Chapter 20: Departure
After considering the options, Qin Luo finally chose C City as their destination. It was the closest, and I City was just across from it, so they could potentially cover both if possible.
"Food is too easily contaminated. If we can salvage food, that should be the priority."
Because hot weapons might not be effective against later-stage monsters, and more importantly, there were other troops stationed in I City.
It wouldn't be easy to acquire.
Bai Shu had no objections to this. After all, everywhere was equally dangerous in the apocalypse.
"Alright, let's confirm it then!"
They were headed to C City!
**
Early the next morning.
The team was geared up and ready to go. They had accepted a mission to rescue survivors in advance, planning to venture into C City along the way and collect as much grain from the granaries as possible.
Their off-road vehicle had been thoroughly inspected and repaired. The previous dirt and dents had been completely renewed, and the vehicle had even been reinforced.
When Qin Luo first saw it, he let out a loud whistle and knocked on the body. The maintenance personnel beside him were still explaining the new features of the vehicle.
"Captain Qin, your vehicle has been approved for the maximum upgrade by headquarters. This button here activates a fully enclosed state, allowing temporary transformation into a submarine or tank mode. Over here is the built-in telescope function..."
Chen Xiaofei's jaw had already dropped. He was touching the completely renewed vehicle, exclaiming, "So cool! This car is too awesome! It's black and gold!"
Bai Shu kicked the large tires twice and praised, "Not bad, these wheels are sturdy!"
Wang Weihu was satisfied with the huge body of the vehicle, "No more cramping in the car!"
Only Xu Duoduo, the little zombie who had also changed into combat gear today, looked up at this "behemoth". She figured she'd have to climb to get in.
In the whole team, Wang Weihu was nearly two meters tall, a big guy at 1.96 meters. Then came Qin Luo at 1.89 meters, followed by Bai Shu at 1.85 meters. Even the baby-faced Chen Xiaofei was 1.80 meters tall.
Only Xu Duoduo! She was the only one at 1.63 meters! She stood out significantly among them.
When Qin Luo finished the handover, he noticed that the little zombie Xu Duoduo was trying to climb up awkwardly when no one was looking. He almost laughed out loud, then went over and easily lifted her up by the waist.
"If you can't get up, just say something. Aren't you tired of struggling on your own? What are all these teammates for? Hm?"
After climbing up, Xu Duoduo didn't respond to him. Even little zombies can feel embarrassed. She crawled into the back seat, curled up with her knees to her chest, and stared wide-eyed, taking in the new view.
Because it was a modified off-road combat vehicle, the body was extremely high, offering a far-reaching view.
Comfortable!!
Inside was a super spacious seven-seater, with the trunk packed with supplies.
From gasoline to bullets.
And a bunch of nutrient solutions and various compressed biscuits that nobody liked.
Later, the rest of them got in the car too. Today, Qin Luo was driving, Wang Weihu was in the passenger seat, and Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu sat in the second row.
Xu Duoduo stayed alone in the last row, and someone threw her a blanket. It was fluffy and comfortable, and she even grabbed it to rub it a bit.
Bai Shu spoke up with a smile, "Just snagged it. Little Squad Leader, feel free to use it."
From the driver's seat, Qin Luo told them to fasten their seatbelts. Xu Duoduo hurriedly nodded at Bai Shu and lowered her head to buckle her own seatbelt.
Then she started taking things out again, a thermos for each person containing cool herbal tea for soothing throats and reducing heat. She poked Bai Shu to pass them forward.
Chen Xiaofei opened his and took a sniff, "Wow, Little Squad Leader, you're too good! You even have herbal tea. How do you have everything? By the way, do you have any snacks?"
Bai Shu had just passed the other two thermoses to the front row when he heard this and turned back to knock on Chen Xiaofei's head, "You think this is a spring outing, Chen Three-Year-Old?! Snacks, really!"
Wang Weihu also reminded them to be careful, "Although the car windows have anti-peeping film, all sorts of strange abilities exist in the apocalypse. We should still be cautious."
Xu Duoduo nodded as well. After thinking for a moment, she took out a wooden whistle from her multi-faceted magic cube space. When agreeing, she would blow a short sound.
The four of them indeed noticed and turned their heads to look at her in unison.
Xu Duoduo's little paws were gripping the wooden whistle quite nervously. Her eyes, with colored contacts, darted around looking at them. Was it not good enough?
She was just hesitating whether to put it away.
The four of them simultaneously gave her a thumbs up, clearly thinking it was a good idea.
Qin Luo even raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Not bad! As expected of our Little Squad Leader, always having more solutions than problems."
Chen Xiaofei turned his head and started chattering to her, "From now on, blow once to agree, and if you need our help, blow a longer sound..."
Accompanied by his chatter, the car soon started moving, passing through each checkpoint one by one.
A series of electronic voice prompts sounded.
[Welcome to the first exit checkpoint of H City Survivor Base. Beep, all clear. The entire H City Survivor Base wishes you a safe journey.]
They passed through three checkpoints in succession. At the final exit from the base, there was a human-operated gate.
Wang Weihu handed over a card showing their team's accepted mission and destination.
"Captain Qin, heading out again? You're working too hard, only staying for one night each time you return."
The staff member smiled as he took the card to register them.
Qin Luo smiled nonchalantly and joked, "Can't help it, the world changes every day. If we don't work hard, we'll fall behind."
Hearing this, the staff member also sighed about the hardships of these combat teams, "That's true. There are still millions of comrades living in dire situations. You are great. On behalf of all H City members, I salute you and hope for your safe journey and return home."
He finished speaking and solemnly saluted them, his expression somewhat grave.
Qin Luo leaned on the steering wheel and chuckled, "You do this every time. Alright, we're off."
He gestured for Wang Weihu to take back the exit card, nodded to the staff member, and the car zoomed out, moving much faster than before.
Xu Duoduo, sitting in the back, stretched her neck and was jolted by the acceleration, falling back onto the rear seat before scrambling up again.
She was about to grumble when she looked at the road they had come from and suddenly fell silent. In just one night, at least half of the trees along the roadside had withered and died.
Chen Xiaofei also exclaimed, "Damn, it's so toxic! At this rate, won't all the plants die?"
Bai Shu was fiddling with his tablet, "It's just specific areas. Look at R City, it's a paradise for plant-type mutations. A huge old banyan tree has wrapped around the entire R City. Vehicles can't even enter now."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaofei exclaimed again and leaned over to look at Bai Shu's tablet.
Xu Duoduo, hearing the commotion, lowered her head and took out her own tablet to check. In the latest information posts on the forum, there was a new update: overnight, an old banyan tree had grown explosively, directly encircling the entire R City.
Currently, the R City Survivor Base had sent out a distress signal, and headquarters was gathering personnel to consider rescue strategies.