The pain in his arm was throbbing, accompanied by an intense burning sensation.
Enduring the pain, Lin Yuan first checked the injuries of Zhao Mengnan and Wang Zhihai.
Wang Zhihai had been shot in the left collarbone. Fortunately, the bullet had grazed the bone and then exited through the trapezius muscle above the shoulder blade. The wound in the back was larger and still bleeding profusely.
Zhao Mengnan was in a more serious condition. He had taken a shot to his bulletproof vest, but it hadn't penetrated. The bullet had likely passed through the women before hitting him, losing much of its force.
Another shot had hit his thigh, possibly severing an artery, as the blood loss was significant.
Seeing the situation, Lin Yuan quickly took out the small medical kit he carried, which contained only a roll of bandages and a hemostatic spray.
He first tied a bandage above the wound, closer to the heart, to reduce blood loss, and then applied the hemostatic spray to further minimize it.
However, this was not a long-term solution. Applying pressure to stop bleeding was only an emergency first-aid measure. With a severed femoral artery, vascular ligation was needed as soon as possible.
There was no hospital nearby, so he would have to use the mutant gel.
Next, Lin Yuan quickly bandaged Wang Zhihai's and his own arm before taking his gun and guarding the doorway.
Soon, two faint gunshots sounded from outside. Wu Tian, Mu Qingtian, and Jiang Ziqi suddenly rushed in from a side room.
Their eyes immediately fell upon Lin Yuan and his two companions, sitting in the corner of the room, all injured. Their expressions turned anxious. They ignored the corpses scattered on the floor.
The main door had already been closed, so they didn't need to worry about anyone coming from the front for the moment. There were likely still people in the building across the street, but they were obscured by smoke grenades, so their situation was unknown.
"Lin Yuan, where are you injured?!"
Seeing the anxious trio, Lin Yuan managed a weak smile. "I'm fine. Mengnan's injuries are a bit serious. You guys should put on our bulletproof vests and deal with the people across the street first. We can hold on for a bit longer.
Oh, and leave a couple of them alive."
Wu Tian and the others understood the urgency and didn't waste any time. They put on the bulletproof vests and helmets and headed out, using the smoke grenades for cover to approach the building opposite.
They had already dealt with two people who had come to investigate. There weren't many people left over there.
The room was once again left with Lin Yuan and the other two injured. Lin Yuan checked their injuries again; they seemed stable for now, and he breathed a sigh of relief, sitting in place and waiting for news from Wu Tian.
He regretted not bringing Jiang Ziqi with him. With her, he could have known exactly how many people were in this house.
Suddenly, Zhao Mengnan, who had been unconscious beside him, stirred.
Clutching his chest, he grimaced and sat up. The pain from his wound instantly made him alert. "Hiss, damn it, that really hurts."
Then he noticed the bandage on Lin Yuan's left arm, half of which was already soaked with blood. He quickly asked, "Captain, why are you injured too?"
Lin Yuan: "..."
It seemed his feat of cleaving a zombie in half had left a deep impression on his team.
He smiled. "Your captain isn't Superman. I'll die if I get hit in the head, you know. I really didn't expect that woman to be so ruthless, not caring about her own life at all. Otherwise, I could have reacted. I was careless."
Zhao Mengnan tried to examine his wound, but with the door closed, the room was dimly lit, making it difficult to see clearly.
Hearing Lin Yuan's words, he naturally said, "Captain, I think this is normal. She probably guessed that we had already dealt with their people. She has a man inside. But it's rare for someone to be so ruthless.
Everyone in their group is this ruthless. They're probably selling ice. Perhaps this entire village belongs to them."
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement with Zhao Mengnan's assessment. Only those who lived on the edge of life and death would be like this. With the apocalypse, losing loved ones would naturally make people more desperate.
He sighed, admitting that he had underestimated people. After the zombie crisis had been raging for so long, those who were going to change already had. There were many ruthless people, and even more crazy ones.
