Chapter 43

The next day was cloudy, with dark skies and occasional light rain.

The special forces team members, who had woken up early for training, were still stunned by the abundance of breakfast.

There were large steamed buns, each the size of a fist, filled with either braised pork or sauerkraut and minced meat. Each bite was packed with hearty meat filling, and the dough was made from a natural sourdough starter, soft and fluffy with a natural sweetness from the starch.

There was also a large plate of leek pancakes, with fresh green leeks and meat filling, and the corn pancakes were fried to a crispy golden brown.

A steaming basket of sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and corn, a large bowl of five-spiced tea eggs, a big pot of seafood fish porridge, and a steaming pot of soy milk with sugar to add as desired. There was also powdered milk on the table for those who wanted to mix it with water for milk or instant coffee.

The special forces team members felt like they had returned to a pre-apocalypse military mess hall, ravenously eating like hungry wolves, while curiously asking, “Where’s the captain? And Dr. Zhou?”

Jiang Rongqian replied, “The captain took Comet for a run early this morning. As for Dr. Zhou, he should be in the backyard gardening. I saw the captain helping him prepare breakfast when I came out this morning. We even said we would help, but the captain and Dr. Zhou cook so quickly, we didn’t end up being much help.”

Dong Kexin sighed, “The captain’s life is so… comfortable.”

Su Jianing, who had been teased by her the day before, was feeling uncomfortable and replied, “Is eating a few good meals of buns considered a good life? Doesn’t it get boring eating like this every day? The captain has grand ambitions, doing this every day must be so dull. If it weren’t for the base, and if we weren’t always on missions, we could also live like this on our own.”

Dong Kexin chuckled and was about to say something when she saw Guan Yuanfeng returning with Comet, wiping his sweat with a towel. Everyone put down their buns, greeting him, “Captain.”

“Good morning, Captain.”

“Have you had breakfast, Captain?”

Guan Yuanfeng nodded slightly, “Yes, I’ve eaten. You all eat first. After you finish, I’ll arrange today’s mission.”

The group immediately perked up, responding, “Yes!”

He led Comet upstairs, and Tang Anchen muttered, “I don’t know why, but I feel like the captain isn’t very happy today.”

Zhang Qi replied, “I don’t think so. Isn’t the captain always like this?”

Tang Ancheng said, “When he was making buns this morning, he was talking to Dr. Zhou. Later, Dr. Zhou took the dog to the backyard to water the plants and pick vegetables, and the captain, along with me and the vice-captain, made the buns. But his face turned serious, and he didn’t say a word. It was kind of scary.”

Dong Kexin giggled, “Maybe the buns you made weren’t as good as Dr. Zhou’s?”

Tang Anchen looked at Jiang Rongqian and asked, “What do you think, Captain Jiang? The captain seems much friendlier in front of Dr. Zhou.”

Jiang Rongqian replied, “The captain is more serious with us. That’s just the responsibility of leading the team. Dr. Zhou is a neighbor, not part of our team. We came from far away, and it was a bother for Dr. Zhou to get up early to make breakfast. Of course, the captain is kinder to him.”

He then reminded everyone, “Stay alert, everyone. If Dr. Zhou needs help with anything, lend a hand and stay observant.”

The others laughed and replied, “Don’t worry, Captain Jiang, we understand.”

Soon, they finished their baths and changed clothes. Guan Yuanfeng waved for everyone to sit, saying, “Since we’ve traveled so far, it’s considered a mission, and we can’t return empty-handed. Over the next few days, we’ll gather supplies from Danlin City, focusing on things that are urgently needed and easy to transport.”

The team members immediately responded in unison, “Yes!”

Guan Yuanfeng spread a map of Danlin City on the dining table, and everyone gathered around.

He pointed to the map, “Grain seeds, energy sources, medicines, and precision equipment.”

“Our targets will be all the large supermarkets, farm supply stores, gas stations, and hospitals.”

Guan Yuanfeng quickly assigned tasks to everyone for combat, logistics, and vehicle transportation, then said, “You have half an hour to prepare. If there are any issues, speak up now.”

Everyone responded in unison: “Yes!”

