Chapter 648: Night Raid

"I just came up from the village and heard them say that Yama has ordered double the personnel on guard duty tonight, fearing a zombie horde attack. Their defensive work is really thorough!"

Inside a guest room on the second floor of the Breeze Pavilion, a member of the Dragon Head camp spoke up. The Breeze Pavilion was the only place left on Pegasus Island suitable for hosting guests.

"They can also use it to guard against us... Brother Shen, don't you think?"

Someone chimed in.

Shen Linrui's eyes were unfocused. Hearing someone call his name, he snapped back to reality. After understanding what everyone was discussing, he said, "Don't overthink it. Put yourself in their shoes: if five people from Pegasus Island went to the Dragon Head camp to ask for help, how would the Dragon Head arrange things?"

"Haha, they definitely wouldn't have such a nice place to stay. They'd probably be sleeping in the warehouse. Hey, have you guys heard? Everyone's been talking about the explosion. Some say it was a nuclear weapon, others say an intercontinental missile. What do you think is going on?"

"You should ask me about things like this. Come, let me cast a hexagram to see if it's auspicious or ominous."

A middle-aged man with an honest appearance took a few copper coins out of his pocket.

Seeing this, the four men with Shen Linrui all curled their lips; clearly, they weren't interested in such mystical nonsense.

The fortune-telling man didn't care about their gazes. He held the coins, shook them, and after a clattering sound, tossed them onto the ground. He then picked them up one by one, muttering, "Initial nine, nine two, six three, six four, six five, upper nine, Mountain-Lake Loss..."

"Are you reciting the multiplication table? What kind of nonsense is that..."

"This hexagram... it means there is loss and damage, but it is also accompanied by gain. Loss within gain, hmm... one should face gains and losses with a peaceful mindset. A positive attitude can salvage the situation, perhaps even turning a misfortune into a blessing. When working with others, cooperation can minimize losses. It emphasizes the importance of integrity and contribution. That's about it."

After the fortune-teller finished, he spread his hands helplessly in front of four confused pairs of eyes...

"Screw you, I'm going to sleep!"

A companion, speechless, simply lay down.

"Loss, gain within loss, turning misfortune into a blessing... cooperation, integrity." Shen Linrui's attitude toward the hexagram wasn't as dismissive as his companions'. He lay down, muttering to himself, his mind spinning with thoughts.

On the night following the shockwave, Zhang Su, fearing that zombies might have broken free and wandered nearby, had specifically strengthened the perimeter defenses. As it happened, not a single zombie attacked. It was unusually calm—so quiet that the sentries on duty were falling asleep.

Busy from dusk until late at night, many people hadn't even eaten dinner. Many were physically and mentally exhausted, and those not on night watch slept soundly.

Zhang Su had a dream, and it was a good one. It had been a long time since he'd had a pleasant dream.

In the dream, Pegasus Island had developed into a massive city-state. With the Pegasus Island scenic area as the core, it radiated at least seven or eight kilometers in all directions. The city walls were towering, artillery emplacements stood in rows, high-voltage electric fences hung from the walls, heavy machine gun watchtowers were everywhere, and the thick steel gates were a full foot thick!

Inside the city, there were vast farmlands, while some fields had been converted into factories, schools, hospitals, playgrounds, karaoke bars...

Clothing, food, housing, transportation, daily needs, entertainment, education, and medical care were all available. In terms of geographical area, it was no smaller than the original Qincheng urban area, but without high-rise buildings, it formed a brand-new style.

The cold winter had passed, and under the warm sun, people walked through the city in spring and summer attire. Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles. Children darted and played on streets safe from vehicles, and the sounds of "Heh! Hah!" constantly rang out from the martial arts training grounds. Although it was clearly not the city of the past, it was absolutely a paradise.

"Woof woof, woof-woo..."

Zhang Su had just dreamed he arrived at a "pleasure street" and walked into a massage parlor, lying on a spa bed ready to enjoy a Thai oil massage, when he heard a vicious dog barking on the street. He woke up with a start, the barking still ringing in his ears!

To hell with the dream; the sound of the dog was real! "Awoo-woof, woo-woo..."

The frantic barking turned low—a precursor to hostility and attack. "Damn it, it's so cold... what's going on?"

Zhang Su's heart tightened. He scrambled out from under the covers and checked the time: 4:30! The original windows had been replaced with plywood; you couldn't see outside without opening them, so blackout curtains were unnecessary...

He pulled the bolt and opened the wooden board. A gust of cold air swept in, making Zhang Su shiver. He looked into the distance, and sure enough, there was trouble! Dozens of meters away, Haoyun stood on the mountain path, body tense, guarding against the rocky area of the mountainside. As it moved, its claws scraped against the concrete, making a *crunch-crunch* sound; it was clearly exerting a lot of force.

Because of the angle, Zhang Su couldn't see what was on the other side, but that didn't matter, because he would see it soon enough.

Haoyun moved—or rather, it was defending against an attack from an unknown entity!

A gray figure moved with extreme speed, flashing out from behind an obstacle and lunging straight at Haoyun.

"What is that thing!?"

Zhang Su was shocked. Before he could think, Haoyun was already locked in combat with the unknown creature.

"Awoo, woo, woof, wuff..."

"Squeak, cheep, squeak!"

The bizarre cries intertwined.

"A rat?"

Zhang Su shook his head, his heart jolting. He didn't understand where a rat could have come from, let alone one capable of fighting Haoyun on equal footing!

A thought flashed through his mind, but he was quickly pulled back by the scene before him. He wanted to turn and grab his gun, but realized instantly that a gun would be useless! Haoyun and that little thing were tangled together; even if Tan Huajun were here, it wouldn't help. It wasn't precision that was needed, but the processing speed of a supercomputer, because in the brief time it took for a bullet to leave the barrel and hit the target, Haoyun and the suspected rat would have shifted positions multiple times!

"Quick, quick, help Haoyun!"

Zhang Su couldn't let Haoyun fight alone. He quickly put on his clothes and saw someone running toward the battle. He hurriedly shouted, "Old Pan, hide! Don't get close!"

Pan Guoliang, who was on patrol, heard the commotion and ran over. He shone his flashlight toward the scene, but all he saw were messy balls of fur flying in the air. He couldn't understand what was happening and thought Haoyun had gone rabid. Hearing Zhang Su's shout, he quickly hid under the wall of the Cuileng Pavilion—Yama's warnings could not be ignored! The battle between Haoyun and the rat was intense; claws swiped, teeth bit, rumps bumped, tails whipped—basically every part of their bodies was being used! The opponent wasn't a pushover either, relying on its agile frame to dodge and weave, showing no fear. It even managed to sneak in a few swipes at Haoyun, though its attacks couldn't penetrate Haoyun's thick double-layered coat, only pulling out tufts of fur...

The flying dog fur scattered in the air, forming a halo ball under the flashlight beam, making the situation even harder to see.

"Husband, what's wrong? What's that sound outside?"

The commotion woke Zhong Xiaoshan, who had just fallen asleep after Zheng Xinyu returned from her shift. She looked at Zhang Su, dazed, hearing the strange noises.

"Haoyun is fighting something. I'm going to check it out! You get some rest!"

Zhang Su quickly dressed, grabbed his blade, and dashed out the door. He wasn't sure if he could help, but he had to think of something.

At the same time, a figure flashed on the wall of the Maple Leaf Homestay. Tachibana Maiying, holding a long dagger, crouched on the wall, leaped down, and quickly approached the battle.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 649 =====