Chapter 290: Give Them a Little Shock
Xu Dongtang’s body was rigid and tense, not knowing how to respond to Ling Feng’s words.
Ling Feng smiled and said, “So you see, we can’t leave. We have to stay here and protect you.”
“Starting tomorrow, double the food rations! We need to maintain our strength to fight the enemy, after all!”
Xu Dongtang was stunned. “What? Double the rations? If we do that, our villagers won’t have enough to eat, they’ll starve to death!”
Ling Feng stared into his eyes, his black-gray pupils cold and indifferent like stainless steel.
“If the villagers die, you Xu Family mbers can still survive here. But if we soldiers die, there won’t be a single blade of grass left in Xu Family Town!”
“So, my request is not unreasonable, right?”
Xu Dongtang opened his mouth but didn’t say a word. Although he was the mayor of Xu Family Town, he was, in reality, nothing more than a puppet propped up by the West Hill Base. He had no power to negotiate with them.
That night, Xu Dongtang reluctantly conveyed the ssage to the villages as tactfully as possible.
Curses echoed through the night; everyone wished they could chop the special forces team into pieces!
But after all the cursing, no one took any action. The next day, they obediently handed over the food as Ling Feng demanded.
Even though the food was seized, it didn’t matter, as they could still eat a little and wouldn’t starve to death. Even if forced to work in the freezing cold, facing the threat of death, it wasn’t a certainty they’d die. As long as they weren’t completely cornered, they would curse in their hearts but rarely dared to resist.
Those who did dare to resist had already been executed in public, leaving the survivors broken, keeping their heads down like ostriches, enduring all the injustice.
Ti passed slowly, and the situation around the shelter remained the sa every day.
Ling Feng, to avoid arousing Zhang Yi's suspicion, continued to attack the shelter at the sa ti each day. As for Zhang Yi, he occasionally ca out, pretending to be enraged, cursing loudly, and firing shots randomly, but he never actually left the shelter.
Most of the ti, Zhang Yi, Yang Siyah, Zhou Ke'er, and the others lived leisurely in the shelter. Food was plentiful, and they had no shortage of entertainnt. With enough people around, boredom wasn’t an issue. They played cards, moved on to other gas, and sotis even played badminton in the gym on the third underground floor.
The underground space was large enough to accommodate bigger group activities if they wanted.
Just like that, half a month passed.
Monitoring showed that the tunnel digging had progressed to within 700 ters of the shelter. Over a hundred people from Xu Family Town had already perished for this effort. The villagers had beco numb, even forgetting why they had started digging the tunnel in the first place. Every day, they were herded by the special forces, working non-stop in 24-hour shifts.
As for Zhang Yi, Ling Feng and the others were almost certain he was too afraid to leave the shelter. The overly comfortable environnt had made him complacent, and the only outco awaiting him was destruction.
Another morning ca.
Zhang Yi woke up early, pulled back the covers, and Hua Hua lazily stretched out, glancing at him before yawning.
“Wake up! How about I take you for a walk?” Zhang Yi patted Hua Hua’s head.
Hua Hua was reluctant but eventually got up, stretching its body like a long noodle.
Sitting by the bed, Zhang Yi calmly started changing clothes. Instead of his usual casual wear, he retrieved a full set of pure white attire from a dinsional space.
It was a two-piece set. The inner layer was the sa kind of close-fitting garnt worn by Xie Huanhuan, entirely white, with gold zippers and decorative buttons, and a golden sword emblem on the chest—simple yet elegant.
After putting on the inner layer, he then wore the matching combat suit. The suit was identical in color and style, but its primary function was defense, whereas the inner layer focused on insulation.
The suit was equipped with a heating system and batteries, with heating modules distributed across the body, ensuring Zhang Yi's warmth. This suit was modeled after the combat suits used by the special forces from West Hill Base, but its craftsmanship and materials far exceeded the original.
Despite the sophisticated design, the suit was easy to wear, as it was designed for combat situations where ease of movent and quick dressing were crucial.
After putting on his white combat boots and equipping a matching helt—bulletproof and equipped with a communicator and tactical goggles—Zhang Yi ticulously checked his weapons and ammunition.
