The old man didn’t ask too much about his daughter’s situation.

He knew the fighting there was fierce, and everyone had to stay constantly alert to defend against sudden attacks from mutant creatures.

The dire situation there was completely different from the peaceful life in Ancheng.

Now, Ancheng’s skies had cleared, life was returning to normal, supply routes were reestablished, and the vegetable shop was right outside their homes.

It seemed that people in Ancheng could finally start to feel at ease. As long as the zombies didn’t break through, they could continue living like this.

But it was strange—these zombies kept attacking from four directions around Ancheng, yet had never managed to break through.

Judging by their strength in overtaking other cities, it shouldn’t have been so difficult.

Maybe the defense facilities around Ancheng were well-constructed, or perhaps the fighting strength of the defense teams was especially good.

But after all, they were retired soldiers and special forces who had been recalled to service. Their training couldn’t compare to active-duty soldiers, and their weapons weren’t top-tier either.

So what exactly was going on, the old man couldn’t figure out.

That night, perhaps due to the stir-fried greens, the old man slept much better.

Before, he always had trouble sleeping.

Because of his insomnia, he had taken both Chinese and Western medicine. But those only worked temporarily. Later, the sleep problems would return, and he would often lie wide awake until dawn, only falling asleep for a few hours in the early morning.

But that night, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and didn’t have any nightmares.

The next morning, he woke up around eight o’clock.

He naturally opened his eyes and looked out the window. It was already bright.

He sat up from bed, not feeling the usual grogginess but rather very clear-headed.

Thinking that the breakfast shop was probably already open, he walked to his cabinet.

He picked out a casual hiking jacket, a pair of athletic pants, and matched them with a pair of running shoes. Wearing this outfit that looked like a senior tourist, he stepped out the door.

He walked down the stairs and exited the building, moving with remarkable ease.

The area where his wound had slightly flared up yesterday now didn’t hurt at all. If he hadn’t intentionally thought of it, he would’ve forgotten that he even had a post-surgery wound on his leg.

Turning the corner, he arrived at Lin You’s breakfast shop.

Steam was rising from the place, and there were over a dozen large baskets placed at the entrance.

Quite a few people were lining up to buy vegetables.

The old man walked over and saw there were also many people queuing at the back window to buy egg pancakes.

Maybe it was because people found out about this newly opened breakfast shop while buying vegetables, and some didn’t want to cook, so they came down to grab a bite.

The old man walked straight into the store. Qi Kai saw him and greeted him.

The old man nodded and went into the back kitchen.

Lin You was sitting behind the curtain, continuing to vacuum the vegetables with an industrial vacuum cleaner.

Because her hands were numb from the machine’s vibrations, she had to switch hands constantly.

Seeing the old man enter, she looked surprised and asked, “Uncle, are you here to buy breakfast?”

The old man shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Do you have time now?”

Lin You hesitated slightly. Looking at the mountain of vegetables on the floor, she raised her head and said, “Yes.”

The old man asked her directly, “Can your vegetables be supplied to other cities? There are too many wounded in the city where my daughter is stationed. Medical supplies to treat wounds are running dangerously low. If your vegetables really have medicinal value, they might be of even greater use there.”

Lin You understood what he meant. She had thought about this herself.

But to send goods to Lancheng, there were still two problems that needed to be solved.

First is whether the transportation route from Ancheng to Lancheng has been restored.

If it is still blocked, then it will be very difficult to transport medicine there.

The other issue is the medicinal value of the vegetables.

These food ingredients have indeed tested positive for healing factors, but they have not been applied in clinical settings, which is also one of the reasons why Fu Qingze wanted the old man to be a test subject yesterday.

Fu Qingze is probably also communicating with the drug administration department, trying to find more people in Ancheng to participate in the experiment.

It just takes time. If the experiment cannot be successfully completed in the short term, then whether it can be transported to other cities becomes another problem.

Lin You expressed her concerns to the old man and told him that she would help inquire. Once there was news, she would inform him promptly.

The old man expressed his gratitude and specifically mentioned that if it could be realized, his daughter, as the head of the medical team, would report it to the Lancheng government and arrange for centralized procurement through official channels.

After saying this, the old man left.

Seeing his anxious expression, Lin You knew the situation in Lancheng was not optimistic.

If there were too many wounded and they really needed a large quantity of healing medicine, then perhaps the vegetables at hand could really be of use.

However, this involved coordination between two cities, which was not something she could decide on her own.

So, the first person Lin You thought of was Shang Zhisheng.

She needed to confirm whether there was a route between the two cities through which medicine could be delivered.

Lin You picked up the vacuum cleaner to continue working while also dialing the number.

Even though the sound on the phone might be noisy, Shang Zhisheng would understand—there were still many citizens lining up outside to buy vegetables, and she could not slow down her vegetable-picking speed.

When the call connected, Shang Zhisheng was on the transportation line delivering stone materials.

He was squatting in the back of an open-top truck, surrounded by food ingredients brought back from other cities to Ancheng.

To ensure efficient transportation, dozens of large trucks were used for every trip out of the city.

This was to bring back enough vegetables each time.

