The heavy wheels of the military truck groaned against the cracked asphalt as the driver hit the brakes.
The convoy consisted of three massive olive green vehicles, their sides splattered with dark mud and dried blood. They turned down a narrow side road, shaded by towering apartment buildings that temporarily hid them from the apocalyptic chaos of the main streets. With a final hiss of air brakes, the convoy came to a complete halt.
"Everyone out. Keep your voices down," Ethan said from the front of the truck bed. He slung his stolen rifle over his shoulder and hopped down to the street, immediately putting his guard up.
Miranda followed him without a word, her hands clasped together as if in prayer.
Lu Chunxia took a deep breath, pushing herself up from the metal floor of the truck. Her legs still felt like jelly, but she forced herself to move. She couldn't be a burden.
She jumped down, her sneakers hitting the pavement with a soft thud. Looking around, she saw the formation of their small survival fleet.
She was in the third and final truck. The middle truck was parked just ahead of them, its rear canvas flaps tied back to reveal stacks of wooden crates, ration boxes, and large plastic water jugs. It was their mobile supply depot. And ahead of that was the first truck.
The engine of the first truck cut off. The front passenger door opened with a metallic creak, and a man stepped out. The whispers among the survivors in Chunxia's truck immediately ceaseda a wave of silence washing over the group.
This was the Leader.
Chunxia stared at him, having expected a hardened military veteran with scars and a booming voice.
Instead, she saw a man who looked entirely ordinary. He was of average height, with slightly messy brown hair that fell softly over his forehead. He wore a simple gray sweater over a white collared shirt, paired with faded blue jeans and comfortable brown loafers. He looked like a high school history teacher, or the friendly neighbor who always offered to help carry groceries. There were no weapons strapped to his back. There was no blood on his clothes.
He walked towards the group, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. His face was kind, his eyes carrying a warm, relatable light that seemed to banish the cold terror of the ruined city. When he smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes made him look incredibly gentle.
"I know everyone is tired," the Leader spoke. His voice was smooth, calming, and entirely devoid of panic. "I know you are all terrified. The world we knew ended this morning. We have all lost people we care about."
He paused, looking at the survivors one by one. His gaze met Chunxia's, and for a second, she felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
"But we are still here. We are breathing. And as long as we still breathe, we have a duty to keep moving forward. We help each other. We survive together."
A few of the survivors nodded, wiping tears from their dirty faces. Miranda was openly weeping, whispering praises under her breath. Even Ethan, the pragmatic survivor, seemed to relax his tight grip on his rifle.
"Our current supplies in the middle truck will last us a few days," the Leader continued, gesturing to the vehicle behind him. "But we lack one crucial thing. Medical supplies. Antibiotics, bandages, painkillers. If anyone gets hurt, we have nothing to treat them with."
He pointed down the street.
"There is a small community hospital two blocks from here. The plan is simple. A small gathering team will go in, secure as many medical supplies as they can carry, and return. Once we have what we need, we leave the city."
He looked up at the sky, where the distant roar of beasts still echoed. "We will follow the evacuation route the military was planning to take before their chain of command collapsed. They mapped out a path to a possible safe zone in the north. We will take our trucks and follow that exact route."
The Leader smiled again, clapping his hands together softly. "I need a few volunteers to go to the hospital. Two of our armed guards will accompany you. I will stay here to protect the convoy and the children."
Ethan immediately stepped forward. "I'll go." Miranda raised her hand as well. "I will walk through the valley of the shadow of death."
The Leader nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Both of you."
Chunxia looked at her own trembling hands. She remembered her promise. She had to survive this crazy world.
Hiding in the back of a truck while others risked their lives wouldn't make her stronger. If she wanted to adapt to this insane world, she had to act.
"I'll go too," Chunxia said, her voice surprisingly steady.
The Leader looked at her, his kind eyes softening further.
"You are very brave. Please, stay behind the guards. Your safety is paramount." Chunxia nodded, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The gathering team consisted of Ethan, Miranda, Chunxia, two former military guards holding assault rifles, and three other survivors carrying large empty duffel bags. They left the safety of the convoy and walked down the side road towards the hospital.
The city was eerily quiet in this district. The roads were littered with abandoned cars and shattered glass. The smell of burning rubber and distant smoke filled the air.
They reached the hospital within ten minutes.
It was a three story glass building, surprisingly untouched. The sliding doors at the front entrance were completely shattered. Blood trails smeared across the white tile floor, leading deep into the dark corridors. The emergency backup lights flickered, casting long, unsettling shadows.
"Keep your eyes open," one of the guards whispered, raising his rifle. "Most of the common stuff should be on the first floor, past the waiting area."
They stepped inside, the broken glass crunching loudly under their boots. Chunxia stayed close to Ethan, her eyes darting to every open doorway and dark corner. The silence of the hospital was heavier than the silence of the streets. It felt like a tomb.
They navigated through the waiting room, stepping over overturned chairs and scattered magazines. A sign hanging from the ceiling pointed towards the pharmacy. They pushed through a set of double doors and entered a long hallway lined with examination rooms. At the very end of the hall was a reinforced window with a metal grate. The pharmacy.
"Looks clear," the second guard said, lowering his weapon slightly. The survivors with the duffel bags rushed forward, moving behind the pharmacy counter. They began sweeping pill bottles, gauze boxes, and medical kits into their bags with frantic speed.
