The New Light Mutual Aid Association's convoy and Lin Hui's RV slowly drove into the abandoned Aviation Parts Factory.
The factory's interior was astonishingly vast.
Sunlight streamed through the shattered glass windows in the dome, forming shafts of light in the dust-laden air and illuminating this graveyard of steel.
Enormous stamping presses loomed in the shadows like dead giants, while countless rusted gears and broken pipes lay scattered across the floor.
At the sight, Lin Hui's eyebrows twitched.
From everything he had seen and heard over the past five days, this world resembled the American West in his previous life: wilderness everywhere, with nothing but roads stretching beyond sight.
There were no humans here. It was as though civilization had vanished decades ago. The occasional buildings he encountered were all badly dilapidated, and Zombies and Mutants were everywhere.
Yet the writing on the buildings was unlike any script on Earth.
Could this once have been a civilized planet similar to Earth?
Only its intelligent inhabitants turned into Zombies? Or were they also summoned away by the "Road Survival Game" to take part in a survival game on another planet?
Thought after thought flashed through Lin Hui's mind.
Then what happened to this planet's intelligent inhabitants? Did they never come back after the game?
Were they all wiped out?
"Brother Lin?"
Suddenly, Tang Chuan's vehicle pulled up beside Lin Hui's. It was a Lv3 vehicle converted from an ambulance.
It also had an externally mounted weapon on its roof, but only an ordinary machine gun, operated by a young man standing at the controls.
Tang Chuan rolled down his window and handed Lin Hui a walkie-talkie.
"With walkie-talkies, we'll be able to coordinate better."
Lin Hui nodded and passed it straight to Su Qingqian in the passenger seat.
"Qingqian, check whether there's anything wrong with this walkie-talkie."
It never hurt to be cautious. If the other party had tampered with the walkie-talkie, that would be trouble.
"Okay!" Su Qingqian took it and examined it carefully. With her "Specialization-Machinery," the walkie-talkie's internal structure appeared clearly in her black eyes.
"Boss, there's a tracking device inside. Everything else is fine."
Lin Hui rubbed his chin. "A tracking device isn't a problem."
Soon, the operation began.
Creeeak-
Led by the New Light Mutual Aid Association, the convoy cautiously rolled over the industrial debris littering the floor. The roar of engines echoed through the enclosed space, sounding especially harsh.
Lin Hui drove his black Lv3 Heavy-Duty RV behind them, keeping a moderate distance.
Behind him was Tang Chuan's heavily armored ambulance.
"Boss, the atmosphere here... something feels wrong."
Su Qingqian's clear, wide eyes warily scanned the dark corners around them. "It's too quiet. Didn't they say there were more than a dozen White Thorns in here?"
"White Thorns are clever. Unlike Zombies, they have some intelligence. Right now, they're acting like hunters, and hunters only strike when they're confident."
Lin Hui held the steering wheel with one hand and answered unhurriedly.
With his other hand, he casually pulled a can of ice-cold cola from the onboard fridge and popped the tab with a click.
The sound of bursting bubbles filled the cabin.
Fsssh-
Lin Hui took a sip and sighed contentedly. "Perfect. We've got free guinea pigs scouting ahead. All we need to do is cheer them on."
Before he had finished speaking-
A sudden, teeth-grating scraping noise came from the depths of the previously silent factory.
It sounded like countless sharp fingernails scratching a blackboard.
"Watch out! On the left!!"
Tang Chuan's urgent shout came over the walkie-talkie's shared channel.
The next second, the shadows moved.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a dozen white afterimages shot out from behind the enormous machine tools, above the beams, and even inside the abandoned ventilation ducts!
They were the Mutants known as White Thorns!
Although they were only Tier 1 and Tier 2 Mutants, there were fifteen or sixteen of them! Like predators catching the scent of blood, they instantly pounced on the modified Lv3 pickups at the front of the convoy.
"Open fire! Hurry, open fire!!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-
Gunfire erupted instantly, muzzle flashes dancing wildly through the dim factory.
But the White Thorns were too fast.
Although a few Tier 1 White Thorns were hit, a Tier 2 White Thorn nimbly dodged the machine-gun fire, sprang off all fours, and landed directly on the roof of a modified Lv3 off-road vehicle.
These vehicles were also Lv3, but they had been upgraded using the most ordinary steel. Their defenses were nowhere near the same league as Lin Hui's RV.
The Tier 2 White Thorn's sharp claws pierced the thin sheet metal of the roof instantly, as easily as cutting through tofu!
"Aaaah-!!!"
An agonized scream came from inside the vehicle, and blood seeped through the gaps around its windows.
"Chairman Tang, they're too fast! There are obstacles everywhere-we can't hit them! And they're working together!!" A team member's voice came over the walkie-talkie, thick with anxiety.
"Damn it!"
Tang Chuan, who was also at the rear of the convoy, watched the scene with a livid expression.
They had hunted Tier 2 White Thorns before, but that had been out in the wilderness. He had never imagined these White Thorns would become so troublesome with obstacles around!
He snatched up his walkie-talkie and roared:
"Brother Lin! Where's your autocannon?! Open fire and suppress those White Thorns!!"
At that moment, Lin Hui's RV was parked in an excellent firing position.
If its 25 mm Chain Autocannon opened fire, it could instantly tear the White Thorns on those vehicle roofs to pieces.
And yet-
The RV remained perfectly still.
Only the pitch-black cannon muzzle moved, turning slowly a couple of times like an old man out for a stroll before getting stuck.
Lin Hui's languid voice came over the walkie-talkie, accompanied by the crisp crunch of potato chips:
"Crunch... Chairman Tang, sorry about this... crunch... looks like my fire-control system got jolted out of whack when we went over that speed bump... crunch... it's rebooting... hold them off for now..."
"Rebooting?!"
Tang Chuan was so furious he nearly crushed the walkie-talkie in his hand.
Rebooting, my ass!
Before you continue