Setting out

Qin Luo looked things over and finally chose City C as their destination. It was the closest, and City I lay just across from it, so they could collect the supplies there too if possible.

"Food gets contaminated too easily. If we can salvage any, food takes priority."

After all, firearms might really prove useless against the monsters later on. More importantly, other troops were stationed in City I.

Getting those supplies wouldn't be easy.

Bai Shu had no objections. Everywhere was dangerous in the apocalypse anyway.

"Okay, then it's settled!"

They were going to City C!

Early the next morning.

The team geared up and stood ready to leave. They had taken a survivor rescue mission in advance and would venture into City C along the way, emptying as many granaries as possible.

Their off-road vehicle had undergone another overhaul. All the grime, dents, and scrapes were gone, leaving it looking brand-new. It had even been reinforced.

Qin Luo let out a loud whistle at first sight and rapped on the bodywork while a mechanic beside him explained its new features.

"Captain Qin, Headquarters approved the maximum upgrade for your vehicle. This button activates the fully sealed configuration, allowing it to temporarily convert into a submarine or enter Tank Mode. Over here is the built-in telescopic viewing function..."

Chen Xiaofei's jaw had dropped. He ran his hands over the completely refurbished vehicle, exclaiming, "So cool! How awesome is this thing? Black and gold!"

Bai Shu kicked the huge tires twice and praised them. "Nice. These tires are sturdy!"

Wang Weihu was delighted with its enormous body. "No more hunching up inside!"

Only Xu Duoduo was different. The little zombie had also changed into a combat uniform today, and as she gazed up at the "behemoth," she figured she would have to climb aboard.

Of the whole team, Wang Weihu was nearly two meters tall, a hulking one meter ninety-six. Qin Luo came next at one meter eighty-nine, followed by Bai Shu at one meter eighty-five. Even the baby-faced Chen Xiaofei was one meter eighty.

Only Xu Duoduo! She alone was one meter sixty-three! She stood out painfully among them.

By the time Qin Luo finished the handover, he noticed the little zombie Xu Duoduo clumsily trying to climb aboard while no one was looking. He nearly laughed aloud, then went straight over, supported her by the waist, and lifted her up with ease.

"If you can't get up, just make a sound. Aren't you tired of struggling by yourself? Are all these teammates just here for decoration? Hmm?"

Once Xu Duoduo was up, she ignored him. Even a little zombie could feel embarrassed. She burrowed into the back seat and curled up with her knees in her arms, staring wide-eyed at the new view.

Since it was a modified off-road combat vehicle, its body sat extremely high, giving her a view far into the distance.

So comfy!!

Inside were seven incredibly spacious seats, with a pile of supplies in the trunk.

Everything from gasoline to bullets.

There was also a pile of nutrient solution nobody liked, along with assorted compressed biscuits.

The others got in afterward. Qin Luo was driving today, with Wang Weihu in the front passenger seat and Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu in the second row.

Xu Duoduo had the last row to herself. Someone tossed her a blanket, too. It was fluffy and very comfortable, and she grabbed it to give it a little rub.

Bai Shu smiled and said, "Just snagged that. Have fun with it, Little Class Monitor."

From the driver's seat, Qin Luo told them to buckle up. Xu Duoduo hurriedly nodded at Bai Shu, then lowered her head to fasten her own seat belt.

Then she started taking things out again: a thermos for each of them, filled with herbal cooling tea to soothe their throats and relieve internal heat. She poked Bai Shu, asking him to pass them forward.

Chen Xiaofei opened his and sniffed it. "Wow, Little Class Monitor, you're the best! You even have herbal cooling tea! How come you've got everything? Speaking of which, do you have any snacks?"

Bai Shu had just passed the other two thermoses to the front. At that, he turned back and knocked Chen Xiaofei on the head. "Think we're on a spring outing, Three-Year-Old Chen?! Snacks, seriously!"

Wang Weihu also reminded them to be careful. "The windows may have privacy film, but there are all sorts of strange abilities in the apocalypse. We should still watch ourselves."

Xu Duoduo nodded too. After a moment's thought, she took a wooden whistle from the multifaceted Rubik's cube space and gave it a short toot to signal her agreement.

Sure enough, all four of them noticed and turned to look at her in unison.

Xu Duoduo gripped the wooden whistle nervously in her little hands, her eyes darting between them behind her colored contacts. Did they think it sounded bad?

She had just begun wondering whether to put it away.

All four gave her a thumbs-up at once, clearly approving of the idea.

Qin Luo smiled as well. "Nice! That's our Little Class Monitor. There's always a way around a problem."

Chen Xiaofei turned around and began chattering to her. "From now on, blow once to say yes. If you need our help, blow a little longer..."

As he rambled on, the vehicle soon got moving and passed through the checkpoints one after another.

Electronic announcements sounded in succession.

[Welcome to the first departure checkpoint of the H City Survivor Base. Beep. All checks normal. Everyone at the H City Survivor Base wishes you a safe journey.]

They passed through three checkpoints in a row. At the final exit from the base, a person opened the gate.

Wang Weihu handed over a card showing the mission their squad had accepted and their departure point.

"Heading out again, Captain Qin? You work too hard. Every time you come back, you only stay one night."

The staff member took the card with a smile and registered their departure.

Qin Luo wore a carefree grin as he joked, "Can't afford not to work hard. The world changes every day. If we don't keep at it, we'll fall behind."

The staff member sighed over how hard these combat squads had it. "True. Thousands upon thousands of our companions are still living in misery. What you do is great. On behalf of everyone in H City, I salute you. May you have a safe journey and return home without trouble."

He gave them a solemn salute, his expression grave.

Qin Luo leaned over the steering wheel and chuckled. "You do this every time. All right, we're off."

He motioned for Wang Weihu to take back the departure pass, then gave the staff member a final nod. The vehicle shot off, considerably faster than before.

Xu Duoduo craned her neck from the back seat. The acceleration rocked her, tipping her over onto the seat before she climbed back up.

She was just about to grumble.

But when she looked at the route they had taken on the way in, she suddenly fell silent. In just one night, more than half the trees along the road had withered and died.

Chen Xiaofei swore too. "Holy shit, this stuff's way too toxic. At this rate, won't all the plants die?"

Bai Shu was fiddling with his tablet. "Only in certain areas. Just look at City R. It's a paradise for plants over there. One huge old banyan tree has spread across the entire city. Vehicles can't even get in now."

Chen Xiaofei let out another "Holy shit" and leaned over to look at Bai Shu's screen.

Hearing this, Xu Duoduo lowered her head and took out her own tablet to check. A new update had appeared among the forum's latest information posts: overnight, an old banyan tree had grown wildly and encircled all of City R.

The City R Survivor Base had already sent out a distress signal, and Headquarters was gathering personnel to devise a rescue strategy.