Chapter 55: The Pilot

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Intense gunfire rang out in rapid succession.

Inside the brightly lit airport, numerous people screamed in panic. A dozen armed men and women near the front were continuously firing at the horde of crazed individuals surging toward them.

"Get into the boarding lounge quickly! We can't hold them much longer!"

Someone shouted loudly among the crowd.

The disoriented people hurriedly turned around and fled toward the VIP boarding lounge not far away, while the armed individuals provided cover under the command of a middle-aged man in casual clothes.

"I just wanted to take a vacation. Why is it so damn difficult?"

Looking at the crazed individuals resembling zombies from movies right in front of him, Robert felt a mixture of intense fear, nervousness, and an urge to cry without tears.

As a sheriff, he had considered encountering danger to be thoroughly unlucky. He had finally managed to pool his annual leave together, planning to take his wife and child for a vacation in a neighboring state.

Who could have imagined?

The moment he got off the plane and before he even stepped out of the airport lobby, he found the sky outside turning a dull crimson. Then, a crowd of people who were normal just moments before all turned into maniacs.

These maniacs frantically lunged with their fingernails and teeth, biting every normal person they could reach.

Until their victims died or transformed into maniacs just like them.

At first, the number of maniacs rushing into the airport was not large. With the cooperation of the airport security and the crowd, no major chaos had occurred.

But before long, more people went mad.

Some rushed in from outside the airport, some poured in from beneath the glass atrium in the center of the lobby, and others flooded in from the internal aircraft parking apron.

Caught in a three-sided pincer movement...

Even though the physical fitness of these maniacs was merely that of ordinary people, their reckless and fearless madness still caused mass panic among the far larger group of normal people.

They fled in all directions like headless flies.

Many were either bitten to death on the spot or bled to death.

If that were all, it might have been manageable.

Led by airport security and staff, a group of several hundred people who gathered later on the second floor had barely managed to hold their ground.

However...

"Those damn Cleaners! I knew nothing good ever comes from running into them!"

Thinking of this, Robert could not help muttering a curse under his breath.

The strength of these maniacs depended entirely on who they were before transformation.

In other words, if a maniac used to be an otaku who spent most of his time hunched over a computer desk, even after turning, his body would remain limited by a lack of exercise. He wouldn't run fast, he wouldn't jump high, and he would even find it difficult to kill anyone.

But if the maniac was an athlete or a soldier, they could easily chase down victims and pounce from the most awkward and unexpected angles.

And among these maniacs, the most dangerous were undoubtedly those transformed from Cleaners!

The abilities of Cleaners were bizarre and could never be resolved simply with ordinary firearms. When Cleaners hid among this overwhelming tide of maniacs, they easily shattered the defense of the hundreds-strong team.

In the end, the survivors fled in all directions.

Robert, the dozen armed individuals beside him, and several dozen people trailing behind were survivors fleeing in the same direction.

Although they had escaped the pursuit of the main force of maniacs, they had still been forced back into a corner. Now, their only hope lay in the heavily reinforced VIP boarding lounge, praying it could withstand the onslaught of the maniacs.

"Everyone, keep firing and slowly fall back toward the boarding lounge!"

Robert shouted while continuing to shoot.

As a mere sheriff, he wasn't a leader in the airport system, so command should never have fallen to him.

Unfortunately, the people originally responsible for command were either dead or had become separated during the chaos earlier.

Now, among these few dozen people, the few leaders from the airport administration had been so frightened out of their wits that they rushed into the VIP boarding lounge first, leaving no one behind to command.

Moreover, he had once worked at this airport before being fired for a disciplinary infraction, after which he went to work for the federal police department.

Faced with an increasing number of maniacs...

This small squad, consisting of only a dozen people, a few submachine guns, and over ten pistols, fought and retreated by utilizing the narrow terrain advantage of the hallway.

Just as they reached the entrance of the boarding lounge, several people forgot to shoot, turned around, and bolted inside.

The resulting gap in firepower instantly allowed a few maniacs to break through and charge within ten meters.

"Ah!"

At that moment, an airport security guard tripped over a plastic container in his panic and fell to the ground.

In less than a second, he was swallowed up by the wave of following maniacs, dying without even having time to scream.

"Justin!"

Inside the boarding lounge, a stewardess screamed and tried to rush out.

