Published: February 5, 2025
Old Wang sat on a dirt embankment, smoking a crumpled cigarette. He took a puff, extinguished it, then after a few minutes, lit it up again, repeating this tedious cycle with joy.
Next to him, a young man watched this with growing irritation. "Old Wang, can you be a little quieter? Save some energy, what's the point of all this fuss?"
Old Wang chuckled, revealing bits of rice stuck between his teeth from lunch, a result of not having brushed for several days. "You know, I used to be heavily addicted to smoking, at least two packs a day. Unfortunately, the apocalypse has come, and this is my last cigarette. I haven't dared to finish it; I think it's fine to savor it a bit."
"But you could just smoke it all at once! Why drag it out like this?" The young man was increasingly anxious, his face flushed without him realizing it.
"Relax." Old Wang glanced at the young man's tightly gripped shovel and smiled. "If you keep tensing up like that, your muscles will seize up, and you'll lose strength. How will you fight then?"
"I..." The young man loosened his grip, and only then did he notice the sweat in his palms. He wiped them on his pants, feeling his tension ease a bit.
"I know you’re scared; actually, I am too." Old Wang lit his cigarette again, took a deep drag, enjoying the sensation of smoke swirling in his body, before slowly exhaling. "This is my last cigarette. Once it's gone, it's gone. I might die today, but I don’t want to leave any behind."
The young man was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Old Wang to say something like that.
"You... you could choose not to come."
Today's operation was voluntary; those afraid to die could stay at the base.
"Not come?" Old Wang laughed. "If I don’t come today, I might starve to death tomorrow or the day after. But now that I’m here, even though it’s dangerous and I might die, at least I’ve had two full meals. If I die, I won't be a starving ghost."
Old Wang took another puff; his cigarette had burned down to the filter. "I never knew that unwashed rice could taste so good."
Suddenly, everyone listening to their conversation turned to the front and saw three figures rapidly approaching. They were the strongest evolvers from the base.
Behind them, a dense horde of corpses began to reveal their filthy figures.
Old Wang took a deep puff, then threw the cigarette butt to the ground, stomping on it hard. He pulled out a self-made spear from the ground beside him. After spitting into his palm, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by an unprecedented ferocity.
"Dammit, it's time to fight!"
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Liang Chuyin was positioned on the front line.
According to layered defense, there were five lines of defense at the trench, all placed at crucial positions, with various channels and obstacles ahead, designed to allow survivors behind to kill the enemies.
To prevent the lines from collapsing due to psychological factors, each line had an evolver stationed, and the evolver at the front line was Liang Chuyin.
She was placed here partly due to her previous occupation, which granted her some recognition among the younger survivors, helping to build morale. Secondly, as a wind dancer, her professional skills were suited for group attacks, adept at dealing with large hordes of corpses. The damage from her strikes would create a strong visual effect, greatly boosting the survivors' morale.
Upon seeing Ye Zhongming and the others return, Liang Chuyin immediately picked up her whip and began to rally the troops.
"Get your act together! Show some guts like men and chop at these filthy things' heads! Don’t hold back, or I’ll label you all as Soft Boys!"
Many laughed; there were nearly a hundred people in this defense line, unevenly dispersed. The first line faced the danger first, so even amidst laughter, it felt forced. If a man had been the one to rally them, everyone would likely have had a poker face.