Yue Zheng parked the car, walked around the perimeter wall to make sure everything was secure, and then returned to ask, “What about the smoke grenade casing?”
Mother Xu pointed outside the wall and said, “Xiao Shu threw them out again. One happened to land right on the collar of one of those people.” So, while that person was running away, smoke was billowing out of his collar, creating a comical scene. Unfortunately, those inside the wall didn’t see it, and those outside were too busy escaping to appreciate it.
“It’s only been a few quiet days, and this happens again,” Xu Song said with frustration as he opened the rear door of the pickup truck to retrieve equipment.
“It might be the work of newcomers,” Yue Zheng shook his head and sighed. The people who had been here before were already scared off by the reputation of this place. They wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.
“Maybe. Did you hear when we went shopping today? Most people who go into the city nowadays don’t come back, and even if they do, most of them return injured or worse.” Nowadays, people who ventured out mostly stayed around the outskirts of the city. Only a few braved the inner city area, and most of them met the same fate as Xu Song and Yue Zheng: encountering vicious mutant animals or being caught in insect swarms.
Even more terrifying was the discovery of overturned containers and other items. People tried to turn them over to see if there was any food or supplies inside, but they ended up being swarmed by ferocious mutant insects.
The natural environment outside was still brutal, and the social environment inside the base was far from ideal. Boldly robbing people’s homes had become a common occurrence within the base.
“We should let Tianyou tell Abu and the bees not to hold back if they encounter such a situation again,” Xu Song suggested after moving the equipment with the help of Xiao Shu. “Some people need to be taught a lesson. In this ruthless world, everyone should become ruthless to avoid being eliminated.”
Yue Zheng agreed, “Yeah, we haven’t had much to do these days, and we’re not going out. Even though we aren’t taking on missions, we still won’t wander aimlessly. We only cooperate with the official forces for various tasks.”
“If it weren’t for our plans to spend some time outside, we might have considered Elder Wu’s suggestion and moved to Zone A. The environment there is better for Mom and the kids.”
The base was more established in various aspects, and with a larger population, it provided a sense of security. However, for Xu Song and Yue Zheng, who were used to traveling freely, the difference between the outside and inside of the base wasn’t significant. The endless troubles they encountered within the base had made them feel more at ease outside.
The couple began to work on their plan to modify the vehicles once again. They disassembled and reassembled, not only for their peace of mind but also to understand how to make repairs in case they encountered any issues with their vehicles on their journey.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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However, despite the chaos, the higher-ups were busy with tasks like building walls and expanding farmlands, leaving certain matters unattended for the time being. As a result, the social order continued to deteriorate.
“White? Wasn’t it gold last time?” Several leaders from the base sat together, discussing the report from Colonel Lu and inquiring about the abilities of Team 0246.
“It does seem like it was gold… but perhaps it’s a lighter shade of gold. Could it be because they were outdoors that it appeared different?” Colonel Lu pondered.
The leaders nodded in agreement, “That’s possible. After all, most of their battles happen during the daytime and outdoors. The difference might be subtle.”
“Maybe when they reach Third-Level Intermediate, the color of their flames will become lighter than at the beginning? It’s been some time since they advanced to the third level,” one of them suggested.
“Yes, that’s right. And there’s also the Fire Dragon! I heard that although the leader of the Panlong Team can emit a long flame, they still can’t create such agile fire dragons,” another leader added.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, how could those two advance to the Fourth Level so quickly? Even if they found a way to harness their abilities early on, it was unlikely they could advance that rapidly given the energy requirements for each level. After all, the use of ability capsules had only recently become widespread.
After the meeting, Elder Wu strolled through the cleared snow-covered roads in Zone A, where the snow had been removed to prevent the growth of mutant plants.
“White…”
“Elder Wu?” The chief didn’t catch what he said and asked for clarification.
Elder Wu shook his head, “It’s nothing.” He let out a soft sigh. It’s a Fourth-Level ability… if it were those two, it might be possible.
