A message

When Lu Heng woke up, light was already seeping in through the gaps in the ceiling, cutting obliquely across the ground and illuminating a patch of dust.

He sat up, stretched his neck, and his joints cracked a few times. He hadn't slept deeply last night; the damp, sweet-smelling smell of the Insect Queen's nest still seemed to linger in his nostrils, and he could see the wriggling egg sacs all over the walls with his eyes closed.

Today's plan is clear: go to Moonview Valley.

He tucked the Permanent Territory Certificate into his pocket; the location would have to be determined after he saw it in person. He had already started planning the route in his mind—starting from the northern edge of the forest, following the riverbed, avoiding the Frostfang Wolf territory, which should take about half a day.

He reached for the nail guards by the bed, then stopped.

A scene suddenly flashed through my mind.

Song Yunzhong and his group were heading to a military base.

He had promised to see him off.

Lu Heng was silent for two seconds before putting on the armor.

The days of fighting, unsealing, opening boxes, and taking stock of the spoils piled up one after another, completely overshadowing this matter. It wasn't that I intentionally didn't go; I genuinely forgot about it.

"... fuck."

He cursed, his voice echoing in the empty Shelter, but there was no reply.

One by one, the equipment was put on and put on. The armor was fastened, the weapons were checked, and the Bone Demon stood up from the corner, silently following behind him. The Portal unfolded in front of him, and the pale blue light screen rippled slightly, reflecting his cold and hard face.

Step in.

Lakeside Base.

The moment the teleportation landed, ripples spread across the water beneath their feet.

Lu Heng had just steadied himself when he suddenly felt a chill on his wrist. A slippery vine slithered up from the bottom of the lake and wrapped around his wrist. The force was very light, with a hint of probing, as if something was gently shaking him.

The tip of the vine curled up slightly, swaying at him, then swaying again.

Lu Heng glanced down at it.

Water-Covering Vine.

He then remembered that he had been so busy killing the Insect Queen, opening boxes, and planning his territory that he had forgotten about this thing.

He didn't speak, but he conveyed Mental Energy.

The vine caught the energy, its tip curled up contentedly for a moment, then instantly released, retreating back to the lake bottom twice as fast as it had risen, leaving only a string of rapidly dissipating bubbles on the surface.

Looking at the now calm water, Lu Heng thought to himself, "A classic case of 'whoever feeds me is my mother'."

He didn't linger by the water's edge, then turned and walked towards the city.

He remembered Song Yunzhong's residence; he had been there once before. He walked through two streets, turned into a half-collapsed residential building, and went to the third floor, where the door was ajar.

I pushed open the door; the room was empty.

The bed was made, the blankets were folded neatly, the closet was empty, the tables and chairs were wiped clean, and everything had been moved out. A piece of paper was left on the table, under an empty water glass.

Lu Heng walked over and picked up the paper.

The paper was covered with writing, line after line, densely packed.

He glanced at it, then glanced at it again.

I don't know him.

He couldn't understand a single character in this world. It wasn't that they were written sloppily; they simply didn't belong to any symbol system he was familiar with. Those winding strokes were no different from gibberish to him. After looking at them for a long time, he couldn't even recognize a single radical.

He looked at the paper, remained silent for a few seconds, then put it back on the table and didn't take it with him.

Song Yunzhong overestimated him.

He turned and went out, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

Next up is the military base.

He was crossing the city, a distance that was quite far. As he hurried along, he asked the Blood Taisui: Was there any major threat to this area at the time?

The Blood Taisui's response was swift; it wasn't through words or sound, but rather a vague sensation that directly entered his consciousness.

A message came in: There was something in the city that was previously stuck at the peak of the Bronze, just a hair's breadth away from reaching the Silver realm. Now that its aura has stabilized, it has probably broken through.

Lu Heng didn't stop walking.

Silver Tier Zombie hold their ground in one corner and do not actively expand. The military base has sufficient ammunition reserves, and the garrison can defend itself by relying on fortifications.

He doesn't need to worry about it for now.

Half an hour later, the outer perimeter of the military base came into view.

The walls were high, the barbed wire was thick, and guards stood at the sentry posts, their guns pointed outwards. Lu Heng didn't approach directly; instead, he found a concealed spot some distance away, crouched down, and summoned his mutated King Snake.

The King Snake slithered out of the shadow at his feet and silently disappeared into the grass.

A vision of snakes unfolded in his mind.

The image is in black and white, with outlines from thermal imaging. Walls, sentry posts, barracks, warehouses, living quarters... it scans through them frame by frame.

Found it.

The living area, located near the cafeteria.

Song Yunzhong sister.

She was unloading things, box by box, from the truck, her movements mechanical, her back bent low. Someone handed her water, she took a sip, and continued working. Her face was expressionless, her eyebrows drooping, and she looked as if something was weighing her down, preventing her from straightening her back.

Lu Heng watched from a distance for a few seconds.

In the King Snake's field of vision, her silhouette appeared in a cool tone in the thermal imaging—her low body temperature indicated that her physical condition was not good, possibly due to poor eating or sleeping.

He felt a pang of emotion, but quickly suppressed it.

We can't start this.

Once he softens his heart, helping this person today and that person tomorrow, he won't have to do anything else and will become everyone's babysitter. Song Yunzhong is still around, so it's not his place to overstep his bounds and interfere.

In the chaos of the apocalypse, it's a miracle that ordinary people can survive.

He looked away, and the King Snake slithered back from the grass and disappeared back into his body.

Lu Heng stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

The Bone Demon followed behind him, his footsteps echoing on the gravel as they headed towards the forest.

Moonview Valley is still waiting for him.

The Permanent Territory Certificate is tucked away in my pocket; the location needs to be decided. The Moonlight Tree seed is stored separately in another pocket; a suitable place needs to be found to plant it. The Insect Control Technique and Insect Nest are still at the bottom of the box; which insect to choose and when to activate them all need to be decided.

There's still a lot to do.

He didn't look back.

The walls of the military base behind us receded into the distance and eventually disappeared.

Lu Heng quickened his pace.

We plan to go directly to Moonview Valley.