Chapter 1, Great Chaos

Xiao Li immediately became anxious and said urgently: "How can this be? Captain Wang would definitely be furious if he found out. Moreover, several members of our team have relied on you, our old captain, for help during difficult times, which is how we managed to get through those challenges. In any case, you are our old captain!"

Yao Yuan interrupted his thoughts and shook his head, saying: "Xiao Li, don't call me captain anymore. I retired over two years ago. To be honest, I haven't even guided you in anything. Just call me by my name, or you can call me Brother Yao as well."

Yao Yuan sighed and shook his head, saying: "Those are indeed beasts! However, this is not the time to deal with them. We need to save more people, rather than temporarily rescue them and then wait for the apocalypse in eight months... I called you here for this purpose!"

The chaotic army has already swept through this urban area. Yao Yuan turned around to look at the room he was in; it was a street-side shop belonging to a friend of his. It had been completely looted and was in a state of severe disrepair due to vandalism.

Yao Yuan could have left the city long ago. As a retired soldier, his sensitivity to war and killing far exceeds that of ordinary people. About half a month ago, when the leaders of various countries, high-ranking military officials, some of the most elite special forces, numerous renowned scientists, many of the world's top billionaires, as well as some outstanding talents and attractive individuals were confirmed to have disappeared for about half a month, he already sensed that something was amiss. At that time, he had foreseen that a significant change might occur in this world.

Yao Yuan directly pulled Li Haiyun onto a simple bed, listening to his snoring while he himself was pressing something on the computer beside him. Soon, a set of numbers appeared on the screen, accompanied by a few lines of English. He gazed deeply at this set of numbers and English, remaining unresponsive for quite some time.

Yao Yuan listened carefully with his ears perked up to the sounds outside the door. It had been several hours, and there was not a single sound outside, a stark contrast to the chaotic situation from a few days ago. Now, the entire block seemed like a ghost town; in broad daylight, not a single living person could be seen.

The Black Star Brigade remains largely unknown throughout the world, and even within the Chinese military, it is similarly obscure. Compared to the renowned special forces that begin with the character "Dragon," it has virtually no reputation. However, Yao Yuan is aware that the Black Star Special Forces are not inferior to those special forces that start with "Dragon"; in fact, they may even surpass them. Unfortunately, due to political reasons, the Black Star Special Forces are treated as if they were neglected by a stepmother... various circumstances... Yet, Yao Yuan knows that the Black Star Special Forces are not inferior to those special forces that start with "Dragon"; in fact, they may even surpass them. Unfortunately, due to political reasons, the Black Star Special Forces are treated as if they were neglected by a stepmother... various circumstances...

As Yao Yuan quietly lay in wait, ready to face any danger at any moment, a sudden series of crisp quail calls echoed from a distance outside the door. Yao Yuan's heart stirred, and he immediately responded with a similar quail call, the two exchanging several calls, each understanding the other's quail code. It was only then that Yao Yuan let out a deep breath of relief. He hurriedly pulled open the rolling iron door and saw a shadow crouching near a pile of garbage in the distance.

"Xiao Li Zi, how did you become a vanguard? What about Lao Wang and the others?" Yao Yuan pulled this person over and asked anxiously.

Xiao Li immediately chuckled and followed closely behind Yao Yuan. The two of them passed through the wrecked shops and several rooms, arriving at the entrance of the basement door, which had been smashed to pieces. Upon reaching the bottom, they saw Yao Yuan suddenly lift a steel cover from the ground and then dive down. Without hesitation, Xiao Li followed suit and plunged in, only to be greeted by a bright expanse before his eyes

That represents the backlash of human civilization in times of despair, a release when humanity has lost all hope and fallen into utter hopelessness, the best embodiment of humanity's inherent flaws, that is...

In the past few days, those who encountered the madness of https://www.hetushu.com have either died, fled the city, or gone into hiding. The frenzied soldiers generally perished in mutual slaughter or formed factions to leave the city. The population of the entire city is less than one-thousandth of what it was during peacetime

The shadow's reaction speed was astonishingly quick. As Yao Yuan opened the door, it immediately lunged forward in a manner reminiscent of feline or canine animals, as if it were running on all fours. In just a few seconds, it covered a distance of over 30 meters and then directly dashed into the entrance of the store. Yao Yuan also swiftly pulled down the iron gate, and it was only at this moment that both of them let out a sigh of relief.

This basement, surprisingly, holds more than meets the eye. Yao Yuan has transformed it into a spacious room of nearly one hundred square meters, equipped with good lighting, several boxes of food and water, computers, and various other machinery. There are also several boxes of clothing and a collection of various weapons.

In such circumstances, Yao Yuan quietly spent five days in the basement. After five days, he arrived at the store entrance early in the morning, lowered the rolling iron gate, and only then did he let out a deep sigh of relief. For the entire morning, he listened carefully to the various sounds outside the door

The day passed swiftly, and Yao Yuan remained quietly behind the iron gate, just as he had when he was the captain of the Black Star Special Forces, calm and composed, showing no signs of panic or confusion. Occasionally, he could hear the distant sounds of commotion from the streets, shouts, wails, and gunfire; these sounds deepened Yao Yuan's gaze, as he naturally understood what they represented

In fact, long before the situation changed, his friend had taken his wife and children to the countryside. However, since Yao Yuan had the key to the store, he made a bold decision. When the situation escalated to its most severe point, he left the store's main door wide open and arranged the items inside to give the appearance of having been looted. After that, he destroyed the doors of all the rooms in the store and then directly hid in the basement of the store. He left the store's main door wide open and arranged the items inside to give the appearance of having been looted. After that, he destroyed the doors of all the rooms in the store and then directly hid in the basement of the store.