Su Jianing raised his hand: “It’s too far to Zhongzhou, and the helicopter can’t carry much equipment. Just bringing some food, water, and necessary medicine should be enough. There’s no need to take such a big risk and go to so many places, right?”

Guan Yuanfeng replied, “First, it’s to let the team get familiar with each other, practice, and see everyone’s current level. Second, collecting supplies is always useful. Third, if you think it’s too risky, you can choose not to participate and rest here.”

Su Jianing said, “It’s not that I’m afraid of the risk, but we’re dealing with zombies now, not the enemies we faced before. Most of our team members are ordinary people. I’m just worried about unnecessary casualties.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “Same old story, the brave win when meeting on a narrow road. Those who fear death die faster. You’re no longer a member of the combat team, and I won’t force you.”

Su Jianing quietly said, “I have healing powers, so I have to follow the captain.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “If you choose to participate, you must follow orders unconditionally.”

Su Jianing responded, “Yes.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “Go change and prepare.” He then picked up a box from the side, opened it on the table, and said, “Look for any suitable weapons and bullets you can take.”

Everyone hurried over to check. Although the weapons and bullets were ordinary, some of them were useful. They all admired, “Captain, where did you get these? It’s hard to find such things now in the apocalypse.”

Guan Yuanfeng didn’t answer, just letting them pick. Su Jianing also came over and picked up a pistol, then asked Guan Yuanfeng, “What about Dr. Zhou? Isn’t he coming with us? He can condense water into ice; he’s also a strong combat force.”

Guan Yuanfeng didn’t respond.

Zhou Yun entered carrying a bucket of vegetables from the backyard. Hearing Su Jianing, he casually replied, “Where are we going?”

Guan Yuanfeng looked at him and his stern expression softened. “We’re going into the city to search for supplies and practice. We plan to check the hospital. If you want to come, we can bring back any equipment we need.”

Zhou Yun said, “Really? That’s great. I’ll go too. Let’s go to the hospital I used to work at; I’m familiar with it. With more people, we can bring back some equipment. Some of the medicine powders need to be kept dry.”

Guan Yuanfeng immediately said, “That’s even better. Go change and prepare. You’ll ride with me.”

Zhou Yun nodded and went upstairs. Guan Yuanfeng followed him, with Xingxing trailing behind.

The team members watched the three go upstairs. Dong Kexin said to Tang Ancheng, “You’re right, the captain treats Dr. Zhou differently.”

Jiang Rongqian shouted, “Hurry up and get ready!”

The team members went back to their rooms, packed their bags, changed into combat uniforms and boots, and came downstairs. They saw that Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun had changed into motorcycle protective suits, and even Xingxing was wearing impressive leather armor. Everyone admired it and asked, “What kind of leather is this? It looks tough.”

Zhou Yun replied, “Mutated fish skin. We’ve caught a lot of mutated fish. If anyone likes it, you can pick some tonight when we get back.”

Dong Kexin quickly said, “I want one!”

Zhou Yun laughed, “We have plenty. We caught a lot of mutated fish.”

Tang Ancheng looked at the bow and arrows behind Guan Yuanfeng. “Captain, that bow looks good.”

Guan Yuanfeng efficiently assigned vehicles: “Zhou Yun, you’ll ride with me. Zhang Qi will drive the RV. Everyone else will take the RV. Let’s go.”

With that, everyone boarded the vehicles. Zhou Yun packed the leftover breakfast buns, chives pancakes, five-spice eggs, sweet potatoes, corn, and other items into an electric heating container for Tang Ancheng. “Put this in the RV. If anyone gets hungry, they can eat. It will stay warm as long as it’s plugged in.” He also handed a first-aid kit to Su Jianing. “Here’s the first-aid kit.”

Tang Ancheng carried the heavy thermal container, feeling like a vendor selling five-spice tea eggs at the park entrance, and looked at Guan Yuanfeng.

Usually, when they went on missions, they were light on supplies, so who would bring such burdens along?

Guan Yuanfeng ignored him, leading the way to the car with a sharp gaze. “Why aren’t you in the car yet?”

Tang Ancheng snapped out of his thoughts, quickly took the container to the RV, and the special forces members followed in line. Dong Kexin smiled at Tang Ancheng, who was carefully placing the container. “It’s great. We won’t have to eat compressed biscuits today. Dr. Zhou is the best.”

