HLLY Chapter 1

At six o’clock in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten as the first rays of the sun peeked out from the east. Outside the city walls of the suburban district of Zhongmeng, a long line of people awaited entry into the city.

Most of them were clad in dark protective cloaks that covered them from head to toe, with anti-radiation hooded jackets tightly fastened to the top. Without exception, they all wore protective helmets, and those who could afford it had masks inside their helmets, leaving no part exposed. Some people’s helmets had cracks, which they had patched up with layers of transparent tape or whatever else they could find, making do with what they had.

The entire line was permeated with an air of desolation. Everyone appeared slumped and listless, their shoulders hunched, mirroring the desolate, weed-infested scene outside the city walls, as if it were a microcosm of the entire apocalypse. Apart from the occasional announcement from the security checkpoint, the area was deathly silent.

All survivor bases adhered to an unspoken rule: it was easy to leave the city but difficult to enter. The complex procedures also led to inefficiency. Even as the sun finally rose over the mountains, the line for entry remained just as long, seemingly unchanged.

Throughout the entire entry security process, those being inspected were bathed in the wary and suspicious gazes of several mercenaries. This scrutiny was especially intense for newcomers without a Zhongmeng ID card, as if they were personally responsible for the superplanet that had turned Earth into a wasteland overnight.

Eleven years ago, a superplanet located forty light-years from Earth, which had been orbiting normally, suddenly exploded. The explosion released a massive amount of highly dangerous high-energy radiation and particles, causing over seventy percent of Earth’s life forms to mutate.

Mutant humans (also known as zombies), mutant animals, and mutant plants emerged one after another. These creatures, though dead, did not decay; instead, they transformed into monsters driven solely by the urge to attack and feed, devoid of intelligence or pain. They would continue to “live” unless their heads were destroyed or their roots severed. Highly contagious, a single bite or scratch that breaks the skin and contacts blood could infect a normal person or animal within 24 hours, turning them into zombies.

Adding insult to injury, the superplanet explosion severely damaged Earth’s ozone layer, causing drastic global climate changes with extreme temperature differences between day and night. The ecological environment was severely damaged, leaving deadly radiation everywhere. The surviving humans lost nearly 90% of the habitable soil.

Fortunately, after several years of integration and effort, the domestic survivors managed to establish five large bases and numerous small shelters amidst their arduous exile. These provided a much-needed refuge in the perilous wasteland of the post-apocalyptic world.

The Central Alliance was one of the five major bases. Despite its grand and illustrious name, which suggested it was the heart of the world and the hope of many, in reality, it ranked the lowest in terms of strength. The disparity between the rich and poor within the city was vast, and the upper echelons had to rely on the neighboring base for support.

As the sun fully rose, the surface temperature skyrocketed, the scorching heat searing anyone exposed to the sunlight. Despite being drenched in sweat and feeling dizzy from the heat, the people outside the walls dared not remove their protective cloaks. Given the current radiation levels, prolonged exposure of their skin and respiratory systems to the air would lead to nothing but a gruesome death.

All they could do was silently pray for the security checks to proceed faster, allowing them to reach the safety of the city, shielded by numerous massive radiation filters.

Suddenly, a scream shattered the silence.

The piercing cry was like a stone dropped into a lake, creating ripples of commotion and whispered conversations among the crowd. People craned their necks, anxiously looking towards the source of the sound.

The dozen or so mercenaries stationed on either side of the wall immediately tightened their grips on their guns, standing together in alert formation. Through their earpieces, they asked their colleagues in the high-up surveillance room what had happened.

“Medium-sized zombie horde approaching from the north at three o’clock. All personnel, prepare for combat. I repeat, north at three o’clock…”

“Damn it!” someone among the mercenaries cursed.

Soon, three terrified people being chased by zombies burst into view, screaming as they ran towards the wall. They stumbled and crawled, their panic evident in their disheveled state.

Encountering zombies requires maintaining silence—a fact even a three-year-old would know. However, when faced with a horde of horrific, twisted zombies, the sight of these nightmarish creatures can shatter anyone’s composure. The chilling, grotesque appearance and the nauseating stench make it almost impossible to stay calm.

The putrid, black-purple flesh continuously fell to the ground with each step of the zombies, only to be trampled underfoot by those behind, making a sickening squelching sound. The vividness of the scene made it all too easy to imagine the slimy, sticky texture.

Sharp claws and fierce teeth are the terrifying weapons of zombies, while their red eyes and black sclera are their distinct markers.

In an instant, the screams and panic spread through the crowd like wildfire. The previously orderly line dissolved into chaos as people rushed toward the city gates in a disorganized frenzy. Men and women screamed in terror, desperately pleading for the mercenaries’ mercy and protection. They feared being left behind and becoming prey for the zombies.

“Sound the Level 3 alarm,” a leader among the mercenaries commanded calmly. “Team Four, withdraw all security personnel back into the city. Team Two, cover the remaining individuals and direct them to the shelters. The machine gun team, get into position and await my orders. The rest of you, prepare to engage the enemy!”

