Chapter 1058: Yue Monkey?
Aliang’s eyes are not enough!
Led by the captain, he saw neatly stacked dark green ammunition boxes with white logos and numbers spray-painted on them. They were piled like a hill and secured with net bags.
He saw rows of rifles leaning against the wall of the carriage, their dark barrels glowing coldly.
He saw a larger weapon further inside, half covered by canvas. The thick, long tubular object made him shudder. Was it a cannon?
On the walls of the carriage were hung battle maps, communication lines, and some electronic screens that he could not understand at all, flickering with light.
The soldiers' equipment was more sophisticated than anything he had ever seen: uniform starry sky camouflage training uniforms, tactical vests, helmets, goggles, headphones...
Everything silently tells us what an elite combat force this is!
Compared to the ruins where he was hiding, this place was like a mobile, well-ordered steel fortress, full of a reassuring sense of power.
"This way." The soldier leading the way whispered a reminder and led him through several more carriages until he came to a carriage that looked like a restaurant.
The scene in this carriage was nothing special. It was similar in structure to the dining car of the green train before the apocalypse. However, the strange fragrance in the air gave him a shock!
That's the aroma of food heating up! Is it rice? Meat? Or some kind of concentrated soup?
Thinking of this, Aliang's stomach growled uncontrollably and loudly, which was particularly clear in the relatively quiet carriage. This made his face turn red instantly and he lowered his head in shame.
The soldier who led the way did not laugh at him. Instead, he took him to an empty seat in a corner and asked him to sit down: "Wait here for a moment."
Not long after, another soldier came over with a large, dark green military lunch box and a water bottle and handed them to him:
"Eat it. Eat slowly and don't choke!"
Aliang almost trembled as he took the heavy lunch box, which was warm.
The moment he couldn't wait to open the lid, a stronger burst of hot air mixed with fragrance hit his face, blurring his vision instantly.
The lunch box was filled with white rice, piled up like a small mountain!
On top of the rice is a thick layer of stewed meat with rich and red sauce, and you can also see potatoes and carrot pieces in it. There is even a small handful of stir-fried vegetables and half a braised egg next to it!
Meat! Real, big chunks of meat! Shiny and with distinct textures!
Aliang couldn't remember how long it had been since he had seen such a decent meal.
Half a year? Or maybe even longer? Finding a bit of expired, stale compressed dry food, some moldy rice, or even a lucky mouse was a rare delicacy!
Steaming white rice with vegetables and meat like this only exists in vague memories and the most extravagant dreams.
Yes, if it wasn't a holiday, he wouldn't dare dream of this...
Looking at the familiar meals in his memory, which were so ordinary before the end of the world, Aliang's emotions got out of control again. His tears fell in big drops, hit the lunch box and mixed with the food.
At this moment, he no longer cared about his image and forgot that there were soldiers around him. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, picked up the spoon, and began to eat voraciously.
The rice was sweet and soft, the stewed meat was crispy, tender, salty and fragrant, almost melting in the mouth, and the potatoes were soaked in the gravy, so delicious that it made his scalp tingle.
He ate quickly and anxiously. Whenever he choked, he would quickly drink a sip of water from the kettle and then continue eating.
Every bite of food felt like a warm current, which not only dispelled the hunger and coldness in the body, but also seemed to fill the huge void of despair in the heart bit by bit.
He ate so intently, completely absorbed in this sudden and unrealistically sumptuous dinner, that he completely failed to notice the sympathetic and understanding glances from the soldiers around him.
For these soldiers, this may just be an ordinary field meal supported by logistics.
But for Aliang, this is more than just a meal, it is the taste of civilization and the proof of being alive.
It is the most concrete, warmest and most satisfying form of hope!
...
A few minutes later, Aliang was concentrating on scraping the last bit of gravy in the lunch box into his mouth, unwilling to waste a single grain of rice.
At this moment, the steady and clear sound of military boots stopped in front of him.
He subconsciously raised his head, with oil stains on the corners of his mouth.