Su Jianing said, “Dr. Zhou hasn’t been on a mission before, so he doesn’t know the captain’s temperament. Before, if I carried an extra surgical kit, I’d be scolded. Who would carry it for you?”

Dong Kexin laughed, “Dr. Zhou isn’t part of our combat team, but he’s doing this out of kindness. How could the captain make things difficult for him? Didn’t you see that before, the captain let you and Xiao Tang ride with him, but now it’s Dr. Zhou and Xingxing.”

Su Jianing felt a bit awkward and changed the subject. “Why does Xingxing look fatter? Was it this big when it was in the team? Too bad Xiao Zhang isn’t here. Xingxing would be so excited to see him.”

Tang Ancheng said, “It seems like it’s mutated too.”

Su Jianing turned around in shock. “What?”

Liao Jinsheng said, “It should have. I saw it eating a lot this morning. Dr. Zhou is really good to it. He gave it chicken, eggs, and pumpkin first thing.”

Everyone else: “…”

The convoy first drove to a large commercial supermarket, where a group of zombies was gathered outside.

The off-road vehicle crashed into the parking lot in front of the supermarket, knocking a few zombies away. Guan Yuanfeng got out of the car and directly used a whirlwind to repel them. Then, with a wave of his hand, he struck down a whole group of zombies.

The special forces members in the RV could only see a blinding flash of lightning released from Guan Yuanfeng’s raised hand.

The lightning suddenly burst out, twisting and dancing in the sky, and with a deafening thunderclap, it struck the zombie group. The entire parking lot was illuminated by the dazzling lightning, creating a sense of earth-shattering power.

A burnt smell filled the air, and the zombie lying on the ground was still being ravaged by purple-white lightning.

The zombies that managed to escape had their feet frozen, and Comet, like a fierce beast, jumped off the vehicle. Its fur seemed to sparkle with fiery light. It took a deep breath, then suddenly opened its mouth, releasing a roaring flame like an angry fire dragon, which swept over the frozen zombies. The fire quickly engulfed them, and the zombies fell neatly, curling into black charred remains.

The special forces team members, who had hurriedly gotten out of the vehicle with guns in hand, were speechless.

Tang Ancheng opened his mouth in awe: “The captain is amazing! And Comet is too powerful!”

Liao Jinsheng said, “That ice, it must have been Dr. Zhou who put it there… they’re really working well together…”

Dong Kexin murmured, “I thought the captain brought us out here to get some practice… but now it seems like we’re just unnecessary…”

Guan Yuanfeng turned and looked at them, his expression unreadable: “The main objective is to take the empty suitcases, storage boxes, bags, ropes, and other luggage bags, along with any non-spoiled food, oil, alcohol, and other essential supplies. Got it?”

The team members hurriedly responded, and Guan Yuanfeng continued, “Zhang Qi, Su Jianing, dig out the crystal cores; Jiang Rongqian, Liao Jinsheng, cover them and protect them. Dong Kexin, Wu Jun, and Tang Anchen, you three will follow us and focus on attacking.”

Soon, the special forces team members realized they had little to do. Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun led the way, with Comet following closely behind. One dealt with ice, the other with lightning strikes, while Comet handled the finishing touches. If it weren’t for the fact that they had to preserve the goods indoors, Comet would have continued breathing fire, and the special forces members would have had a chance to shoot zombies with pinpoint precision.

Liao Jinsheng, filled with admiration, said, “It’s been so long since I had such a satisfying fight.”

Dong Kexin scolded him, “Stop talking, get to work! Dig out the crystal cores, or we’ll be left behind and can’t keep up with the captain!”

The supermarket, spanning three underground levels, was cleaned out in less than an hour. By the end, they had no time to dig out crystal cores and simply chopped off the zombies’ heads, stuffing them into woven bags. Once the empty suitcases, luggage bags, storage boxes, and vacuum-sealed bags were loaded onto the RV, they immediately set off for Danlin City Third Hospital.

Hospitals were always the places with the most zombies, and the terrain was complex. There was nothing particularly essential there, so despite often going out, Guan Yuanfeng and Comet had never visited a hospital after the apocalypse.