He indeed foresaw all of this, yet he was unable to change it, as even he seemed to be in a dream. Why did those high-ranking officials who hold power in this world suddenly disappear?

Yao Yuan felt utterly terrible. As he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from a distance. Instantly, his entire body tensed up, resembling a fierce tiger, its body arched and ready to pounce at any moment.

Around a dozen people began to chuckle, especially one burly man who resembled a black iron tower, standing at least two meters tall, his body covered in bulging muscles, appearing more like a robot than a human. In a hoarse voice, he said: "As we have come this far, we have seen those beasts rampaging. Old captain, just give the order, and tomorrow we will go and take their heads!"

Yao Yuan turned the computer around to face everyone present, and they all saw the group of numbers and English text, but each person was quite puzzled, except for Wang Guangzheng, whose expression changed slightly as if he had thought of something.

Subsequently, the situation indeed underwent a dramatic change. As the military lost control and soldiers began to rampage with their firearms, the public also erupted into chaos. This store was easily looted and vandalized. However, precisely because the store was so thoroughly ransacked and destroyed, in the following days, passersby almost completely overlooked it. Inside, there was not a single item left; it had been utterly smashed, and it was even set on fire. Yet, due to the lack of combustible materials, only the exterior of the store was charred black, making it even less likely for anyone to notice this small ruin. But precisely because the store was so thoroughly looted and vandalized, in the following days, passersby almost completely overlooked it. Inside, there was not a single item left; it had been utterly smashed, and it was even set on fire. Yet, due to the lack of combustible materials, only the exterior of the store was charred black, making it even less likely for anyone to notice this small ruin.

If only these high-ranking officials and librarians were to disappear, it would still be manageable. But why do such rumors circulate? ... If all of this is true ...

The others, whether old or young, all appeared quite capable. Even though each person was extremely hungry, they exercised great restraint. After consuming their allotted food, they quietly sat there, directing their gazes towards Yao Yuan. At that moment, Wang Guangzheng suddenly asked, "Old Captain, you called us here; it can't be just to treat us to a meal, right? Speak up, we have at most eight months left. Tell us everything; are we going to clean up those beasts and chaotic troops in this city? We can handle that job!"

Everyone bore the marks of hardship on their faces. Among these more than ten individuals, the oldest appeared to be around thirty years of age, even older than Yao Yuan. His name was Wang Guangzheng, and he was the current captain of the Black Star Special Forces. However, he displayed a very respectful demeanor towards Yao Yuan.

Yao Yuan did not hesitate and directly said: "This is a set of coordinates, and the English text below refers to an allusion, the name of this allusion is..."

This person is a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old, yet he shows no signs of the urban hustle and bustle; instead, he possesses a calmness reminiscent of a man of iron and blood. He chuckled and said, "Old captain, why are you making fun of me? I have been a scout for over a year now. Old Wang and the others are still outside the city, and currently, there are dozens of disorganized soldiers gathered in the city center. Although they are quite weak for us, the gunfire may attract more of these disorganized soldiers. Therefore, they have decided to sneak in tonight, and I will scout the way first. If I do not return, it means you are still safe, and everyone will then enter the city together."

Yao Yuan gave a bitter smile, patting Li Haiyun on the shoulder. Unexpectedly, with that one pat, Li Haiyun flipped over completely, startling Yao Yuan into reaching for Li Haiyun's neck. Fortunately, both his heartbeat and pulse were normal, and there were no visible injuries on his body. It seemed he had actually fallen asleep, having dozed off while eating and drinking. These days had truly been extremely tough for him. He was a newcomer in the Black Star Special Forces, likely enduring more hardships than others. Finally, he understood why Old Wang had sent this kid to him first; it was to let him come over and rest. Otherwise, this little guy might not have been able to hold on any longer.

Noah

As night fell, in the distant sky, a bright and peculiar star emitted light strong enough to counteract the moonlight. Beneath this illumination, within the city, a dozen or so robust men cautiously traversed the urban area. They did not disturb anyone as they carefully entered the abandoned shop where Yao Yuan was located, and then proceeded to the basement where he was.

Yao Yuan let out a bitter smile and said no more. He glanced at Xiao Li's disheveled clothes, which even had some wet mud on them. He patted Xiao Li on the shoulder and said, "Come with me to the basement. First, change into some clean clothes, and then we can have a good meal. When everyone arrives in the evening, I will explain to you the reason I called you here."

Xiao Li, whose full name is Li Haiyun, excitedly performed a somersault and then directly pounced on a box of drinking water and food, unceremoniously opening it to eat and drink. While eating, he said: "The old captain is doing well. As for us, a few months ago, we were taken to the desert for training. If it weren't for the old captain reminding us, we might have been wrapped up by the Longxing team and eliminated in the desert. After that, we had to cross back, hide everywhere, and rush to this city. We truly suffered along the way... Ah, this is what life is all about."

Yao Yuan nodded, taking it for granted, not at all considering that Xiao Li's failure to return would cause any concern among the rest of the team. It should be noted that Xiao Li is a member of the Black Star Squad. Although he is still relatively new, dealing with those chaotic soldiers is not a problem for him at all. If he cannot win, no one can stop him from escaping. Therefore, Xiao Li not returning can only signify his safety, rather than indicating that something has happened to him

No one is here, not a single voice can be heard