An armored jeep rumbled across the rough roads. Empty fields and hills gradually transitioned to the broken wrecks of cars and trucks. Finally, the cityscape of F City loomed in the horizon.

"I see them," the driver said, his deep and slow voice like gravel. The man's deep-set eyes gazed into the far distance, even further than Lu Hao's eyes could see.

"Look safe?" Lu Hao asked. The man driving beside him nodded. "Good. Let's meet them."

In front of the military checkpoint which blocked the entrance to the city, a group of soldiers stood in wait. Lu Hao and his team exited the car, and after verifying their identity, were allowed to pass through.

"Be careful," a military captain told them, his hat casting a shadow over the grave expression on his face. "That thing... it's not like the others."

"We'll try," Lu Hao said.

After going through the checkpoint, Lu Hao and his team properly entered F City. This was one of the few remaining residential areas where common citizens were allowed to reside.

Gaunt and suspicious faces peered out from the dark windows. A few children played on the quiet streets—they chased after each other, small feet pattering on worn concrete and asphalt.

Lu Hao's group entered a sealed area, a building with two gates, to leave the safe zone. One gate opened to let them in, and after that gate closed, the gate at the other side opened to let them out.

And once they were out, they were in the wild zone of F City.

Soldiers covered the top of the gate, providing backup cover and making sure no zombies loitered at the wall. A series of traps lined the area as well. Lu Hao took a cursory glance around. It was all clear; this area usually didn't have many zombies, anyway—not since Lu Hao had cleared them out. He raised his hand to his ear and tapped the radio com. "F City Command, this is Lu Hao. Do you copy?"

A slightly staticky voice responded. "Copy, this is F City Command."

"My team is ready to move out from Checkpoint E. Location of the target?"

"Please hold. Our Locator has indicated that the target may be on the move."

Lu Hao turned his head to Wu Dong. The large and stoic man nodded, and along with another member of the SG, he entered a nearby apartment to climb up to get a vantage point over the city. "Just give me a rough estimate."

The analyst at the other side hesitated. "Previous location was in Area D-C, but... it's..."

Wu Dong reached the top of the apartment building. He scanned F city, head turning in a slow and constant speed. And when his head angled in the direction of F City's main base, he stopped.

Wu Dong raised a hand, moving it in a few quick signals. A flash of understanding passed through Lu Hao's eyes.

Lu Hao signaled to his team. They spread out in formation, and at his go, everyone moved out. "Moving fast, I bet," Lu Hao said into his com, speaking seamlessly even while running and leaping across the city streets. "Sound an alarm and move to a secure location. It's coming back for seconds."

A tense silence came from the other end. "Shit," the analyst muttered. Then, a clatter as the analyst rushed to sound the alarm.

Lu Hao turned off his com. He signaled the team to speed up, and then looked to his right.

A young woman with gentle beauty, like an ephemeral breeze or a wave of water, ran beside him. Seeing his look, Ji Ling smiled and nodded. She jumped ahead, and as she moved, her presence faded and dissolved until even Lu Hao could barely remember she was there.

By the time Lu Hao's team reached F City's main base, a horde of zombies had stormed the gate. A giant hole had been torn through the checkpoint, and the corpses writhed as they walked past it.

The highest level of these zombies was only level 4. The SG's assault unit dived in on the mass of zombies, blowing them and tearing them apart with their powers. Lu Hao and the rest of the unit advanced through the whirlwind of blood and limbs, the goggles and lower face masks protecting them from being tainted.

After passing the checkpoint, a course of energy like static rushed through Lu Hao. The other members of the SG directly hissed in pain, falling to their knees.

Lu Hao looked up.

There, standing in front of the base, energy pouring off of it in physical waves, was the King-class zombie.

It groaned, its ghastly mouth propping open. An unbelievable pressure emanated from this zombie, crushing every weaker existence within its presence.

The corner of Lu Hao's mouth curled up. He extended his arm and flicked a hand. A bolt of lightning shrieked into life, like a raging storm swirling around his fingertips.

The wave of energy rippled from his hand. This time, it was the King-class zombie that shuddered.

Lu Hao raised the other hand to his com.

"Lu Hao to F City Command. I'm taking care of it."

 

 

In the ruins of the entrance to F City's main base, a team of men picked their way across the rubble.

Dust floated in the air, illuminated by the vague rays of sunlight which peeked through the white smog. The men wore masks to protect themselves from the air and from the stench of the decomposing zombie corpses scattered across the area.

