Of course, they accepted the mission.

Bai Shu explained the new mission to them, “M City has recently been attacked by groups of mutated animals, and the mutated animals around the area are causing chaos. The base’s walls are almost at their limit, so they sent a distress signal to headquarters.”

“Additionally, there is a secondary mission, which is to help M City’s base capture mutated sheep and other animals, but the goal is to capture them alive, preferably the young ones, and assist them in successfully keeping mutated animals in captivity.”

These two tasks are neither simple nor overly difficult.

The first difficulty is the long journey; it’s hard to predict what might happen on the road. Right now, the outside is still covered in snow and ice, and it’s the dark day period, which makes it highly dangerous.

Bai Shu looked at the map and said, “Before the apocalypse, it would take about seventeen or eighteen hours by car.”

Now, in the post-apocalyptic era, the road conditions are uncertain. After all, highways are sometimes destroyed by mutated plants or animals, which adds a bit of difficulty.

Airships can’t fly directly.

Because of several recent major geomagnetic storms, signals are unstable.

For safety, it’s better not to fly.

Given the current situation, the car trip is likely to take two to three days.

The second difficulty is the unknown monsters they might encounter along the way.

In recent days, all sorts of dark creatures might appear, not just mutated animals and insects. There’s also the possibility of encountering the “Withered Branch Witch,” a new mutated monster.

Similar to the mutated Beauty Tree, this creature resembles a hunchbacked old witch. It moves quickly and disguises itself as a dead tree, waiting for prey to approach. It then rapidly pierces its prey’s body with branches and feeds on it.

There are many of these creatures now, and it’s said that they’re among the most terrifying beings after the Lizard People.

Bai Shu continued, “Other mutated creatures can be traced back to their origins, like the mutated Snake People or the Beauty Tree, but this Withered Branch Witch is a mystery. It’s not even a single type; it appears in groups during the dark nights.”

So, it’s a bit scary.

Qin Luo and the others listened attentively and assured Bai Shu that they were ready to go, urging him to continue.

Chen Xiaofei found it amusing, “Old Bai, after hearing you, I don’t even feel tired anymore!”

Wang Weihui also nodded in agreement.

Bai Shu sighed helplessly and continued to explain the mission in detail.

Xu Duoduo listened for a while, occasionally looking at her tablet.

Time was tight, and the mission was important.

After accepting the mission, they prepared to leave in the afternoon, along with seven other combat squads.

They were going to support M City’s base?!

It was impossible for just a few squads to go. They heard that two other bases would also send support.

A total of 24 squads would participate.

Near the exit of H City.

When Wang Weihui pulled out the new battle vehicle, it attracted a lot of attention.

“Wow!! So cool!”

“Wow! So handsome!”

“Wow, I’m so envious!”

Qin Luo and the others felt a little embarrassed, but they heard that the second battle vehicle from the base was already under construction. However, due to a shortage of important materials, their 3A vehicle had become a rare edition. The second-generation vehicles would be cheaper, allowing others to afford them.

Xu Duoduo wore a red modified national-style dress and silently climbed onto the vehicle.

Qin Luo gave her a hand, gently lifting her by the waist to help her up. “Wow, this red outfit looks good, festive, and full of good fortune.”

Chen Xiaofei laughed, “Qin Ge, are you always so flattering? What’s with the ‘good fortune’ stuff, haha!”

Qin Luo told him to get lost!

Chen Xiaofei immediately sat in the co-pilot seat, “I’m going, I’m going! You’re just mad because I made you embarrassed, but you’re being all fierce. Hate it!”

Bai Shu shivered and told Chen Xiaofei to be quiet, “Stop grossing people out.”

Wang Weihui calmly took the driver’s seat, happy to be driving the new vehicle. He didn’t care about Chen Xiaofei’s antics and reminded him to fasten his seatbelt.

Chen Xiaofei clicked it into place, then turned to say, “Wang Ge is the best!”

Wang Weihui shuddered and couldn’t take it anymore, “You better not cry if someone beats you up.”

Chen Xiaofei let out a protest and said no one understood him, “Still, the class leader is the best! Class leader, you agree, right?!”

Although Xu Duoduo had no idea what she was agreeing with, she nodded and learned how to speak nonsense, “Yes.”

Chen Xiaofei was satisfied.

Bai Shu said he was mentally ill.

Qin Luo laughed, “Alright, let’s head out. The cars in front have already started moving.”

After Chen Xiaofei sat down, he said, “Hey, strange, I didn’t see the Cheetah and Dove teams this time…”

Before he finished speaking.

Their two teams appeared in the distance, bundled up in coats, waving at them.

“Qin Ge, Wang Ge, you guys go ahead! We’ll catch up soon—!!”

Chen Xiaofei went silent.

Qin Luo said, “Weren’t they not on the list? How come they suddenly showed up?”

Wang Weihui laughed, “Has the headquarters tacitly allowed us to bring them along?”

Bai Shu brought up the map on his tablet, “Definitely. The headquarters is clever.”

They knew that 3A would take the newcomers along, so they locked the Cheetah and Dove teams with them. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental? They always end up following 3A?

Clearly, the old foxes at headquarters were scheming.

However, teams willing to take in newcomers were rare. After the apocalypse, the world was reshuffled. Now, the strong are dominant, and many people who were struggling and had bad character can transform into leaders, like Jin Chuanqiong before.

If these people are praised a bit, they’d act so proud they’d look down on others with their noses. How could they want to take in newcomers? It’s a blessing if they don’t treat newcomers as stepping stones.

That’s why the Cheetah and Dove teams were lucky to encounter 3A.

Xu Duoduo was happy to see familiar faces. After all, they had cooperated so many times, and there was no problem continuing to work together.

Qin Luo felt the same. It’s always better to work with familiar people on missions.

But this time, the Rose team wasn’t going.

They had been assigned a different mission.

Wang Weihui honked the horn at the Cheetah and Dove teams to acknowledge them, signaling that they understood.

The new battle vehicle started and slowly followed the cars in front.

Once again, the long-forgotten “Base Exit Notification” played over the speakers: “Welcome to the H City Survivor Base’s first checkpoint. Beep! All is normal, and the H City Survivor Base wishes you a safe journey.”

“Be cautious of slippery roads due to the snow.”

This time, they were on the express lane, so they didn’t need to interact with the staff.

But they could still see the staff member standing in the pavilion, saluting them.

It was impossible not to feel complicated emotions.

Qin Luo whistled, “I don’t know how long we’ll be out this time.”

But everyone had a home to return to.

They knew that their little houses were back at the base, and their friends were there too.

Even if they died out here, their tombstones would remain at the base, with their names engraved in the memorial park.

Because of that, the soldiers going on missions weren’t homeless wanderers. Their roots were in this land. As long as they had a country, they had a home.

So there was no panic in their hearts.