Zhou Yun, looking at the familiar hospital, was filled with mixed emotions, but still commanded Guan Yuanfeng, “Let’s go to the pharmacy on the first floor first.”

Zhou Yun had worked there before, heard patients complain, overheard colleagues gossip, and received critiques from superiors. He had experienced all walks of life. Yet, after experiencing the apocalypse and being reborn, he found that the work that once occupied all his time now seemed insignificant, even not worthy of his emotional attachment.

The hospital was full of wandering zombies, their grotesque faces and rotting flesh hanging from exposed bones. They wandered the halls, searching for anything alive to attack.

The corridors and walls were covered in bloodstains, with overturned equipment, shattered glass, scattered documents, and medicines everywhere, as though one could instantly return to that day when the apocalypse first struck, imagining the fear and panic of ordinary people upon seeing the zombies.

For most of the special forces team, who were ordinary people, this was supposed to be a very difficult task. They had been part of the rescue team at the Central Base, collecting supplies, and every day had been spent in fear. Zombies were difficult to hit with bullets, and even if shot in the limbs, it didn’t stop them.

The zombies were as agile as wild beasts, terrifying like walking corpses, and if scratched or bitten, one could be infected and become a zombie.

But today, following Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun, with their agile movements and seamless coordination, they swiftly and precisely cleared the zombies from the hospital.

These zombies had never been so weak. All they needed to do was collect the crystal cores and gather supplies.

—-

In the pharmacy on the first floor, the shelves were filled with various medications. They collected everything and put it into suitcases—antibiotics, painkillers, disinfectants, and some daily-use medicines. These were things they had to earn points for at the base, but now they were freely picking them up without concern.

Especially since the supplies around the Central Base had long been collected by ability users and survivors, and applying for a helicopter was not easy due to the energy shortage.

Even Su Jianing couldn’t help but remind, “External wounds, wound medicine, and anti-inflammatory drugs are too precious, we never have enough. Get more of them.”

Next to the pharmacy were the emergency room, operating rooms, and observation rooms, equipped with life support and emergency medical equipment. They collected items like ECG machines, defibrillators, and ventilators.

They then skipped the outpatient section. By the time they finished loading the RV, they found two large trucks in a nearby parking lot, fueled them up, and headed for the hospital’s inspection and surgery building.

They collected high-performance microscopes, precision analyzers, ultrasound scanners, surgical equipment, anesthesia devices, sterile facilities, surgical instruments, laryngoscopes, and tracheal intubation equipment, as well as breathing machines and anesthetic auxiliary equipment like micro-injection pumps and anesthesia depth monitors.

After leaving the surgery building, they went to the inpatient building, collecting ECG machines, infusion pumps, defibrillators, oxygen generators, and other hospital equipment. They even took several air disinfectors, UV lamps, and medical refrigerators, which were useful in everyday life.

The hospital had many generators and transformers, which were also valuable.

As they moved the equipment, they discussed, “Is it always this easy when an ability user leads the team? The efficiency is incredible.”

Su Jianing replied, “Not really. I’ve worked with the fire ability user from Team Two before, and their combat ability is nowhere near as strong as the captain’s. Plus, fire abilities are really limiting because you’re afraid of burning things. They’re best suited for outdoor settings, not indoor missions.”

Su Jianing watched as Comet darted out of the building, chasing several zombies to the front courtyard flowerbed and then using a blast of fire to burn them to death, thoroughly killing them.

He couldn’t help but say, “The fire users at our base, how come their combat ability doesn’t seem to compare to Comet’s? It even knows to lure zombies outside before killing them, and it runs so fast that the zombies can’t even catch up. The base’s abilities users are all so cautious about their lives; who would use themselves as bait?”

Liao Jinsheng said, “I’ve seen other abilities users fight; they often have to stop and absorb crystal cores. But I’ve noticed the Captain and Dr. Zhou never stop, I really hope we’ll still be on the same team when we get back.”

Su Jianing replied, “That’s unlikely. They’re saying they want to form full abilities teams at every base, but a team can still be equipped with auxiliary members…”

Wu Jun said confidently, “The Captain would never abandon us.”

Su Jianing fell silent.