When they reached the edge of a crater in the ground, they stopped. The man at the lead turned around.

Trailing behind this team of fighters were another two men. Despite this being the apocalypse, one wore a pressed and fitted suit. He was a tall man, his imposing and cutting presence heightened by his sleek appearance. He had a dangerous aura of someone who dealed regularly in death, and his face could not be seen behind the mask. By comparison, the man beside him seemed to fade into the background even though he wore an authoritative military uniform.

The man in the suit gave a nod. The team leader saluted in confirmation, and the team of men jumped down the ledge into the crater. They carefully walked toward the center toward a charred and unrecognizable heap.

"This is all that's left?" The suited man's voice was cold.

"Yes, sir," the military officer answered.

"Were any injuries sustained by the SG?"

"No, sir. As far as we could tell."

The two men watched the team of soldiers carefully excavate the half-melted, half-burned remains of he first King-level zombie.

The suited man let out a slow breath.

He said, "Tell the girl to continue monitoring the SG. Your payment will be available at the usual area."

The officer standing behind him, Officer Tang, the man the government had appointed to liaise with the SG, bowed in salute. "Yes, Boss."

 

 

Lu Hao rested in the back seat of the jeep on the way back. The fight had drained him; he couldn't even light up a spark now, but all things considered, it wasn't so bad. The fight could've gone much worse.

"Captain..."

The young woman beside him gently took his hand. Lu Hao looked over, and upon seeing the worry on her face, he put on a smile. "Don't worry, Ji Ling. I'm fine."

Biting her lip, Ji Ling lowered her head, her face looking bashful and delicate. "But still... I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help."

Ji Ling was one of the first refugees sent over from F City. She had a rare and useful ability of being able to blend into the background, unnoticed by both zombies and people. It allowed her to scout a situation safely, but she was otherwise vulnerable in combat and had to be protected—which Lu Hao was, of course, happy to do.

"It's my job to deal with the fighting. Don't worry about it."

These words of reassurance only made Ji Ling look more downtrodden. But in the next moment, she brightened up. "Then when we get back, Captain, please rest. You can leave settling in the refugees to me."

Lu Hao's forced smile softened into one that was more sincere. He looked fondly at the girl, and flipped his hand around to squeeze her small palm in his. "It's fine. I'll be alright. Besides, there are people there I want to settle in personally, though I won't turn down your help with the others."

Ji Ling smiled, happily clasping Lu Hao's hand. "Oh? Did we get some promising people?"

"Mm. There was a scientist, Lisa Xi. She was a student of one of the leading scientists studying human genetics and disease. With any luck, she'll be able to research the cause of this and maybe even find a cure. Though at the moment, any kind of knowledge is would help."

Ji Ling nodded along to Lu Hao's words, and unseen to him, a trace of thoughtfulness flashed through her eyes.

"The other..." Lu Hao paused. Without him realizing it, his lips had curved up into a small smile. "He was a childhood friend of mine. Hong Sheng. I'd thought... I hadn't heard from him in years, even before all of this had happened. When I saw him again... I couldn't help myself. My mind was just blown. Finding someone again after you thought you'd lost them is—it's such an incredible feeling. Seeing him made me realize just how glad I am that we're here, doing this. Saving people, helping people. And if we keep at it, then one day..." Lu Hao's hand clenched. "...there'll come a time where there won't be any families who are torn apart by the world as it is now."

Ji Ling fell silent. At the front of the car, one of the SG members chimed in, "You said it, Captain."

A helpless smile crossed Lu Hao's face, and he sighed. "But we still have a long way to go. For now, all we can do is focus on what we can."

"I'll be with you every step of the way, Captain," Ji Ling said. Under the light of the sun filtering from the car window, she looked exceptionally beautiful, as if the world had cast a halo over her back.

By the time Lu Hao's squad made it back to the SG base, Lisa Xi had already set up camp and was ordering people to move around her supplies. Lu Hao looked at the stack of crates, papers, and miscellaneous machinery scattered over what had once been a storage room, and asked, "I take it you're settling in well?"

Lisa Xi spun around. For a moment, she looked at him blankly, but then she made a face of realization and said, "Ah, it's you. Mm, it'll do for now—but ideally, I would construct a more secure and controlled environment to minimize any contamination and outside interference." She looked around the room and snapped at someone struggling with a box, "Careful! Those are delicate instruments worth more than ten of you!"