"Do you want to die?"

Robert, who had just retreated to the entrance, kicked the stewardess back inside.

He didn't know what relationship the stewardess had with that security guard, but he knew the guard was already dead, and anyone rushing out at this moment would meet the exact same fate.

Whether it was to save the stewardess or to prevent her crazed dash from blocking their retreat into the lounge...

That kick was completely necessary.

The stewardess fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen and weeping bitterly, her face full of despair.

No one around paid attention to her. Many of them had just experienced the feeling of watching their family members die before their eyes; how could they have spare energy to care about others?

Once the last person entered, Robert quickly shut the door and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quick, move everything movable over here and barricade the door!"

At this moment, whether it was the armed individuals who had just retreated or the crowd that had run in earlier, everyone began hauling surrounding chairs, tables, and other objects to pile them up against the door.

A few minutes later.

Watching the heavy door vibrate under the impact of the maniacs outside while still remaining relatively stable, Robert finally let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the floor.

Although the physical exertion wasn't extreme...

Maintaining a high level of mental tension for a prolonged period was far more exhausting.

"Daddy!"

A seven or eight-year-old boy ran out from the crowd, threw himself into Robert's arms, and hugged him tightly.

Robert's wife also walked over, asking with deep worry, "Robert, will we be rescued?"

"Yes, we will definitely be rescued."

A smile appeared on Robert's face.

He said the words, but he knew it was merely a comforting lie.

He didn't even need to learn from other channels; just the emergency numbers that refused to get through and the overwhelming wave of distress signals on the internet were enough to tell the truth.

Even if the federal government organized forces to resist the maniacs, with so many places waiting for rescue, it would never be their turn among these few dozen people.

Not to mention, who would dare step out of a relatively secure building while facing the constant possibility of turning into a maniac?

"For now, we just have to wait and see when daylight comes."

Robert patted his son's back. Judging from the text messages and online information, the reason people outside turned into maniacs seemed to be because they looked at the moon in the sky.

Once daylight arrived and the moon was gone...

Perhaps those maniacs outside would return to normal.

Right now, he couldn't even be bothered to blame those few people who, in their desperate rush to get inside, forgot to shoot and caused gaps in the defense perimeter.

Inside the spacious boarding lounge spanning over a thousand square meters, apart from the low sobs echoing from time to time and the sound of pounding on the door from outside, there was absolute silence.

Everyone's emotions were at rock bottom.

Although they were temporarily safe for now, the continuous vibrations coming from the door made it clear that the pack of maniacs outside had not given up.

And they had nowhere left to retreat.

With no rescue in sight and trapped in a place lacking food and water, even if the door could firmly block those maniacs, they wouldn't last much longer.

Boom!

With a loud crash, the thick door bulged inward by a large margin.

Something inhuman outside seemed to be trying to break through, and several items piled against the door were directly knocked loose.

"It's that monster! That monster must be here."

Someone said tremblingly, their face filled with uncontrollable terror.

Everyone present knew who "that monster" referred to. It was precisely its appearance that had forced their group of hundreds into heavy casualties and scattered flight.

"Quick, brace the door!"

Coming to his senses, Robert handed his son to his wife and prepared to step forward to hold the door.

Though they had guns, ammunition was running low. Once the door was breached, everyone would die.

Bang, bang, bang!

Loud crashes rang out one after another, and the dent marks on the door multiplied rapidly.

Under these circumstances, very few people were willing to join Robert in blocking the door.

Gritting his teeth, Robert had no choice but to back away, shouting, "Aim your guns at the door and prepare to fire at any moment!"

Crash!

The items blocking the door scattered inward, and the door itself was knocked completely off its frame, exposing the vicious-eyed maniacs outside.

Two maniacs close by saw the door break open and immediately charged inside, uttering unintelligible cries.

The next moment.

A long arm reached in from outside the door and swept across them with a slap.

The two maniacs were directly batted against the wall, vomiting blood as they hit the floor, twitching a few times before going completely still.

"Ah—"

Many people turned pale with fright, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Outside the door, a slender figure standing over two meters tall walked in with its head lowered.

It was wearing an ill-fitting suit, with the hem of the jacket reaching only to its chest and the pant legs stopping at its knees. Its entire skin was a pale white, and there wasn't a single strand of hair on its head.

