The dense group of zombies around the warehouse had lessened, but there were still dozens of them standing around nearby, their black eyes revealing their desire for flesh and blood.

The young man sat on the roof on his knees and looked up at the four helicopters with a wors.h.i.+ping gaze. The fear in his heart had long since disappeared and was replaced by happiness and hope.

The helicopter was near now and the hurricane created by the propellers blew the young man's hair but he didn't mind. A smile continued to adorn the young man's face.

The hatch was opened and heavily armed soldiers fired at the remaining zombies. They avoided shooting at the zombies near the warehouse because those warehouses were built out of thin steel plates and couldn't withstand the powerful MK48 bullets. They were afraid of accidentally hurting the people inside.

"Go!" Once the nearby zombies were wiped out, Song Haoran made a landing gesture. A soldier dropped the ladder which quickly fell to the ground.

Gong Lixin jumped directly to the ground without using the ladder. He landed earlier than the soldiers who started descending first. Some of the special force's soldiers who had not seen Young Master Gong's strength were quite dumbfounded, their movements slowing down a few times to watch the boy. Several of them who were familiar with Young Master Gong dubbed their ignorance as 'lack of knowledge'.

Song Haoran glanced at the head of the boy who was quick to jump out, his heart feeling helpless. Just now, he was surprised once again. Lin Wenbo shook his head and laughed, his eyes filled with thick adoration before he went and climbed down the ropes himself.

When they all landed on the ground smoothly, Song Haoran also went down the ladder. After that, the four helicopters began to slowly land.

Seeing the special force's soldiers wielding knives and quickly approaching the warehouse, the squatting young man stood up and stretched out his neck to look down from the roof. Seeing that the person at the head was actually a small, young boy with a young face, his eyes widened in shock.

The army must have suffered heavy losses. Even children who were underage had been sent out on duty. They also sent them out to rescue the citizens, too. It was simply too kind and selfless! The shock on the young man's face faded and turned into a mix of grat.i.tude and sorrow. At the same time, he was also worried about the safety of the teenager. [1]

However, the boy quickly dispelled his concerns with his actions, but at the same time, the level of his shock increased.

He saw the youth approaching them slash a knife through the air – almost like a knife dance – and cut down the zombies he met on the way as if cutting down gra.s.s. The path he took was a straight line towards the warehouse, the road littered with zombie bodies and paved with black blood.

It was quite hard for the special force's soldiers to keep up with him. In just a few seconds, the teenager went from jumping out of the helicopter to killing zombies along the way to knocking on the closed door of the warehouse, barely a minute later.

The young man stood from the top of the warehouse and looked at the excited crowd who couldn't wait to open the door and run to the helicopter that had landed under the protection of the special forces.

After everyone boarded, the teenager took a few steps and looked up at the young man on the roof and asked, "Aren't you coming back with us?"

"Go back, go back." The delicate brows of the youth before him came into view, as if a warm sun shone into his heart and drove away all his fear and uneasiness. The young man s.h.i.+vered and immediately returned to Earth before quickly approaching the window, climbing down the high-stacked cargo boxes and onto the ground floor.

He recalled the youth who smiled under the scorching sun and his heart trembled. He felt as if he would never forget that smile that pulled him out of his desperate abyss.

"Is there still anyone inside?" After escorting the crowd, Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran ran back and asked without hesitation.

"There shouldn't be anyone left. I didn't see anyone when I came down." The young man hurried towards them.

"Then you go into the helicopter first, we'll go in and check." Song Haoran said quickly.

"Okay." The young man replied loudly and smiled at the calm teenager before following him to the helicopter. Running beside the teenager, the young man felt inexplicably at peace even with his fast pace.

Song Haoran and Lin Wenbo quickly checked the warehouse and determined that the warehouse was indeed empty, and they were ready to leave. While crossing a pile of boxes opened by the survivors, Lin Wenbo's footsteps stopped.

The boxes that were opened were all food items or daily necessities, which was what Lixin currently needed the most. Lin Wenbo decisively called Song Haoran and pointed at the boxes.

Song Haoran's brows rose and his eyes held a touch of joy. The two ran over, tacitly emptied a box, and filled it with snacks and supplies Lixin might need before lifting it up and rus.h.i.+ng to the helicopter still waiting on the ground.

The first three helicopters were already full of people and were slowly moving away as they headed towards the base while the last one remained waiting in the same place. Gong Lixin guarded the young man as they ran towards the helicopter's open door.

In order to protect the people, twenty special force's soldiers have been separated into groups of five among the four helicopters. The five people who were left behind saw Young Master Gong and they all greeted the other with respect. They didn't treat the youth as a child at all.

Gong Lixin sat down first and the young man sat down in a vacant spot beside him.

Gong? The young man sat quietly beside the other, chewing on the words spoken by the soldiers with such reverence. His heart was hot. This was the name of his savior!

In less than a minute, Song Haoran and Lin Wenbo also carried out a box and quickly boarded the helicopter before closing the door.

The helicopter lifted off safely and they watched the warehouse gradually shrink the higher they went. The more than a dozen survivors were relieved and melted from exhaustion into their seats.

