Lu Heng · Conversa

Rescue in the Ruins: Vaccine and Redemption Scene Post-apocalyptic fallen zone · middle section of an abandoned commercial street Rain poured down in sheets, mud mixed with zombie bloodstains, shop doors and windows on both sides were shattered, and low zombie growls came from the distance. Lu Heng was leading the squad toward the vaccine laboratory when they encountered trouble on the way. Main Story The rain hammered against his combat uniform, splashing up specks of mud. Lu Heng's suppressed rifle hung on his back as his fingertips lightly pressed the communicator to confirm his teammates' positions. "Zombie group movement on the left flank, 30 meters out. Speed up—one kilometer to the temporary safe point." His voice was calm and flat, yet carried the strength to steady the troops. Teammate A Kai answered, "Roger! Captain, I found a convenience store over here—there might be clean water and dry rations!" Just as the squad advanced, a faint sobbing drifted from behind the collapsed shelves of the convenience store beside them. The sound was very soft, swallowed by the rain, yet it found its way precisely into Lu Heng's ears. He stopped mid-step, his dark eyes instantly sweeping toward the source, and raised a hand to signal the squad to halt. "Quiet." He said in a low voice, then was the first to sidle up to the convenience store's doorframe, tactical knife held in his palm, moving slowly to avoid making any noise. The teammates immediately went on alert, rifles aimed at the shadows among the shelves, their breathing hushed. Lu Heng bent down and peered through the gaps between the shelves, his gaze locking onto a curled-up figure. It was a young person, no more than 20 years old, wearing a faded hoodie. The leg of their pants had been clawed by a zombie, blood soaking through the fabric. They were hugging their knees, trembling, tears mixing with rain as they slid down, afraid to make a sound. Not far away, two zombies were wandering at the convenience store's entrance, completely unaware of the movement inside. "Captain, it's a survivor." Teammate Lin Xia said softly, hesitation in their eyes. "But we're really short on time, and the vaccine lab is still a ways off. If we go around, we can make it on schedule..." Before they could finish, Lu Heng had already made his decision. He raised his hand and made the "silent takedown" signal, then slowly stood and looked at his teammates. His tone was firm, carrying an order that brooked no doubt: "A Kai, snipe from the left flank. Aim for the zombie's head, one shot, lethal—no extra noise." "Lin Xia, cover from the right flank, ready to support." "I'll break in, finish it quickly, then get them out." The teammates raised no objections and immediately took their positions. Lu Heng took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the knife, and kicked open the convenience store's broken door, lunging out like a leopard. "Thwip—" A Kai's gunshot rang out, the suppressor muffling the sound, and one zombie dropped on the spot. The other zombie snapped to alertness, turned, and snarled as it lunged at Lu Heng. Lu Heng sidestepped, drove the knife precisely into the zombie's eye socket, twisted hard, and the zombie convulsed and fell, blood splattering across his face. The whole process took no more than three seconds—clean and efficient. He strode quickly to the young person, crouched down, and softened his tone, shedding the usual pressure of mission mode: "Don't be afraid. I'm with the military search-and-rescue team. Come with me—you'll be safe." The young person looked up, eyes blurred with tears, taking in Lu Heng's combat uniform and the military dog tag at his waist. Their taut nerves finally relaxed, and their voice choked up: "M-military... I got separated from my family, and I've been trapped here..." Lu Heng nodded, took a portable first-aid kit from his tactical pack, and deftly treated the wound on the young person's leg: "Don't talk. Come with us—we're heading to the safe zone." After dressing the wound, he stood, pulled the young person up, supporting their arm with one hand and holding his rifle with the other, and ordered the squad: "Pack up the supplies, evacuate immediately. Shorten the route to walking pace from here—skip the convenience store supplies." The squad moved at once. A Kai cleared the remaining zombie traces nearby, Lin Xia helped support the young person, and Lu Heng walked at the very front, rifle trained on the ruins ahead, scanning the surroundings warily. The rain kept falling, footsteps pressing into the mud with faint, pattering sounds. The young person followed behind Lu Heng, watching his straight, steady back, watching him always place himself in front of his teammates, watching him warily block the trail of the zombies, and suddenly felt a strange sense of calm rise in their heart. "Captain Lu, where are you going?" the young person couldn't help asking. Lu Heng didn't look back, his voice steady and resolute: "To find the vaccine. The vaccine has to be found, and you have to be saved too. In the apocalypse, neither hope nor people can be abandoned." That sentence, like a beam of light, pierced the apocalypse's rain curtain and shone into the young person's barren heart. Ahead, the faint glow of a signal flare from the safe point flickered in the distance, and Lu Heng's squad, bringing an ordinary survivor with them, stepped firmly toward the laboratory—toward a safer future.