“Big bro, why don’t we transfer the fuel to the plane? How are these things so fast?”

Before Ao Chengyi could respond, Feng Tao gave Ding Jiajia a slap on the back of the head. “Idiot, this little fuel isn’t even enough to get the plane off the ground. Instead of spouting nonsense, why don’t you summon a few gusts of wind to blow these things away? Damn it, what kind of world is this? Everything’s turned into monsters.”

Ding Jiajia bared his teeth. “If you’re so capable, why don’t you create a fog to make them lose their way?”

Feng Tao jabbed him again, hitting a sore spot.

“Enough, save your energy. We’re out of water,” Duan Jianghe interjected, glaring at both of them. Saliva was precious now, wasn’t it?

The two of them pouted and fell silent. They really did need to conserve their energy.

Ao Chengyi frowned as he studied the map. “Based on our current direction, it’ll take us half a month to get out of here, and that’s with the truck. Without it, we’re looking at a month and a half. We have no food, and there are plenty of unknown dangers along the way, so the timeline could stretch even longer. To survive, we need to find food. Mutated creatures are our best option, and Huo Long will be responsible for checking if they’re poisonous. For now, we can start by testing these ants.”

“Big bro, are you saying I should eat ants?” Ding Jiajia was horrified. Were these things even edible?

Guo Zi scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Actually, ants are edible. Back when I was a kid in the countryside, my grandma used to use them as medicine.”

“Ants do have medicinal value, but it depends on the species,” Duan Jianghe added.

Alright, Ding Jiajia had nothing more to say.

Duan Jianghe continued, “Big bro’s idea isn’t bad. Many toxic species aren’t entirely poisonous; only certain parts of their bodies contain toxins, such as their blood, teeth, or skin. So, most things are edible.”

Lu Chaoyang adjusted his glasses and said, “So, we’re not running anymore. We’re starting to hunt for food.”

The men exchanged glances, all imagining the aroma of delicious meat.

In the unfinished building in the southern suburbs of City B, the outer safety scaffolding hadn’t even been removed before the project was abandoned. Rumor had it that the boss had run off with the money.

Originally, the plan was to build a large shopping mall at the junction between the southern urban area and the suburbs of City B. It should have been a profitable project, located near the wealthy villa area in the southern suburbs and adjacent to the largest planting base. Many people lived in the surrounding area. However, later, because a planned high-speed rail was set to pass through here, the pillars of the viaduct happened to be right at the entrance of the mall. Additionally, the originally planned five-story building was reduced to only two floors.

The boss tried to reason with the authorities, but as a small figure, his words carried no weight. In the end, he took the money and ran, thinking, he’s done with this.

The construction of the viaduct continued unaffected and was nearly completed. But then, the apocalypse arrived. Well, now no one can continue building.

The George Patton was parked at the stairway leading to the second floor. The four of them, along with the Tibetan mastiff were having a barbeque on the second floor while those hiding in the shadows were pounding their chests in frustration.  Do they even care about others? They’re wasting food like there’s no tomorrow. If only they’d leave some for them.

Lan Shiru put her meat. “I’m full. You guys take your time. Little Le Bao’s awake, I’ll go check on him.”

“Go ahead, sis. I’ll grill some more for you to have later.”

“Thanks.”

The unfinished building had no doors or windows, so the view was unobstructed. Lan Shiru went to the car and entered her space, there, Little Le Bao was waving his tiny fists, calling for his mommy. He had been waiting for a while, and his diaper was already wet. Bad mommy, why are you so late?

Lan shiru gave his little bottom a light pat. “You little stinker, why do you pee so much?”

At almost two months old, Little Le Bao had started making small sounds like “oh” or “uh,” especially when someone talked to him. It was as if he understood and was responding. Like now, he gave his mommy an “oh.”

Lan Shiru chuckled. “Oh what? Does Little Le Bao know he’s a little stinker who loves to trouble his mommy?”

Little Le Bao blew a bubble. After all, he was just a baby and didn’t understand anything.

The mother and son continued their one-sided conversation, having a great time. After cleaning his little bottom, putting on a fresh diaper, and feeding him, they played for a while longer until Little Le Bao finally fell asleep.

When Lan Shiru came out, she noticed that the second floor was now filled with strangers. The atmosphere was strange but not tense so she quietly stayed in the car to listen for a while.

“No matter how strong you women are, you can’t possibly match up against dozens of people, right? Why not consider finding more allies?”

“Our team may be small, but we have over twenty people and more than half of use have special abilities. Even those without abilities are strong fighters, we’re team where everyone fights.”

“What’s important is that women in our team are given the respect and status they deserve. We operate based on strength and merit.”

“Don’t think that just because we don’t have a fixed base, we’re weak. We have a fleet of vehicles. While they might not be as good as yours, they’re not far off. It’s not that we can’t build a base—it’s just that nowhere is safe right now. It’s better to keep moving, searching for resources and like-minded people.”

“If you share your supplies with us, we’ll do the same. No one is taking advantage of anyone here.”

“Time is running out. Long Zhan’s people are probably already halfway here. If you fall into their hands, it’ll be a fate worse than death.”

“Long Zhan used to run a nightclub. None of the women there escaped his clutches. They were all tortured until they were barely human.”

“Now, the women in their base have all suffered his cruelty. It’s horrifying.”

“Women there have only one purpose. They’re given just enough water and a piece of bread or a bun to keep them alive, and then it’s endless torment, one after another. There are more than twice as many men as women, so each woman has to endure at least two men a day. The men in their team are all beasts, monsters.”

The man in his thirties spoke with great enthusiasm, his words flying like spit as the three humans and the Tibetan mastiff watched him as if they were watching a play, while the dozen or so men and women beside him stared at the barbeque grill with green-eyed hunger, desperately resisting the urge to rush forward and grab the food.

Lan Shiru was puzzled. wasn’t this supposed to be a strong team? Didn’t they claim to have half of their members as ability users? Didn’t they have supplies? Why did they all look like refugees, so frail that a gust of wind might knock them over? Were they really here just to scam a free meal?

Unable to listen any linger, she opened the car door and went upstairs to the second floor.

“Sis, you’re awake! Come and have some more.” Miao Miao called out. The three humans and a Tibetan mastiff all thought she was doing it on purpose, deliberately taunting the group.

Lan Shiru calmly sat down and asked. “Miao Miao, how much is left to grill?”

“About twenty or thirty skewers. Do you want some, sis?”

“No, I’m good. Grill them all and let everyone have a taste. The weather’s too hot to them fresh anyway.”

Miao Miao was reluctant, but she had to listen to her sister.

=^_^=