Chapter Sixty-Four: The Rabbit’s Three Burrows

Rebuilding Civilization

Because Xie Han possessed a special permit, there were virtually no restrictions on his comings and goings at the base. Thanks to this privilege, by five o'clock the next morning, before the hunting teams had even assembled, Xie Han and Chen Liu's two squads had already left the base. This time, Xie Han's minibus did not join the convoy; instead, it was composed of eight Hummer Kings provided by Chen Liu and six heavy trucks belonging to Xie Han himself.

Xie Han was somewhat perplexed—how could Chen Liu possibly own so many Hummer Kings? Upon inquiry, he discovered that Chen Liu had once been the security captain for Wangtian Company under Tengzhong Heavy Industries. During the X-ray infection outbreak, Chen Liu had guarded a garage full of over a hundred Hummer Kings at the Wangtian branch. Through Chen Liu, Xie Han learned that General Motors’ Hummer brand was ultimately acquired by Tengzhong Heavy Industries in 2010. Over decades of development, Tengzhong built more than a dozen brands centered on Hummer, with the Hummer King as one of the most prestigious.

“Tsk, tsk, I really didn’t expect the Hummer brand to end up with Tengzhong Heavy Industries,” Xie Han sighed. “Brother Chen Liu, just how many Hummer Kings do you have?” Chen Liu grinned, replying mysteriously, “Let me take you somewhere special.”

After driving ten kilometers along the expressway, at an exit pointing toward Ling Mountain, Chen Liu led the convoy off the main road. Xie Han was puzzled and wanted to ask several times, but ultimately held his tongue—he was curious to see what Chen Liu was up to. Only Xu Qiang sat in the back seat with a stern expression, vigilantly watching the sides of the road.

Chen Liu chuckled, saying to Xu Qiang, “Relax, buddy. The zombie hordes haven’t made it to this area yet. Within five kilometers ahead, there are no signs of human habitation. Even if there are zombies, my men will deal with them ahead of time.” This time, two of Chen Liu’s Hummer Kings were equipped with large-caliber sniper rifles—14.6mm bullets capable of shredding targets with ease, his primary defense against the R3 variant.

After leaving the expressway, the road was lined with wild grass tall enough to reach a person’s head. The convoy pressed forward for another five kilometers, then veered onto a smaller path at the foot of a mountain ridge. It seemed as if they were entering a jungle—the path was overgrown, barely visible beneath the thick foliage. This setup heightened Xie Han’s curiosity; he had no idea why Chen Liu would bring him to such a place.

Soon, the convoy delved deep into the mountain range. After about ten minutes, they arrived at a forest of towering trees. Chen Liu parked his Hummer King, jumped out, and flashed Xie Han a broad smile. “We’ve arrived,” he said. He waved to his men, who swiftly jumped from one of the vehicles and jogged to a vine-covered cliff. Pulling aside the heavy vines, they revealed a dark cave.

The cave was over four meters high, slightly larger than a Hummer King. Xie Han could only see about two meters inside from the entrance. Chen Liu smiled and called out, “Welcome to my treasure cave…”

“Treasure cave?” Xie Han was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. “Brother Chen Liu, I never thought you’d have such a talent! Have you been reading too many pirate novels? I’m curious—when did you create this cave, and what treasures could possibly be inside?”

Chen Liu didn’t answer, instead beckoning Xie Han to follow him inside. His men had already illuminated the interior with military flashlights. With his keen eye, Xie Han could tell that the cave entrance was man-made, though it had been there for many years; moss covered the walls. The entrance wasn’t large, but the space inside was ample. By the flashlight’s beam, Xie Han immediately saw the contents stored within.

He gasped involuntarily, surprised by the sight of several oddly shaped armored vehicles parked inside—if they truly were armored vehicles. Beside them were dozens of wooden crates whose contents were unknown. There were many other items scattered about, all carefully wrapped to prevent moisture, leaving Xie Han unable to guess what they might be.

Chen Liu walked proudly to the armored vehicles, patting the exterior of one. “M-77 armored vehicle. Tengzhong Heavy Industries released this smart armored vehicle in year 45. Originally custom-ordered by the Armed Police Corps of Beiyuan City, Wangtian Province. Unfortunately, delivery was never made—the virus struck. There were originally seven M-77s, but two were lost, leaving just these five. This is my greatest secret. Three holes for the rabbit, as they say. Before joining the Wangtian base, I hid them here, just in case.”

Xie Han’s mouth watered. The M-77 armored vehicle was not as visually impressive as a heavy road-breaker, but in terms of armor and firepower, it far surpassed any modified heavy road-breaker. Yet, Xie Han saw no visible weapons on the five vehicles. He tapped the thick armor and remarked, “With armor like this, even R3 zombies would have a hard time tearing through, wouldn’t they?”

Chen Liu produced a controller-like device from his pocket. After entering a series of codes, the five armored vehicles suddenly lit up, their external lights flashing to life. Chen Liu approached a driver’s compartment, pressed the door, and soon an electronic female voice chimed, “Identity confirmed. Welcome, Commander-in-Chief!” The door swung open.

Xie Han burst out laughing. “Brother Chen Liu, you really are something—giving yourself the title ‘Commander-in-Chief’! Ha ha…” Xie Han, having survived the apocalypse for some time, understood immediately—this was an advanced smart system, far more sophisticated than conventional vehicle electronics.

Chen Liu blushed, murmuring, “It was just for fun at the time, so I set up the voice like that.” He climbed inside and called out, “It seems weaponless, doesn’t it? Actually, it was designed for the armed police, so the weapons are all concealed.” He pressed several buttons, and a twin-barreled weapon emerged from the roof.

Xie Han realized he had never seen such a weapon before—or perhaps it shouldn’t even be called a weapon, for it looked more like a launcher. Chen Liu explained, “G-11 twin laser cannon, the main armament of this armored vehicle. Its power can easily send a Hummer King sky-high.” With further manipulation, the vehicle underwent a dramatic transformation: four eight-barrel heavy machine guns appeared on either side, and even a small cluster cannon was revealed.

Watching the armored vehicle bare its fangs, it was unrecognizable from before—its gleaming arsenal was truly intimidating. To Xie Han, this armored vehicle was now a mobile firepower platform. The twin laser cannon on the roof was, without doubt, the most formidable weapon he had seen in the apocalypse—so advanced that only a few military units had access to it. Why it would appear on a police custom order was beyond Xie Han’s comprehension.

“How about it?” Chen Liu asked proudly—this was his greatest asset. What could Xie Han say? With these five armored vehicles, he had no worries about Gao Tianhao’s heavy road-breakers; the laser cannon could tear through them in a few shots. Of course, Xie Han wasn’t deluded enough to think the laser cannon could penetrate the armor of a main battle tank—the difference between tank armor and the metal on a heavy road-breaker was vast, and the latter didn’t even have true armor.

Chen Liu’s surprises for Xie Han didn’t end there. The cave held nearly all types of ammunition, with armor-piercing and explosive rounds dominating. Xie Han could easily imagine the devastation these eight-barrel machine guns could inflict on zombie hordes.

Since they were establishing a temporary camp, there was no reason to leave these supplies behind. Chen Liu’s intention this time was to move the armored vehicles out, providing the strongest fire support for their upcoming operations.