“To survive artillery fire and completely withstand the Death Tide...”
“If a place like that were under the control of our Panshi Company...”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
“Your mission this time is to investigate the true value of that building.”
Zhou Hu nodded. “Understood.”
Zhao Mingyuan walked back behind his desk, took a map out of a drawer, and spread it out on the table.
He pointed to a location marked in red on the map.
“The building is right here, on the edge of Area A7, near the Non-Safe Zone.”
Zhou Hu looked at the map and silently memorized the location.
Leaving the Panshi Company’s Outer City branch, Zhou Hu headed straight toward the Ruin Zone.
...
The next morning, Liu Sen went to pull some strings, while Lei Lie and Scarface waited at their base.
However, the arrival of the Death Tide disrupted their plans.
As the dark red light spread from the horizon, a piercing alarm sounded through the streets of the Outer City.
The old but highly penetrating mechanical voice instantly tore through the sky.
“Wooo—wooo—wooo—”
“Death Tide warning! Death Tide warning!”
“All residents enter shelters immediately! Repeat—”
“All residents enter shelters immediately!”
The streets instantly exploded into chaos.
Street vendors didn't even stop to pack their wares; they scooped up their children and ran for the nearest shelter.
An old man selling low-radiation tubers frantically tried to push his cart into a nearby alley, but the crowd behind him knocked him over, sending the chunks of food rolling all over the ground.
“Dammit, don't push! Let me through!”
“Get out of the way! You’re blocking the path!”
“My child! Where is my child?!”
Shouts, curses, and the crying of children blended into a single roar.
The crowd surged frantically toward the shelters.
Everyone knew that the population of the Outer City far exceeded the capacity of the seventeen Public Shelters. If they arrived late, they would be turned away and forced to find their own way to survive.
Although Outer City residents had their own homes, the houses were so dilapidated that withstanding the Death Tide was extremely difficult.
This meant that surviving depended entirely on whether the heavens were willing to show them some mercy.
Therefore, no one wanted to fall behind; everyone wanted to secure a spot in a shelter.
Shelters in the Outer City were divided into two categories.
The first category was Public Shelters.
These were underground facilities built by the City Defense Force and distributed throughout the Outer City, totaling seventeen in all.
Each shelter could hold anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand people. The facilities were basic, but they had the most essential air filtration systems and emergency lighting.
The second category was Private Shelters.
People with status in the Outer City—such as leaders of major gangs, mercenary teams, and shop owners—had their own survival spaces.
Some were basements, some were reinforced cellars, and some were airtight spaces converted directly from shipping containers.
The conditions in these Private Shelters were much better than those in Public Shelters.
But the prerequisite was having the money.
Scarface stood at the door, licking his lips as he watched the crowd fleeing frantically on the street in the distance.
“Dammit, this Death Tide came out of nowhere without any warning.”
Lei Lie stood behind him, his gaze sweeping across the dark red sky.
As a Level 3 Ability User, his perception of danger was far more acute than that of an ordinary person.
He could clearly feel the terrifying aura contained within the greyish-white mist, surging and expanding in the distance like a living thing, ready to devour everything at any moment.
“How are you all hiding?” he asked.
Scarface pointed toward the interior of the base. “We have a basement.”
“It used to be an underground parking garage from the Old Era. We renovated it later, and it can hold thirty or forty people.”
“We keep some supplies there normally and hide inside when the Death Tide comes.”
Lei Lie nodded.
Scarface called out to the others. “Don't just stand there! Move everything at the door inside! If the Death Tide soaks it, it’s all trash!”
Several Level 1 members immediately sprang into action, hauling the scattered weapon crates and miscellaneous items inside.
Liu Sen arrived in a hurry. Seeing the Night Owl team busy, he stepped forward to help.
Although he was a Lieutenant in the City Defense Force, he didn't have a private residence in the Outer City.
If the Death Tide really hit, he would either have to go to a Public Shelter or hide with the Night Owl members.
“Lieutenant Liu, how did things go?” Scarface asked while moving items.
Liu Sen pulled the Short-term Employment Permits from his chest pocket and waved them at Scarface. “I handled it, don't you worry!”
Seeing the permits, Scarface’s eyes lit up. “Heh! Fantastic! I’ve never been to the Inner City before. This is finally my chance to see what it’s like!”
“That’s enough. Get inside.” Lei Lie glanced at the permits in Liu Sen’s hand and was the first to walk into the building.
The others followed Lei Lie inside.
The entrance to the basement was at the very back of the first floor of the base, hidden behind a secret door in the storage room.
Pushing open the secret door revealed a concrete staircase extending downward.
At the end of the stairs was a heavy iron door.
Scarface took out a key and opened the iron door, revealing a space of about fifty square meters.
The ceiling was very low; an adult could touch it just by reaching up.
“The conditions are simple, but it’s better than being outside.” Scarface looked at Lei Lie somewhat sheepishly. “Don’t mind the place, Boss Lei.”
Lei Lie didn’t say anything, his gaze sweeping across the basement.
The air was thick with the smell of mold and dust, and there were several damp water stains in the corners—likely traces left by seeping groundwater.
The sealing was decent; it would keep them alive.
“It’s enough,” he said flatly.
The group filed in.
Scarface was the last to enter. He closed the iron door and slid the bolt into place.
The moment the iron door shut, the outside world was completely cut off.
Only the faint hum of the emergency lights and the slightly heavy breathing of the group remained in the basement.
Lei Lie closed his eyes and sat against the wall.
He expanded his ability, his perception extending outward like invisible tentacles, capturing all information from the outside world.
Scarface crouched to the side, boredly picking at the cement dust on the wall as he muttered under his breath:
“Dammit, how long is this Death Tide going to last? Eight hours? Ten hours?”
A Level 1 member nearby chimed in, “The last Death Tide lasted ten and a half hours.”
“Ten and a half hours...” Scarface sighed.
“Fine. It’ll be over after a nap.”
Rate on N.U.