Less than five minutes later, Wu Tian and the other two returned.
"So fast? Are there no more people over there? What about those men?"
It was also normal for there to be no one left, as this village likely didn't have many survivors, and without a zombie vaccine, death was fair to everyone.
Wu Tian remained silent, and Jiang Ziqi's face was almost green with suppressed emotion. After a moment, Mu Qingtian spoke, "Captain, I can't explain it. You should go see for yourself. There are only two people left in that house, and they've been secured on the first floor, bound together."
Seeing their expressions, a thought suddenly struck Lin Yuan.
He really hoped it wasn't what he was thinking.
He didn't go immediately but pressed the transmit button on the walkie-talkie. "Sister Qin Xia, the mission is complete. Go back now and pick up Lin Qingyan and Zhou Ping. Have them bring the medical kit and the mutant gel. We have injured personnel."
"Understood, Captain. I'll head back immediately."
After giving the instructions, he turned back to Wu Tian and the others. "You guys watch this area. There are people in two rooms on the third floor. Control them and be careful."
Only Mu Qingtian replied, "Understood, Captain. Go quickly."
After Lin Yuan left, the three of them could no longer hold back and vomited profusely while leaning against the wall.
Lin Yuan stepped out of the door, holding his gun in one hand. The smoke on the street was starting to dissipate. In the rain, smoke grenades dissipated faster.
He entered the place that had caused Wu Tian and the others to change color. The air carried a faint smoky smell, like the scent of smoked cured meat in the past, with pine, and likely bamboo crackling.
There wasn't much on the first floor. Two people were confined in the hall, their hands dislocated, rendering them immobile. Their mouths were stuffed with foul rags, and as Lin Yuan approached, they shook their heads frantically, mumbling incoherently. There was also a spot for smoking cured meat, with many pieces of meat hanging, being smoked over a fire below. Dust and smoke billowed out of the windows.
So much meat, did they hunt wild boars in the forest?
Going up to the second floor, all the rooms were open, their doors having been kicked open forcefully. The rural doors weren't like security doors; they could be kicked open with enough force.
Most of the rooms contained supplies, such as grains, oils, rice, and flour. Only two rooms were well-furnished. One contained boxes, likely weapons and ammunition.
In the other room, a girl in a school uniform sat on the bed, her eyes vacant. No matter how Lin Yuan called out to her, she didn't speak.
It was clear her spirit was broken. He sighed helplessly, unhooked his own combat knife, and handed it to her. "I know you were captured. They still have two people left downstairs. If you want to live, take the knife. When I get back from the third floor, I'll take you for revenge. If you don't want to live, leave the knife here, and do as you see fit."
After speaking, Lin Yuan placed the knife on the bedside cabinet and left without another word.
Ascending to the third floor, Lin Yuan felt something was wrong. The living room on this floor was filled with tables, on which were pieces of meat preserved with salt.
Seeing this, he knew his guess was correct. This was definitely not wild boar meat, but human!
Although preserved with salt, Lin Yuan could still make out body parts such as lower legs and arms.
These scenes assaulted Lin Yuan's senses, and his stomach churned. He couldn't hold it in any longer and leaned against the wall, vomiting uncontrollably.
Only when he could no longer throw up anything did Lin Yuan finally catch his breath. He took out the walkie-talkie and, after a moment of silence, uttered words that were almost gritted through his teeth.
"Sister Qin Xia, tell Brother Haiping to start the generator at the service area and siphon out a few barrels of fuel from the gas station. I need it!"
Yun Ge and his group had a vehicle, but they didn't bring the generator. That thing was too noisy, and they didn't have much diesel, so it was better not to take it. They only used it to get gasoline from the gas station, and they didn't take much before leaving, typical of a hit-and-run.
Qin Xia didn't ask many questions and quickly replied, "Understood."
Only then did a cruel smile spread across Lin Yuan's lips as he thought of the two people left on the first floor.
You like smoking meat, huh?
Fine, I'll let you smoke to your heart's content!!