Chapter 951 'Fortress'

"Brother Su, you are asking this..." The old soldier with a crew cut hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively, "Are you...really wanting to call back all of us retired soldiers?"

"Haha, I do have this idea!" Su Xunyun smiled heartily, his tone relaxed.

"Serving the country is, of course, a good thing! But we can't force you, it's all voluntary! After all, you've already made contributions to the country."

He changed the subject, sounding particularly considerate: "However, since the 77th Army Corps has given you preferential treatment for retirement, as our hometown army, we can't just not show any appreciation, right?"

"I'm asking about the situation because I want to go back and think about it. Should we give everyone a one-time subsidy, or think of a way to arrange some work within our capabilities in the safe zone? This can be considered as 'retirement and re-employment' in the apocalypse!"

He sighed, with a bit of honesty about "hard times" and said: "Alas, this world is difficult for the legion, and there is really not much surplus to offer."

"But we, the 76th Army, still have to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the basic living of our veteran brothers and sisters and finding ways to keep them alive!"

When Major Staff Officer Su Xunyun said this, it was like casting a spark of hope in the darkness! The eyes of the veterans in the car lit up instantly!

Retire and find a job? In the end times?! This is simply a good thing that cannot even be imagined in fantasy!

If this really works, not only will I have a secure livelihood after finding my family, but... maybe I can even use the power of the legion to help find my lost relatives!

Overwhelmed by great surprise and gratitude, the veterans in the car were all honest and loyal men. When they thought of the "benefits", they immediately started talking and trying to recall them, for fear of missing out on a brother.

They rushed to report the names of their comrades, the approximate cities they were heading to, and even the physical features they could remember to the "friendly and reliable" Brother Su in the co-pilot seat.

Su Xunyun listened patiently, nodded from time to time, and occasionally asked about one or two details, looking like he was taking careful notes and caring about the veterans.

During this brief and "pleasant" exchange, the convoy passed through the residential area consisting of layers of tent areas and simple wooden houses, and drove into the most central and quiet area of the safe zone.

The lighting here was obviously sparse, and the atmosphere suddenly became depressing and solemn.

Finally, the convoy stopped in front of a row of warehouses reinforced with thick concrete, like a huge fortress.

Chi-

Along with a teeth-grinding sound of hydraulic exhaust, one of the huge camouflage-painted rolling doors slowly rose in front of everyone, revealing a huge, deep, dark space behind the door.

For some reason, the veterans in the convoy shuddered collectively when faced with this scene, as if they were facing the bloody mouth of something indescribable.

Teng-teng-teng——

As several high-hanging xenon headlights suddenly lit up, the interior of the huge fortress-like warehouse was instantly engulfed by the pale and dazzling light.

The strong light dispelled the shadows in the corners and, like a false veil of safety, temporarily obscured the lingering uneasiness in the veterans' hearts.

Everything in front of me was bright and clear, as if the danger had disappeared.

"We're here, brothers, get out of the car!" Su Xunyun's voice was deliberately relaxed. He jumped out of the car first and pointed to the inside of the warehouse.

"The conditions are limited. This is a specially vacated VIP lounge area. It's not as good as before the apocalypse, but it's definitely a hundred times better than those crowded bunk beds outside!"

He even added thoughtfully: "Your precious car is parked in this yard. Don't worry, there are sentries watching it 24 hours a day, and not a single screw will be missing!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the four corners of the top floor of the warehouse very naturally: "See? With our security level, there are four ZB89 heavy machine guns standing there, pointing the muzzles at those evil spirits outside who want to do something wrong! Very reliable!"

The veterans looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that the black muzzle of the gun was indeed pointing at the dark night outside the wall, and the cold metal texture was clearly visible in the moonlight.

This display of "security" became the straw that broke the camel's back for their last bit of doubt.

The laughter sounded again, and they jumped out of the car one after another, rushing to the truck at the end of the convoy like they knew the way, to look for their marching backpacks.

"Oh, right!" Su Xunyun seemed to suddenly remember something, and half-jokingly raised his voice to remind the veterans who were unloading weapons and ammunition from the vehicle:

"Hold your things carefully! They are your lifeblood, they are precious! If you lose them, I can't afford to compensate you, and I won't be responsible!"

This seemingly casual joke, like the last reassurance, completely melted the remaining ice of vigilance in the heart of Company Commander Zhang Ziming. He even felt a little ashamed of his suspicion.

Soon, a group of people, carrying heavy backpacks and holding rifles, machine guns and other weapons in their hands, entered the huge warehouse converted from a cold storage under the guidance of Su Xunyun.

hiss--

The moment they stepped into the warehouse, a chilling breath that penetrated deep into their bones instantly enveloped a group of veterans including Zhang Ziming, which was far more biting than the night wind outside.

This is not simply a low temperature, but a wet chill that seems to penetrate into the soul, as if an invisible thing is moving along the skin, leaving a faint cold sigh in the ears.

At the same time, an extremely faint but extremely stubborn rusty smell of blood quietly penetrated into the nasal cavity of the veteran with the keenest sense of smell.

It's the end of the world, so it's normal to have a little smell...Almost everyone subconsciously ignores this discomfort and attributes it to the dirty environment.

Inside the closed warehouse, the night wind poured in from the gap in the door that had not yet been completely closed, blowing the few dim light bulbs hanging from the dome.

The light bulb swayed gently in the wind, casting mottled, distorted light and shadows on the rough, black concrete floor beneath the feet.

The once heavy insulated door panels were roughly removed and piled up in the corners, and replaced by narrow compartments separated by various boards and wire mesh, as densely packed as pigeon cages.

Each compartment could barely fit three to five bunks, and scattered on the floor were some worn-out cotton wool of questionable color that had been picked up from somewhere.

It seems like a lot of people have lived here?

Zhang Ziming and Su Xunyun walked side by side at the front of the team. In the dim light, he seemed to catch some kind of auditory hallucination:

The low coughs that come one after another, the teeth-grinding sounds, and the extremely suppressed, intermittent sobs...

These sounds intertwine to form an eerie background sound.

'This place...is like a huge concentration camp!'

This thought was like a cold poisonous snake, biting Zhang Ziming's heart fiercely!

Zhang Ziming was so frightened that his whole body shuddered and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat!

"Ah...."

Then, he couldn't help but laugh at himself in his heart, and shook his head vigorously to dispel this ridiculous thought:

'My nerves are so tense that once I relax I start to have wild thoughts...'

.....