Chapter 54: Yong'an Freight Yard

Yongan Freight Yard, in Wangtian City, was considered a second-tier freight yard—situated far out in the suburbs, yet its role in cargo transportation was by no means diminished because of this designation. On the contrary, as the only freight yard on the eastern side of Wangtian City, it was not only on par with the primary yards, but in some ways surpassed them. Each day, an astonishing volume of goods was loaded into containers and dispatched from here. Thousands of various cargo trucks crowded the access roads day and night.

By all logic, a freight yard with such immense cargo volumes should have been a target for everyone in the post-apocalyptic world. Yet, oddly enough, in the three and a half years since disaster struck, no one had ever set their sights on it. This was something Xie Han simply could not comprehend.

But while Xie Han was puzzled, Amu understood. He explained, “When the base was established in Yanglin Town, all efforts were concentrated there. Yanglin was a sizable town, and it took the soldiers more than two weeks to clear out the over a hundred thousand zombies. Afterwards, another week was spent combing through every corner, every inch, to ensure no zombies or infected remained. The town's factories were well-stocked, so no one risked braving the zombie hordes for food and supplies at the time. This situation lasted until about a year ago, when the increase in population led to a food crisis. The base then started sending out hunting parties to search for food. As for other supplies, those were a secondary priority after food.”

Xie Han stroked his chin and mused, “So, as long as the base resolves its food crisis, the next step will be to hunt for supplies?” Amu nodded, “That’s likely. The base’s resources have been heavily depleted after a year of these hunts. Over the past week, the expeditions have become even more frenzied. I think the pressure on supplies has reached a critical point, and they’ll soon change their strategy. After all, the food gathered this week should be enough to resolve the crisis.”

Amu’s analysis was remarkably precise, echoing Xie Han’s own thoughts. He hadn’t expected the usually reticent Amu to have such keen insight.

As the two conversed, their minibus had already sped to the entrance of Yongan Freight Yard.

The yard itself was vast, covering more than a hundred acres. The entrance revealed a row of massive warehouses, with mountains of shipping containers and scattered goods piled high in front. Dozens of cranes stood before the warehouses, some suspended, others hoisting goods in midair. One could imagine how bustling and lively this place must have been before the XR virus outbreak, with so many cranes working simultaneously.

The parking plaza was filled with all manner of freight vehicles—trailers, heavy trucks—waiting to be loaded or dispatched. The XR virus had done little to damage the trucks parked here; only those few with drivers inside at the time had suffered broken doors or shattered windshields at the hands of the newly-turned undead.

These trailers and heavy trucks were built to withstand the elements. After more than three years, most had suffered little damage—many would be in good condition with just minor repairs. But Xie Han’s eyes weren’t on the exposed trucks; his gaze fixed on the sheltered parking bays at the far end of the plaza. The vehicles under the roof, after three years, had only gathered a layer of dust. Their chances of starting were surely much higher than those left to the wind and sun.

Though greed flickered in Xie Han’s eyes, he had not lost his composure. Almost as soon as their minibus roared into the yard, the noise of its engine awoke the silence of Yongan. From within the vehicles, among the cargo, and inside the warehouses, zombies began to crawl out, quickly gathering into a surging horde, their numbers swelling as they let out guttural moans and shuffled toward the minibus.

“Our target is the trucks in the parking bays. The trailers aren’t suitable for us right now, so focus on loaded heavy trucks,” Xie Han ordered sharply. “Qiangzi, you and your team will draw the zombies away. Keep them circling as long as you can.” Xie Han split Amu’s ten men into two groups, leaving five on the minibus to guard against any zombies that got too close, while he and Amu led the other five to commandeer the trucks.

The moment the minibus door swung open, Xie Han was the first to leap out. The six of them ducked behind a shipping container, waiting for the minibus to lure the zombies away before making their move.

The workforce at Yongan Freight Yard once numbered in the thousands, not counting the additional laborers hired by cargo owners—a staggering number. If they had an armed squad, it would take only minutes to clear the place. But for the tiny minibus crew, faced with such a horde, their only choice was to flee for their lives.

Xu Qiang was extraordinarily bold. He floored the accelerator, pushing the minibus to eighty kilometers per hour as he charged straight at the oncoming zombies. Using the reinforced titanium-alloy bumper, he plowed into the swarm, flinging a dozen zombies aside. Then, with a skillful drift, the minibus screeched as its rear end swept through a line of the undead, knocking them down. These maneuvers completed, Xu Qiang spun the minibus around, stomped the gas, and sped away, narrowly escaping the encroaching zombies.

Thus, nearly all the zombies were drawn by the rampaging minibus, their moans growing louder as they gave chase.

“Incredible…” Xie Han couldn’t help but exclaim at Xu Qiang’s bold display. “Now it’s our turn.” He led the group from behind the container, sprinting toward the parking bays. Xie Han’s speed was extraordinary; by the time he reached the bays, Amu’s team was only halfway there.

Xie Han gave a wry smile; he had already restrained most of his power, yet his speed was still so startling. He didn’t dwell on it, only glanced at Amu’s astonished expression before selecting a Dongfeng Manglong heavy truck. The Dongfeng Manglong had left a profound impression on Xie Han—exceptional load capacity, powerful engine, high speed. Originally developed for military use, it was the most formidable heavy truck he had ever encountered in the apocalypse.

While Xie Han was inspecting the Dongfeng Manglong, Amu’s team arrived. There were several of these robust trucks, and none of them intended to miss out. Xie Han had been considering whether to force the door open, but Amu’s men were clearly experienced; they produced a thin metal wire, and with a few deft movements at the lock, the door popped open.

Catching Xie Han’s surprised look, Amu laughed, “When we were on the run, vehicles would get lost quickly, so we often had to switch to new ones. After doing it enough, you pick up a few tricks.” He climbed into the cab, used a small knife to cut the wires at the electronic lock, examined the connections, then twisted three wires together. The truck’s engine roared to life. After a few more attempts, the heavy truck, which hadn’t started in three and a half years, finally turned over.

The other four moved almost as quickly as Amu, and in no time, their trucks were all running.

Xie Han was a bit amazed. These vehicles, unlike modern cars equipped with smart systems, should not have been so easy to steal. But Amu’s team had overturned his expectations; their entire operation took less than three minutes. With skills like theirs, they could steal a car in under a minute in the modern world.

Lacking such expertise, Xie Han resorted to a more direct method—brute force. He smashed the window with his fist, triggering the truck’s alarm. Ignoring it, he climbed in, ripped out a bundle of wires, found the ignition leads, and quickly had the truck running.

Outside, Amu’s five trucks were already heading for the exit. Xu Qiang, apparently seeing that the job was done, swung the minibus out of its loop, shook off the pursuing zombies, and followed close behind.

(The third update for today—hope you enjoy it.)