In Wu Mengyao's eyes, police officers were always superheroes, just like her father.
She only knew that her father always came home with a smile, never complaining about any pain or discomfort.
Until one day, she was called to a place filled with wreaths, where her father lay amidst cypress trees, covered by a national flag, as if he were merely asleep.
From that moment on, she understood the meaning of life and death. Her father, while investigating a serial shooting case for the people, had been shot three times and sacrificed heroically. Yet, in her memory, her father remained the superhero who never cried out in pain and always showed them a smiling face.
She had asked Wu Tian and her mother, "Did Daddy hurt when that happened?" Wu Tian and her mother could only shake their heads, tears blurring their words.
Now she knew, "So special police officers do feel pain. Daddy must have been in a lot of pain then." Wu Mengyao kept this thought in her heart, and felt a subtle maturity bloom within her.
Sensing Wu Mengyao's emotional shift, Lin Yuan gently stroked her head, "Mengyao, what's wrong? Is there something bothering you?"
Wu Mengyao shook her head, "It's nothing, I just miss Daddy, *wuwu*." Tears then flowed uncontrollably, and try as she might, she couldn't wipe them away.
Wu Tian, as the elder sister, quickly pulled Wu Mengyao aside to comfort her softly.
"This..." Wang Zhihai and the others looked perplexed. Why was she crying after a simple question? He worried if he had upset the child.
"Mengyao is reminiscing. Her father was the county Public Security Bureau Chief and died during an arrest mission. She was only nine years old then," Lin Yuan sighed, explaining.
The County Public Security Bureau Chief, surnamed Wu?
Wang Zhihai's mind immediately clicked, "They are Director Wu Zhen's children?"
Wait, how did Wang Zhihai know? Wasn't he from the Municipal Special Police Detachment?
"You guys?..." Lin Yuan hesitated.
Seeing Lin Yuan's confusion, Wang Zhihai quickly explained, "Although we are members of the Municipal Special Police Detachment, Director Wu Zhen's heroic deeds are well-known throughout our public security system. That major case was solved, it was the most heinous organized armed murder case cracked in our city's history. I was also involved in the operation, but I never expected that a criminal would employ a ruse and shoot us from behind. The situation then was too brutal. If Director Wu Zhen hadn't desperately covered for us, our casualties would have been even greater."
"Oh, I see. Wu Tian never told me the details, and I was afraid to bring up her painful memories, so I didn't ask much," Lin Yuan said with emotion. "But with such strong crackdowns by the government, why are there still so many reckless people?"
"In this world, black and white are intertwined, and we are constantly between the two. Evil can never be eradicated. We can only do our utmost to protect the lives and property of the people, pushing danger away from them as much as possible," Wang Zhihai also felt a sense of emotion. As a veteran special police officer, he had seen more and understood things more deeply.
"Yes, you have indeed shielded us from so much. I raise this water as wine, to toast you," Lin Yuan picked up his paper cup, raised it to the sky, and then clinked cups with Wang Zhihai.
Even though this world was a tapestry of black and white, Lin Yuan still believed that justice would prevail!
After expressing their emotions, it was time to return to practical matters. They still needed to consider survival, a pressing concern for everyone in this era.
"However, let's talk about our next plans. What route were you following before?"
Already asking this question so soon? It seemed Lin Yuan's supplies were dwindling. Knowing that their arrival would strain their resources, Wang Zhihai quickly said, "Young man, don't worry. We have no intentions on your supplies. We just need to stay here for a few days, and then we'll depart using the military route provided by our superiors to the Tianfu Safe Zone. You can also come with us; we will absolutely ensure your safety!"
Lin Yuan smiled, "Brother Wang, our supplies are quite ample. Today we can get supplies from at least two buildings' tenth floors. Even with you, we can last for half a month. By then, we will have found new supplies. However, I'm a bit curious about your route, as escaping is the best option."
Hearing this, Wang Zhihai breathed a sigh of relief. Having finally encountered other survivors, he hoped to avoid any conflicts.
"We plan to head north along the expressway, pass through Qu City, and then reach the Qu City Civil Defense Base. That is a nuclear level 4b civil defense base that was activated at the beginning of the apocalypse. After entering the civil defense base, we will take the military road to the Tianfu Safe Zone. That route is on the official information we received, called the ja312 Military Transport Road. The official map should mark it as Military Transport Route A312."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's heart sank. He looked at Wang Zhihai and asked with some uncertainty, "Brother Wang, are you sure it's the Qu City Civil Defense Base?"
"What's wrong?" Seeing Lin Yuan's expression, Wang Zhihai knew something was amiss. Due to the power outage, everyone's phones were dead, and the radio was in the car, a car radio. The radio communication was also in the car. They hadn't received any new messages for days.
"The Qu City Civil Defense Base has already been overrun by zombies. Two Level 2 mutated 'Night Demons' broke in before they could even retaliate." This was what was broadcasted the day before yesterday. Since that day, the daily broadcasts had been reporting which civil defense bases were breached, which ones successfully repelled zombie attacks, and even those that had successfully killed Night Demons.
The safe zones, of course, could handle Night Demons with ease.
"Br, breached?" Wang Zhihai found it hard to believe. He had learned about the Qu City Civil Defense Base; it was originally intended as an armory, and it was now gone?
However, he noticed the term Lin Yuan used: Level 2 mutated, Night Demon.
What was that? A new type of zombie?
"What is that Level 2 mutated Night Demon? Is it a very powerful zombie?"
Lin Yuan didn't answer Wang Zhihai. He simply got up, picked up the plastic bag he had set aside, and brought out the Night Demon's skull. It was covered in scorch marks, its bone no longer possessing its natural whiteness.
He handed the skull to Wang Zhihai, "This is the skull of a Night Demon. Try its hardness with your dagger."
"This is the Night Demon? How did you kill it?"
Looking at the protruding growths all over the skull, Wang Zhihai took out his dagger, fiddled with it, and then poked it. There was no place to even strike. The sutures on the crown of the skull were gone, completely covered by bony outgrowths.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and place it on the ground, stabbing it somewhere at random. The result was that the bone chipped, and the tip of his knife was bent.
This stunned Wang Zhihai. He quickly picked up the dark skull and examined it carefully. Aside from a thin layer of charred material being cut open and a small pit being gouged into the bone, there was nothing else.
"How did you kill it?"