novelraw Chapter 3: Looting corpses, loot - dog-leg knife
Chapter 3: Looting corpses, loot - dog-leg knife
7:35 PM, the sky had just turned dark.
At a sewer opening near the dental clinic, Yu Yuan carefully lifted the manhole cover to observe the situation outside, recalling the direction from which the gunshots had come.
"I remember the gunshots came from the two o'clock direction of the dental clinic, so I should search in that direction. It shouldn't be too far away..."
He continued waiting patiently for over ten minutes until the sun completely set and darkness enveloped the entire city.
Yu Yuan swiftly climbed out of the sewer, carefully placing the manhole cover back in position.
Taking advantage of the dim night, he moved toward the direction where he remembered the gunshots originating.
Checking street signs and confirming directions along the way, he moved in stops and starts, maintaining a decent pace.
After more than half an hour, Yu Yuan lay hidden in the street's greenbelt, using waist-high shrubs to conceal himself as he observed the destroyed modified combat vehicle just a few meters away, realizing this was Wutong Apartments.
The ground was littered with explosion and combat marks, and he could still smell the lingering scent of gunpowder near the ground.
Dark clouds drifted across the sky, revealing a crescent moon that provided faint illumination to the streets.Yu Yuan didn't rush out immediately. Instead, he pressed his body even lower against the ground, remaining completely still.
He didn't know when the scavengers would arrive, how many people there were, or whether someone might already be secretly observing the area.
He didn't dare take chances, so he prepared for the worst-case scenario, quickly observing and memorizing the surroundings while there was still some light.
A few minutes later, the crescent moon was once again obscured by dark clouds.
The streets were plunged back into darkness, drastically reducing visibility.
"Now's the time!"
The moment darkness fell, Yu Yuan silently rose to his feet, crouching low and moving with careful steps as he quickly approached Wutong Apartments.
Only after slipping through the apartment entrance and pressing his back against the wall did he notice his heart pounding wildly, as if about to explode.
He took rapid deep breaths, trying to suppress his nervousness while continuously giving himself mental reassurance.
As a survival enthusiast, Yu Yuan had fantasized about such scenarios more than once, but imagination and reality could never be equated.
He understood the theory perfectly, but his body and mind needed an adaptation process.
As his emotions gradually stabilized, Yu Yuan didn't dare linger here any longer.
Every second before the scavengers arrived was precious.
Groping in the dark, he found the staircase leading upward on the first floor, now safely away from the apartment's perimeter.
However, just as Yu Yuan reached the turn between the first and second floors, he tripped over something and nearly fell.
At that moment, he had no time to worry about anything else, immediately turning on his headlamp to see what had happened.
When he saw what was at his feet, Yu Yuan gasped sharply, instinctively stepping backward.
"Holy shit!"
Two corpses lay on the ground, their bodies riddled with bullet holes, blood pooled everywhere.
Was the game really going to be this intense on the very first day?
But the next moment, Yu Yuan's gaze froze, his pupils contracting sharply as he focused on where the corpses met the floor.
What was that thing hidden beneath the bodies?
He quickly stepped forward, pushed the corpses aside, and revealed what they had been concealing—a short knife. Although the blade was stained with blood, Yu Yuan didn't mind at all, simply wiping the blood off on the corpses before holding it in his hand.
"Is this... a kukri?" Yu Yuan's face showed surprise and delight.
He gave it a couple of practice swings—it felt quite comfortable in his hand. The back of the blade had additional counterweights added, allowing for more powerful slashing attacks.
"Finally have a self-defense weapon. Does this count as a scavenger looting corpses?"
Human nature is strange indeed—sometimes thoughts can transform in an instant.
Yu Yuan had indeed been filled with fear of dead bodies, but when it came to looting, that was all too familiar.
When he looked at the two corpses again, there wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes—only desire for supplies remained.
Without further hesitation, after confirming that his headlamp's light wouldn't be visible from outside the apartment,
he didn't care about the blood stains anymore and directly began searching the corpses for supplies.
Two minutes later, Yu Yuan looked at the supplies at his feet and smiled.
Lighter × 1
Crushed instant noodles × 1
Marlboro cigarettes × 7
Snickers bar × 1
He didn't find any firearms or ammunition—they had probably been taken away by the Black Shield Police Department.
Even so, these gains satisfied Yu Yuan quite a bit—at least he had food now.
After restoring the corpses to their previous positions and cleaning the blood from his shoe soles, he finally headed upstairs.
The newspaper said eight people had died in this conflict total. Since he hadn't seen any bodies at the apartment entrance, the remaining corpses were likely inside the building.
Yu Yuan didn't have any particular obsession about this—his destination was only those three supply rooms. As for corpses, he'd take them as they came.
He needed to speed up—safely bringing back supplies was more important than anything else.
When he reached the third floor, Yu Yuan took out a blood-stained white cloth torn from one of the corpses and wrapped it around his headlamp. The light was no longer bright and focused.
Instead, it became scattered and dim, only allowing him to see clearly within one meter, but greatly reducing the chance of someone spotting the light.
Reaching the fourth floor, it was clear this place had experienced brutal combat—the walls were covered with bullet holes and explosion marks.
He could also see several defensive positions built with sandbags.
The corridor was pitch black. After listening quietly for two minutes and hearing no movement, Yu Yuan carefully entered the fourth floor.
Three thug corpses lay scattered in the hallway, their bodies so badly damaged they were barely recognizable—looting was impossible.
Two long guns lay discarded on the ground—they looked like AK-74Us, but their bodies were deformed and all magazines were empty.
Yu Yuan checked them—only one spring had any recycling value, which he casually pocketed.
His gaze swept across the area—blood stains and bullet holes everywhere, shattered glass fragments, debris, and soda cans.
It showed just how intense the fighting had been.
Yu Yuan pushed the soda cans and glass fragments near the staircase, creating a simple warning trap. If anyone came, they'd step on the glass or kick the cans, making noise.
Then he followed the room numbers looking for room 408. When passing rooms 401 and 402, Yu Yuan specifically noted the locations of the tripwire mines.
Sure enough, he spotted two transparent threads at the doorways, connected to grenades placed behind the doors.
If someone accidentally tripped over them, they probably wouldn't have even a moment to react before being blown to pieces.
He considered removing these two grenades but ultimately gave up—too dangerous!
"Forget it, better head to the supply room first! Safety first."
He quickly found room 408, but Yu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
The room was in disarray, the security door covered with bullet holes and a blood-stained footprint—clearly it had also experienced intense fighting.
Nothing about it suggested it was a supply room.
"The intel shouldn't be wrong... then the supplies must be hidden somewhere in the room!"
Thinking this, Yu Yuan quickly began searching the room.
Not in the wardrobe, not under the bed, not in the bathroom either...
The room wasn't large. After searching all possible hiding spots, Yu Yuan's mood grew somewhat frustrated.
"How could there be nothing?" He still refused to give up, scanning the room repeatedly.
Until his gaze accidentally fell on one particular spot.
He froze for a moment, then his eyes began to gleam...