Chapter 2 – Welcome to Hualin Town
Volume 2: Battlefield Between Two Worlds
The middle-aged man watched as Wen Yu sprinted over at an incredible speed, slicing through the Zombies charging at him along the way with the Steel Blade in his hand.
The middle-aged man let out a long sigh of relief. "Finally saved someone useful."
Naturally, Wen Yu wouldn't unleash his full strength. Since he didn't know who these people were or what their abilities might be, it was always wise to keep something in reserve.
Seeing Wen Yu climb straight onto the big truck and take the passenger seat, the middle-aged man turned and shouted loudly, "Guys, grab your gear!"
The Class Holders below quickly retreated, then pulled out a pile of huge nets from the truck's trunk. The nets were covered with sharp hooks.
Several strong men picked up the nets, spread them out, and hooked the ends to the big truck.
Then the truck started slowly, backing up gradually.
As the Zombies behind them staggered forward and stepped onto the nets, and once the nets were full of Zombies, the middle-aged man slammed the truck's accelerator.
The truck roared violently and sped backward.
The Zombies on the nets were dragged to the ground, some rolling straight to the roadside, but others were caught by the hooks on the nets and dragged forward by the truck.
Seeing that dozens of Zombies were being dragged behind, Wen Yu raised his eyebrows and said, "Is this fishing?"
In his previous life, Wen Yu had heard of this method. With it, you could catch Level 0 Zombies.
The middle-aged man lit a cigarette and took a satisfying puff. "Exactly. There are still some people in the Settlement who haven't changed class yet. We'll bring these back so they can earn some Points and battle experience."
He looked Wen Yu up and down again, noticing Wen Yu's battered Protective Suit and the Steel Blade stained with blood. His gaze lingered for a moment on the Soul Beast perched on Wen Yu's shoulder.
"Hey, Brother, that little thing on your shoulder is pretty interesting. Mind telling me about it?"
"Hidden Class," Wen Yu replied calmly.
The middle-aged man stubbed out his cigarette forcefully and complained, "Damn this messed up world, now even Hidden Classes are showing up. By the way, Brother, you look a bit rough. Where'd you fight your way out from?"
"Mudanjiang City. I was chased all the way here by a big lion that escaped from the zoo. The wounds are just healing. I really have to thank you guys." Wen Yu said.
"Ah, no need to thank us. In this world, if humans don't help each other, we'll all die sooner or later." The middle-aged man said with a look of melancholy.
Wen Yu was amused by his words. It's one thing to talk about ideals, but why put on such a sorrowful act?
Still, Wen Yu respected people like him. Even if he wouldn't do the same himself, in this damned Apocalypse, if there were fewer people like this, humanity would have no hope at all.
"Still, thank you. My name is Wen Yu."
"Oh, I'm Sun Ruixing. I'm the Boss of a small Settlement in Hualin Town. By the way, welcome to Hualin Town." Sun Ruixing gave Wen Yu a mysterious smile.
…
"We're here." As the convoy drove into a complex shantytown, it stopped directly in front of a large courtyard.
Sun Ruixing got out of the truck, and Wen Yu followed.
"Hey, someone come out! We caught some fish!" Sun Ruixing grinned widely and shouted loudly.
A large crowd surged quickly out into the courtyard-men, women, young and old. When they saw Sun Ruixing and the other Class Holders return, the entire camp erupted in cheers.
"Ruixing is back, and he dragged back a whole bunch of Zombies!"
"The Boss is amazing! This time we might get several more Class Holders."
"Fantastic! Tell the kitchen to start cooking right away!"
Seeing the harmonious atmosphere throughout the camp, Wen Yu couldn't help but look at Sun Ruixing with newfound respect.
"Brother Sun, you're really capable."
"Haha, not at all. I used to drive a big truck. When the Apocalypse hit a couple of days ago, a lot of people died. I gathered all the neighbors together, and we started killing Zombies and surviving together. Luckily, in the countryside, every household has some grain reserves, so our hundred or so people haven't gone hungry."
Sun Ruixing said to Wen Yu with a cheerful smile.
On the way here, Wen Yu had already learned about the situation in Hualin Town. Hualin Town isn't big, with a permanent population of only about eighteen thousand. But being in the countryside, especially here, every household keeps several dogs, so the number of Mutant Beasts is even higher than in the city. That's why few humans survived. According to Sun Ruixing, apart from their own small area, he wasn't sure about the situation in other parts of the town.
They had just gone to the factory district to see what was happening in Mudanjiang City. If the Mudanjiang City government had the situation under control, then their group would have a place to go. But instead, they ran into a huge horde of Zombies, which led to Sun Ruixing and Wen Yu meeting.
The crowd was chattering noisily-some were examining the Zombies that had been dragged back, some were searching for relatives among the returning team, and some were calling everyone to eat. Sun Ruixing climbed onto a large rock and shouted to the crowd below, "Everyone quiet down, quiet down for a moment."
Sun Ruixing had a lot of influence in this camp; after all, he had saved most of the people here.
Seeing the crowd below quiet down, Sun Ruixing said directly, "First, deal with the Zombies we brought back. Hu Zi, organize some people to kill these Zombies. Try to get a few more Class Holders."
Hu Zi was one of the Class Holders from earlier, strong and energetic, not yet thirty, and looked very spirited.
"Got it, Sun-Ge. Should we stick to the usual standards?"
"Yes, prioritize the young and strong," Sun Ruixing nodded to Hu Zi, then pulled Wen Yu toward the courtyard.
"Come on, Brother Wen Yu, let's eat first. We still have plenty of vegetables left. Since you just arrived today, try our food."
"Oh right, Qiang Zi, take a few people to keep watch. After everyone's finished eating, we'll switch shifts."
"Alright, Boss." Qiang Zi was a skinny, dark young man. He grinned at Sun Ruixing, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"Let's go, Brother Wen Yu. Later, we'll need you to tell us about the situation in Mudanjiang City. Many people in our little camp are hoping the government will send someone to organize a rescue. But anyone with eyes can see-now that Class Holders exist in this world, what use is the government? But the common folk don't believe that, especially here in the countryside, where most are elderly. Whenever something big or small happens, they want to look for the government. Sigh."
