Chapter 43 Did Xu Hanfeng betray me?

Looking up, we saw a helicopter hovering mid-air, with two Gatling guns extending from its sides. Their muzzles spat fire in a terrifying display of firepower. The targeted zombies were instantly blown apart, flesh and blood flying everywhere as a massive wave of them crashed to the ground.

Bizarrely, however, the remaining zombies did not press their frantic attack. Instead, they quickly began to retreat, as if possessed by intelligence.

As everyone knows, ordinary zombies are mindless and devoid of sensation, capable of doing nothing more than charging blindly ahead. Yet this mutated horde of zombies had unexpectedly begun to act like humans, showing an understanding of the situation and knowing when to fall back.

We stared at the scene in utter shock.

The helicopter descended slowly, its rotors churning up a windstorm like a raging dragon, threatening to sweep away our group of exhausted travelers in a single gust.

When the iron behemoth finally steadied, the cabin door opened and three figures leaped out. Their attire and bearing were unmistakably those of special forces operatives. Could they be reinforcements sent by the government? Our hearts leaped into our throats.

The three strode toward us with vigorous steps. The leader, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, spoke immediately, "We are from the 104th Military Region. Which one of you is Captain Xu of the Skywolf Commando?"

Xu Hanfeng remained unhurried. He fished a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly replied.

"I am."

Hearing this, the three instantly stood at attention, their military salute executed with crisp and clean precision, as though measured by a ruler. Xu Hanfeng returned a standard military salute in kind.

The three of us muttered softly among ourselves in the background. I lowered my voice and said, "Looks like the boss's background is no simple matter."

Jiang Hanchuan chimed in, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Yeah, yeah! And... he's some kind of commando captain. Looks like we finally have someone to lean on."

Luo Yucheng, however, wore a puzzled expression, her brow tightly furrowed. "Didn't Brother Feng say he was retired? How is he still a captain?"

At those words, sudden realization dawned on us. That was right—Xu Hanfeng had always claimed he had retired. What was going on here?

Yet, at that moment, I had no spare energy to ponder it further. My mind was consumed by an inexpressible surge of excitement. "No matter what, we're finally saved now! We even get to ride straight in a helicopter, flying safely to the national survivor base!"

The three of us rejoiced secretly. Having endured countless hardships along this long road, we could finally see the dawn of hope.

The leading special forces soldier looked past Xu Hanfeng and asked, "Captain Xu, which one of you is Li Linyu?"

Xu Hanfeng turned around and gently patted my shoulder. The meaning could not have been clearer.

"They're looking for me?"

I muttered inwardly, filled with bewilderment. The three special forces soldiers walked toward me with lightning speed and smoothly produced a pair of handcuffs. With a click, my wrists were locked.

I froze, staring at their fluid movements, my mind a complete blank.

Seeing this, Xu Hanfeng furrowed his brow, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Boss, what is the meaning of this?" I panicked and hurriedly asked.

While everyone was still utterly confused, the roar of another helicopter suddenly echoed from the sky. After circling above us a few times, it landed steadily nearby.

The three special forces soldiers escorted me forward, and the leader spoke, "Captain Xu, the commander thanks you for your loyalty to the Huaxia Nation. Leave Subject Number 5 to us!"

He paused, pointed at the nearby helicopter, and added, "The commander is waiting for you at the military region to award you a medal!"

Upon hearing these words, my heart skipped a beat, and a sense of impending doom washed over me. I began to struggle violently, roaring, "Let me go! What are you people doing?"

Xu Hanfeng quickly raised a hand in a gesture to halt, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority, "Where are you taking him?"

"He is being sent to the 104th Military Region's virus laboratory as experimental subject number five!" The lead special forces soldier said as he slipped a black hood over my head. That cold voice echoed in my ear like a death sentence, pronouncing my doom.

My mind went completely blank. It was truly over; I had ended up as a lab rat after all. I had been conned!

"Xu Hanfeng, you bastard! You tricked me! You betrayed me!" I suddenly shrieked hysterically. I fought with all my might, but no matter how hard I tried, it was all in vain.

In the end, I was forcibly dragged onto the helicopter. The craft slowly lifted off, the cold touch of its metal feeling like the beginning of my descent into the abyss.

"Xu Hanfeng, you bastard! If I die, even if I turn into a zombie, I won't let you go!"

My final roar gradually faded away in the air.

Luo Yucheng took an anxious step forward, her gaze burning as it locked onto Xu Hanfeng's face. With a tremor in her voice, she asked, "Brother Feng, what is going on here? Linyu... is he in danger?"

Xu Hanfeng abandoned his usual composure, staring with hollow eyes at the slowly receding vapor trail of the helicopter, as if all his strength had been drained from him. He remained silent.

Seeing this, Jiang Hanchuan experienced a turbulent mix of emotions. He cautiously stepped closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Chief, did you really betray Linyu?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Xu Hanfeng whipped his head around, a flash of anger in his eyes as he spoke in a low, powerful voice.

"I, did, not!"

Those words struck like a thunderclap, sending a profound shock through both Luo Yucheng and Jiang Hanchuan. When had they ever seen Xu Hanfeng lose his composure like this? Though every fiber of their being wanted to trust him, the various signs before them felt like piercing cold ice, chilling them to the bone.

Xu Hanfeng took a deep breath, struggling to calm the turmoil in his heart, and his voice regained its customary calmness. "I don't know either. Perhaps... even I have been played for a fool!"

Just as his voice fell, two men in special forces uniforms leaped nimbly from another helicopter in the distance and executed a crisp military salute to Xu Hanfeng. "Captain Xu, let's go! The commander is still waiting for you!"

Their urging made the already tense atmosphere even more oppressive.

At that moment, however, Xu Hanfeng turned back, looked at Luo Yucheng and Jiang Hanchuan behind him, and said to the two special forces soldiers, "I am taking these two people with me."

Hearing this, the special forces soldiers wore troubled expressions and hesitated. "Uh... according to regulations..."

Before they could finish, Xu Hanfeng's gaze instantly turned sharp, like a blade in the dead of winter, and he reprimanded them, "I am now ordering you with the rank of colonel!"

His words carried an irresistible authority. Upon hearing this, the two soldiers straightened up instantly and dared not utter another word.

With a sweeping gesture of his hand, Xu Hanfeng led Luo Yucheng and Jiang Hanchuan onto the helicopter. The roar of the rotors was deafening as the aircraft soared into the air, heading straight toward the 104th Military Region.

Along the way, the hearts of Luo Yucheng and Jiang Hanchuan remained suspended in their throats, while an even greater storm seemed to be waiting for them ahead...