But then again, maybe not. According to the researchers, advancing to a new level required absorbing energy several times greater than the previous level. Those two, despite their exceptional abilities, might not be able to advance two levels in such a short time.
Thinking of this, he turned to his secretary and asked, “By the way, regarding the information they sent last time about the team with the member without a heartbeat, what’s the current status?”
The secretary replied promptly, “We’ve investigated and issued a warning. But, of course, things are different now. We can’t detain people just because of this reason, and apart from the irregular heartbeat, there’s no evidence suggesting that the person is harmful. The individual doesn’t show any unusual behavior…”
“Oh, wait! This person has a peculiar requirement – they need to drink a large amount of water, but they don’t seem to eat much. They are also not very talkative and seem to have some communication difficulties, but they don’t exhibit any abnormal behavior during their daily activities.”
Elder Wu shook his head again and sighed, “Keep an eye on them. Nowadays, it’s hard to determine what’s harmful and what’s safe. We must remain cautious.”
On February 25th, even though the snow hadn’t completely melted, the base had returned to its former bustling state. More and more refugees were making their way to Base B after the heavy snowfall.
The sense of security brought by the harsh winter led many to venture deeper into the city. Despite the official warnings of increased danger in the urban areas, people were still drawn by the prospect of scavenging valuable resources that might still be available. After all, it had been a whole winter, and perhaps some of the dangerous creatures and plants were still in hibernation. Look, didn’t Squad A and Squad B return safely after their missions? Maybe we won’t encounter any dangers.
Early in the morning of the 25th, several relatively well-known D-grade squads from the original power groups inside the base came together to form a relatively large team and headed toward the city.
In the afternoon, a massive vibration was felt from the direction of the city. Even from such a distance, the people inside the base could hear the sounds of destruction coming from that direction.
Satellites happened to pass over the city and took photos, but none of the eleven squads, with over two hundred people who had ventured into the city, returned to the base. It was evident that the city had been overwhelmed by a black sea of mutant creatures. Dozens of modified vehicles were buried, and even the people inside them, even if they had wings, couldn’t escape alive.
Common people, unaware of the details, just stared blankly in the direction of the city upon hearing the commotion. They didn’t understand what was happening.
As for the official response, even though they received distress signals from those squads in trouble, after seeing the satellite images, who would dare to send help at this moment?
At the same time, among those who left early in the morning on the 25th for their missions, there was an exceptionally extravagant vehicle…
Team 0246 followed the departing convoy, but they weren’t assigned any specific mission. Nevertheless, they exited the base gates without following the rest of the vehicles headed south, instead turning towards the northwest, a direction where almost no one ventured.
The convoy was led by a spacious RV, followed closely by two connected shipping container trucks. What was even more astonishing was that the two container trucks were firmly connected but shared a single “front.”
The front of the trailing truck had been modified for entry from the rear, but it lacked its own independent driving capability. Instead, it was connected to the engine and fuel tank of the leading RV, allowing the three vehicles to move in unison.
Driving these massive contraptions could be a challenge, posing threats to road conditions and pedestrians. However, in the world where there were no longer “roads” or “traffic rules,” as long as Yue Zheng got used to it and didn’t flip the vehicles into ditches, everything was fine.
This vehicle system was one of Xu Song’s proud creations. It took him several days to truly connect the three vehicles, allowing them to operate together. While driving these three massive vehicles together consumed more fuel, it enabled them to transport nearly everything from the base.
Abu’s doghouse, the ostrich nest, and other possessions were piled on the roofs of the container trucks. The two rear containers had significant empty space, aside from potential hides and various fabrics collected from Precision Spinning City. The rest was filled with everything they could acquire outside, and it was all handed over to the base in exchange for various firearms and ammunition for Mother Xu. Then, they loaded nearly a whole container and left Base B, which had been their home for several months.
On to their next destination!
Onto a new adventure!
(Meanwhile, back at the base….). “Empty?!?”
The great wild yonder beckons…hahahaha
… A lot of water?… I probably wrong but it maybe an insect inside the human…