to the young man: "Put this on,

it's too cold outside, don't freeze." The young man took the jacket, put it on hurriedly, and thanked Lin Chen repeatedly.

The four of them walked toward the armored vehicle; Lin Chen drove, Xia Nuan sat in the passenger seat,

and A Kai and the young man sat in the back seat. The engine started, and the armored vehicle slowly drove away from Sky Dome Villa, heading toward the abandoned factory in the west of the city. On the road,

the young man introduced himself: "My name is Li Yang; I stayed at a survivor base before, but later the base was breached by zombies, so I ran out alone and have been hiding everywhere until I met you."

Xia Nuan smiled and said: "My name is Xia Nuan, that's Lin Chen, the one driving,

and that's A Kai. We're all from the Dawn Squad, and we're going to the abandoned factory in the west of the city to find a person named He Shao.

He wants to cause global freezing, and we have to stop him." Li Yang nodded,

his eyes firm as he said: "I know He Shao; I heard about his evil deeds when I was at the base. Don't worry, I'll help you; even if we can't beat him, I can help you keep an eye on the surroundings."

Lin Chen didn't speak, focusing on driving, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The armored vehicle drove through the snow,

the sound of the tires pressing into the snow very clear. The sunset in the distance gradually set, the sky began to darken,

and there were more and more zombies by the roadside; occasionally, a few zombies would lunge at the vehicle, but they were all mowed down by A Kai with the Gatling gun.

After driving for about an hour, the sky was completely dark, and Lin Chen turned on the headlights,

continuing to drive forward. Li Yang leaned against the car window, looking at the scene outside,

and whispered: "When I passed by here before, there weren't this many zombies; why are there so many now?

Could it be He Shao's doing?" Xia Nuan nodded and said: "Very likely,

he must be plotting something; we have to get to the abandoned factory quickly and can't let him succeed."

After driving for another half hour, a group of abandoned factory buildings suddenly appeared ahead; it was the abandoned factory in the west of the city.

The factory gate was wide open, it was pitch black inside, but faint lights could be seen flickering,

and the sound of machinery running could be heard. Lin Chen slowed down and said to everyone: "The abandoned factory is ahead; everyone stay alert. Once we go in, follow me closely and don't get separated."

Xia Nuan, A Kai, and Li Yang all nodded, gripping their weapons tightly. Lin Chen parked the car in a hidden spot next to the factory, turned off the engine,

and the four of them pushed open the car doors, cautiously walking toward the factory gate. Just as they reached the entrance, they heard He Shao's voice coming from inside the factory, seemingly talking to someone,

his voice loud, and they could vaguely hear words like "freezing program" and "start." Lin Chen made a shushing gesture to the three of them, then led the way into the factory. ===== CHAPTER 88 =====