Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 922 - 401 Reunion

Chapter 922: Chapter 401 Reunion

There were more survivors in the southern district than Lin Wu had expected, and perhaps because of this, the density of zombies in the area was quite low. Lin Wu even saw two groups of survivors armed with various melee weapons facing off in a grain and oil shop on the business street. Lin Wu didn’t want to stir up trouble, so he walked on the other side of the street, and moved forward relying on trees or cars to avoid getting shot. Even if the others didn’t have guns, they might have bows and arrows or the like.

One must absolutely not be taken down, and should never think they’re the main character of a movie or TV show who can befriend their attacker after being assaulted. Once you lose the right and ability to defend yourself and counterattack, you’re essentially signing your own death certificate.

The two opposing groups seemed to know each other; their gazes turned to Lin Wu, and they even stepped outside the shop, mumbling quietly as if considering the idea of turning a foe into a friend by addition to their own strength. However, they didn’t take action. For one thing, Lin Wu moved too quickly; for another, they dared not lightly provoke such a lone ranger. Anyone who dares to move through the city like that must have some skills.

Moving stealthily and cautiously, by around two in the afternoon, Lin Wu reached the vicinity of Triumph Building. Triumph Building was at the upper right corner of an intersection on the business street, and at the lower left corner of the intersection was a construction site. The site was still tidy, only a foundation had been laid. The main part of the foundation was concrete, interspersed with steel rebar every ten meters or so, apparently for the building’s columns.

Inside the fence of the construction site were three cars, two black and one white, unexpectedly all waterlogged and unable to be driven. Another car was a food truck, parked in an empty spot, probably to solve the dining and teatime needs of the construction workers.

The food truck faced the foundation, while its back was towards a three-meter-deep pit. Lin Wu opened the door of the food truck, which against his expectations, was devoid of any smell, presumably because it wasn’t ready to open for business yet. Inside, indeed, it was spotlessly clean. Even the refrigerator was completely empty.

If there was anything, it would be the half bottle of olive oil and some bulk condiments on the counter, as well as the bowls and chopsticks in the disinfection cabinet. Lin Wu found the car keys in the driver’s seat and tried to start the vehicle to no avail. Though the water hadn’t reached above kitchen counter level, half of the truck must have been soaked in water for an extended period.

Lin Wu took a piece of scrap paper and crumpled it in his hands. Then he poured half a bowl of olive oil and soaked his makeshift paper wick in it, leaving a bit of it outside the oil. After the paper had absorbed the oil, he lit the wick with his lighter, pulled down the food truck’s extension board, and placed the oil lamp on it.

To keep the oil lamp from going out, Lin Wu used a few acrylic boards he found nearby to make a lampshade, encircling the oil lamp. After finishing, he looked up at Triumph Building, about thirty meters away, and took out his satellite phone to call Maya.

Damn, out of credit! What a nightmare. Lin Wu understood that phone bills are expensive, but it’s the end of the world, why couldn’t you top it up a bit more while money still had some value?

Nightmare: You tell me, how long did you talk on the phone yesterday?

Maya was cautious; she did not put her faith entirely in electronic devices, and had arranged the food truck as a rendezvous point. Maya would look out the window every few hours. Maya emphasized repeatedly that after arriving at the food truck, just change the structure of the truck a bit to let her know that you’ve arrived, and do not enter Triumph Building or try to find her.

The 85 female prisoners inside could easily swallow Lin Wu whole.

Lin Wu opened the truck’s door, placed his backpack beside the door, and walked to the wall. He walked around it for about ten meters and sat down among the weeds between the two stones. From this position, only the food truck could be seen, and likewise, only someone at the food truck could see Lin Wu.

Maya never showed up until nightfall, and no one else entered the construction site.

Lin Wu silently went back to the food truck, retrieved his backpack, and took a gas canister, a gas stove, a pot, and a pair of chopsticks down to the pit behind the truck. He lit a fire, poured water from a thermos cup, and added instant noodles. Then, wearing night-vision goggles, he found several pools of water in the pit, confirming they were free of zombie virus contamination and there were no animal corpses nearby, before filling his two thermos cups with water.

By the time he returned, the noodles were ready. Lin Wu took the pot to one side, pulled out chopsticks from a pocket on his shoulder, and started eating. He had only taken a few bites when Lin Wu heard the sound of zombies. With his experience, he judged that the zombies were located to the southeast, about 12 meters away, outside the wall. There were several gaps in the construction site’s wall, and the likelihood of zombies entering it was not high, but if Maya didn’t show up soon, Lin Wu wouldn’t be able to rest well tonight.

Why hadn’t Maya appeared? Based on Lin Wu’s knowledge of her, the first possibility was that Maya had died or lost her freedom. The second possibility was that Maya knew he had arrived that afternoon, but with her personality, she wouldn’t leave a pile of matters behind and depart alone; she was likely to handle some transitional tasks first.

Considering the lack of power, the elevators in Triumph Building were not functional, and with many zombies inside, Lin Wu was more concerned about how Maya would leave the building. As for the outside, the density of zombies was very low, so it wasn’t too worrisome.

At 11 p.m., a stone hit the food truck. Lin Wu stepped on the gas canister, propped himself up with both hands, and poked his head out of the pit, seeing Maya by the oil lamp. Maya was wearing a desert camo uniform, carrying a large desert-colored backpack, holding a crowbar, and waving towards the 36th floor of Triumph Building.

Lin Wu crept up, and as a bright light shone on him from the 36th floor, Maya noticed the shift in light and spotted Lin Wu, saying, "Ambush failed." The smile on her face was unmistakable, and she stepped forward to shake hands with Lin Wu, hugged him briefly, and let go.