"If they came prepared, can we really eliminate them?" Wang Zhi said in a low voice.
"What are we afraid of? We are in the shadows, and they are out in the open. If the situation turns bad, we just slip away," You Luo said.
"Yes, this mission's objective is the survivors. We must be extra careful," Old He advised.
The group discussed and continued planning their route.
....
June 14, 2026. Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Wang Zhi and his team of ten had also received adequate rest and strategic deployment.
In order to bring back more supplies, the group decided to take two vehicles out.
The SUV pulled up to the city gate. Wang Zhi took out his walkie-talkie, switched to the channel Jie Xi had given him, and attempted to make contact.
"Contacting Jie Xi, contacting Jie Xi."
"Received. You all be careful." A moment later, Jie Xi's voice crackled over Wang Zhi's walkie-talkie.
Wang Zhi did not reply. He got out of the vehicle and entered the Ready Room to arm himself with guns and ammunition. They were equipped with an average of 400 rounds of ammunition and three grenades per person, plus one hundred sniper rounds. Having the vehicle made carrying sniper rifles much more convenient, as they no longer needed to hold them constantly.
Click! Bang! Wang Zhi chambered rounds in his rifle and pistol, firing a test shot each toward the area outside the city. After confirming the weapons were functional, he returned to the vehicle.
Wang Zhi and White Crow drove the two vehicles, respectively. Wang Zhi's vehicle took the lead to guide the way, with White Crow following closely behind.
The two vehicles drove out of the city gate. The section of the bridge damaged in the last great battle had already been repaired. The water in the Moat had dried up. Zombies that had accidentally fallen in were still struggling and climbing vigorously in the deep pit below. The guards on the city wall were too lazy to bother dealing with these Moat zombies, because even if they eliminated every last one, new zombies would still enter, so they simply let them fend for themselves down there.
This time, Wang Zhi's outward direction was the opposite of the previous trip. They headed west the entire way. The west was different from the east; there were no forests here, only low, rolling hills covered in weeds.
Since the ground was uneven, even in the SUV, Wang Zhi had to drive carefully to avoid any mishaps like rolling over or scraping the chassis.
Su Muying sat in the passenger seat, casually resting her legs out the window, blocking Wang Zhi's view in his right side mirror. He didn't need rear visibility, though; he only needed to watch out for zombies and obstacles ahead.
Before the group even reached the main thoroughfare, Wang Zhi spotted about five figures in the distance.
"There seem to be people over there; let's take a look," Wang Zhi said.
"They're wearing combat uniforms-they're from Dawn City," Qin Sheng reported.
"These few people are truly idiotic. Don't they know they should find something to tow their supplies?" Su Muying scoffed coldly.
The other group had spotted Wang Zhi's two vehicles by now and immediately dashed behind some cover, watching Wang Zhi and his group with vigilance.
Killing is forbidden inside Dawn City, but out here, both sides have weapons, and no one will know even if someone is killed.
"They look pretty nervous," Fatty said with a smile, watching the other group hide behind the trees.
"Yeah, let's give them some space. We don't want trouble with them, but that doesn't mean they don't have ideas about us," Wang Zhi said, turning the steering wheel in his hands.
The survivors hiding behind cover breathed a sigh of relief, immediately picked up their supplies, and hurried toward Dawn City.
"Sigh, thinking about it now, murder is the fastest way to get money. Why don't we just ambush people near Dawn City and rob them?" Su Muying chuckled.
"These Magnetic Cards all have tracking. If the big shots died near Dawn City, the city will definitely investigate. Besides, the wealth is stored in the Magnetic Cards; finding out who caused trouble would be easy," Wang Zhi said seriously.
"Tch, I was just saying. If it were that easy to do, someone would have done it already," Su Muying replied.
"This area doesn't look very dangerous. It seems the Zombies have mostly been cleared out by other survivors," Wang Zhi remarked. He truly hadn't encountered hordes of Zombies on this trip.
After driving for a while, they finally spotted the main road. Once they drove onto it, Wang Zhi quickly spotted a gas station.
Screech! Wang Zhi slammed the brakes near the gas station and got out to survey the surroundings. The place had already been stripped bare by other survivors; not a drop of fuel remained, and even the metal shelving inside the store had been hauled away.
This location was extremely close to Dawn City. It was safe to assume that anything of value had already been taken. All that was left for Wang Zhi and his group was a pile of useless junk.
"These people really aren't picky! They even took the cash register," Duan Qingtian jumped down from another vehicle, taking the cigarette Gray Wolf offered as he looked inside the store.
"Let's go, Old Duan. Smoking is prohibited at the gas station," Wang Zhi teased as he returned to his car.
"Get lost. I haven't even lit it yet."
The group restarted their engines and hit the road. The fuel in their tanks was running low, and their immediate priority was finding gasoline nearby.
However, the results were somewhat disappointing. Every vehicle on this route had already been searched by others, and their tanks were bone dry.
"It looks like someone is specifically dedicated to scavenging fuel supplies," Fatty remarked, looking at the open fuel caps on the cars.
"How about we try a different route?" Qin Sheng suggested.
"Changing routes near Dawn City won't help. We need to head further out. The fuel we have can at least last us another 30 kilometers; there's no need to rush," Wang Zhi stated.
Su Muying, sitting in the passenger seat, grew bored and fiddled with the car radio, cycling through various channels. Without exception, they all emitted static. Perhaps months before the disaster struck, they might have heard cries for help, but now, even if they did, they would have to carefully consider the origin of such a signal.
As they drove further away from Dawn City, the number of Zombies on the road gradually increased. When some were unavoidable, Wang Zhi would stop the car, and the few of them would dispatch the Zombies blocking the way with their blades.
Wang Zhi could also sense that the sustained high temperatures made these ordinary Zombies move slower than before. The peak period for Zombie activity was around 15 to 30 degrees Celsius; both cold and heat not only troubled humans but also reduced the Zombies' movements.
Even Wang Zhi, accustomed to such bloody scenes, felt a wave of nausea upon seeing the mangled flesh on the ground and smelling the pervasive odor of decay in the air. He immediately returned to the car and drove away from the area.
Su Muying plugged a USB drive she had found in another vehicle into the car's port, and music instantly filled the interior.
"Damn it, what is all this?" Su Muying frowned as she listened to the terribly outdated music, continuously skipping tracks. After cycling through everything without finding anything she liked, she pulled out the USB drive, squeezed it until it shattered, and tossed it out the window.
"Hey, hey, don't throw that away! I thought that last song was decent!" Fatty tried to stop her just as the USB drive was crushed.
'Wang Zhi, look at the sky quickly!" At that moment, Old He's voice came over the radio.
11