With Meishan Town’s zombie and boar threats neutralized, Zhao Tinglong hurried to the Xincheng Power Plant, desperate to find survivors to restore its operations. Clearing it’s one thing, running it’s another, Chen Liu thought, noting the mission’s stakes. A hiccup arose: a female high school survivor, cleaned up and strikingly pretty, boarded the Brothers Squad’s vehicle, clinging to Zhong Shan. Trouble brewing, Chen Liu thought, Zhang Chong muttering, “Beast.” Chen Liu stayed cold. “Let’s go.”[^1]
The power plant, at Meishan’s edge, was littered with employee zombies, easily dispatched by Chen Liu’s crew before noon. No survivors yet, Zhao fretted, his face darkening. A bust? Chen Liu suggested the broadcast room. “They could be hidden in this maze.” Zhao, kicking himself, broadcasted: “Survivors, this is Liao City Base. Zombies are cleared—you’re safe.” After ten repeats, over 50 gaunt survivors emerged, shielding their eyes from sunlight. Basement survivors, barely alive, Chen Liu thought, their pallor corpse-like. They’ve suffered hell. The mission was mostly done; restarting the plant was HQ’s problem.[^2]
By 2 p.m., Chen Liu’s group headed back to Liao City, Zhao staying with his squad to hand off the plant. The high school was empty, the pork convoy gone. Near Meishan’s outskirts, the Brothers Squad’s lead vehicle stopped. “Car broke down!” the driver called. Zhong Shan cursed, “Useless!” The driver, inspecting, found no issue. Damaged by boars? Chen Liu wondered. The entire squad, including the girl, disembarked. “Captain?” Zhang Chong asked. “Give them a minute. Can’t abandon them,” Chen Liu replied, despite his disdain. They’d stopped amid towering rapeseed fields, perfect for hiding. The girl, blushing, whispered to Zhong Shan, and they slipped into the field. Really? Zhang Chong gaped. Chen Liu chuckled, “Maybe they’re just relieving themselves.” Yu Na teased, “Someone’s got a filthy mind, seeing sleaze everywhere.” Zhang Chong sputtered, embarrassed.[^3]
Ahhh! A scream from the field—panic, not play. Zhong Shan bolted out, carrying the girl, a dark cloud chasing them. Not a cloud, Chen Liu realized through binoculars: thumb-sized mutated hornets. “Roll up the windows!” he ordered, sealing the Jeep. The hornets overtook the pair; the girl shrieked, clinging to Zhong Shan. His face twisted—he threw her down and ran. “Bastard!” Zhang Chong cursed. From lover to trash in seconds, Chen Liu thought, appalled. The girl’s screams silenced as hornets swarmed her, venom likely fatal. Dead or fainted, she’s gone, he thought. The swarm, unsated, attacked the Brothers Squad, killing two instantly. Zhong Yong hid in a car, but Zhong Shan froze, engulfed by hornets, his screams pitiful as they formed a writhing, human-shaped mass. “Serves him right,” Zhang Chong said, voice shaky. Chen Liu’s palms sweated, the human heart’s venom as deadly as the hornets’. Betrayal stings worse, he thought.[^4]