Chapter Thirty: Setting Out Under the Moonlit Night

After dinner, I lay alone on the bed, pondering how to save Tianzhu. The immediate situation was already clear to me, and I had made up my mind: two vehicles, one loaded with medicine and essential supplies, the other for transporting munitions. That is, assuming the armory was still intact—or at least, that there were no survivors left inside. Otherwise, if there was still a military force stationed there, things would get complicated. Still, even if soldiers remained, as long as their commanding officer hadn’t changed, I could talk my way through.

Tianzhu—how on earth was I supposed to bring a mountain of supplies through the encirclement and reach Tianzhu safely? If only there were a portable, bottomless bag that could carry everything. Charging in with an armored vehicle was out of the question; there were certainly high-level mutants prowling the area, and the vehicle wouldn’t last long before being torn apart.

“Reminder to the host: if you require portable storage, please work to enhance your Gene Ecological Lock. Reaching Level Two grants you the option of a portable space ability…”

Why didn’t you say so earlier! But here’s the problem: how much gene value is needed for Level Two? It must be at least ten thousand points. As far as I know, even after maxing out all six primary body applications at Level One, it still requires an extra five thousand gene points to unlock Level Two.

Still, it’s a promising start. Once I activate that ability, I’ll no longer need to lug around bulky bags—whatever I store inside will be enough for me, and even a few others, to live on.

Suddenly, I noticed Fourth Master under the bed. The dog was drooling as he stared at me. Damn, was he thinking of eating me? “Fourth Master, what are you up to? Hey, I’m your owner—don’t do anything bad.” I sat up and pointed at him. I’d even tried feeding him bones, but he refused to eat them, which was odd.

I had suspected he might be a mutant—how else could he have survived so long in ZM City? But, no matter how I looked, he didn’t resemble one. At the very least, a mutant’s body would be several times his size.

“Mm… mm… woof woof!”

I walked over and stroked his head. “Alright, alright, I know you’re hungry. Tomorrow we’ll go out and see if we can find you something to eat. But what’s your deal anyway? You won’t even eat chicken—so picky.”

Fourth Master whimpered, finally settling down, lying quietly on the floor without raising his head.

Great, now the dog disliked me. Damn it, if he can’t eat his fill with me, that won’t do. Tomorrow, I’ll make a point to find something for him.

Unconsciously, time slipped by until it was ten at night. Although the everlasting night had blurred the sense of time, habits from the old era still lingered. With the sun gone, people still tended to sleep at the same hour—awake by day, asleep by night. Even without daylight, habits die hard.

But for certain people, the moonlit hours were the time for action—scavenger teams, or wanderers of the wasteland.

Bang, bang, bang!

A sudden, urgent knocking at the door jolted me. Wearing nothing but underwear, I opened the door to see Huo Bing, fully dressed and looking anxious.

“What’s up? Knocking in the middle of the night—are you here to keep me company?” I scratched my head, wondering what had her in such a rush.

She glared at me, furious. “Company, my ass! Shen Dong’s taken his people and left! That bastard! He said we’d set out together tomorrow, but now he’s snuck off with his team under cover of night!”

I shrugged, unconcerned. “Let him run. If he’s looking for death, why should we follow? Which way did he go?”

Huo Bing shoved me back onto the bed and threw my clothes at me. “Hurry up and get dressed! How should I know which way he went? If he disappears, how are we supposed to… carry out the plan?”

Ah, this is serious. If he vanishes, there goes our chance to deal with him. That guy really knows how to disrupt a good night’s sleep.

Annoyed, I threw on my clothes and was about to follow Huo Bing out.

“I heard a commotion and came to check… Mr. Cao, are you leaving?” Han Shuqing appeared in a black silk nightgown, her graceful figure barely concealed—utterly captivating.

“Yeah. You and Yun Yun stay inside. Don’t wander off unless there’s trouble. I’ll be back soon,” I nodded, not bothering to hide anything.

Huo Bing’s gaze was chilly. She snorted and walked out without another word.

At the parking lot, the internal security guards stepped aside without question, clearing a path for us. It seemed Huo Tian’s grip on the armed forces here was solid.

“Get in this vehicle—I’ll follow right behind,” Huo Bing said, opening the door and pushing me in. She tapped a few times and popped out the retinal scanner, scanning her own eye first. “Reset authorization…”

“Resetting… Please scan user’s retina and input information.”

I leaned forward for the scan. Huo Bing must have already entered my information beforehand.

“New user: Cao Fusheng.”

“Input complete. Vehicle systems ready for use.”

“Let’s go! We need to catch up to them. Here, take this.” She tossed a field knife and a walkie-talkie into my lap before climbing into her own vehicle.

In my opinion, no matter the era, short blades aren’t much good—a longer weapon is always better. But with my Tang sword gone, I’d have to make do.

The two armored vehicles pulled out from the settlement. Beyond the electric fence, I could see, even by moonlight, the mutants gathering around. Scattered red lights flickered in the darkness—those must be the lures, drawing the mutants toward the electric net around the settlement.

It was clear that, had we left any later, breaking out by car would have been nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, Huo Bing’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. “That bastard Shen Dong! He scattered the lures around the camp perimeter, attracting mutants! He’s trying to trap us inside! The idiot must have lost his mind!”

I was too annoyed to respond. Shen Dong was a fool—so much for being a foreign-educated elite. He was hopeless.

I watched the tire tracks on the ground. This direction… it was the same road Huo Bing and I had taken coming here—straight to ZM City.

So, fate was lending a hand. He was really heading toward ZM City.

“Brother Cao, why aren’t you saying anything? I’m a little scared… The mutants are running after our vehicles!” Huo Bing’s voice came through again, tinged with anxiety.

Though moonlit nights were ideal for movement, the mutants were more aggressive, and not easy to deal with. That’s why I said Shen Dong was courting death. Still, his group was large enough not to be easily overwhelmed. Scavengers always set out under the moon.

At least, you didn’t have to turn on the headlights—avoiding attention from both the mutant hordes and more terrifying things. But if you did run into trouble, escape would be nearly impossible.

Under the moon, they were no longer sluggish hunters, but hyenas in full pursuit.