Official Rescue Arrives

"Next, I'll announce the rescue assignments.

Group One, the museum in the east of the city. Bring back as many important cultural relics as possible. You'll be assigned a spatial ability user. Make absolutely sure he stays safe.

Group Two, the grain reserve depot in the west of the city.

Group Three, the government staff family compound.

Group Four, Zhenglin Villa on Ruikang Road. You're to rescue Professor Lin Zhengying and his family. You must ensure Professor Lin Zhengying's safety.

Groups Five and Six, along with the Special Operations Team, will come with me to University Town in H City.

University Town is densely populated and has been hit hard. Once the other groups finish their assignments, get over there as quickly as possible to assist."

"Yes, understood!"

Meng Qilin had awakened a strength ability and was in charge of rescue operations in H City. With such a large area affected, a large-scale rescue was impractical. He could only follow the organization's orders and prioritize key individuals.

The devastated streets and endless zombies filled him with anxiety. H City had always had a huge population, and unrest had broken out within the military as well. Stabilizing the situation before coming here had cost them several more days.

He still had no idea what the situation was like now. Staring into the pitch-black night, he felt as though claws were raking at his heart. He wished he could start the rescue operation right away.

"Nothing beats home! Being able to enjoy air conditioning at a time like this is amazing!" Monkey sprawled across the sofa, with absolutely no intention of getting up again.

The weather was growing hotter and hotter, with daytime highs reaching almost 50°C. Zombies already smelled terrible, and the heat over the past two days had made their rotten stench even stronger. It was unbearable.

"This is heaven. We can still have chilled watermelon at a time like this." A-Dai pulled over a little stool and sat obediently beside the table, polishing off a small wedge in two or three bites.

"Starting tomorrow, we're staying home to train our abilities. This heat will last another three or four days. We'll head out again once it cools down," Bai Yaoyao said after some thought.

Everyone had worked hard these past few days, killing zombies late into the night every day. They had accumulated plenty of Crystal Cores but had no time to absorb them. This was the perfect chance to train and see if they could level up.

Since Bai Yaoyao could enter her space, all three of her abilities had already reached Level Three. A-Dai's dark ability, Lulu's lightning ability, and Fat Brother's and Stone's earth abilities had all reached Level Three too.

The team no longer lacked top-tier fighters, so Bai Yaoyao gave priority for all the Crystal Cores to those who had yet to reach Level Three.

"Awesome! Off to bed!"

Everyone enjoyed a rare chance to sleep in, Bai Yaoyao included. Several consecutive days of intense fighting had taken their toll on her body, so she fell asleep the moment she hit the bed and slept straight through until noon the next day.

It was hungry Doggie who finally woke her with a barrage of howls. After her spatial ability reached Level Three, she could store living creatures inside, but they had to agree. Only after explaining it to Doggie ten thousand times had she managed to bring Doggie and Little Crook into her space together.

Bai Yaoyao had wanted to see whether she could bring her teammates in too, which would make future missions much safer. It hadn't worked, but she had a feeling that a few more levels might make it possible.

"Woof, woof, arooo, woof, woof!"

(I'm starving to death here!)

Bai Yaoyao: ヽ('⌒´メ)ノ

Resisting the urge to send Doggie flying with a kick, she quickly changed and went downstairs, tossed Doggie outside, and flung out several large bones.

"Morning, Yaoyao," Xiaomi said.

Seeing Xiaomi drenched in sweat and breathing unevenly, Bai Yaoyao knew this one must have gotten up early for extra training.

"It's already noon, hardly morning. Why didn't you get some more rest?" Bai Yaoyao asked.

Xiaomi scratched their head. "I wasn't tired and couldn't sleep, so I just got up."

Bai Yaoyao nodded and walked over to the window, intending to open it for some fresh air. The moment she did, a blast of heat hit her square in the face and nearly finished her off. She could barely breathe.

She hurriedly shut the door. Who cared about fresh air or stuffiness? Air conditioning was all she needed.

Suddenly craving hot pot, Bai Yaoyao took out ingredients and started preparing and plating them with Xiaomi: beef, lamb, black-bone chicken rolls, luncheon meat, stuffed beef balls, beef tripe, crispy-skinned sausages, duck feet, pig brains, shrimp paste, crispy fried pork...

"Yaoyao, is this an all-meat hot pot?"

"Haha, I forgot we needed vegetables too."

Bai Yaoyao was a classic meat lover. Meat was her favorite, but she still dug out a mixed mushroom platter, lettuce, potatoes, glass noodles, and fried tofu-skin rolls.

She also put some of Doggie's favorite big bones in the pot. Before long, the aroma wafted through the house, drawing everyone out of bed.

Of course, A-Dai was guaranteed to arrive first.

Just as everyone was thoroughly enjoying the meal, sounds of fighting suddenly came from outside. Everyone immediately went on alert and headed to the second-floor balcony.

It looked like an official rescue team, driving military-green pickups. They had just eliminated two or three Level Zero Zombies wandering along the roadside.

At daybreak, Meng Qilin had organized the teams to begin their rescue operations and personally led his team to University Town.

He had expected a brutal battle and had even written a final letter, tucking it inside the armband on his arm. To his surprise, there were barely any zombies left in the entire University Town.

He frequently saw groups of a dozen or so students carrying all sorts of weapons, surrounding a single zombie and beating it together. The ferocity on their faces made them look less like sheltered university students and more like habitual brawlers from a den of villains.

He led his two-hundred-person team on a long circuit, yet couldn't find a single zombie they could fight.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he called out to a student. "Hey, student! I'd like to ask you a few things. Are you from H University?"

"Hello, sir. Yes, I am. Ask whatever you like. There's nothing around here I don't know about," Li Pengliang said.

"Pengliang, is this the official rescue team? What took them so long? They weren't nearly as fast as the experts from the Dark Night Squad!" one of his followers muttered behind him.

"Shut up. Watch what you say. Don't cause trouble for our benefactors," Li Pengliang hurriedly warned.

Meng Qilin's mouth twitched awkwardly, but he still asked patiently, "What's the situation around University Town? Why are there so few zombies? And who are these people from the Dark Night Squad you mentioned?"

"Of course there aren't many zombies. The experts from the Dark Night Squad cleared them all out. They only left a few dozen at each school for us to practice on.

As for the Dark Night Squad, we don't really know who they are. They're good people, though, and incredibly strong. Their leader is a beautiful woman who's ruthless and has plenty to say!

She told us straight out that the Crystal Cores in zombies' heads could level up our abilities," Li Pengliang explained, gesturing excitedly.

Mentioning the Dark Night Squad always got Li Pengliang fired up. His own ability had already reached Level Two, but he still felt miles behind his idols. He truly had no idea how they trained.