The vehicle pulled over by the roadside and stopped. Fully armed, the four humans and one zombie headed toward the granaries.
They killed zombies all along the way again. The four of them instinctively kept Xu Duoduo protected in the middle, leaving her with no chance to use the chainsaw she was dragging along.
They got held up at the main gate for a while, too. Fortunately, this was the apocalyptic era, so they simply blasted it open with a small explosive charge.
There were actually no zombies inside.
Still, they didn't let their guard down. Chen Xiaofei was the most agile of them, making him the obvious choice to scout ahead. After taking a look around and confirming that everything was safe, he waved them in, and they successfully entered the granary compound.
The moment they stepped inside, they noticed how exceptionally dry it was. No wonder the grain could be preserved so well.
Neat rows of granaries filled the entire compound. Chen Xiaofei quickly made a circuit and discovered that there were actually thirty-two of them.
"Holy shit, this place is huge! Can Little Class Monitor handle all this?"
Qin Luo folded his arms and tilted his head, gesturing for Chen Xiaofei to look for himself. "I think she can."
Chen Xiaofei turned to look. Good grief, Xu Duoduo was like a mouse that had found its way into a rice jar. She had already started collecting everything. She stored things through physical contact. No matter how much there was, as long as it was all touching, she could take it away in one go.
Thirty-two granaries meant she only had to collect things thirty-two times.
It was so much easier than collecting supplies from supermarkets or snack shops. Shishi's little paw reached out, and all the grain was packed up and taken away! It felt incredible!
With nothing else to do at the granaries, Bai Shu even checked how much grain was stored there. He wouldn't have known if he hadn't checked, and what he found gave him a shock.
A single, nearly cylindrical granary could actually hold 7,500 tons of grain.
And there were a full thirty-two of them here...
Even Qin Luo couldn't help saying, "That's enough food to last us our whole lives. We could even feed a whole lot of people at our base."
Bai Shu nodded happily, too.
Wang Weihu was so stunned that he could barely speak. "Little Class Monitor is fucking awesome!"
The little zombie knew none of that. All she knew was that hoarding things made Shishi so happy. She lost herself in that joy, but unfortunately, even thirty-two granaries were emptied in the blink of an eye.
Still, quite a few little compartments in the multifaceted Rubik's cube space had been filled, giving her a sense of satisfaction-the kind that made her very, very happy.
It was all grain!
All sorts of grains and cereals!
Rice made up the biggest share by far! And it seemed to be very good quality, too.
After emptying the granaries, Xu Duoduo was blissful and lightheaded, her eyes sparkling. In the end, Qin Luo scooped her up and carried her away. "Why do you look drunk? Are you drunk on grain?" He let out a low, delighted chuckle.
Everyone was in a good mood.
That included Wang Weihu, Bai Shu, and Chen Xiaofei. Successfully collecting so much grain really put their minds at ease. Although it was only a drop in the bucket for the base, it was still better than leaving it here to rot.
Every day since the apocalypse began had been abnormal. No one knew what might happen in the next second, so it was best to gather these supplies as soon as possible.
They also asked Xu Duoduo for some grain. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves to Headquarters, since someone had seen them asking the children for a map.
To avoid trouble, they would sell the grain in their spatial storage cards to the base once they returned, exchanging it for points. That way, they could earn points for their daily expenses while also easing the base's urgent shortage.
After leaving the granaries without incident, they searched for and rescued more survivors along the way, gathering another haul of assorted supplies from the area while they were at it.
There were quite a few shops and shopping centers in the small town, too.
There were no rescue teams nearby, but they were already preparing to head back.
So they took this batch of survivors with them. The vehicles Xu Duoduo had collected at the service area came in handy: the large trucks carried the survivors' belongings, while the buses carried the people themselves.
The modified Off-Road Vehicle led the convoy, with the other vehicles following close behind.
Come to think of it, they had been out for several days, but more had happened than used to happen in several months. Every day was so "eventful." It was nothing like going to school or work before, traveling back and forth between the same two places every day.
Xu Duoduo felt as though she had been away for ages, though it had actually only been three days.
They spent a little more time on the road, and their squad finally returned to the base on the fourth day. Seeing that towering perimeter wall in the distance brought an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Then came the usual procedures.
They parked for inspection, while the other survivors lined up to enter the base through quarantine.
At the gate, many survivors burst into tears at the familiar sight of staff members wearing red vests and ID badges.
At last, they had escaped with their lives. They couldn't bear to think back on the days since the apocalypse began.
The staff were very patient, offering a few words of comfort before guiding them inside.
Qin Luo and the others stood beside the vehicle, waiting for the staff to check and inspect it. The staff would take it away for cleaning and repairs, then deliver it to the parking lot at their residence.
When they went out on a mission, they could simply drive it away.
As usual, Chen Xiaofei stretched and yawned. "Ahhh... I'm exhausted."
Bai Shu looked worn out, too. He rolled his neck and sighed. "Let's go back, take a shower, and get some sleep."
He didn't even feel like eating.
Wang Weihu went off to find somewhere to smoke. He didn't like smoking while he was tense out on missions, but once he returned to the base and relaxed, he was never without cigarettes and alcohol.
As the captain, Qin Luo went over to the staff by the gate to hand things over and register their return. "We passed some granaries this time and brought back quite a bit of grain. We'll keep two hundred jin of rice for ourselves. You can take all the rest."
Even Du Chunjiang couldn't hide her surprise. "Oh my god, really? You guys are way too amazing. Taking on several missions every time you go out is one thing, but this time you fought a three-star mutated monster! It was impressive enough that you could still take on missions afterward, and you even brought grain back? Goddess of Luo, your squad is seriously god-tier! By the way, the forums have been talking about you lately."
They really were just that incredible. Other people went through all kinds of hardship to complete a single mission, and even the capable ones topped out at two. Their 3A squad was full of battle maniacs. What other ability users pushed themselves as hard as those four? And now they had added a little cutie to the team!
Du Chunjiang couldn't help looking over at the little zombie, then lowered her voice. "She's so pretty and well-behaved. Just a little aloof."
When she spoke to her, the little zombie barely responded.
Qin Luo leaned away. "Tsk, just say what you have to say. Why are you getting so close?"
Du Chunjiang rolled her eyes. "Come on, technically I should be calling you my cousin. What are you so nervous about?! I just want to get to know her."
Qin Luo smiled. "Then go introduce yourself. Why are you whispering to me? And she's not aloof. She just can't talk for now."
As he spoke, he muttered a couple more remarks.
The little zombie was so adorable.
How was she aloof?!
Xu Duoduo had been standing nearby waiting for Qin Luo for ages. She had wanted to leave, but she craved his scent. She decided to stand there a little longer and wait for him, so she could take a few extra sniffs to satisfy her craving. Even her sleep that night would be sweeter.
And Little Zombie, whose brain easily stalled, didn't think there was anything creepy about her behavior.
Before you continue