This process took more than half an hour.
Afterward, Zhang Yi placed so premium cat food by the bed, and Hua Hua, with a swipe of its sharp claws, opened the can and began eating.
Zhang Yi checked his equipnt one last ti, grabbed a beef and cheese burger from the dinsional space, and heated up a cup of soy milk in the kitchen. After a leisurely breakfast, he hoisted Hua Hua onto his shoulder and headed down to the third underground floor.
Most ergency shelters had secret exits designed for situations like enemy invasions. This shelter was no exception, and Zhang Yi was the only one who knew of its location, hidden beneath the floor in the front left corner of the gym on the third floor.
The tunnel stretched 2.5 kiloters, erging behind the northern hills of Cloud Manor. The exit was concealed within a dense forest.
After studying the special forces team’s patrol patterns, Zhang Yi decided to take the initiative for once, planning to give them a little shock.
The special forces team, including the superhumans, would co every day for mock assaults, as it was part of their ruse to prevent Zhang Yi from suspecting anything. However, only ordinary soldiers remained at Xu Family Town, with a few modified humans at most.
These people posed no threat to the current Zhang Yi.
Not to ntion, he had Hua Hua with him. In close combat, Hua Hua was at least ten tis more efficient at clearing out grunts than Zhang Yi himself.
Zhang Yi reached the gym corner, lifted the third tile from the left in the fourth row, and unlocked the old-fashioned chanical lock. He pulled out a yellow key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the door. Behind the first door was a second, and then a third, each offering progressively higher levels of security.
Finally, the three doors opened, revealing a white staircase. Sensors automatically lit up the stairwell.
Zhang Yi descended the stairs, reaching another heavy silver-gray tal door at the bottom. Its material was the sa as the main entrance—designed to withstand even heavy artillery fire.
Next to the door was a black motorcycle. Given the length of the tunnel, having a vehicle was essential for a quick escape. The shelter designers had planned it all carefully.
Zhang Yi approached, scanned his iris and palm, and the door slowly opened with a rumble. Lights flickered on along the length of the tunnel.
He mounted the bike and realized it was electric. Electric bikes were quieter, and with advancents in new energy technology, their range and speed were comparable to fuel-powered vehicles.
The bike didn’t require a key; it started with an iris scan. Zhang Yi accelerated down the tunnel, which inclined upwards, leading to the surface.
Not long after, he reached the end of the tunnel. In front of him was a thick alloy door, identical to the ones before, and using the sa thod, he opened it.
With a loud rumble, the door opened inward, and a rush of snow poured in.
Zhang Yi was prepared, dodging aside quickly. Even with the combat suit, he could still feel a slight chill.
Hua Hua, perched on his shoulder, gave a disgruntled ow.
Zhang Yi patted its head, stepped out into the snow, and shut the door behind him.
The exit was located on a snow-covered hillside, where the snow was over five ters deep. The trees were bare, with only a few branches sticking out above the snow.
Zhang Yi trudged through the snow, climbing up and reaching back to close the tunnel door. Upon seeing it clearly, he couldn’t help but pause.
It was disguised as a tall gravestone!
“Well, that’s certainly hidden,” Zhang Yi muttered, shaking his head. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were standing in the middle of a cetery.
He scanned the surroundings—it was deathly silent, with no signs of life.
Zhang Yi crouched down, whispered a few words to Hua Hua, who responded with a ow. Reluctantly, Hua Hua transford, growing larger and using its big paws to shovel snow over the gravestone, concealing the door once again.
Once finished, Hua Hua shrank back to its normal size.
Zhang Yi nodded to the cat, and they set off, one man and one cat, trekking slowly through the snow.
An hour later, around 8:30 in the morning.
Ling Feng and his team finished breakfast and, as usual, headed to the shelter for their daily harassnt.
On the riverbank, a production line was in motion. People inside the shelter continuously passed out baskets of dirt, while those outside cleared it away and manually cranked machines to pump air into the tunnel.
The only people left in Xu Family Town were the elderly and children who were too weak to work, along with a few won who were responsible for cooking. Aside from them, the rest were the special forces mbers from West Hill Base.
Author's Note
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