Chapter 149: Abandoned Factory |
A long streak of gold stretched across the edge of the horizon, heralding the sunrise. The time was exactly 6:34 AM. Bai Mu crested a small rocky hill and gazed down from the vantage point, taking in the ruins of the Abandoned Factory.
Faint traces of old farmlands and roads scarred the surrounding landscape, long surrendered to time. Overgrown weeds choked the plots that had once been carefully cultivated and partitioned off, though the intense heat had baked them bone-dry. Patches of the fields bore blackened scorch marks where the sheer temperature had caused the dry brush to spontaneously combust.
The extreme heat had withered away the vast majority of the plant life. Even the river that once flowed near the factory had been reduced to nothing more than a parched, cracked riverbed.
It was a scene of apocalyptic desolation. The steel pipes and construction materials discarded outside the facility were already heavily rusted over.
The group made their way down the hill and onto the flat ground. Using a sturdy rope, Bai Mu strapped the unconscious sentinel securely to his back. This freed up both of his hands to ready his shotgun. Motioning for the others to stay close behind him, he led them in to cautiously explore the factory grounds.
He had no way of knowing if the place was truly deserted, but as they advanced, they found zero traces of human footprints. They did spot a few faint bite marks and scattered tufts of animal fur, but judging by their condition, they had been left behind a very long time ago.
Keeping his guard up, he patrolled a short perimeter around the exterior before prying the lock off a rusted iron door. As they stepped inside the facility, they were greeted by the sight of blue-painted manufacturing floors meant for canning, alongside various storage warehouses.
The structures were built from cheap corrugated shipping containers. Unable to withstand years of exposure to the elements, many sections of the paneling had peeled away, allowing the wind to whistle through the gaps.
The three children were struggling to keep their eyes open. Their legs felt like they were filled with solid lead, barely able to lift another step.
Given that it was a cannery, it naturally featured subterranean storage rooms to keep goods cool. It was exactly this feature that had prompted him to choose the factory as their destination.
The facility's water and power systems had broken down ages ago. Anything of actual value had been stripped bare and divided up by the employees and management when the factory went bankrupt. The only items left behind were massive pieces of machinery that were too heavy to move or impossible to sell, along with a few small transport handcarts.
Clicking on his flashlight, Bai Mu led the way into the dark, enclosed underground space. The stagnant air hung heavy with the scent of dampness and settled dust.
The storage room was piled high with random clutter: battered cardboard boxes, scattered tools, desks, stools, chairs, and several mattresses. Because the factory was located so far out of the city, the workers had basically been forced to live on-site, which thankfully spared Bai Mu's group the torture of sleeping on the cold, hard floor.
Bai Mu dragged out the thick foam mattresses and arranged them into makeshift beds. They were coated in a thick layer of dust, but everyone was far too exhausted to care about cleanliness at this point.
After sipping some water and eating a few biscuits, the three children collapsed onto the mattresses, plunging into a deep sleep the instant their heads hit the foam. Their leg muscles twitched in involuntary spasms, and their tender skin was chafed raw and bleeding. They had truly pushed themselves to their absolute limits.
They had relied entirely on sheer willpower to make it to the destination, and now that their frayed nerves finally relaxed, a tidal wave of exhaustion washed over them. Ironically, the sentinel ended up being the most well-rested member of the group. He had been unconscious the entire trip, not having to walk a single step himself. Of course, calling him "well-rested" required completely ignoring the brutal gunshot wounds on his arm, leg, and chest. The bandages tightly wrapped around his injuries were already blooming with fresh crimson stains, and his face was deathly pale from immense blood loss. Bai Mu fed him another Health Potion. However, it seemed that these healing items weren't entirely effective on the native characters of the Script.
It was just like when he encountered Stephen in Mount Massive Asylum; no amount of healing items could restore Stephen to full Health. It was highly likely that Health Potions could only replenish the numerical Health value of the Script's characters, but couldn't physically heal their open wounds or replenish the blood they had lost.
Regardless, his condition looked much more stable now. Whether he woke up or not was entirely in the hands of fate. Bai Mu just hoped the man hadn't contracted an infection or suffered an internal brain hemorrhage that would leave him in a vegetative state.
To prevent the sentinel from waking up disoriented and doing something foolish before understanding the situation, Bai Mu bound his wrists and ankles with a thick rope, firmly securing him to a heavy-duty load-bearing support beam of a shelving unit.
After finishing his tasks, Bai Mu didn't immediately lie down to rest. Instead, he walked back outside the underground warehouse and summoned the Witch.
The Witch had been obediently trailing behind the group the entire journey, strictly following Bai Mu's orders.
Glancing at the Summon interface, he could see the Witch's status. She was in far better condition than anyone else. As a special infected variant, she possessed a terrifying level of endurance that no normal human could ever hope to match. Mundane needs like eating or sleeping were practically irrelevant to an entity like her.
Bai Mu relieved her of the heavy backpack she carried, then issued a strict command for her to stand guard at the entrance. Having a tireless, phenomenally lethal, and completely loyal subordinate was an absolute blessing in times like this.
The Witch was already hyper-sensitive to changes in sound and light. If any wandering beast, human survivor, or Doppelganger dared approach, it would be impossible for them to slip past her monstrous perception. Bai Mu instructed the Witch to rap on the iron door to alert him of any danger. She nodded obediently and shuffled over to a dark corner right beside the main entrance of the abandoned warehouse, crouching down to keep watch.
Shafts of sunlight pierced through the collapsed sections of the roof overhead, illuminating dancing motes of dust in the golden beams. The Witch sat in absolute silence, faithfully executing the task Bai Mu had assigned her. Her emaciated, slender frame looked so frail that a strong gust of wind might blow her over, but that fragility was nothing more than a deadly illusion. The horrifying truth lay in the metallic glint of the razor-sharp claws extending from her pale fingers. Those elongated talons could shred flesh like a meat grinder. If that pale, skin-wearing Doppelganger from last night ever went toe-to-toe with the Witch, Bai Mu was absolutely certain his summon would tear it to shreds.
In a straight one-on-one fight, she might suffer a few scratches, but she would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
Feeling entirely at ease leaving the exterior defense in the Witch's capable hands, Bai Mu retreated into the underground storage room. He slid the heavy iron deadbolt into place, locking the door from the inside, and finally collapsed onto an empty mattress.
As the back of his head sank into the yielding foam, he basked in the crisp, cool air of the subterranean space. It was significantly colder down here than the stifling house he had holed up in for the past ten days in the city. At the very least, he no longer felt like he was slowly baking alive, constantly dripping with sweat.
Back in the concrete jungle of the city, the temperature would skyrocket to excruciating, intolerable levels within thirty minutes of the sun rising.
A wave of profound comfort and relief washed over him. Whatever bloody chaos was currently unfolding on the city streets, it was no longer his problem. He had never suffered from the delusion that he possessed the power to alter the tragic fates of the masses.
His top priority was ensuring his own survival. At best, he could only stretch his protection to include those few he had the immediate capability to save.
Though the journey had been grueling, this long, harrowing night was finally over. They had secured shelter in a forgotten Abandoned Factory, a set of desolate ruins in the middle of nowhere that even the Doppelgangers would likely ignore.
With that final comforting thought, Bai Mu closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.