Wasteland Rebirth

Zhang Hongbing dragged Su Yulian out, while Wang Bin pulled Zhang Debing to safety. Xu Changtian, after rescuing Su Yulian, refused to leave. Desperately, he struggled to open the rear trunk. Wang Bin, still pulling Zhang Debing away, turned back and shouted, "Uncle Xu, hurry up! The explosion's about to happen!" 

Xu Changtian didn't turn his head and shouted back, "Run! Don't worry about me. Take Miss Su as far away as you can!" 

Another spark flew, and Xu Changtian seemed oblivious to it. His nails scraped desperately at the deformed trunk until it finally gave way. Inside was a wooden box, and seeing that it was intact, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief, lifting it and rushing toward safety. 

Suddenly, a louder spark ignited the Honda CRV, and just as Xu Changtian took a few steps, the explosion hurled him over ten meters, yet the box he clutched remained unharmed. 

The Golden Dragon passenger vehicle was not far from the explosion. The fuel tank had not ruptured, but the vehicle had flipped, and the leaking fuel was creeping toward the burning Honda. Wang Bin had just pulled Zhang Debing to safety and dove into the passenger car. Meanwhile, Zhang Jingyao and Song Jun had found Chu Xiang and returned to the scene, shouting for Wang Bin to get out of the car. 

Only moments ago, Wang Bin had urged Xu Changtian to flee the danger, but now, he could not be persuaded. His bag, containing the laptop his father had bought him, lay inside the vehicle. Besides his love for the laptop, Wang Bin treasured it as his father's only keepsake, and he refused to let it be burned. 

Song Jun told Chu Xiang, "I'll save Wang Bin, you go help Xu Squad Leader!" 

With no time to waste, Chu Xiang ran toward Xu Changtian, who lay motionless on the ground. Song Jun dove into the car to retrieve Wang Bin's bag, knowing that he would never stop fighting for it. 

Luckily, after the car flipped, the bag was caught on a seat corner. Wang Bin, being shorter, struggled to reach it, but Song Jun yanked it free and rushed out, carrying Wang Bin. The fuel from the Honda was already creeping closer, so Song Jun dove into a roadside ditch with Wang Bin in tow. 

Boom! The passenger car exploded, taking with it the clothes, food, water, and ammunition inside. Thankfully, no one but Xu Changtian was harmed by the explosion. Chu Xiang and Zhang Jingyao had managed to drag him into the ditch, where they were safe from the blast's impact. Zhang Jingyao quickly examined him. His clothes had been shredded by the heat wave, but his fatal injury was a shard of metal lodged in his back. 

Chu Xiang snatched the wooden box from Xu Changtian's arms and shouted, "What's so valuable in there that you're willing to risk your life for it?" 

Xu Changtian coughed weakly, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. "Chu...Chu Xiang, listen to me... promise... promise me... protect Su Yulian and this national treasure... take it to Beijing..." 

Zhang Hongbing retrieved the wooden box and, using the butt of his gun, smashed it open. "What national treasure? I refuse to believe it's worth dying for!" 

Xu Changtian, though severely wounded, managed to sit up. "This... this is no ordinary dragon head. This is one of the twelve zodiac heads from the Old Summer Palace. The ox, tiger, horse, monkey, and pig have already returned through various channels, but the rat and rabbit heads are still in the hands of the French. The dragon, snake, goat, rooster, and dog heads are still missing. Miss Su found the dragon head, and this is a great matter for our nation. You must protect it and Miss Su, and get them to Beijing..." 

Zhang Hongbing cursed, "Damn it! A piece of junk copper is worth so many lives? Six soldiers have died, and you're still obsessed with this!" 

Chu Xiang's heart was heavy with sorrow. He could kill Wang Bo without a second thought because he felt the man deserved it, but Xu Changtian was different. He was a good man, a competent soldier, who never forgot his duty no matter how dire the situation. Despite everything, he held onto his mission. Why had fate allowed He Er to survive? 

The box opened to reveal grass filling, and Chu Xiang quickly tore it open to reveal a bronze dragon head. Zhang Hongbing asked, "What's this artifact?" 

