Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Liu Yang returned home in search of his parents, but as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, two zombies emerged from his small family house to confront him. Without needing anyone else to intervene, Liu Yang channeled his grief into rage and swiftly killed them.

As expected, his elderly parents were no longer at home. However, what weighed heavily on Liu Yang’s heart was the discovery of two human skeletons in his parents’ room.

“Dad, Mom…” Liu Yang’s voice trembled, and his eyes turned red.

Wang Miaomiao also began to sob softly.

Even though they had grown used to death in the apocalypse, when it came to one’s own family, it was impossible to remain indifferent.

“These two skeletons are both male, and they’re young men,” Ruo Manni suddenly said.

Liu Yang turned sharply to look at Ruo Manni, and a glimmer of hope lit up in his eyes. If the remains were of two young men, they couldn’t be his parents.

He then searched every corner of the house, upstairs and downstairs, but found no further clues. For the moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. After encountering those skeletons, Liu Yang had come to believe that no news was the best news—it meant there was still a chance his parents were alive.

“There must be a survivor base nearby. Your parents have likely gone there. Let’s head to the survivor base to look for them,” Wang Miaomiao said with confidence, echoing Ruo Manni’s assessment. She exhaled deeply, trying to comfort Liu Yang.

When the apocalypse first struck, Liu Yang had accompanied Wang Miaomiao back to her own home. Her family lived in the same city where they had worked. Unfortunately, her parents had already turned into zombies by the time they arrived. Wang Miaomiao still vividly remembered the pain of losing her parents and didn’t want Liu Yang to go through the same suffering.

“On the way here, we saw several zombies in military uniforms. This area was likely swept by the military at some point,” Ruo Manni added.

In the early days of the apocalypse, the internet was still operational, and Ruo Manni had gathered a lot of information online. During that time, the military had been seen as the saviors of humanity.

If there was a military base near a city, and the military hadn’t suffered significant losses, survivors trapped in the city could often be rescued and relocated by the army.

The presence of zombies wearing military uniforms indicated that the military had likely been there. Unfortunately, some soldiers might have been infected and turned into zombies while trying to save others.

Ruo Manni’s words reignited Liu Yang’s hope. He stood up, energized. “Before the apocalypse, there was a military base in B City. My parents are very likely there. Lin Kexin’s family also lived in the military district of B City; she must be at the B City military base. We can look for them together.”

With this conclusion, there was no hesitation. The group left A City and headed straight toward B City.

B City was only a little over 100 kilometers from A City. This area seemed to have been hit harder by earthquakes, and the roads were rough and bumpy. Fortunately, there were no major fault lines or collapses along the way; otherwise, it would have been a much greater hassle.

To prevent her RV from straying too far from stability, Ruo Manni deliberately reduced her speed.

However, Liu Yang, preoccupied with thoughts of his parents, didn’t notice how smoothly the RV handled the rough terrain.

By the time they reached the outskirts of B City, it was completely dark.

“We’ll need to camp outside tonight and head to the B City base tomorrow. For safety reasons, bases usually lock their gates after sunset, even if there are survivors looking to enter. They’ll only open at dawn,” Liu Yang explained.

Ordinarily, others would plan to reach the city’s outskirts at least an hour before sunset and find a sturdy building to shelter in for the night. Being outside after dark was considered extremely dangerous, especially since the wilderness became a haven for mutated creatures at night. Unless part of a group numbering in the thousands, few would dare spend the night outdoors.

But Liu Yang and Wang Miaomiao had grown used to the abnormal bravery of this group. To them, staying outside wasn’t a big deal. In fact, the only thing this group seemed to fear was the absence of mutated creatures to fight.

The team parked their vehicles on the outskirts of B City. While the others prepared to settle down, Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang had already whipped up a delicious dinner in the RV’s kitchen. The fourteen of them sat together on the rooftop terrace of the RV, eating and drinking under the open sky.

Although the temperature had dropped to around 11 or 12 degrees Celsius, none of them felt cold. The warmth of the hot soup combined with the crisp coolness of the night breeze created a unique and refreshing atmosphere.

Under the night sky in the countryside, with bright lights, the aroma of food, and the sound of chatter, the scene was a magnet for mutated creatures.

Barely had they started eating when they sensed a number of mutated animals approaching. Two young men immediately vaulted over the terrace railing and descended to face the incoming threats, while the rest of the group calmly continued eating and drinking.

After a short while, the two young men climbed back over the railing and sat down to continue eating. Their clothes were still spotless, and no one bothered to ask if all the mutated animals had been dealt with.

Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang ate their food with detached expressions, pretending not to notice what had just happened. They no longer panicked when mutated animals approached, nor did they feel any surprise at how effortlessly these people handled the creatures. This scene had played out countless times before.

Sometimes, they couldn’t help but wonder: if a passerby saw this, would they be scared to death, thinking they were witnessing ghosts or monsters?

By now, the two of them understood the group’s strategy of dining high up. It wasn’t just for comfort—it was bait. Sitting up there, they didn’t need to search for mutated animals; the creatures came to them.

Ever since the group discovered how delicious mutated animal meat was, they had embarked on a non-stop cycle of hunting and feasting.

For the past few days, Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang had been confined to the kitchen, unable to keep up with processing all the mutated animal meat they received.

Fortunately, the meat jerky they made was always divided into fourteen portions. By now, Wang Miaomiao’s storage ring contained enough jerky for the two of them to eat for an entire year.

At this rate, they figured they wouldn’t have to worry about food for several years. This thought made them more than content to work hard in the kitchen.

Mutated animal meat was rich in energy, far beyond what ordinary people could safely consume. Even for those with powers, it could only be eaten sparingly. Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang had learned the hard way not to overindulge, as doing so caused their meridians to ache from being overstrained, and in severe cases, could lead to their bodies rupturing.

However, ever since Ruo Manni gave them some mysterious substance, everything changed. Both of them experienced a significant increase in physical strength and stamina. Now, they could eat even low-tier mutated animal meat to their hearts’ content without suffering any adverse effects.

The twelve teenagers, however, could eat freely without any concerns. Their appetite was three times that of Liu Yang’s, yet they showed no signs of physical strain from absorbing too much energy.

Although the group ate a lot, they were quick about it. Just as they were finishing their meal, more mutated animals approached. This time, two other teenagers vaulted over the railing of the rooftop terrace to deal with the creatures.

As soon as those two resolved the situation and climbed back onto the terrace, Ruo Manni suddenly turned her gaze toward the rear of the vehicle. Her eyes seemed to pierce through the pitch-black night, and Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang sensed she had spotted something unusual.

The elite group also became alert at Ruo Manni’s reaction. If something could make her show such an expression, it meant a troublesome threat was approaching.

By now, Wang Miaomiao and Liu Yang had learned to interpret the group’s actions. Danger was likely near, but they felt no fear. Instead, they calmly turned to look toward the rear of the vehicle.

Before long, they saw lights in the distance on the highway. Soon after, the sounds of vehicles driving and intermittent gunfire reached their ears.

Clearly, a convoy was approaching—and it seemed they were in serious trouble.