Helen, I'm unable to type right now, so I can only send voice messages.
Waldo, I passed out earlier, but now I'm relatively safe for the time being.
Waldo received the message and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He then asked, "What exactly happened?"
Helen truthfully explained the situation.
Russ somehow found his old friend, someone named Ged. This morning, in the shelter, Russ confronted me officially.
I took the opportunity to shoot him in the shoulder, but that Ged guy was strong, and he quickly overpowered me.
Afterward, they both brought me to the Wolf Pack, intending to present me to their leader. Now I'm locked in a warehouse, but I don't know the exact location.
Waldo furrowed his brows upon hearing the voice message.
He knew Ged as well.
Ged used to be one of Russ's subordinates.
It's as if I'm carrying all the burdens while Russ reaps the benefits.
And how about you? How are you doing?
Helen quickly replied with another voice message, saying, "I'm fine. I'm wearing a protective suit I collected, which is bulletproof. They currently can't take it off me.
However, Russ suggested to the Wolf Pack that they starve me for a few days until I take it off myself."
Waldo scoffed.
Selfish people who take advantage of others should not exist in this world.
Helen continued, "Waldo, I have a rather audacious request. I want you to come and save me. I can offer you this protective suit as a reward.
Of course, if it's too dangerous, please don't come. I don't want to put you in danger."
Well, that's quite convenient.
I already obtained the antivirus serum, and I was planning to pay Russ a visit.
Waldo nodded in agreement.
Alright, send me the coordinates, and I'll come to rescue you.
But let's make it clear in advance, if it's too dangerous, I'll turn back. Understand?
Helen quickly replied, "With your words, I feel relieved. I'll send you the coordinates right away."
Waldo received the coordinates and furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
He didn't expect the Wolf Pack's hideout to be so far from his location in the residential area.
"Helen, the distance between us is nearly a hundred kilometers, quite far. Even if I drive at full speed, it'll still take half a day to get there. During this time, you'll have to adapt on your own and wait for me."
Helen sent a voice message in response.
"Alright, I'll wait for you. For now, I'm locked in a warehouse and relatively safe. Please take care."
Waldo closed the chat window and started organizing his combat supplies while checking the tire pressure of his car.
Alanna noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Is something urgent?"
Waldo sighed helplessly and replied, "I have an old enemy from college that I need to take care of. I'm also planning to rescue a classmate."
"Is it the girl you often provide supplies to?"
Waldo nodded and began refueling his car.
Alanna also took out her handgun.
"I'll accompany you. More people means more strength."
Waldo didn't agree and explained, "Helen has been captured by the Wolf Pack, and they've been gaining momentum lately. I can't guarantee your safety."
"But I can handle it myself, using stealth if necessary. It's better if you stay home and wait for my updates."
Alanna pursed her lips.
"Alright then, but make sure to contact me if the situation changes!"
Waldo gently touched Alanna's hair, sat in the driver's seat of the car, and started the engine.
In peaceful times, a hundred kilometers would only take a little over an hour.
But in this apocalyptic world full of zombies, one had to be cautious and avoid drawing attention.
When he arrived near the Wolf Pack's stronghold, it was already late at night.
Waldo didn't want to alert them, so he turned off the engine a few kilometers away and proceeded on foot.
The Wolf Pack's base had numerous guards, with sentries stationed every ten steps.
Clearly, their scale had far surpassed Mia's group.
Waldo had no idea what the Wolf Pack members looked like, so he couldn't capture their leader without knowing their identities. Therefore, he chose the most direct approach: arson.
Today, Bert was on duty at the main gate, accompanied by his roommate Greg. Both of them were already tired, but they had drawn the short straw for the late-night shift.
Bert yawned and scratched his butt, saying to Greg, "Hey, there are so many mosquitoes tonight." However, he didn't hear Greg's response. When he turned his head, he saw Greg clutching his neck, unable to make a sound. Watching Greg's neck gush blood and him dying, Bert's eyes widened in horror.
He was about to pull the nearby alarm bell when he suddenly felt as if invisible hands were covering his mouth and nose, suffocating him. Then, he felt a burning sensation on his own neck. His consciousness started to blur.
Waldo released the two dead gate guards, still maintaining his invisibility. He took out two cans of gasoline and quietly poured them on the ground, creating a trail from outside to inside.
Inside the collective dormitory of the Wolf Pack, many people had already gone to sleep, but there were still some restless youngsters who couldn't doze off.
A few of them sneaked around with flashlights, flipping through a somewhat tattered adult manga book. They were engrossed in the explicit and exhilarating scenes, occasionally letting out muffled exclamations.
Just as they were immersed in the arousing pages of the manga, one of them suddenly said, "Hey, can you guys smell gasoline? It's really strong."
The others sniffed and replied, "Yeah, there seems to be a smell of gasoline. So what? Maybe there's an oil leak somewhere. Let's just go to sleep and ignore it!"
The person who raised the alarm was getting anxious. "Damn it, this manga is mine. Are you guys trying to kick me out? Hurry up and make some room!"
The group continued their fervent study.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Oh shit! Something's not right! We don't have several bottles of gasoline here! It's bad, something's happening!!"
Only then did everyone snap out of their trance and prepare to go out and investigate.
Boom!
Before they could step outside, a deafening explosion shook the place. It was a hand grenade!
Immediately, fierce flames ignited and rapidly spread throughout the stronghold.
"Put out the fire!" The crowd yelled, awakening other sleeping members of the Wolf Pack. They couldn't afford to hesitate as they watched their own base engulfed in flames.
They quickly fled, not having time to think. In such a critical situation with scarce resources, everyone was for themselves, and using precious water to extinguish the fire was out of the question.
Meanwhile, Waldo, the instigator of all this chaos, activated his stealth ability. He maneuvered through the chaotic crowd, constantly searching each room.
At that moment, he noticed a bald man with a blind right eye standing on the balcony of a two-story building at the center of the Wolf Pack's stronghold. The man was shouting angrily at the fleeing Wolf Pack members below.
"You bunch of useless dogs! What the hell are you running for? Put out the fire! Water means nothing! If it's gone, we can find more. But if the stronghold is lost, you'll be camping out in the wilderness, waiting to be eaten by zombies! Damn you all, extinguish the fire now!"
Many Wolf Pack members who were in the process of escaping actually took out water to put out the fire, swayed by the bald man's furious scolding.
Waldo could probably conclude that this bald man was the leader of the Wolf Pack. He started running toward the small two-story building on the balcony.