Chunxia stood in the hallway, bag full and acting as a lookout alongside Ethan and the guards. She stared at the ceiling panels as she waited. One of them was hanging loose, a dark gap exposing the ventilation shafts above. A soft, scratching sound echoed from the dark gap.
Scrape.
Scrape.
Scrape.
Chunxia frowned, stepping back from the vent. "Do you hear that?"
Ethan turned his head, his brow furrowing, "Hear what?"
Suddenly, the loose ceiling panel was torn away entirely. A massive, grotesque creature dropped from the ceiling, landing heavily on top of the first guard. It wasn't a humanoid. It was a dog, but completely twisted.
[Corpse Hound]
[Level 4]
It had no skin, its red muscles and white bones completely exposed to the air. It was easily the size of a small bear, with elongated jaws dripping with sticky saliva.
Before the guard could even scream, the Corpse Hound clamped its jaws around his neck, severing his vocal cords in a spray of bright red.
"Contact!" the second guard screamed, raising his rifle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deafening roar of gunfire filled the narrow hallway. The muzzle flashes illuminated the dark space with strobe light intensity. The bullets tore into the Corpse Hound, causing it to flinch, but it didn't fall.
More scratching sounds echoed from above. Three more Corpse Hounds dropped from the ventilation shafts, landing among the survivors in the pharmacy. Screams of terror erupted as the mutated beasts tore into the unarmed people.
Ethan raised his rifle and fired into the pharmacy. "Get back! Everyone get back!" He shot one of the hounds in the shoulder, drawing its attention. The beast roared, leaping over the counter towards him.
The second guard kept firing at the first hound.
Click.
His rifle ran dry. "I'm out! Reloading!" he panicked, fumbling for a spare magazine on his tactical vest.
He never got the chance. The first Corpse Hound lunged forward, pinning the guard to the floor and tearing into his chest.
The situation had deteriorated in a matter of seconds. The gathering team was being slaughtered.
Ethan was struggling, using the butt of his empty rifle to keep the snapping jaws of a hound away from his face. Miranda was backed into a corner, praying loudly with her eyes closed.
Chunxia was frozen briefly, her back pressed against the cold wall of the hallway. Her breathing became shallow and rapid as panic threatened to consume her mind. She watched Ethan struggling. She watched the guards die.
'I promised,' she thought, her brother's face flashing in her mind. 'I promised I wouldn't die.'
She turned her head. Right next to her on the wall was a small glass enclosure. Inside was a bright red emergency fire hatchet. The glass was already cracked from the wild spray of gunfire.
Chunxia didn't think any further, and acted. She slammed her elbow into the glass, shattering it entirely. A sharp jolt of pain shot up her arm, but she ignored it. She reached in and grabbed the rubberized handle of the hatchet.
'It's heavy.'
Much heavier than the rolling pin or the kitchen knife. Not in the way a box or a truck was heavy. It felt solid in her grip.
It felt like a real weapon.
A Corpse Hound noticed her movement. It abandoned the dead guard on the floor and slowly turned its skinless head toward Chunxia.
Its blind, milky eyes seemed to lock onto her fear. It growled, a low rumbling sound that vibrated in Chunxia's chest.
It lunged at her.
This was different from the kitchen. She wasn't hiding behind a refrigerator door. She wasn't using the environment to her advantage. She could only stand her ground.
Chunxia gripped the hatchet with both hands, raising it high above her right shoulder. She let out a scream, channeling all of her remaining fear, anger, and grief into her muscles.
Using the energy from her newly increased Strength stat, she swung the heavy blade down with everything she had.
The Corpse Hound was fast, but it was in mid-air, unable to dodge.
Squelch!
The sharp edge of the hatchet bit deep into the center of the hound's skull. The momentum of her swing carried the beast to the floor, pinning its head against the white tiles. Bone cracked loudly as the hatchet split the monster's skull in two.
The heavy body of the Corpse Hound slammed into Chunxia's legs, knocking her to her knees, but its limbs went completely limp.
[Corpse Hound Lv 4 killed!]
[Level Up!]
Chunxia gasped for air, kneeling in a slowly increasing pool of dark blood. She let go of the hatchet handle, her hands shaking violently. She had done it. She had killed a monster face to face. It wasn't an accident. She had chosen to strike.
The beast's body suddenly convulsed, ejecting a small object that clattered against the floor tiles. It was a crystalline gem, glowing with a faint, pale light.
Chunxia stared at it, her mind blank from the adrenaline crash. She reached out with a trembling hand and picked up the bright crystal. It was warm to the touch, feeling like a living heart pulsing in her palm.
She stared at it, mesmerized by the glow. Her breathing was still ragged, her muscles twitching involuntarily from the intense physical exertion and sheer terror. Her fist was clenched tight, her knuckles white. She couldn't stop her hand from shaking. Her grip on the crystal tightened without her realizing it.
Crack.
The delicate crystal shattered into dozens of tiny pieces inside her clenched fist.
[Ding!]
[Skill Crystal consumed.]
[Skill Acquired: ???]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Name: Lu Chunxia]
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 6 -> 8]
[Speed: 6 -> 8]
[Intelligence: 6 -> 7]
[Endurance: 3 -> 5]
[Stat Points: 5]
[Mana Pool: 70/70]
[Skills: Inspect Lv 4, ???]