NABC 12: The Battle of the Wall
12: The Battle of the Wall
"You can eat them! Why don't you go up there, grab their heads, and start gnawing on them! Give them a French kiss!"
A loud roar erupted from the crowd.
Su Chen turned his head and saw the same burly, dark-skinned man from before, who was furious and slapped the man next to him on the forehead.
"You're the one who French kisses! I don't have that fetish!" Wisdom Bro's face turned bright red as he yelled back, and he even shoved the black man hard. But after shoving him, he actually looked thoughtful, as if... he was really considering the matter.
Well, I can't afford to mess with them.
The thought process of a shut-in is truly boundless.
slip away.
Su Chen quickly moved to a different spot, away from these two clowns.
He found an empty spot under the wall, stood still, adjusted his breathing, and tried to recover his energy in the most ordinary way.
About fifteen minutes later, a gurgling sound mixed with the churning of gray mist startled him awake—the sound penetrated the thick walls and went straight into his ears, making his heart tighten.
"Monster is coming! All hands on deck!"
"Veterans, take the lead! New recruits, stand by, ready to take over at any time!"
……
coming.
The second wave of attacks from the human-faced owl arrived right on time.
Like ghostly figures seeping out of the gray fog, they silently climbed onto the wall, their cooing sounds like a death knell, making the steel pipes in people's hands tremble.
Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, the instinctive fear it evoked was still as strong as ever. Those distorted human faces wore grotesque, cruel, and mocking grins; they stretched their necks, opened their mouths, and began to bite into the concrete wall!
click!
The solid cement wall becomes as brittle as a biscuit under their bites, crumbling and falling apart with a single bite.
The pieces fell with a clatter, a heartbreaking sight.
The men guarding the wall gritted their teeth, picked up sharpened steel pipes, and stabbed the monster on the wall.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh...
The sound of the gun tip piercing flesh was continuous.
Those human-faced owls didn't flinch, letting the steel pipes pierce their bodies. They seemed to have nothing but the wall in their eyes, desperately gnawing and digging away chunks of concrete with reinforcing steel bars, visibly thinning the wall's defenses.
People kept poking at them, but they just stood there nonchalantly.
Once they are injured to a certain extent, they open their mouths, spread their wings, fall backward, and plunge into the thick gray fog behind them.
But not long after.
These creatures will "float" back up from the gray fog, climb back onto the wall, and continue gnawing.
When they reappeared, everyone could see clearly that all the wounds, big and small, on their bodies had disappeared, leaving them completely healed.
Su Chen stared at the owl on the distant wall, which had been riddled with holes earlier but was now clean and smooth, his brows furrowing unconsciously.
How... is this possible?
Just as he was in shock, a piercing scream suddenly erupted beside the wall:
"Help! Help my brother!"
Su Chen looked in the direction of the sound and saw the burly, dark-skinned man holding Zhihui and wailing. Zhihui was already unconscious, with a huge gash in his abdomen, blood gushing out. Su Chen squinted and looked closely; he could even see the intestines wriggling inside.
He immediately realized what was happening and shouted around, "Is there a doctor? There are seriously wounded people here!"
Su Chen took the lead, and the others followed suit.
"Doctor! Quick, a doctor!"
"Doctor! Here! Seriously injured!"
The shouts gathered into waves, spreading from the wall to the entire community.
A little over two minutes later, a chubby male doctor came running over, carrying a home first-aid kit and sweating profusely. He had been assigned to be on standby in the vicinity, which is why he arrived quickly.
"There are no sterile conditions, brother, I can only do my best... do you understand?" The doctor looked at the black man with tears streaming down his face, his voice strained.
"If he tries his best... what are his chances of survival?"
"Less than 10%," the doctor said softly, his face full of reluctance.
"This...this..." The burly man was no longer agitated; he was filled with hesitation and fear, his lips trembling.
"What are you hesitating for! If you agree, there's still a sliver of hope; if you don't, you're doomed!"
"Exactly! Let's give it a shot!"