"Alright. Let me know what you need, and I'll see what I can do," Lu Hao said. When Lisa Xi looked back at him, Lu Hao leaned forward until they were intimately positioned, and he murmured seductively, "Really, anything." The sight of his handsome face was enough to make any woman blush.

But Lisa Xi wasn't just any woman. She narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Well, Captain Lu Hao," she said slowly, in a sultry voice, "I'll be sure to let you know. But how about we start with an assistant? Specifically, that friend of yours."

Lu Hao pulled away. "That's not a good idea. He—he doesn't take well to others. But I'm sure we'll be able to find someone else who's suitable for you," he said with a smile on his face. "Feel free to ask Ji Ling, my aide, if you need anything. Thank you for joining us, Miss Xi. I'll see you around."

After visiting Lisa Xi, Lu Hao searched for Hong Sheng.

He asked around first with the people in charge of providing accommodations to the refugees, but he found out that Hong Sheng hadn't been assigned a room. Or rather, that he'd refused to share a room with others.

"He seemed a bit..." the SG member hesitated to say more.

"I understand," Lu Hao said, and the SG member sighed in relief.

The entire SG base bustled with people, and moving on instinct, Lu Hao sought out the quietest, least populated area.

Lu Hao's family villa had been built in a slightly mountainous and forested area. The villa was surrounded by trees, and there was only road which led down the small mountain to rejoin the main road. The SG had plans to build terrace farms along the mountainside, but the process of clearing the forest was slow.

Lu Hao stepped into the trees, feet crunching on the leaves, branches, and debris of the ground, and walked toward the sole heartbeat along a sheer cliff of the mountain.

The trees parted when he neared the mountain cliff, and there in the clearing which faced the open sunset sky, the vast landscape of the forests, and the abandoned farms of the countryside, Lu Hao saw the silhouette of a tent, and a young man sitting on the edge of the cliff.

"Hong Sheng," Lu Hao said. The young man didn't respond, and Lu Hao walked over. He sat beside Hong Sheng at the edge of the mountain. Below was another layer of forest, and the spires of the trees poked up beneath his feet.

In front of them, the sun was setting over the horizon. The sky was clad with bright oranges and reds, with pale blues, purples, and pinks dyeing the top of the sky. Yellow light flooded the ground, casting long and dark shadows against the silhouettes of the mountains, trees, and abandoned houses.

Hong Sheng was watching this scenery, his dark eyes colored with the bright and beautiful reflection of this view.

For the next few minutes, Hong Sheng and Lu Hao watched in silence as the sun sank lower and lower on the horizon. Eventually, the light dimmed, and color faded from the world until all was dark.

And then the two of them were sitting in the darkness, only the faint light of the distant moon and stars illuminating the scenery before them. The thick cover of the trees had left them in shadow.

"It's dangerous to stay here by yourself," Lu Hao said, still sitting next to the quiet Hong Sheng. "You might fall off from here, you know."

Hong Sheng shifted a bit. After a moment, he muttered, "I'll be fine."

"Have you even gone camping before?" Lu Hao asked.

Hong Sheng raised his head. He was looking at the stars. Lu Hao looked up, as well—they were beautiful, a vibrant galaxy visible in this place so far from the city.

In the quiet of this place, every sound was loud to Lu Hao's senses. He could hear every whisper of grass, every patter of an animal, every chirp of an insect. He heard Hong Sheng's breathing beside him, and could even hear the pulsing of his heart. And so, he listened as Hong Sheng's heartbeat increased in speed as he stared up at that sky with Lu Hao.

"You've never seen something like this before, right?" Hong Sheng's heart skipped a beat at Lu Hao's words. "This sky."

"...I haven't."

"You've been staying in the city all these years. Coming out here for the first time... it's a lot different from what you're used to." Lu Hao turned to Hong Sheng. "It's cold out. That tent won't protect you. There are bugs and critters crawling around, and if it snows or rains, you'll be in trouble. It's better if you stay somewhere closer to the base."

Hong Sheng was silent as he considered this, but in the end, he said, "It's quiet."

All Hong Sheng wanted was to carve out a space of solitude in this chaotic world, and here, away from everyone, away from the city that was full of zombies and from the SG full of people scrambling to survive, he wanted to find peace.

Here there was only Hong Sheng and Lu Hao, sitting together beneath the stars.

Lu Hao looked at Hong Sheng and asked, "Is this really what you want?"

And Hong Sheng said, "Yes."