The captain’s pupils clearly constricted, and a flicker of panic flashed across his face before he immediately turned gloomy and said: Find exclusive stories on freewebnovel
"Military?"
"What are you talking about?"
"We’re just ordinary people, you might have misunderstood something."
Lachang, following beside Xu Lin, couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing upon hearing this, prompting several members of the second group to join in the laughter.
He laughed for a while before he just couldn’t resist teasing, "No offense, brother, but do we look like fools to you?"
The captain still looked somber as he stared at him.
"I don’t understand what you mean."
"Sorry."
His face was tight, seemingly suppressing something, or perhaps he was just afraid that these unidentified armed men would see the panic within him.
Time and time again, they had learned never to reveal their identities to strangers.
Past status not only failed to grant them any preferential treatment, but it could also provoke disdain and malice.
The deeper the love, the deeper the hate.
The more they had once longed for the military, the more resentful they were now of them, angry that they hadn’t arrived in the city in time to take control of the situation, which led to them losing everything they had.
Loved ones, friends, and even power and status, all had vanished in a matter of days.
The military, once seen as a beacon of hope, was nowhere to be found.
Could these people not feel hatred?
But today, this captain clearly miscalculated.
The people standing before them were not those ignorant and hate-filled ordinary survivors.
Lachang raised an eyebrow and motioned towards the guns on their backs, saying, "I mean, buddy, with those things in your hands, anyone with eyes can see they’re military issue."
"An ordinary person would probably be taken in for questioning just for touching them, right?"
"What else is there to pretend?"
Yet the captain had no intention of admitting it directly.
He followed Lachang’s gaze, glanced back at several of his nervous teammates, and then slowly replied, "Oh, these guns? Just found them on the road, heh."
Lachang was momentarily speechless and mentally gave this junior officer a thumbs-up.
Indeed, a leader needs a thick face!
Blatantly telling lies, huh?
Impressive, truly impressive.
Xu Lin, seeing this, didn’t ask further, but scanned the surroundings and said in a low voice, "Alright, we’ll discuss the rest later, let’s leave this place first."
As he spoke, his gaze swiftly shifted to the group that was clearly from the military, and he asked:
"Do you have a vehicle?"
Without waiting for a response, he immediately added:
"If not, get on our car."
"Move quickly."
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After finishing, he turned and walked outside, and Lachang and the others, without any hesitation, followed Xu Lin out.
In an instant, only the five-person squad that had just escaped remained on the scene.
All four team members looked at the captain.
Waiting for him to make a decision.
Follow them?
Or take the opportunity, while the horde is distracted, to return to the outpost by the original route?
The captain also hesitated but ended up saying helplessly:
"Let’s go with them."
Upon hearing this, one of the team members behind him immediately exclaimed, "Captain, we don’t even know who they really are, and you want to follow them just like that? What if..."
His implication was the fear that once they got into Xu Lin’s vehicle, they might not be able to get off.
After all, the other party was numerous and powerful; swallowing them up would be simple.
But before he could finish, someone said with disdain, "What, you actually think they left just like that? Taking such a big risk to rescue someone, do you really think they’ve come to do a good deed like Lei Feng?"
The others listened and chimed in, "Exactly, they’re probably waiting for us outside right now."
"It could really follow us all the way back, and if our outpost’s location gets compromised, that would be serious trouble!"
"Right, and the car we drove over is still some distance from here."
"We’re also running low on bullets now."
"Going back, I’m afraid…"
The person stopped speaking at this point.
But the meaning of his words was already crystal clear.
With ammunition depleted and food supplies gone, not to mention just having been surrounded by a horde of zombies for so long, leaving everyone exhausted, whether they could safely return to the place they came from was still an unknown.
After some deliberation, everyone began to feel that leaving with that group might be the best choice.
Their captain thought the same.
Escape was definitely not an option.
Better to meet with them directly and follow, and as for what the other party’s purpose in saving their few lives was, they would find out in due time.
Thinking this, the captain hesitated no longer, checked the surroundings, and immediately followed.
Upon seeing this, the four team members hurriedly followed suit.
This place was, after all, unsafe.
Staying even a minute longer meant an extra minute of danger, so it was better to leave this perilous place sooner rather than later.
Outside, Xu Lin’s convoy was already waiting for them.
Once everyone was on board, he immediately ordered the convoy to leave the area and also commanded Ding Zhixiong and others, who were luring the zombie horde, to meet at the agreed-upon location using the radio.
The journey was eerily quiet.
Xu Lin sat in the back seat, next to the obviously stern captain, the two of them bearing a somewhat similar aura.
Just as the driver was privately wondering whether to tell a joke to dispel the awkward atmosphere in the car, the captain’s voice suddenly rang out, "Who exactly are you?"
A faint smile finally appeared on Xu Lin’s expressionless face.
"Just survivors in this city," he replied.
Seeing a trace of doubt in the other’s eyes, he quickly added seriously, "Honestly, you should know, there’s no need for us to lie to you."
The captain then nodded, though the skepticism in his gaze didn’t disappear.
But the wariness on his face had lessened considerably.
Just survivors?
He recalled the scene when they got into the car, those seemingly carefree survivors sitting with their chests out and backs straight—a posture ingrained in them.
As a soldier with over five years of service, he was all too familiar with this demeanor.
Because it was a habit only those who had served in the military possessed.
Yet these people were clearly not military personnel.
Why?
If they were not soldiers but exhibited the bearing and habits of soldiers, it meant there must be someone among them with military experience acting as an instructor.
And considering the composed man who had directly asked which unit he belonged to upon meeting, the answer seemed quite obvious.
"Were you in the military?"
The captain asked again.
His gaze firmly fixed on Xu Lin.
"Me?"
Xu Lin smiled again.
"Sort of."
"But later I was transferred to the Security Bureau."
"The Security Bureau?"
The captain suddenly became excited.
This department was not at all unfamiliar to them soldiers, as many who retired from the military were transferred there.
The Security Bureau and the Army were truly like brothers.
Both were under the management of Shen Zhou military.