The industrial park stood with several towering cranes, their skeletal frames reaching toward the sky.
From the operator's cabin, one could survey the entire area, catching the slightest movement or disturbance from all directions.
At that moment, a lookout, bored and with nothing else to do, casually scanned the surroundings through binoculars.
Suddenly, he noticed something unusual.
A large box truck was slowly making its way into the industrial park, its load so heavy that the entire chassis had sunk noticeably.
"Cargo!" the lookout thought, his heart leaping in excitement.
Without hesitation, he scrambled down from the crane, eager to relay the news to his associates.
...
Along the main road of the industrial park, several lifeless bodies lay sprawled across the pavement, their battered forms frozen in death, eyes wide open in eternal defiance.
By the roadside, two female survivors from the official shelter's search team remained huddled together, encircled by a gang of ruthless thugs armed with knives, guns, and clubs.
Some of the men leered openly, their eyes scanning the women with crude and lecherous intent.
Every now and then, they taunted them:
"Well, well, two little girls. Weren't you tough just a moment ago? Now look where you've ended up—caught by our Black Sha Society!"
"Did you think we wouldn't dare touch you just because you're from a shelter? What a joke!"
"Welcome to the apocalypse, where laws are meaningless, chaos reigns, and this is truly our paradise!"
"Want to die? It's not that simple. We have evolved healers here—just a breath left, and we can bring you back."
"You know, there's an old saying: 'He who seeks will find.'"
"If you play along, we'll make sure you're well taken care of—pleasure beyond words, satisfaction guaranteed! Heh heh!"
The two remaining women from the official shelter's search team, though trembling with fear and despair, refused to submit.
With defiance, they spat:
"Pah! You inhumane beasts!"
"I'd rather die or turn into a zombie than ever let you go unpunished!"
"Hey, you filthy bitches still dare to talk back?"
Slap! Slap!
A mohawk-wearing thug, enraged by their defiance, struck each woman across the face.
Then, turning to two of his men who were rummaging through the search team's backpacks, he barked:
"Hey, what have you found? Anything useful?"
The two men tossed the bags aside, grumbling in frustration:
"Don't even mention it. These fools are all penniless! The backpacks are huge, but empty, with only half a bottle of water, a hammer, and a few rotten apples. Damn it!"
"What?"
The Black Sha Society members all frowned in disbelief.
The reason they had gathered here in the first place was due to rumors that a wealthy heir had stockpiled several warehouses' worth of supplies before the outbreak. They believed that by taking the industrial park, they would be set for life.
However, when their branch leader and the rest of the gang had actually seized the park, they discovered that the supposed warehouses were completely empty.
In a fit of rage, the branch leader had executed the member who spread the false information.
But the Black Sha Society's fortunes had not improved since then.
Today, with the branch leader mysteriously absent on some unknown errand and a few others sent to search a subway station for treasures, only a small group remained in the industrial park.
The mohawk-wearing leader and his men, as usual, had set up ambushes, waiting for unsuspecting passersby to rob and kill.
Today, however, they had been fortunate enough to intercept a search team from the official shelter.
The mohawk leader and his gang had expected a big haul.
But apart from capturing two women for their own amusement, they had found nothing.
The actual rewards were far less than expected, and the frustration from this disappointment quickly turned into anger.
A few impatient men, unable to hold back, decided to vent their frustration on the two women.
Just then, a voice rang out from the distance.
The lookout who had been stationed on the crane, eager with excitement, rushed over, gasping for breath, and delivered the good news:
"Hey, guys, we've got new stock! A truck has just arrived, and the cargo bed's sagging—it's got to be full of goodies!"
At the sound of this, the Black Sha Society members' faces lit up with joy, all traces of frustration disappearing.
The mohawk leader clapped his hands in delight:
"Double good news, brothers! This is it—we're going to make it big!"
"Quick, let's hide and get ready for the delivery!"
The dozen or so Black Sha Society members lying in wait along the roadside immediately sprang into action, clearing the area, dragging away the bodies, and pulling the two women aside to hide behind nearby cover.
The two surviving women from the search team sighed in resignation, knowing that more tragedy was imminent, and their fate would likely mirror that of their fallen comrades.
Moments later, the truck came into view.
The mohawk leader, spotting the heavily-loaded vehicle, couldn't suppress his growing excitement. He also noticed the two figures sitting in the cab.
The man behind the wheel, dressed neatly, looked prosperous and well-off.
A grin spread across the mohawk leader's face:
"Just as expected, this is a big catch!"
With a snap of his fingers, he gave the signal.
"Attack!"
The Black Sha Society members who had been lying in ambush sprang into action. Two earth-element evolvers leapt from their cover, striking the ground simultaneously.
Two thick walls of rock rose up, completely blocking the truck's path.
At that moment, the mohawk leader and his remaining men rushed forward with lightning speed, surrounding the truck in an instant.
"Robbery! Cooperate, and you might live. Resist, and it's the end for you!"
"You two, get down from the truck now!"
On the truck, Zhang Yang and Ba Dao were not at all surprised by the ambush, having anticipated it.
What did catch them off guard, however, was the identity of the assailants.
"The Black Sha Society?" Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow.
He noticed that all the thugs surrounding them wore black armbands, just like the ones worn by the previous thugs from the subway station.
Without a doubt, they were all members of the Black Sha Society.
Ba Dao also looked taken aback:
"This must be their stronghold."
"I thought we were just passing through, but it looks like we've just kicked the hornet's nest."
Zhang Yang's lips curled into a subtle smile as he elegantly stepped down from the truck.
He locked eyes with the fierce Black Sha Society members and calmly asked:
"Are you planning to rob us?"