People around couldn't help but shout; no one wanted to watch a living person die.
"Treat him! Please do your best!" The dark-skinned man finally gritted his teeth and carefully handed his younger brother to the doctor and several women who had come to help.
Then, he grabbed his steel pipe and charged toward the owl on the wall with bloodshot eyes!
"You damn monsters! I'll fight you to the death!"
……
After Brother Zhihui was disemboweled, most of the "veterans" under the wall subconsciously took a half step back.
They just held the end of the steel pipe and stabbed it forward half-heartedly, their movements weak and ineffective, completely disregarding whether it would cause any harm.
Everyone was terrified, afraid of ending up like Brother Zhihui—being grabbed by that thing, dragged up a steel pipe, and then disemboweled.
The atmosphere became dull and perfunctory, with everyone just dragging their feet.
"Pah! You men are all spineless! You still have the nerve to dawdle here!"
"So what if one person was injured? Look how scared you all are! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!"
Suddenly, a sharp and sarcastic female voice rang out from under the wall.
Su Chen recognized the voice immediately, frowned, and turned around. Sure enough, it was that middle-aged woman with the three-layer swimming ring again. She was walking a small dog, as if she had just strolled over there.
Su Chen really couldn't understand where she got the audacity to boss around the people who did the work, since she didn't do anything herself.
To his surprise, after being berated by the woman, the men didn't retaliate. They all lowered their heads and remained silent, as if they were in the wrong.
At that moment, a member of the temporary management team wearing a red armband walked over quickly.
Without saying a word, he went up and slapped the three-layered swimming ring twice, one on the front and one on the back.
"Insult them? Try climbing up the wall and killing a few monsters yourself!"
"Or get lost and don't let me see you here again!"
After being hit, the man with the three-layer swimming ring didn't throw a tantrum. He covered his face, picked up the dog, and turned and left without saying a word.
Su Chen was a little surprised. Given her previous behavior, she shouldn't have given up so easily.
"Brothers! Don't be afraid of those things!" The man in the red armband turned to the crowd and said in a loud voice, "Zhang's second son was injured just now mainly because he was careless and couldn't hold the gun properly, which is why he was dragged up there."
"As long as everyone stays vigilant, holds on tight, maintains a distance of about two meters from the wall, and aims carefully before poking, they can't hurt us!"
"Cheer up, everyone! This wall is our lifeline. If it breaks, we're all doomed!"
After what had just happened, everyone had developed a good impression of the person wearing the red armband. They looked at each other, nodded one after another, and returned to their positions, their movements becoming more forceful.
At this moment, the man in the red armband turned around and looked at Su Chen and the other newcomers.
"New guys, you've seen enough, right? Time to get going! We can't just stand by and watch the wall get chewed up, let's defend it together!"
"Okay!" Su Chen and the others responded in unison.
They were then assigned to different defensive positions.
……
Under the wall.
Su Chen gripped the spear tightly, his gaze fixed on the churning gray mist ahead.
Before long, the fog directly in front of them began to surge violently, a gurgling sound approached, and a strange human face peered over the wall.
When the monster saw Su Chen, it grinned with a mocking smile. It seemed to possess some kind of intelligence, knowing very well that the person below the wall could hardly kill it, and its smile was full of amusement.
Despite being mocked by the monster, Su Chen remained calm. He lowered his shoulders, twisted his waist, swung his arm, and thrust—the movements were fluid, precisely the power generation technique he had figured out the night before.
He never intended to kill it with that shot.
I'm just here to practice and get used to the feeling.
Whoosh!
The wooden spearhead pierced the owl's chest smoothly, and the solid feel and penetrating power surprised even Su Chen himself.
He quickly withdrew his gun, took a half step back, adjusted his breathing, and re-established his stance.
"This time, aim for the stomach... try piercing it from the bottom up!" Su Chen set his goal in mind.
I found that sense of power just now.
Now, we need to maintain the strength while improving the accuracy.
Su Chen locked his gaze on the monster's abdomen, lowered his shoulder, rotated his hips, extended his arm, and thrust—the whole set of movements was completed in one smooth motion.
puff!