"General must have long known that this warehouse was for stacking food and daily necessities. If we had known, we would have also carried a few boxes up." A special commander looked at the big box that the two men placed at their feet.

"This is for Lixin. You'll have your chance on your next mission." Song Haoran hugged Gong Lixin's shoulder as he explained.

The survivors heard his words and immediately pulled out their travel bags and distributed their collected items to several special force's soldiers. Their att.i.tude was very enthusiastic while doing so. Their travel bags were all taken from the warehouse and were the same color and the same style. When the military first found them, they collected enough food before getting on the helicopter.

The faces of the people were filled with deep joy and grat.i.tude. The people held a bulging taupe travel bag and, instead of looking like survivors who didn't want to die, they seemed more like a tour group going to travel abroad.

The soldiers quickly refused but the survivors were unwilling to give up and forcefully put items into their arms or pockets. The cabin was filled with warmth and the despair and fear of the remaining day had long since been dispelled.

"These things will be brought back to the base and will become your private property. The base won't ask you for them. Please take them back. You will have to rely on your own labor for future living materials. I suggest that you use these things as surplus food and save them. Come, take them back." Song Haoran left a way out for his men.

The soldiers also consciously returned their things. The people refused at first but due to Song Haoran's generosity, they had no choice but to accept them.

The young man sitting next to Gong Lixin kept his head down and was silent. Unlike others, he came empty-handed. When everyone rewarded the soldiers, he had a struggling look in his eyes and stole a glance at the teenager beside him. He finally made up his mind and slowly searched his pocket.

When Song Haoran's words fell, his hands were stiff, but his movements did not stop. He leaned back and put his hand into Gong Lixin's pocket.

The movement was secretive but could it escape Gong Lixin's senses? Gong Lixin gave him a look, took out the thing in his pocket, and stared at it in front of him. His clear eyes lit up as bright as stars.

This was a piece of Swiss chocolate which was Gong Lixin's favorite brand. Thinking of this fragrant and silky taste, his mouth watered and he unconsciously licked his lips, his face screaming with the words 'want to eat'.

But when he thought about Song Haoran's words, he immediately pressed down his desire and, with a sad face, he returned the chocolate with seriousness. "You keep it for yourself. Big Brother Song said so himself and I can't take your things." It was hard to let go of such a beautiful package of chocolate.

The young man waved his hand and pushed the chocolate back into the other's pocket. Everyone on the helicopter watched the two people's exchange.

With his own eyes full of adoration, Lin Wenbo stared at Gong Lixin's cute expression and covetous eyes. He calmly said, "If it's only chocolate, just take it."

Gong Lixin couldn't hold long his serious expression and his eyes glared at the other for a moment, before licking his lips and hesitantly looking towards Song Haoran.

"Take it. Remember this and remember to repay the favor in the future." Under the teenager's eager eyes full of longing, Song Haoran, who had always practiced military discipline, was hard pressed to say 'no' and, in the end, couldn't resist and gave his approval.

Gong Lixin nodded cheerfully and put the chocolate into his pocket. With eyes bent, he thanked the young man sincerely. The young man's face was red and he felt overwhelmed by the other's grat.i.tude.

Seeing that Gong Lixin waited for Song Haoran's permission before daring to accept something, Lin Wenbo felt quite a discomfort in his heart and turned his head away to look out the window. He remembered that his previous disgust and misunderstanding of Xiaoxin's intentions caused this current alienation. Dark sorrow continued to pour into his heart.

He didn't know if he still had a chance to make up for it. Will Xiaoxin ever be as close to him as he was to his friend? Most definitely. Thinking of the cute youngster, the corner of Lin Wenbo's mouth slowly rose and his heart felt relieved.

There were still ongoing explosions in nearby places where smoke kept rising, seeming never-ending. The helicopter had already flown towards the base, but after hearing the explosions, it turned back and approached the black column of smoke.

"Let's go and see," Song Haoran ordered the pilot. After all, this was the city they had lived in for many years and naturally, he held strong nostalgia towards it.

Flying up close, everyone couldn't help but get up and take a look at the ground. Gong Lixin also squeezed in front of the window next to Lin Wenbo in order to get a look.

The cars that crowded and blocked the road have now become bombs which detonated one after another. The shrapnel and fireworks splattered and ignited the storefronts and buildings on both sides of the road. In just 30 minutes, the most prosperous area of the past has become devastated and was engulfed in a sea of fire.

Even from several meters high, everyone could feel the tremor on the ground and the heat of the flames. They watched the place where they used to live in the past be swallowed up by the ruthless fire. Everyone could only stare. Their expressions were bleak and the suffocating air spread throughout the cabin.

Another violent explosion came and broke the silence. A unique building, a building that stretched into the sky and into the clouds, shook and slowly swayed. Everyone watched, wide-eyes, their expressions becoming one of disbelief.

"No, Dingtai Building is going to collapse." The pilot of the helicopter said as they watched from far away.

[1] CrazedCookies: So much better than that other ungrateful…thing.

Wuxian: this is such a desolate scenery but apocalypse tends to do that even to the most prosperous of towns. *lights a candle for Haoran's and the others' hometown*

CrazedCookies: I'm not there tomorrow until late in the evening so have an early chapter! I'll post the other one late tomorrow.