Chapter 7: The Trap

Half an hour later, all four members of the squad, along with five refugees, had completed their preparations.

Chen Jian noticed that these refugees were exceptionally well-prepared in terms of infrared camouflage.

Not only did they completely wrap themselves in aluminum foil, but they also wore waterproof cloaks over the foil, followed by an additional layer of damp cloth draped on top.

In this early winter, with temperatures already below ten degrees Celsius, even setting the thermal fusion night vision goggles to their highest sensitivity barely detected any significant infrared signals.

Their level of skill was on par with the four squad members wearing full anti-infrared combat suits.

These people possessed extensive survival experience.

So, in this world, is it solely these experiences that keep them alive?

Perhaps there was more to it.

Chen Jian put on his tactical goggles again, calibrated the anti-sniper radar sensitivity, and then followed Du Hu, leading the squad down the stairs and out of the building.

Only then did he truly see the real face of this dead city.

Most of the skyscrapers were tilted or collapsed, and the cars parked along the streets were buried in dust, revealing rusted, skeletal frames.

Judging by the rust on the metal, these vehicles had remained stationary for decades, perhaps even over a century.

Yet, strangely, not a single green plant could be seen anywhere in the city. Only in cracks on the ground could one occasionally find moss struggling to survive.

This was highly unusual.

Just less than a kilometer away, in the suburban outskirts, countless giant trees still grew.

Their squad of four had endured a difficult trek just to emerge from the jungle and arrive here.

These two areas felt like two entirely different worlds.

Why was that?

Could this stark contrast be caused by the so-called "mother entity"?

Chen Jian wanted to ask, but clearly, this was not the right moment.

So, he suppressed his doubts, deciding to seek answers once they returned to the shelter.

Meanwhile, Du Hu led the squad on foot through two narrow alleys, emerging onto a wider street.

He then approached a collapsed hole in the ground.

Chen Jian’s eyes flickered as he asked, “Looks familiar?”

“Very familiar. A subway station,” Shen Yue nodded slightly, then leaned toward Chen Jian and asked, “Are we collecting food from the subway? You don’t mean to catch rats, do you?”

“I don’t know,” Chen Jian said.

He unlocked his 191 pistol’s safety, then switched to English, lowering his voice.

“But I feel something’s off.”

“The streets are so quiet, and their movements are fast—as if they’re completely unguarded.”

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“Plus, considering those creatures’ physiology—their infrared vision and such—it’s clear they mostly operate at night or in darkness.”

“If that’s the case, why risk going underground?”

“Could it be that there’s really no food left on the surface?”

“In any case, be prepared for combat. Once underground, immediately start mapping out retreat routes and update the PDA in real time.”

“I’m not saying they’re setting us up, but the probability of an incident... is high.”

“Understood.”

“Received.”

The others responded one by one, powering on their goggles and PDAs. The entire squad shifted into combat readiness once more.

Descending along the subway entrance, the air in the tunnel grew damp and the light dimmer.

Du Hu, at the front, lit a small torch for illumination and occasionally used hand signals to indicate direction.

As they went deeper, the terrain became more complex.

The ravaged subway station bore no resemblance to the modern stations Chen Jian remembered. Without any signs or guides, even the most trained could easily lose their way in the chaotic tunnels.

Half an hour passed, and Du Hu’s pace showed no sign of slowing.

Chen Jian’s unease intensified, and he realized this mission was far from simple.

This sense of danger was honed through long training and multiple real combat experiences, and it had never been wrong.

Decisively, he signaled a formation change. The squad silently shifted from two pairs in a double column to a single file of four.

Chen Jian stayed close behind Du Hu, while the others fell back, leaving the group of five refugees completely separated.

This was a prudent, precautionary change.

Yet, right after the squad shifted, Chen Jian noticed the entire group’s pace slowed.

His vigilance peaked, and he instinctively wanted to halt and observe.

But in that instant, Du Hu suddenly stopped.

Turning, he pulled something from his pocket.

The next second—

“Boom!”

A tremendous explosion erupted inside the tunnel, followed by Du Hu’s hoarse shout.

“Run!”

Chen Jian felt as if he’d been hit by a stun grenade—the dizziness surged immediately, and his night vision turned stark white.

He instantly realized that Du Hu’s cry of “Run!” was not meant for these four strangers.

They had planned this all along—they intended to kill him here.

“Fire!”

Without hesitation, Chen Jian ordered. Almost simultaneously, the thermal fusion goggles switched from low-light to white-light fusion mode.

His vision instantly sharpened. He saw Du Hu’s figure flash past and immediately pulled the trigger on his 191 pistol.

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“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Gunfire echoed throughout the tunnel as the other three opened fire simultaneously.

In the flickering muzzle flashes, Du Hu collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, the other four refugees tried to flee to a side passage but were precisely eliminated by Lei Jie’s highly agile shots from his QCQ171.

“Reload! Cease fire!”

The battle erupted and ended in an instant.

“He Shuo, deploy the drone to map the area and locate advantageous positions!”

“Lei Jie, set up trip mines front and back to block enemy advance routes.”

“Shen Yue, set up your weapon and prepare to engage!”

“Understood!”

The three acted immediately, while Chen Jian gripped his 191 tightly, eyes fixed on the tunnel ahead, assuming a standard combat stance.

He knew it wasn’t these five refugees who truly threatened his squad.

They had lured them here with great effort, so there must be a hidden backup plan.

While detonating the stun grenade, they intended to escape.

But escape from whom?

Chen Jian’s heart pounded fiercely. The tunnel fell into suffocating silence.

Only the faint groans of the barely alive Du Hu echoed.

“Y-you... how could you see...”

“Impossible... impossible...”

“Tell me what’s coming, and you can live!”

Chen Jian spoke calmly. Du Hu coughed twice, then struggled to say,

“...It’s too late... too late...”

“We... none of us can escape...”

As his words fell, a harsh scraping noise came from deep within the passage.

Chen Jian was no fool to wait idly.

He immediately ordered a retreat in the opposite direction.

The four sprinted, guided by the map on their goggles, moving astonishingly fast.

The scraping grew louder, and Chen Jian heard Du Hu’s scream behind them.

He glanced back—and a horrifying sight met his eyes.

The “mother entity” he had seen just yesterday was now grotesquely twisted, packed tightly inside the subway tunnel like an octopus forced into a glass jar.

And in the octopus’s mouth was the half of Du Hu’s body that remained...