Chapter 90: Bloody Service Area (5)

  "Fuck it! Run!"

  Zhang Xu's scalp tingled with rage, his anger boiling over, but there was no one in particur to sh out at. He could only shout at everyone to sprint into the tunnel. Meanwhile, Lin Tao moved quickly to help Jiang Yan, who was sitting on the ground in a daze, and began retreating toward the tunnel while firing shots at the oncoming zombies.

  "Thud..."

  As the st to enter the tunnel, Lin Tao smmed the door shut behind him. However, the lock had been damaged by Zhang Xu's earlier shot, so he had to manually hold the door closed. If even a single clever zombie managed to pull the door outward, it would easily swing open. Lin Tao had seen this before—many zombies retained remnants of their human instincts.

  "Lin Ge, I'll handle this. You head to the front. Liu Fei... she's dead up ahead," said Gao Hai, his face grim as he approached a moment ter. He set Wang Peng, who was drenched in sweat, down on the ground before taking hold of the door handle.

  Lin Tao released the handle, pcing the lifeless bodies of Jiang Yan and Wang Peng in the crook of his arm before moving forward with his rifle at the ready. Something was lurking in the tunnel—an unknown entity that posed a significant threat, even to him.

  After advancing about thirty to forty meters, they reached a slightly curved section of the tunnel. Zhang Xu was crouched over two bodies, carefully closing their wide-open eyes. These were the corpses of Liu Fei and Zhang Liping, who had been drained of all their blood. Their skin, devoid of blood, had shriveled and tightened, making them look grotesque and utterly repulsive. From their clothing, it was clear they were the two who had fled into the tunnel earlier. Judging by the marks on the ground, Zhang Liping had been dragged to this spot.

  "Master, could this be the work of a vampire? They've sucked the blood clean out of them!" Michael, who had dropped his usual carefree demeanor, crouched beside Liu Fei's body, examining her neck and thighs. "But there are no bite marks. Where did the blood go?"

  "It's not the work of a vampire. They don't have the habit of tying up their prey before feeding," Lin Tao said, pointing to a distinct purple bruise around Liu Fei's neck. He carefully unbuttoned the front of her blue uniform to reveal a small hole, as thick as a pinky finger, directly above her heart. "This thing probably strangled Liu Fei and then inserted some sharp object into her heart, draining all her blood in an instant."

  "What kind of sick creature does that? Always hiding in the shadows, pying dirty tricks. If I catch it, I'll fy it alive!" Zhang Xu growled, his anger boiling as he recalled how Liu Fei had been clinging to him just hours ago, desperate for his affection. Now, she was nothing but a terrifying corpse.

  He smmed his fist against the wall in frustration, but instead of a solid thud, he heard an echoing "hollow" sound. Zhang Xu paused, suspicious, and began tapping on the concrete wall. His eyes widened in surprise. "This wall... it's hollow inside?"

  "Shh... Look here," Lin Tao said, gesturing for Zhang Xu to follow his fshlight beam. The beam illuminated the dusty concrete floor, where a faint line of dried blood extended from the bodies for about five or six meters before disappearing into a corner.

  Lin Tao shone his light on the corner, revealing a door that blended seamlessly with the wall. It was small, with numerous cables and pipes protruding from its top, barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways. It was almost invisible unless one looked carefully.

  The two men approached the door cautiously, exchanging a gnce before nodding in silent agreement. Lin Tao stepped back, his gun angled toward the door, while Zhang Xu's eyes gleamed with cold determination as he raised his rifle...

  "Brother! Is that you?"

  Suddenly, a faint, ghostly voice echoed in their ears. Zhang Xu, who was about to pull the trigger, froze in disbelief. He turned toward the tunnel, his heart pounding. There, in the darkness, stood the faint silhouette of a small girl, her figure trembling. Though her face was indistinct, her petite frame suggested she was about eleven or twelve years old.

  "Sister... is that you?" Zhang Xu stammered, a mix of shock and joy flickering in his eyes. The girl responded in a shaky voice, "Brother, where am I? Please take me with you! They want to kill me!"

  "Who? Who dares to harm you?" Zhang Xu's eyes surged with murderous intent, his fury erupting like a caged lion. At that moment, the girl in the tunnel raised a pale, trembling hand and pointed directly behind him.

  Behind Zhang Xu was none other than Lin Tao, who was frowning deeply. Lin Tao watched the tense Zhang Xu and opened his mouth to warn him, but before he could speak, Zhang Xu raised his rifle again and let out a ferocious shout.

  "Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!"

  A deafening barrage of gunfire erupted in the tunnel as Zhang Xu emptied the twenty-plus rounds in his magazine, the blinding fshes of light casting his maniacal expression in an eerie glow.

  Lin Tao stood behind him, smiling faintly. Zhang Xu hadn't aimed the gun at him but had instead directed it at the suspicious door. However, even after riddling the wooden door with bullets and reducing it to a sieve, Zhang Xu wasn't satisfied. He swung the barrel of his Type 81 rifle and began firing at the brick wall beside the door. The thick concrete crumbled under the onsught.

  "Ctter ctter ctter..."

  Countless spent bullet casings littered the ground around Zhang Xu, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder. It took over half a minute for the dust to settle, revealing Zhang Xu, who was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot and his shoulders heaving as if he had just surfaced from a pool of blood.

  "Fuck! You dare impersonate my sister, you motherfucker? I'll make you pay!" Zhang Xu's face twisted in rage as he turned to the now-empty tunnel. There was no trace of the girl. He then smmed his boot into the broken door.

  "Watch out!"

  Lin Tao barely managed to shout two words before the entire structure—door and wall—suddenly infted like a balloon. A deafening explosion rocked the tunnel, as if a bomb had been detonated behind the door. A massive shockwave erupted, sending Lin Tao, Zhang Xu, and the debris flying in all directions...