The ventilation grate above the food storage room was tightly secured with heavy metal mesh. Xu Peng carefully snipped through the mesh with wire cutters from his toolkit, making as little noise as possible. One by one, the group climbed down into the storage room, where shelves overflowed with food and bottled water.
"Pass down the backpacks first," Zhang Lei said, catching the hiking packs Zhao Rui tossed. "Instant noodles, compressed biscuits, bottled water—pack the lightest, easiest-to-carry items first."
Xiao Zhou noticed a box of medical supplies in the corner. "Bandages and tourniquets here! Let's bring those too."
They worked quickly, filling each bag systematically. The bags bulged with supplies, but Xu Peng stopped them before they overburdened themselves. "Enough," he said firmly. "If we carry too much, we won't make it back through the ducts. We can come back for more if needed."
The group began their return journey. To their relief, it went more smoothly than expected. The continuous explosions above seemed to draw most of the infected's attention. Through the cracks in the ventilation system, they could see the glowing blue figures swarming toward the upper levels.
However, the damaged inspection platform made the descent through the sloped duct treacherous. Xu Peng rigged a makeshift safety system with ropes, allowing each member to slide down carefully. The biting cold and icy metal still made every movement harrowing, but at least the risk of falling was minimized.
At the final turn, Zhao Rui suddenly froze. Ahead, the duct vibrated faintly, as if something was crawling through it. Everyone held their breath, their flashlight beams moving slowly across the dark metal walls.
A rat scurried past, its tiny claws clinking against the metal and echoing loudly. They exhaled collectively, their nerves easing slightly.
Finally, they emerged back in the underground lobby. But as soon as they dropped to the floor, chaos erupted. Word of the food they had retrieved spread quickly among the shelter's inhabitants, and the once-orderly group began to stir.
"Supplies will be distributed fairly!" Zhang Lei shouted, raising his voice over the commotion. "Everyone will get their share!"
But some people ignored him, rushing forward to grab the supplies. A burly man ripped open a backpack to take food, while a middle-aged woman snatched several bottles of water. The situation was spiraling out of control.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Zhang Lei bellowed, brandishing a fire axe. "Anyone takes another step, and I'll make sure you regret it!"
The crowd hesitated, retreating slightly, though an air of danger lingered.
"Who put you in charge?" someone shouted from the crowd.
"My daughter has a fever!" cried a young mother. "She needs medicine!"
Zhao Rui stepped forward. "We'll prioritize children and the sick, but we need to distribute everything in an orderly fashion. Chaos will only mean everyone loses."
Her words calmed the crowd momentarily.
Wang Wei seized the moment, speaking loudly, "None of us wanted this. Everyone here is a victim. If we don't work together, none of us will survive."
Li Yi quickly organized the security personnel to set up a distribution point near the ticket counter. Though the immediate chaos subsided, tension remained. Some grumbled about unfair distribution, while others demanded the wounded take precedence.
"They got hurt protecting us!" an elderly man pointed to the injured in the medical area.
"Our children need to eat too!" another voice retorted.
The dark sides of humanity began surfacing—fear, selfishness, indifference—spreading through the crowd like a virus. Overhead, gunfire and explosions raged on, serving as a grim backdrop to their conflict.
As the arguments escalated, a sudden noise from the electrical room silenced everyone. Heads turned toward the sound, the immediate threat of death momentarily overshadowing their disputes.
Li Yi's voice cut through the tension like cold water: "This is not the time for infighting. We either stand together, or we all die."
The crowd quieted, though the tension remained palpable.
"Let's inventory the supplies," Wang Wei announced from the ticket counter. "Then we'll distribute based on headcount and need. Critical cases, children, and the elderly come first."
A man in a suit interrupted loudly, "We should distribute based on contribution! Those who risked their lives for the supplies should get more—"
"Bullshit!" a worker snapped. "We've been keeping this place running for years! Who's done more than us?"
The argument flared again, voices growing louder. From the corner of his eye, Li Yi noticed a few young men creeping toward the supply pile, their eyes glinting with malice. At the door, several security guards tightened their grip on their batons, sensing trouble.
Dr. Chen Xu stepped forward. His voice was quiet but carried across the room. "Listen, I'm a doctor." The crowd stilled at his words. "In this situation, supplies must go to those who need them most. If we don't help each other, we all die. I promise to do everything I can for everyone who needs medical help, but I won't tolerate greed."
His calm authority cut through the tension. "Here's my proposal: each person gets two bottles of water and three portions of food per day. Medical supplies will be managed by the medical team for those in need. And to those thinking they deserve more—remember, against those creatures, we're all equally vulnerable."
The logic resonated. As Li Yi and Wang Wei resumed organizing the distribution, tempers cooled slightly. Yet Li Yi noticed the suit-wearing man exchange a significant glance with the young troublemakers. Beneath the surface, danger still simmered.
Suddenly, another explosion rocked the ceiling, sending dust cascading down. The emergency lights flickered, drawing everyone's gaze upward. Fear crept back into their faces.
"Keep distributing the supplies," Li Yi told a security guard. "But assign people to watch the storage area around the clock." He checked his watch—nearly four hours had passed since the military initiated the lockdown. The night was far from over.
"Listen up!" Li Yi's voice cut through the murmurs. "Either we work together and survive, or we tear each other apart and become fodder for those things. Your choice."
The crowd settled, grimly realizing their limited options.
The distribution process took nearly an hour. Afterward, Li Yi and Wang Wei gathered Zhang Lei, Xu Peng, and the others in the glass-enclosed ticket booth, now repurposed as a makeshift command center. Though many surveillance feeds were down, a few cameras still showed fragmented images of the arena.
"It's worse than I imagined," Li Yi muttered, pointing at one of the monitors. "Look at the density of infected. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, swarming inside."
"Today's attendance was over 85%," Xu Peng said, checking his phone records. "With staff included, there were at least 20,000 people here. Now only about 100 survivors remain."
"There's no signal," Zhang Lei added, checking his phone. "The military must be using jammers. They know exactly what's going on—they had a plan in place before this even started."
"The explosions sound like someone is still fighting above us," Wang Wei said, glancing at the ceiling.
"The real question," Zhao Rui interjected, "is what the military plans to do with us. If their goal is to eliminate the infection…" She trailed off, but the implication was clear.
A heavy silence fell. The distant explosions seemed to confirm their worst fears.
"We need to find a way to contact the outside world," Li Yi concluded. "There's more to this than we know. The behavior of the infected, their electromagnetic reactions, the military's rapid response—it doesn't feel random."
Another loud crash from above interrupted him. Everyone looked up to see dust falling from the concrete ceiling. Somewhere, the structure was weakening.
"Our first priority is reinforcing our defenses," Zhang Lei said. "We need a second evacuation plan. This basement is large, but it could become our tomb."
In the corner, Qi Shan stood quietly, her gaze fixed on the monitor showing the infected's glowing blue movements. Her expression was unusually grave.
"For now, we gather as much information as possible," Li Yi said. "About the infected, the military's tactics, and the structural changes in this building. If we piece it together, we might find the truth."
The emergency lights flickered, casting shifting shadows across their faces. The night was just beginning, and the secrets of this lockdown were far more sinister than anyone had imagined.