<h4>Chapter 20: ?Night Raid</h4>


    In the night of the apocalypse world, it seemed toe much faster than the real world.


    Survivors once again sighed with relief for living through another day.


    At night, what scared survivors the most was not zombie attacks, but other survivors around them.


    No one could guarantee whether there were other survivors lurking in the shadows besides their teammates.


    Even within the same team, it was not umon for survivors to abandon each other without hesitation when facing danger.


    The refuge shelter in the vi area where Alex resided was quiet, as if everything was asleep. Inside the room, only Alex and Mia''s faint breathing could be heard.


    There were no candles or firewood for lighting inside the fortified walls.


    The two of them were quietly lurking in the living room on the first floor, waiting to see if there would be any unexpected guests tonight.


    In the darkness, Mia quietly pulled Alex beside her under the moonlight and asked in a hushed tone, "Alex, will they really attack us tonight? It''s been so long..."


    Alex touched his ear, which was slightly itching from Mia''s warm breath, and whispered, "Wait, these two days, we must be on high alert. They wille sooner orter."


    "But I''m also betting on whether they will be impatient and unable to resisting tonight."


    ...


    Ethan''s team, as Alex had anticipated, had already begun preparing for battle.


    Ethan loaded his crossbow and distributed other cold weapons.


    "Equip yourselves properly, take your favorite weapons, and we''ll take them down tonight!"


    The other team members grinned, seemingly confident about the imminent battle.


    "Big brother, there are so many of us, let''s just rush into 10086''s houseter. It''ste at night, they must be resting, hehe, catch them off guard!!"


    Others nodded in agreement as they polished their weapons.


    "Yeah, this time, 10086 is going down at our hands! He''s been too arrogant, can''t me us for being ruthless!"


    Ethan waved his hand, signaling his teammates to stop discussing.


    Then, he licked his lips.


    "We''ll talk about this after we''re done. Now, let''s go, and you all better keep quiet and not mess up."


    Everyone nodded in agreement, whispering, "Yes, big brother, we won''t let you down."


    Ethan nodded in satisfaction.


    "That''s good, let''s go."


    Then, under the cover of night, Ethan and a few others quietly approached Alex''s vi.


    They were ready to climb over the wall and attack Alex.


    Inside the vi, Alex received a system reminder and whispered, "Speak of them, and they''re here. They''ve reached the wall."


    Due to limited intelligence on the fortified wall, Ethan and the others didn''t know that after the wall was built, if unfamiliar survivors approached, although the system couldn''t stop them, it could send a notification to the owner of the wall.


    So, Alex had received the information immediately, knowing their movements.


    But Ethan and the others knew nothing, thinking everything was seamless.


    At that moment, they leaned against the corner of the wall, taking out the pre-prepared extendeddder and rope.


    These were the tools they specially prepared for this operation, exchanged for a few essential supplies.


    At that time, Ethan felt a pang of regret.


    But thinking that they would soon be able to plunder more supplies, he hardened his heart and made the purchase.


    They took out three extendeddders and leaned them against the fortified wall. Ethan signaled three of his men to climb up first and check the situation on the other side.


    The three men swiftly climbed up thedder, avoiding making any noise.


    Reaching the top of the fortified wall, they surveyed the vi surroundings.


    Because of the height of the wall, the vi was shrouded in darkness.


    But it seemed there was no defense.


    The three men gestured OK to theirpanions outside the wall.


    Ethan and the others below nodded.


    Then the three men threw down the rope and gently slid down the wall into the vi courtyard.


    As they expected, the vi was quiet, and 10086 had no defenses or precautions whatsoever.


    He probably thought that with the fortified wall, everything would be fine.


    Ethan''s team consisted of eight people. After the initial three reconnaissance, the remaining five climbed onto the top of the fortified wall and retrieved thedders.


    Then, they sent the equipment through the system to their teammates in the courtyard.


    They caught the thrown items silently, without making a sound.


    Soon, all eight of them were in Alex''s vi courtyard.


    Ethan couldn''t help but smirk at how low Alex''s vignce was.


    While the fortified wall might keep out zombies, for survivors, being able to use equipment and tools made it practically useless.


    Without setting up traps in the courtyard, how could they possibly stop them?


    Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.


    Ethan waved his right hand, signaling to move forward.


    Everyone cautiously made their way towards the vi.


    "Ah!"


    Just then, a scream suddenly came from behind.


    Ethan instinctively tried to cover the person''s mouth, but when he turned around, he found the person clutching their right leg.


    Blood was gushing from the leg, firmly trapped by a gleaming iron animal trap.


    At the same time, another teammate eximed, "Ethan, look! It''s 10086!!"


    Ethan followed his teammate''s gesture and looked in the direction they were pointing.


    On the balcony of the vi''s second floor stood Alex.


    In the moonlight, his expression could vaguely be seen.


    His calm andposed demeanor, as if strategizing, made Ethan''s rm bells ring loudly.


    "Oh no! Retreat now!!" Ethan''s heart pounded.


    He thought Alex wasx in his defenses and could be easily manipted.


    But he didn''t expect that Alex was well-prepared and had been waiting for them!


    Just as he finished speaking, a strong smell of gasoline suddenly spread around them.


    Then came the sound of explosions.


    Molotov cocktails exploded, trapping them in the center of the courtyard in a square.


    The intense fire made it impossible for them to move, forcing them to huddle together.


    As the mes rose, Ethan and the others in the courtyard could see Alex''s face clearly.


    Alex stood on the vi''s second-floor balcony, looking every bit the master of the house, smiling and saying, "Well, since you''re all here, why rush to leave?"


    Ethan widened his eyes, taking the initiative, he picked up his crossbow and started shooting.


    Alex retreated from the balcony, denying him a chance to aim.


    Several of Ethan''s teammates with long-rangebat abilities kept an eye on the situation outside, looking for an opportunity to counterattack.


    However, the next scene shattered their psychological defenses instantly.


    Through the mes, a teammate suddenly screamed in agony and fell to the ground.


    Others rushed forward to help him up, only to find a bullet-sized hole in his head.


    Alex had a gun!