As the equipment was nearly packed, they saw Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun walking out of the building. They asked, “Is everything about ready?”

Tang Anchen said, “Almost! Captain, is there anything else to move?”

Guan Yuanfeng turned to look at Zhou Yun. After a moment of thought, Zhou Yun said, “Let’s go to the Pharmacy Building next door; I need to pick up some supplies.”

Su Jianing was surprised. “The self-made medicines at each hospital have a short shelf life, and the journey to Zhongzhou Base is long. It’s not really worth it.” He glanced at the RV. “Besides, it’s almost full.”

But Guan Yuanfeng had already led Comet towards the Pharmacy Building, and the team members quickly followed.

This area was quieter with fewer zombies, and it was quickly cleared out. Zhou Yun selected plant-based pharmaceutical extractors, pill-making machines, air-flow ultra-fine grinders, fully automatic decoction and packaging machines, tablet press machines, filling machines, and more, and had the valuable herbs and self-made medicines packed up.

Su Jianing saw the equipment and asked Zhou Yun, “Dr. Zhou, are you planning to make your own medicines?”

Zhou Yun nodded, “Yes.”

Su Jianing said, “The Zhongzhou Base already has these.”

Zhou Yun didn’t reply, and Guan Yuanfeng instructed the team to set up the equipment before saying, “Let’s head back.”

Zhou Yun said, “Let’s have some lunch before we leave. The environment here is nice.”

The group was stunned.

They were at the small garden in front of the hospital building, the grass was lush, flowers fragrant, and several tall banyan trees stood with fresh green leaves. A pavilion had been built under the trees, though most flowers nearby had died after the scorching summer and harsh winter, leaving only some wild grass growing wildly.

If you ignored the zombies, the environment was actually quite nice.

However… since the apocalypse began, most of their missions had been about killing zombies. After fighting with those disgusting creatures, who would want to eat during a mission?!

But Zhou Yun had already called out to Tang Ancheng, “Go bring the thermos down, and get another bucket.”

When Tang Ancheng brought it down, Zhou Yun filled a bucket with clean water and said, “Everyone wash your hands.”

Soon, everyone was sitting around the table in the pavilion, on the benches, or squatting on the steps, eating corn and bread, feeling the gentle spring breeze, and chatting about what else needed to be collected.

“Let’s visit all three hospitals, we can collect quite a bit of medicine. We should pick the most urgently needed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, we can exchange a lot of points back at base.”

“We can check out the seed station, bring back some grain seeds. The climate here is warm, and we can trade those seeds for some points.”

“Let’s also check out the power plant, water plant, and power station to see what equipment they have.”

“Batteries and chargers count for points, but there’s only so much the plane can carry.”

“Yeah, white sugar and alcohol are also hard to bring.”

“Captain and Dr. Zhou are abilities users, so they’re exempt from base taxes.”

“Then can Comet also be considered exempt?”

“Comet eats a lot, it’s hard to take care of, I’ve seen Dr. Zhou open a bunch of dog food cans…”

The team members were joking around, and Guan Yuanfeng was drinking water, just watching Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun was feeding Comet dog food from the cans they had taken earlier from the supermarket. Kuku had emptied twenty cans into the bowl, and Comet sniffed it, seemingly dissatisfied, but Zhou Yun patted its head, “I’ll make you lamb noodles when we get back. For now, make do with this, tonight we’ll kill some sheep.”

Comet finally began eating after rubbing against him for a while.

The team members were excited, “Really? We’re killing sheep?”

Zhou Yun smiled and looked at them, “Yes, I told Tang Anchen yesterday, we’ve had them for a while.”

Su Jianing said, “It’s hard to bring them back if we don’t kill them. We might as well kill them all and freeze them for transport.”

Suddenly, Guan Yuanfeng stood up, “Hurry up, eat quickly and get moving. Don’t keep thinking about food, we have work to do.”

The team saw that his face was icy and he was clearly unhappy, so they quickly picked up the pace. But just then, Comet’s neck fur stood up, and with a howl, it leaped in front of Zhou Yun, barking and growling at something.

Guan Yuanfeng immediately stood up, grabbed his bow and arrow, and pulled Zhou Yun behind him, saying in a low voice, “Alert!”