The leader’s composed demeanor clearly provided the team with a significant sense of security. The squad leaders quickly carried out their orders, establishing a strong defensive line against the approaching zombie horde.

At that moment, an elderly woman’s voice called out to the commanding mercenary leader, “Captain Li, Captain Li!”

Captain Li turned towards the sound and saw a stooped old woman. Her protective gear was clearly the most worn-out; her face shield was made from a motorcycle helmet and was more of a psychological comfort than practical protection. Her gloves were riddled with holes, and her exposed fingers were covered with clusters of red blisters filled with white and red pus—a typical radiation skin disease.

Behind her, nearly ten children, each just over a meter tall, huddled together. Beneath their cracked helmets were dirty, gaunt faces. The children, ranging from older ones holding the hands of younger ones, wore clearly discarded adult protective gear, now in such a tattered state that it was barely functional. They had patched the torn fabric with ordinary cloth, trying to make do as best as they could.

“Captain Li… I’m Grandma Sun from the orphanage,” the elderly woman said urgently as she saw the leader looking at her. “Today is Thursday. I brought the children out to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables at the base of the mountain. We see each other often,Captain Li… Please, Captain Li, can you let us in?”

“…” This wasn’t in compliance with the law. Captain Li wanted to say that, but once again, he took a deep look at the ragged and purulent blisters on Grandma Sun’s five fingers, as well as the group of children behind her who had been orphaned since birth.

The Central Alliance was divided into two urban areas: inside and outside. The living conditions in the outer urban areas were much lower than in the inner suburban areas. Food and clothing were very problematic, not to mention contraceptive measures. However, most of them were people who were drunk and dreaming of death when they saw that life was hopeless. As a result, countless orphans were born with deformities and disabilities. Eating mushrooms with a radiation content ten times higher than the standard at the bottom of the mountain was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst, but they had no choice.

He’s afraid none of these children will live to adulthood…

He turned his head and ordered the adjutant beside him, “Take them in.”

“Yes!”

Grandma Sun was overjoyed and quickly hugged the children to let them go first, “Thank you, Captain Li; thank you, Captain Li!” The miserable children also shouted sensibly one after another, “Thank you, Captain Li!”, “Thank you, uncle!”, “…”

“Thank you, Captain Li.” A boy who walked last nodded respectfully at Captain Lie, then raised his head, revealing a pair of black and white eyes.

His cheeks were covered by a mask, and he had only one pair of eyes, even if they were blocked under the broken protective helmet, it still could not hide the brightness in them.

Captain Li couldn’t help but glance at him twice, watching him catch up with the other children, and then followed the adjutant into the security room. His sixth sense made him vaguely aware that something was wrong, but this feeling was fleeting, and he couldn’t figure it out even after thinking about it carefully.

The war was urgent, and he didn’t have time to spend more time thinking about a little boy. Captain Lie took his gaze and refocused his attention back on the battlefield.

In the security room.

Most of the personnel on duty had already returned to the city, and only one or two who didn’t have time to leave were stopped by the adjutant and asked to check on the group of children behind them before entering the city together.

“It’s Grandma Sun.” The radiation tester who stayed behind was a girl in her twenties. She obviously knew the old woman from the welfare home in front of her. While scanning with the handheld radiation detector on Grandma Sun, she said mechanically, “The radiation level hadn’t exceeded the standard. Come and scan your ID card, and then go to the back room with the children to disinfect.”

The adjutant frowned slightly and pointed to the group of children with his chin, “Don’t they need to scan their ID cards?”

“Where can they have ID cards? They don’t have any parents; they’re all unregistered children.” The girl wasn’t surprised by this, but the main reason why this group of children didn’t have ID cards was not because they were orphans but because their parents had suffered more or less radiation. These children were genetically defective, and they died quickly. It’s better not to waste manpower and material resources.

The adjutant frowned even tighter, but for the sake of a group of children who were so thin that it looked like only a skeleton was left, he didn’t say much in the end.

For fear of accidentally missing one, Grandma Sun stood in front of the disinfection room, counting the number of children one by one. “Nine, ten…eleven?”

She was taken aback; not only were they not missing one, but there was one more! Grandma Sun wanted to count again carefully, but she heard the girl on duty urging her to hurry up inside. Grandma Sun hurriedly responded and could only comfort herself by saying that she must have been dizzy and counted wrongly.

Everyone was escorted safely into the outer city. Listening to the noise of the huge filter with a diameter of two meters and a height of ten meters in his ears, the adjutant immediately said goodbye to everyone and returned to the front line, while Grandma Sun hurriedly asked all the children to line up and report the numbers in order. One by one, familiar and tender voices were shouted over. The count stopped at ten, which was the same number they had taken out in the early morning.

Grandma Sun was completely relieved, and secretly thought that she had counted it wrong…

She would definitely never know that just as the children in the welfare home were returning home with hard-picked mushrooms, Shen Shanwu, wearing an old protective cloak, was walking quickly in the alley of the uninhabited suburban city.

In the black background, his eyes gradually turned red, with a strange bloody light emitting from the shadow, and in the blink of an eye, they changed back to the familiar black and white human eyes.

 

 

 

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