Chapter 137: Encounter with the Self-Defense Forces

Miyuki, the rich girl, grew paler, and the trembling she already had intensified.

"... Are we still leaving?"

Her voice was tinged with sobbing.

"Not leaving?"

Sato suddenly spoke coldly.

He adjusted the still crisp collar of his suit, and his sharp gaze swept over everyone present.

"If we don't leave, we stay here until the food runs out, then get treated like trash by the madmen outside or those so‑called 'Cleanup Units'?"

His words carried no warmth, yet struck each person's heart like a hammer.

"The only window I bribed for is the ten‑minute slot at noon the day after tomorrow."

"Miss it, and there will be no chance again."

Sato straightened his posture, his tone decisive.

"I don't care whether outside is hell or purgatory; I must leave today."

That unquestionable resolve infected the wavering hearts in the basement.

Indeed, staying meant waiting for death; stepping out might still hold a sliver of hope.

"Go!"

Watanabe clenched his teeth and stood beside Lin Fan.

"Mr. Sato is right, we go!"

Everyone resolved in turn and began a final check of their gear.

Lin Fan simply watched quietly, as if black hair brushed his cheek, bringing a soothing coolness.

The street lay in ruins.

The air mixed rot, gunpowder smoke, and the scent of blood.

Upside‑down cars still spewed black smoke, shattered glass littered the sidewalk, and the wind whirled newspapers and flyers through the empty city like wandering souls.

Tanaka lived up to being a professional guide; he moved like an experienced rat, leading the group through the city's shadows.

They stuck to the walls, using abandoned vehicles and structures for cover, repeatedly evading patrols of Self-Defense Forces infantry by the skin of their teeth.

The tank's tracks roared from afar, then drew near, then receded.

Each time made the group's hearts leap to their throats.

Just as they were about to cross an intersection, an accident occurred.

Lin Fan's right eye, that bottomless indigo vortex, contracted without warning.

A bone‑deep chill surged from his spine to the crown of his head.

"Get down!"

He didn't even have time to explain; with a low growl, his body instinctively reacted.

He lunged, flinging Watanabe and the terrified Miyuki hard onto a pile of building debris!

Almost simultaneously.

"Boom—"

A Type 90 Main Battle Tank, that snarling steel beast, barreled out from the street corner!

Its dark turret turned slowly, like a cyclopean giant hunting prey.

Another wealthy member of the group, Sato's friend, accustomed to luxury, reacted a beat too late.

Lin Fan's warning startled him; a stone tripped his foot, and he fell clumsily in the intersection's center, fully exposed to the tank's sight.

"Whirr—"

The tank's turret halted precisely, its sight zeroed on him.

The rich man was terrified, scrambling back toward cover, shouting a panicked plea.

"Sato! Save me! Save me!"

Sato, the wealthy businessman hidden behind cover, instantly wore a complex expression.

A flash of struggle and pain crossed his eyes, but ultimately it hardened into cold resolve.

He crushed his molars and forced a few words through his teeth.

"Go! Forget him!"

Having said that, he didn't look back and led the charge toward another alley.

The others could only follow.

The abandoned rich man wore despair and disbelief on his face.

He stared at his former friend, vanished at the alley mouth without looking back.

The next second.

"Clack clack clack clack clack!"

The coaxial machine gun atop the tank spewed a destructive jet of fire!

A muffled, dense roar echoed through the whole block.

The group hid in the shadow of another alley, clamping their mouths, daring not to make a sound.

They didn't look back.

But those gunshots lasting over a dozen seconds, and the horrific tearing of flesh by bullets, said it all.

Miyuki was so frightened she went limp; if Watanabe hadn't held her, she would have collapsed.

Watanabe's complexion turned ashen, his lips trembling, clearly unable to believe they'd abandoned a comrade so blatantly.

The reality of death descended on them for the first time with such cruelty and such close proximity.

After the gunfire ceased, the whole world returned to that suffocating silence.

The team's atmosphere, however, was ten times heavier than before.

"Why...... why didn't we save him......"

Miyuki, voice trembling with tears, questioned her uncle Sato.

"Save him?"

Sato's face was cold, his voice lacking any hint of guilt.

"Tell me how to save him? Rush out and exchange fire with a tank?"

"If we go over, we'll only get everyone killed! This is a necessary sacrifice!"

His words left Miyuki and Watanabe unable to retort.

Lin Fan remained noncommittal, saying nothing.

The team continued forward.

But the shadow of losing one member constantly weighed on everyone's hearts.

After passing a few more blocks, a new danger appeared.

The guide Tanaka raised his binoculars, observed for a long time, finally lowered them, his face turning grim.

"The road ahead is the necessary route, the nearest way to the port."

He pointed ahead.

"But there happens to be a military unit active there, they are entering residential buildings, distributing supplies door to door."

"Other routes are either blocked or are thug-infested zones, which are more dangerous."

"Most importantly, we don't have time to take a detour."

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

This is practically a desperate situation.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Tanaka suddenly glanced at a nearby residential building that still looked relatively intact.

A glint of mad gambler's light flashed in his eyes.

"We have only one option left."

"Sneak in, find an empty unoccupied room, and pose as residents awaiting rescue."

"After that squad of soldiers finishes distributing supplies and leaves this building, we'll continue onward."

"If we're lucky, we might even be able to replenish some water and food."

This is an extremely daring plan, even said to be crazy.

But at present, they have no alternative.

Everyone held their breath, like several ghosts, silently sneaking into that residential building.

Tanaka's lock-picking skills were proficient; he quickly opened a room on the third floor.

A thin layer of dust covered the floor, obviously uninhabited for a long time.

They filed in, just barely closing the door gently.

Downstairs came the sound of military boots stepping on cement, uniform and orderly.

Next came the cold announcement over the loudspeaker.

"Attention residents! We are the Self-Defense Forces! We are now distributing relief supplies! Please open the door after knocking to receive them!"

Everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

They didn't dare breathe, crowded behind the door, listening intently to outside sounds.

Soon, footsteps began echoing in the hallway.

First floor.

Second floor.

Getting closer.

Finally, that heavy, oppressive footsteps stopped outside their door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Three clear knocks.

Each knock made the hearts of those inside skip a beat.

Sato gave a glance to a bodyguard, signaling him to check the situation.

That burly bodyguard was also drenched in sweat at the moment.

He cautiously approached the door and pressed his eye to the peephole.

However.

He only glanced once.

The bodyguard's body instantly stiffened.

His pupils dilated to the limit in an instant, all color draining from his face in a flash.

Boundless fear turned him into a frozen statue.

Through the distorted view of the peephole.

Outside, a fully armed Self-Defense Forces soldier stood.

But on that soldier's face hung a huge, rigid, beyond-human-limit......

Weird smile.