Xu Changtian, weakened but still determined, spoke, "This... this is not just any dragon head. This is one of the twelve zodiac heads from the Old Summer Palace. The dragon's head, along with the snake, sheep, rooster, and dog heads, have remained lost for centuries. This dragon head is of immeasurable significance to our culture. You must protect it and Miss Su and ensure they reach Beijing..." 

Zhang Hongbing, furious, snapped, "Are you telling me this rotten piece of copper is worth all these sacrifices? Six brothers are dead, and you're still holding onto this?" 

Chu Xiang added, "Yeah, this so-called 'national treasure' is just a foreign gimmick. Its real value doesn't even compare to the Qianlong sword or imperial porcelain. It's only about 200 years old and isn't even close to our true cultural treasures." 

Zhang Hongbing agreed, "Exactly! This is just a scam by foreigners to make money off us. A single head was worth just a few million, but now it's worth billions. If I ever see one of those foreign devils, I'll shoot them on sight!" 

Xu Changtian shook his head weakly, "Listen to me... weapons and ancient paintings have real practical value, but anything that embodies the spirit of our people is a treasure. It doesn't matter what mistakes our past dynasties made. For China to stand tall among the nations, we must regain our confidence. If we can't protect even our ancestors' relics, even a chamber pot, how can we stand up to foreign forces? The dragon is a symbol of our people, and its meaning far exceeds that of any other animal head. If it falls into the hands of Koreans, who knows what they might claim. They've already stolen our Dragon Boat Festival symbol. Do we really want them to turn it into a symbol of their own? No matter how insignificant this piece of junk might seem, I received orders, and now everything is in your hands, Chu Xiang. Don't let me down..." 

Xu Changtian spoke in halting breaths, his blood continuing to flow from his mouth. Zhang Jingyao attempted to intervene, but Chu Xiang silently gestured for her to step back. Xu Changtian was fatally wounded, and if he didn't speak his final words, he wouldn't rest in peace. However, Chu Xiang's heart was conflicted. Protecting the dragon head and Su Yulian and getting them to Beijing was no simple task. Just a few months ago, it would have been straightforward, but now, with the world in chaos and mutated creatures roaming freely, getting to the capital seemed nearly impossible. 

Xu Changtian's eyes were fixed on Chu Xiang, and it seemed that all he needed was a simple nod to die in peace. But Chu Xiang knew that agreeing to this meant certain death—unless there was a plane in Copper City to take Su Yulian and the dragon head away. 

Just as Chu Xiang hesitated, Xu Changtian, who seemed to be on the brink of death, suddenly revived. His eyes widened in terror, and he dragged Chu Xiang down with him. Everyone was confused, but then they saw a filthy, long tongue slithering toward Chu Xiang's neck. Xu Changtian, lying on the ground, had seen the danger and sacrificed himself to protect Chu Xiang. As he fell, the tongue wrapped around his neck and tightened. Xu Changtian, unable to speak, weakly pointed at the dragon head and then toward the unconscious Su Yulian. His eyes, filled with pleading, locked onto Chu Xiang. 

Chu Xiang didn't expect such a sudden turn of events. The long tongue came from a zombie dressed like a common worker. It had stealthily approached the group while they were preoccupied with saving Xu Changtian and Su Yulian. If it hadn't been for Xu Changtian's sacrifice, Chu Xiang might have been the next victim. The long tongue zombie threw Xu Changtian's lifeless body aside and lunged toward the others. 

Chu Xiang, filled with rage, fired his semi-automatic pistol, but the zombie was too quick to be hit. This was no ordinary zombie—its agility was unlike anything Chu Xiang had seen before. 

In a panic, Chu Xiang threw away his gun, pulling out an M9 military knife and tossing it at the zombie. The knife pierced its head, and the creature collapsed. Zhang Hongbing stood frozen, still holding his empty gun. 

Song Jun, hiding with Wang Bin, Zhang Debing, and He Er in another ditch, saw the zombie lunging at Zhang Hongbing. He immediately fired an arrow, and the zombie fell dead. 

Chu Xiang, his heart filled with grief for Xu Changtian's sacrifice, muttered, "Xu Squad Leader, rest in peace. Even if it costs me everything, I'll finish your mission."