After everyone took everything from the warehouse, it stood empty again.
The place was right beside City C's highway toll station. After their brief encounter, everyone was about to go their separate ways again.
Mu Enya held Xu Duoduo's hand, reluctant to part, and insisted she come over to hang out once she returned to the base. "I live in Building B, really close to you."
Xu Duoduo nodded. This was the first friend she had made in the apocalyptic era, and she was quite happy about it. She even slipped Mu Enya a piece of chocolate.
Mu Enya was delighted.
With nothing to give in return, she gave the little zombie the protective charm she wore around her neck.
Zhang Chi called for Mu Enya to hurry into the vehicle, and she rushed over.
Xu Duoduo hadn't even had time to refuse.
She couldn't accept this charm.
Zhao Gang shook hands with Qin Luo and each of the others to express his gratitude. "Thank you so much. If you hadn't rescued us, the three of us might still be hiding in that service area."
Besides, a Mutant Snake-Man had actually passed through that place. If they had hesitated and refused to leave with the group, they would have run into it sooner or later.
Even without the Mutant Snake-Man, they couldn't have lived in the service area forever.
Now that they had joined the main group and understood how this new world worked, Zhao Gang felt a little more at ease. "Once we've settled down at the H City survivor base, we'll definitely treat you to a meal. Please don't turn us down."
Liu Chunhui also brought their little daughter over and had her thank Qin Luo and the others.
Qin Luo and the others told them it was only right. "If it hadn't been us, another rescue team would have come."
Headquarters' guiding principle now was to never abandon a single human being.
Zhao Gang was deeply moved when he heard that principle, and he carried that feeling with him as he got into the vehicle.
Qin Luo watched the vehicles drive through the highway toll station one after another. They, too, had a mission to begin.
Wang Weihu drove that day, with Chen Xiaofei in the passenger seat. Qin Luo and Bai Shu sat in the middle row, while Xu Duoduo returned to the spacious back row.
They had given the interior a quick wipe-down with the Bloodstain Cleaning Agent supplied by the base. It worked well, leaving no heavy smell of blood behind.
"The commercial district is about forty minutes from here. We can head straight over. Once we get there, I'll clear out the zombies. Wang and Bai Shu will rescue survivors. Xiaofei, stick with Xu Duoduo. You two will collect supplies nearby."
Qin Luo assigned everyone their roles. Wang Weihu and the other two had no objections, and Xu Duoduo blew her wooden whistle to signal that she understood, making everyone laugh.
The modified Off-Road Vehicle headed straight for their destination-the Baoli Commercial District in City C.
The closer they got to the commercial district, the more zombies there were.
Bai Shu and Qin Luo set their guns up through the sunroof and opened fire, taking out almost every zombie with a single headshot.
The zombies moved more slowly during the day now, and some even hid in the shade.
But the two men had sharp eyes. No matter where the zombies hid, they couldn't escape their notice.
Xu Duoduo sat in the back, leaning against the window as she watched the streets outside. The once-bustling city was now silent, broken only by the occasional barking of mutant dogs and the snarls of zombies. Not a single person was out in the open.
Her eyesight was decent. She could see curtains trembling slightly in a second-floor window. There were probably survivors there, but they didn't know who was outside and dared not make any rash moves.
Gunfire rang out constantly around her, along with the explosions of the Miniature Bombs dropped outside.
One circuit like this was enough to wipe out roughly ninety percent of the zombies. Eventually, the vehicle pulled up outside the main entrance of the largest shopping mall-Entrance One.
Wang Weihu parked by the entrance. From here, they would split into three teams.
"I'm heading out. Keep your earpieces on so we can stay in touch. Xu Duoduo, don't go wandering off on your own. Xiaofei, look after her."
After those final instructions, Qin Luo saw Chen Xiaofei make an OK gesture and headed forward with Wang Weihu and Bai Shu. A little farther ahead, the three split into two groups. Qin Luo was going inside the mall to go on a killing spree.
Wang Weihu and Bai Shu would rescue the scattered survivors around the mall.
Though they had only been injured yesterday, ability users really did recover fast. They could already move freely today, and going on missions while injured was routine for them anyway.
None of the four men gave it a second thought. They all got on with their own tasks.
"Little Class Monitor, let's go too! City C is the granary capital. There should be grain shops nearby. Let's go clean them out!"
