Chapter 69: Captain Fu’s Show of Strength

Zhao Rui took two steps forward, resting one hand on the driver’s side window, and leaned in, peering past Yu Hong to size up the people inside the vehicle.

Fu Jingmo sat in the front passenger seat with the calm demeanor of an old monk. His legs were casually bent, and he lounged lazily, gazing out the window, completely ignoring Zhao Rui.

Shen Rangchen was even more detached, his head down, still counting his talismans. That left only Lin Mu, who glanced up at Zhao Rui, staring at his bear fur for a long moment before looking away.

Zhao Rui was thoroughly ignored, and his already dark face darkened further by a couple of shades. He snorted coldly, thinking to himself that, except for the one in the passenger seat, the rest were just a bunch of pretty boys. Once they were surrounded by zombies, they’d better not cry for their mothers.

Fu Jingmo, seemingly growing impatient, finally deigned to glance back at him, and then spoke to Yu Hong, “Why aren’t we moving? What’s taking so long?”

That single glance completely dismissed Zhao Rui, yet it sent a shiver down his spine.

Anyone who saw the bear fur on Zhao Rui’s arms would be at least somewhat intimidated, and it was precisely because of this that they acted so domineeringly within the safe zone. Even Wen Tang couldn’t do much about them.

But this man’s gaze didn’t linger on him for even a moment, as if he didn’t care at all that Zhao Rui was a bio-mutant.

Yu Hong apologized, “Rui, Brother Rui, let’s head out. Lieutenant Wen said to follow Captain Fu’s lead today.”

With that, he stepped on the gas, speeding out of the gate.

Zhao Rui, who relied on his status as a bio-mutant, was often arrogant and frequently disobedient.

There were three vehicles in total, with the last one being a pickup truck that had a cargo bed for carrying supplies.

The gate guard opened the gate and smiled at Yu Hong. “Heading out again?”

“Yep, heading out with my Captain Fu!” 

Yu Hong grinned, his voice brimming with pride. There are just some people in the world who are naturally well-liked and can strike up a conversation anywhere.

“Xiao Yu, what’s your ability?” Lin Mu asked, a bit curious.

“Oh, I forgot to mention it to you guys. I’m a bird-type mutant. Basically, I can help scout around and keep an eye on things for you.”

“A bird-type? That really suits you.”

Indeed, the world had changed in ways that Lin Mu could no longer imagine.

On their journey so far, they had encountered few people, so they hadn’t seen many different mutation forms. In reality, the three categories they knew of already encompassed most things in the world.

The car was driving much faster than it had the day they first arrived. Soon, they entered the eastern district and reached the commercial area near the river-crossing bridge.

Fu Jingmo leaned out the window for a look. From a distance, he could see zombies wandering on the bridge. There were no people hanging from it this time, and the number of zombies was less than before.

The three vehicles parked behind a secluded building. A few zombies nearby were quickly dispatched by Fu Jingmo with several black crystals. As soon as they got out of the car, Zhao Rui’s eyes darkened slightly.

Yu Hong and his team had been here before, so they quickly led the way to the second floor.

The upstairs hall directly faced the entrance to the mall’s first floor. A sign at the entrance indicated that this was Entrance D. Inside, on the first floor, was a large supermarket—“Lianhua Supermarket.”

This was their target for today.

There weren’t many zombies at the entrance, and since there wasn’t anything particularly attracting them, they were scattered around, wandering aimlessly without gathering in any one place.

“Xiao Yu, check the area,” Fu Jingmo ordered decisively.

Yu Hong nodded, walked over to the window, and with a flip of his hand, a few small birds flew out. It was somewhat reminiscent of the scorpion woman they had encountered when they first arrived in Yichang City.

Lin Mu glanced at Yu Hong, noticing that he didn’t have any visible feathers on his body. As if sensing what Lin Mu was thinking, Yu Hong pulled up his short sleeve, revealing a thin layer of downy feathers covering his abdomen.

…

Well, it really is quite amazing.

“Everyone, get over here,” Fu Jingmo called out, his voice cold and devoid of emotion as he looked at the people on the other side of the room.

Zhao Rui was sitting in a chair, while the others leaned lazily against the tables, looking completely unprepared for a mission.

Fu Jingmo glanced at them and let out a quiet, cold laugh, which was especially clear in the silent room.

Lin Mu, knowing this was a sign that Fu Jingmo was about to lose his temper, calmly walked over to the window and looked outside, distancing himself from the situation—every man for himself.

“I said…”

“Get over here now!”

A black blade, shrouded in mist, slashed through the air. No one saw his movement clearly, but the sharp sound of it cutting through the air was followed by a loud crash. The wooden chair under Zhao Rui’s rear instantly shattered into pieces, and the group was all thrown to the ground.

Fu Jingmo looked at them coldly, his tongue pressing against his back teeth, and the commanding, no-nonsense aura he had in the military suddenly flared up, exuding a tremendous sense of pressure.

Back then, he led the most elite unit, the 113th. Anyone who encountered Captain Fu would give him a wide berth.

Zhao Rui, before the apocalypse, was nothing more than a zookeeper. In the end, he was just an ordinary person who, after the apocalypse, gained an ability and started looking down on Wen Tang, thinking little of being managed by a woman in the safe zone.

As for Wen Tang, she didn’t want to waste time dealing with him, so she dumped the problem on Fu Jingmo. Well, it seemed he was left to play the bad guy in this situation.

Yu Hong stuck close to Lin Mu, keeping his mouth shut, as memories of being disciplined in the 045 unit flooded back. Indeed, Captain Fu was still Captain Fu—just as imposing and authoritative even in the apocalypse.

Zhao Rui, with his thick skin, wasn’t afraid of the fall. He looked up, ready to curse, but when he met Fu Jingmo’s cold gaze, a wave of goosebumps ran across his body, and the curse got stuck in his throat.

That look in Fu Jingmo’s eyes made it clear that if he uttered another word, it wouldn’t be just the chair that got smashed—it would be his skull.

…

“I don’t want to say it a second time.”

Fu Jingmo looked at them with the last bit of patience he had left.

The members of the A2 team quickly realized just how formidable Fu Jingmo was, and they scrambled to gather around him.

The birds that had been sent out earlier conveniently returned, and Yu Hong absorbed them back into his body before reporting the situation inside the mall to Fu Jingmo.

“The supermarket is on the first floor of the east district. There are two doors at the front and back, and a side rolling shutter door for deliveries, but it’s locked.”

Fu Jingmo thought for a moment and then decisively ordered, “We’ll enter through the side shutter door. Yu Hong, take two people and secure the front door.”

He raised a finger and pointed at Zhao Rui.

Fu Jingmo continued, “I’ll go with Lin Mu to close the back door. Shen Rangchen, you and Yu Hong take the remaining people and clear out the zombies in the middle!”

“And if a single zombie slips through… hmph.”

He shot a cold smile at Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui, his face darkened, reluctantly agreed.

With this arrangement, they wouldn’t need to pass through the entire mall to reach the east district. However, this created a new problem—the rolling shutter door was locked. How were they going to open it?