He saw a major officer in his thirties with a resolute face and two bars and one star on his epaulettes standing in front of him. The officer's eyes were sharp but not cold, but rather a cautious look.
"Have you finished eating?" The major's voice was not loud, but it carried an aura that could not be ignored.
Aliang quickly tried to put down the lunch box and stood up, his movements a little flustered.
Seeing this, the major waved his hand, indicating that he should just sit down, and then sat down at a table next to him.
"I'm the battalion commander of the railway troops in the Zhongzhou War Zone. My last name is Chen." The major briefly introduced himself, then his eyes fell on Aliang's face and he got to the point:
"From your looks, you've been in Pingxiang for quite some time. Tell me about the situation in the city. Besides zombies and mutant beasts, are there any other large-scale living forces here? Be specific."
Hearing this question, Aliang's mind suddenly focused. He tried to sit up straight and said, recalling:
"Report... Report to the leader! There are far fewer people alive in the city now than when the zombie outbreak first started. They're all hiding. I only know of three groups that can form a team and have some reputation!"
As if afraid of being disliked, Aliang quickly explained, "It's too dangerous outside right now. Small groups of survivors like us don't dare to move too far. We basically stay in areas we're familiar with..."
"It's okay, just tell me what you know." Major Chen, the battalion commander, waved his hand and spoke soothingly.
"Yes!"
After the words fell, Aliang stretched out his finger and said while recalling:
"One group is from the city government and some government agencies. They're hiding in the bonded warehouse area near the new development zone. I heard the leader is a former deputy mayor. They're guarding that area to grow some crops and also shelter people."
"I can't say exactly how many people there were... but I estimate, including both large and small ones, there were around a thousand. Their weapons... I heard they were all police firearms, with some standard weapons left over from the internal security forces."
"The other group is a local... faction..." Ah Liang considered his words carefully. "The leader is called Ma Laosan, and he was quite famous before the apocalypse. He now occupies the Wantong Logistics Park west of the city. That place has high walls and many warehouses. They have a larger and more diverse group of people, probably around 500 of them."
"The weapons are quite varied, including machetes, steel pipes, homemade crossbows, and probably a lot of homemade firearms... They usually stick to their own territory, but they often come out to forage, so they're not to be trifled with."
At this point, Aliang's voice paused, and his face showed obvious fear and resentment:
"The worst and most damnable ones are the third group! They're not ours! They're the militants who came from the south... from Yuehou!"
"Yuehou people?" Major Chen's brows were instantly furrowed, and his eyes became particularly sharp.
"Yes! It's that gang of Vietnamese monkeys!" Aliang became excited. "They may not be the largest group, probably dozens, maybe even hundreds? But they are the most powerful! They have several speedboats that can go back and forth along the Pinger River!"
"In their hands... in their hands, there are many standard automatic rifles! They look like the kind used by the military!"
His voice was filled with fear. "They were so violent! They robbed people and things... They were unreasonable! They shot anyone who resisted! They used an abandoned commercial city near Nanbian Nonghuai as their base. The roads there were complicated and there were many houses... We... Many of us..."
Ah Liang's voice choked. He took a deep breath and looked at Major Chen with pleading eyes:
"Commander, are you...are you here to take care of them? Those beasts...are even more hateful than zombies!"
Major Chen listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his eyes grew colder. He pressed for details:
"Besides rifles, do they have machine guns and rocket launchers? Are all the personnel from the Yue people? Are there any locals helping them?"
Hearing this, Aliang shook his head: "I heard this from others... I don't know the specifics, because those who actually encountered them were either dead or captured by them..."
Hearing this, Major Chen nodded, stood up and patted Aliang on the shoulder.
"I understand the situation. The information you provided is very valuable." His tone was steady, yet it carried a heavy weight.
"Follow the logistics team first. They will arrange for you. Remember, once you are here, follow our rules."
After saying that, Major Chen turned and strode away, heading towards the command area at the front of the carriage.
Aliang looked in the direction the major left, and the feeling of unreality in his heart was gradually replaced by a burning anticipation.
...