Chen Xiaofei was thrilled, his gun held against his chest and his baby face full of excitement.
The little zombie nodded demurely, then turned and slipped into the nearest shop. As it happened, it sold grains and beans.
Most of the shops here did sell food, but the bulk of their stock was in warehouses.
They would still have to take their time finding the warehouses. Those were the real treasure chests, and clearing them out would be much more satisfying.
Still, there was a high-rise residential complex near this commercial district, so there were plenty of shops.
Even odds and ends would add up.
The moment Xu Duoduo entered the grain shop, she spotted a zombie trapped behind the checkout counter. It had probably been the young woman who worked the register, and it still wore the shop's apron. Unfortunately, it had rotted so badly that its face was no longer recognizable.
She didn't look any longer.
Chen Xiaofei killed it with a single shot, finally putting the young woman to rest.
The shop did indeed sell grains and beans, mostly whole grains. This was probably a tourist spot, too, since it also sold all sorts of local specialty pastries.
The little zombie even knew to lower her head and check the expiration dates. She reached out a little hand, picked up a package, and looked it over. Finding that they kept for six months, she put them away without worry.
There were plenty of these cloyingly sweet, old-fashioned pastries, along with jars and containers on the shelves on either side, all filled with grains and beans.
A pile of bagged rice and other goods sat in the middle of the shop.
Wherever Xu Duoduo went, she reached out a little hand and took everything away. She left any grain in opened bags and only took sealed packages. Before long, she had cleared out the entire shop.
Chen Xiaofei found it strangely satisfying to watch. All he had to do was follow close behind her.
Xu Duoduo knew the routine inside out. Collecting things had become a habit, and she moved fast. The shop next door sold malatang, and she went straight for the freezers as soon as she entered.
All the ingredients left out in the open had long since rotted, but those in the freezers were fine. The power hadn't gone out here, so everything was still well preserved.
She collected three large freezers' worth of malatang ingredients-all sorts of meatballs, sliced beef and lamb, and the like-along with the shop's soup-base seasoning packets.
There weren't really any zombies inside the shops. The neighboring shops had their doors open, and the zombies had already wandered outside. Apart from a few trapped behind counters and unable to get out, almost all of them were gone.
Next came an outdoor sporting goods store, where she collected plenty of tents, fishing gear, camping supplies, backpacks, waist packs, and the like.
Chen Xiaofei was especially pleased with this one, mainly because it also had plenty of clothing and shoes suitable for outdoor use. The store was enormous and had just about everything.
"Little Class Monitor, how big is your space, exactly? Can you take all these men's clothes? I really love them!"
Chen Xiaofei liked wearing this kind of sportswear casually. It was especially comfortable, and this was a major brand he loved. In the past, he had rarely been willing to spend the money on it.
Xu Duoduo immediately gave a cool nod, strolled over, and took everything away with a touch of her little hand.
Chen Xiaofei couldn't help grinning foolishly as he followed her around with his gun in his arms. "Oh my god, this is so satisfying! Little Class Monitor, your space really is huge!"
Apart from Gluttonous Beast at Headquarters in City B, he had never heard of anyone with such a large storage space. She had already collected three whole warehouses full of canned food, followed by a pile of odds and ends, yet she could still keep taking more and more.
It was ridiculously satisfying!
Next door to the outdoor sporting goods store was an enormous snack shop. Over the past decade, this kind of shop had become especially popular, with an incredible variety of products.
This chain snack shop had the most comprehensive selection, even setting aside a special childhood-snacks section with everything from spicy gluten strips to preserved fruit and meat snacks.
Everything had its own section.
The interior was just a little dirty, still bearing traces of the disaster that had unfolded on the day the apocalypse struck.
Aside from the bloodstains on the floor and a few filthy, messy spots, eighty percent of it was fine. The shop could be considered relatively uncontaminated.
Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo made the perfect pair for this. They both loved snacks, and entering this shop was like mice finding their way into a rice bin!
"Little Class Monitor, quick, quick! Come over here. I picked up every scattered snack I could salvage and tossed them onto the shelves. Just take the shelves and everything on them!"
Hearing him call, Xu Duoduo went over and collected them. The shelves were packed with all kinds of gummies that looked delicious. Another little compartment in the multifaceted Rubik's cube space in her sea of consciousness filled up, but there were still plenty of compartments left.
She couldn't fill it up. She simply couldn't fill it up!
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