The feeling of the spear tip entering flesh was somewhat different, like puncturing some kind of sac filled with liquid.
Almost simultaneously, the owl that was still laughing suddenly froze, then its whole body convulsed violently, and scalding blood gushed out from its belly, mouth, and even nostrils.
Before it could even let out a scream, it flapped its wings twice and crashed off the wall.
"Did it hit a vital spot? Could it be the heart?"
"Their hearts...are inside their bellies?"
A thought flashed through Su Chen's mind, but his hands didn't stop. He immediately aimed at the second monster that had climbed up and continued practicing and searching.
This time, luck wasn't on their side; the spear missed its mark, causing only a minor wound.
But Su Chen didn't care. Like a tireless machine, he repeated the actions of stabbing, sheathing his gun, adjusting, and stabbing again, intently searching for the fatal spot in the stench-filled air...
……
After repelling several waves of attacks, Su Chen dragged his aching body away from the wall.
He first went around to the property management center for a look.
The number of public survival points jumped by over five hundred, bringing the total to over eight thousand. It seems that combat does indeed bring benefits, and the cycle has started.
"With this 8,000-point base, there's no need to worry about basic supply, at least in the short term."
With this thought in mind, Su Chen felt a little relieved and turned to walk home.
As Su Chen passed by the bulletin board, a group of people were gathered there, arguing heatedly. Su Chen pricked up his ears to listen.
"The elderly and children are related to our population size and our most basic daily income for survival! They are already a vulnerable group, and their distribution should be more equitable!"
"We are not asking everyone to contribute extra supplies, but we suggest that a small portion of public revenue be set aside specifically to ensure their basic survival and medical care."
"Furthermore, we plan to set up a temporary school! Experienced teachers will be able to focus on educating the children, so that even in the apocalypse, knowledge cannot be lost, and the next generation cannot be deprived!"
"This is all for everyone's long-term future! I don't understand what's wrong with opposing it..."
In the crowd, a man with a buzz cut and a resolute face, wearing a red armband, was giving a loud speech. He spoke earnestly, explaining each point one by one.
As he spoke, the dissenting voices around him gradually subsided. People began to think that this man seemed genuinely interested in getting things done, unlike the old Wang who had been spouting nonsense.
"I agree!"
"I support building a school! Children can't run around and play freely anymore."
"I only have one request: the accounts must be transparent, so everyone knows what's going on!"
"No problem!" The man with the buzz cut looked excited as he saw more supporters. "All income and expenditure details will be published regularly and posted on the bulletin board. Everyone is welcome to monitor us at any time!"
He beckoned those who agreed to come forward to sign and leave their fingerprints.
Respect for the elderly and care for the young, the importance of education—these are ingrained values that will remain even in the face of doom. Su Chen watched this scene with a sense of感慨 (gan3 kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both reflection and reflection).
He thought for a moment, then walked over, signed his name on the list, and pressed his red handprint.
……
About ten minutes later, Su Chen finished his business and turned to go home, but his attention was drawn to the idle chatter of a few people next to him.
"Those four people who went out to scout ahead, there's still no sign of them. Do you think they ran into trouble, or did they find too much good stuff and forget about home?"
"The number of residents hasn't changed, so they should still be alive. I bet they've discovered some 'treasure trove' and have too much stuff to carry back in one trip."
"Hey, do you think we should form a team and go out to take a look? The temporary management team said they don't take a cut, and everything they find is theirs, as long as they share the information."
"Don't rush, let's wait for those four people to come back and ask them what's going on. We don't know what's happening outside right now, it's too risky."
Hearing this, Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He was almost certain that there were sensible people in the temporary management team.
The simple statement, "We will not accept supplies," subtly stirred up many people's curiosity and longing for the outside world.
But just then, a short, chubby girl suddenly raised her voice and suggested:
"If you ask me, why don't we just form a special 'militia' or 'exploration team'? Everyone can chip in to provide them with supplies, and they can be responsible for going out to explore and collect things. Whatever they bring back can be distributed among everyone as needed. Wouldn't that be much more efficient?"
