Listening to every word of Lin’s firm and righteous speech, Chen Shuhan clearly realized that continuing to drag along this cold and stubborn old soldier was no longer meaningful.

In fact, it was likely to provoke him, which would backfire.

“Old Lin, I respect your principles. Your people don’t need to enter the city center of Lan City to search, but could you help guard several key entrances and exits to the city?”

After hearing Chen Shuhan’s words, Old Lin coldly nodded.

Although Ouyang Yun, that girl, had a fiery temper and spoke harshly, making her unlikable, compared to her, he was more repulsed by the dark and calculating nature of the young master of the Chen family.

“We’ll be upfront with you. Lan City’s terrain is mountainous and narrow, as I’m sure you know, Young Master Chen. If my people detour to the other side to the highway entrance, it will certainly take time. If we fail to block anyone successfully, I hope you’ll be understanding.”

Chen Shuhan was infuriated by Old Lin’s complete lack of responsibility, and he almost wanted to curse.

But in the end, he suppressed his anger, smiling and nodding, “I understand, thank you.”

Watching a dozen or so military vehicles depart in different directions, Chen Shuhan silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Although their collaboration wasn’t long, Chen Shuhan was familiar with Old Lin’s working style. This stubborn old man might be tough to deceive, but soldiers value their promises, and once he agreed to something, he would follow through without cutting corners.

Old Qin, the leader of the Chen family’s team of supernatural abilities, took a few steps forward, his tone hesitant as he spoke, “Young Master, are we entering Lan City?”

Chen Shuhan knew very well that entering a city overrun by zombies in the dead of night was not a good idea. But he also understood that both he and the Chen family had no other choice.

He turned to the team of supernatural beings, “Xiao Xuan, come over here.”

A boy, about eleven or twelve, who appeared slightly frail and awkward, walked up to Chen Shuhan.

Perhaps because it was late, the boy clearly looked sleepy.

“You help me check, from here to the city center, are there any other people nearby?” Chen Shuhan softened his voice, coaxing the boy.

The boy obediently scanned the surroundings before pointing to a nearby residential area, “There are people in the buildings over there.”

“How many?” Chen Shuhan’s gaze tightened as he looked at the distant residential building.

He speculated that these people might not dare to venture too deep into Lan City at night, which is why they were hiding near the outskirts, where there were fewer zombies.

“Seventeen.” After counting for a while, the boy gave the exact number.

Chen Shuhan didn’t press further.

This boy was a sensing-type supernatural, a peak-level sensing ability user, capable of detecting the presence of life within a 300-meter radius, but he couldn’t see anything in the range he sensed.

Old Qin looked at the boy’s pointed direction, “It’s not far from the city’s outskirts. I can lead a team of supernatural beings over there first.”

Chen Shuhan nodded, “Take Xiao Xuan with you. If they’re not holding mutated fruit, continue searching ahead.”

Old Qin was obviously taken aback by the suggestion. At this point, venturing deep into Lan City’s core was a death sentence.

Seeing his hesitation, Chen Shuhan sighed and said firmly, “Old Qin, we have no other choice.”

Old Qin knew about the Chen family’s ties to the Ouyang family and the underground labs, so he understood just how important these mutated fruit trees were.

He sighed, nodded silently, and then led a team of sixteen supernatural beings to the residential buildings nearby.

One of the advisors behind Old Lin saw their movements and frowned, intending to remind him.

But Old Lin silenced him with a look. He, too, could feel the danger in the city ahead. These people were likely to be going on a one-way trip. But he also knew that Chen Shuhan would never back down.

Since the mutated fruit trees had been stolen, Chen Shuhan and Ouyang Yun’s reactions indicated that those five trees were more important to them than the lives of anyone in this area.

“Sir, what they’re doing is basically suicide,” the bold advisor frowned.

“He knows better than we do how complicated the situation in the city is at night.” Since the apocalypse began, the military had been in the mountains with limited contact with the outside world.

But the Chen family controlled the Lan City security base, so they should be very familiar with the situation inside.

Therefore, Chen Shuhan’s decision to send his subordinates to their deaths seemed illogical and abnormal.

Thinking of this, Old Lin subconsciously began recalling the statements made by Chen Shuhan, Ouyang Yun, and Lin Weicheng, who had written to him. The mutated fruit trees were definitely real, but the problem might lie in the explanation of their use.

If the goal was to enhance the soldiers’ physiques, it seemed highly suspicious.

Meanwhile, Nan Muran and her group successfully bypassed the zombie hordes on the ground through several aerial corridors built by the younger members of their team, making their way out of Lan City.

Standing outside the toll station before the apocalypse, they looked back at the tall buildings now swallowed by the darkness.

Eagle couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s only been less than half a year since the apocalypse, but it feels like a lifetime ago.”

“That’s a good idiom,” Jia Wu, behind him, teased, though his voice remained cold.

Nan Muran felt the same way, perhaps even more deeply than Eagle, but she didn’t say anything.

She directly took out her car, a Kalman King, from her spatial storage.

“Wow, I get to drive this car again!” Eagle’s fatigue seemed to vanish instantly, his eyes lighting up as he eagerly took the keys and sat in the driver’s seat.

After getting in the car, the four of them headed west, making their way towards the Eternal Night Hotel in the ancient county.

Less than ten minutes into the drive, they reached a junction.

Xiao Liu lightly touched Nan Muran’s left wrist. “Ranyan, those people are on the road across from us, less than three kilometers away.”

“Eagle, pull over and turn off the engine immediately,” Nan Muran quickly ordered, guessing who might be coming.

Once their car was hidden in the shadows of the night, they soon heard several military jeeps speeding past on the opposite highway.

Eagle let out a long breath. “They’re trying to block off all the entrances and exits of Lan City?”

“Too bad, they’re a little slow,” Jia Wu coldly teased.

Si Ye, watching the five military trucks pass, shook his head slightly. “If this matter was fully under the control of Old Lin, he wouldn’t have reacted this slowly.”

“Are you saying that your old commander knew he had to block all the exits immediately, but didn’t remind Chen Shuhan?”

Nan Muran couldn’t help but think deeply. “That means there’s not complete trust between them.”