It was that monster.

Although he gripped a fully loaded pistol in his hand, upon seeing this maniac transformed from a Cleaner, the last shred of hope in Robert's heart shattered.

There was no hope left.

This maniac was simply not something they could deal with using the limited firepower of pistols and submachine guns.

"Roar—"

The slender figure let out a hoarse sound and slammed its hands forcefully onto the ground, producing a loud thud that left a faint crater where it struck.

As if obeying a command, the maniacs outside swarmed in, rushing toward the dozens of people who now had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Gunfire erupted instantly, with many people targeting the slender figure directly.

Yet, the slender figure seemed able to anticipate the exact trajectory of the incoming bullets, dodging effortlessly with just a slight shift of its body.

Occasionally, a stray bullet hit it in a non-vital spot, having zero effect.

Roaring furiously, the slender figure took a giant stride, overtaking the leading maniacs in a matter of seconds. It whipped out its nearly two-meter-long arm, aiming directly at Robert, who stood at the front with an empty magazine.

At that exact instant.

Robert faintly heard the cries of his wife and son behind him.

"I'm sorry..."

Just as he prepared to close his eyes and welcome death, he saw the slender figure suddenly fly upward, its entire body hanging flat against the ceiling.

Robert blinked in confusion and looked up, only to find a "steel pipe" roughly the thickness of a rice bowl connecting the slender figure's head directly to the ceiling.

The color and size of the "steel pipe" somewhat resembled a streetlamp post.

It wasn't a complete pole, but rather resembled the middle section of a pipe with both upper and lower ends cut away.

Judging from the limp, naturally hanging limbs of the slender figure, it was already dead.

"What is this?"

Robert lowered his head and immediately spotted a hole the thickness of a rice bowl in the floor ahead, seemingly caused by the "steel pipe."

Could the "steel pipe" have pierced through the second-floor flooring and then impaled the slender figure's head into the ceiling?

Before he could even dismiss the thought.

He saw the ground ahead suddenly collapse, revealing a large opening.

Immediately afterward.

A figure leaped up from the first floor—a tall man with exaggerated, muscular proportions.

"Jiang?"

Seeing the man's appearance, Robert blurted out the name involuntarily.

"I seem to remember you."

The man was none other than Jiang Ren. He glanced at Robert, shook his head, pulled out the steel pipe, and then swept it toward the surrounding maniacs.

Under his terrifying strength, not a single maniac could withstand him even for a fraction of a second.

Countless sounds of shattering flesh and exploding bones echoed through the air.

In less than two minutes.

Jiang Ren cleared out the dozens of maniacs who had rushed into the boarding lounge, as well as the hundreds gathered outside the door.

The dozens of people, witnessing such an exaggerated scene for the first time, were all too shocked to speak, staring blankly out through the damaged doorway.

Among them, a few young men had eyes gleaming with intense light.

They muttered incomprehensible words under their breath—doomsday, mutation, evolution, new humans... filled with excitement.

"Done."

Having resolved the surrounding maniacs, Jiang Ren returned to the boarding lounge.

Robert stepped forward a few steps and said with a complex expression, "Thank you for your help, Jiang. Do you happen to remember me?"

Jiang Ren replied indifferently, "I have a vague impression."

Back outside the door, he had recalled where he had seen this person. It was the sheriff who had been slacking off outside the door while he went to clear out a dangerous entity that had transformed into a dollhouse.

However, Jiang Ren had no intention of reminiscing with him.

The reason he saved these people wasn't just on a whim; he had a more important objective.

"As repayment for saving you all, I need a favor."

Jiang Ren looked at the tense, worried, and expectant faces behind Robert.

Before anyone else could speak, Robert answered, "Of course. Whatever you need us to do, just say the word."

He knew very well that when facing that slender figure, none of them had any means to fight back, let alone match Jiang Ren, who had easily destroyed it. Whatever favor he asked for, they had no choice but to agree.

Jiang Ren nodded and said, "It's simple. I need someone who knows how to fly an airplane."

Upon seeing smoke rising from the airport area earlier, he had accelerated his pace to get there, only to discover that the fire was confined to a small zone and the airplanes remained intact on the tarmac, ready for takeoff at any moment.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to fly a plane.