After she finished speaking, she looked expectant, waiting for everyone to agree.
However, those words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the small flame that had just begun to ignite.
The lively discussion came to an abrupt halt.
The crowd suddenly fell silent, and then people began to quietly back away, turn around, and disperse.
Before long, the bulletin board became much quieter, and no one mentioned going out to explore anymore.
Su Chen watched this scene and gently shook his head.
Hoping to let others take risks while you reap the benefits? In this precarious world, that idea is too naive.
He didn't linger and turned to walk into the dimly lit stairwell.
……
Is anyone home?
Su Chen had just finished showering, her hair still dripping wet, when she heard a knock on the door.
His entire body tensed up instantly.
Could it be those people who saw me come back last night? Have they come looking for me?
Su Chen's eyes turned cold, and he immediately reached inside his clothes, pulled out a pistol, and gripped it tightly behind his back.
He quietly approached the cat.
"Who is it? What's the matter?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the face of the person outside the door.
"We are a temporary management team, here to conduct population registration and information statistics." A polite male voice came from outside the door. "Could you tell us your name, occupation, and any special skills or expertise you may have? We want to make use of everyone's abilities so that we can all survive together."
Their tone was very calm, and they showed no impatience or coercion when Su Chen didn't open the door.
Su Chen quickly weighed his options. The temporary management team seemed to be following the rules fairly well, so limited contact was permissible.
"Su Chen. He works in wedding photography. An ordinary person, nothing special," he said through the crack in the door.
"...Okay, we've got it." The voice outside the door paused, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"Also, we left some food at your door as payment for your participation in the defense of the wall today. It's not much, just a small token of our appreciation."
Then came the rustling sound of plastic bags being placed on the ground, followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.
Su Chen pressed his ear against the door, listening intently for a long time. Once he was sure there was no more noise outside, he gently unlocked the door, quickly brought in a small bag of things from the doorway, and immediately closed and locked the door.
I picked it up and weighed it in my hand. It was a small bag of white rice, probably less than three ounces, enough to cook only two meals of thin porridge.
It was a small amount, but in this era, every bit of food was incredibly precious.
"Let's splurge a little tonight and make luncheon meat and vegetable porridge," Su Chen decided.
He poured half a bowl of rice into a small basin and turned on the tap. The rushing water washed away the white rice grains, quickly removing the surface dust.
Pour the washed rice into a small pot, add water, place it on the gas stove, and light it.
Blue flames leaped up, licking the bottom of the pot.
Su Chen took the remaining half of the rice, went into the bedroom, and hid in a secluded corner—it was his habit to always keep some reserves.
After hiding the rice, he took a can of luncheon meat and a small bag of dehydrated dried vegetables back to the kitchen.
The water in the pot hadn't boiled yet, but the aroma of rice seemed to be wafting out faintly.
"It's been so long since I've had a proper bowl of hot porridge..." As soon as this thought arose, my body immediately gave me the most honest response.
Saliva was secreted uncontrollably, and the empty stomach began to contract violently, gurgling loudly. The hunger that had been suppressed by adrenaline during the day's battle now surged back like a tidal wave, burning the heart and making the mouth water.
Su Chen rubbed his cramping stomach and forced himself to swallow, but the agonizing hunger did nothing to alleviate it.
"Damn it, can't even wait ten minutes?" he cursed, then simply lifted the lid and poured in all the luncheon meat cut into small pieces and the wrinkled dried vegetables.
As the contents of the pot gradually increased, his hunger intensified. He remembered that he had hidden a small handful of rice in his bedroom…
"Grab another handful of rice and cook it thicker!" With that thought, he turned and strode quickly toward the bedroom.
The moment his foot stepped out of the kitchen door—
Boom boom boom!
The knocking sounded again.
It was neither too light nor too heavy, but like a cold hook, it instantly caught Su Chen's footsteps and pinned him to the center of the living room.