Also, besides Shang Zhisheng, there was a large team of personnel responsible for security work on board.

The road they were currently on was very remote and narrow, only allowing one truck to pass at a time.

But only by being hidden enough could they avoid being noticed and attacked by zombies.

So far, after four or five trips, this route had been lucky enough not to be discovered.

Therefore, the general dispatcher of this route demanded quick departure and return, speeding up every round trip to ensure everyone could return safely to Ancheng.

After listening to Lin You’s question about medicine transportation, Shang Zhisheng furrowed his brow and said:

“There is currently no direct route from Ancheng to Lancheng. If we want to transport anything, the medicine won’t be able to get through. Moreover, Lancheng is one of the cities with the most severely damaged transportation lines. They still can’t be repaired. You could say they can only rely on themselves. There is no other way.”

On the other end of the line, Lin You fell into silence.

After a moment, she said, “I understand.”

After hanging up, Shang Zhisheng looked around.

Gazing at the desolate area, with only these dozens of trucks carrying food and team members passing through, he could not help but feel a wave of melancholy.

He could barely take care of his own city, so what about the others?

He knew exactly how severe the situation in Lancheng was. If he could help, he would. Mutual aid between cities was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, once all the surrounding cities fell, Ancheng would become the next target.

How could he not understand?

But opening the route was not something that could be done in a short time.

Now, all personnel were tied up dealing with zombies. Lancheng simply did not have the capacity to repair its airport or highways, let alone open a passage outward.

Thinking of this, Shang Zhisheng felt that his legs were getting numb from squatting, so he changed positions.

However, the truck suddenly jolted for some reason. He lost his balance and, as he was about to fall, quickly turned and grabbed the truck’s handrail tightly.

At the same moment, he heard a low growl behind him.

The sudden noise made his scalp tingle.

Shang Zhisheng quickly turned around and saw a gorilla, taller than a human, with glowing red eyes and blood at the corners of its mouth, climbing toward him.

Shang Zhisheng was equipped with a pistol. He quickly drew it from his waist and fired continuously.

But the gorilla seemed to have an iron body. It dodged once, then pounced again with incredible speed.

Shang Zhisheng started to panic.

He was responsible for food procurement, not a special forces soldier. How could he subdue such a mutated creature in the first moment?

His superiors had approved him to carry a gun only for self-defense.

But now, it seemed even self-defense was impossible. His first instinct was to jump off the truck.

But the vehicle was speeding fast. Jumping now would likely get him caught under the wheels.

While hesitating, the driver must have noticed the commotion in the back and suddenly hit the brakes.

The vegetables and people in the cargo bed were thrown forward.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shang Zhisheng grabbed two large cabbages from the truck and hurled them at the gorilla, then jumped off the truck.

The team members had already armed themselves with heavy weapons and approached the rear of the truck.

When they saw the gorilla, they were stunned too.

The gorilla was extremely violent, smashing its fists into the cargo bed and almost denting it.

Mutated creatures had the strength of oxen. If ordinary people approached without weapons, it would mean certain death.

So the team did not approach. They raised their machine guns and opened fire.

The gorilla took countless bullets, but due to its thick hide and flesh, it was still full of energy, moving around the truck.

Moments later, it even began to close in on the team.

Its bared fangs were sharp and terrifying, its face full of murderous intent.

The team members retreated while continuing to fire rapidly, bullets pouring out like a stream.

The black gorilla finally slowed down a bit.

At the same time, the security personnel from the other vehicles had already jumped down and were rushing over.

Captain Yin Lu of the Fifth Division walked at the front, holding a large-caliber sniper rifle. After loading a small shell, he signaled everyone to retreat.

He wore black fingerless gloves and aimed at the black gorilla not far away.

After firing, he quickly retreated.

With a loud “bang,” the shell landed in the center of the vehicle, producing a violent explosion.

For a moment, smoke billowed and metal sheets flew outward along with numerous vegetable leaves.

As the breeze gradually dispersed the smoke, the scene on the truck became visible.

The black gorilla’s two legs had been blown off. A large wound had torn open across its chest. It had lost consciousness and no longer moved.

However, the entire truck bed had been overturned. Vegetables were scattered everywhere, and those closest had even been charred black from the blast.

Seeing that the situation was finally under control, Captain Yin Lu of the Fifth Division let out a slight sigh of relief, although his expression remained grim.

He glanced at Shang Zhisheng, who also looked pained, and said, “It seems this vehicle and all the food on it are lost. What a pity. From now on, we’ll have one less vehicle on the transport line.”

Shang Zhisheng also felt distressed. These food supplies had been hard to come by.

Still, he comforted Yin Lu by saying, “At least it was just one black gorilla. If it had been a horde of zombies, we’d have been doomed this time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of something odd about a team member behind Yin Lu.

That person’s face had turned a bluish-gray, and some parts of the neck had begun to fester.

The gun in his hand was unsteady. His legs staggered a few steps, and he held onto the side of the truck for support.

Shang Zhisheng immediately realized that someone among their own had become infected.

He shouted loudly, “Captain Yin, be careful!”

Yin Lu had already heard unusual movements behind him.

He turned around and saw that the teammate who had just been fighting alongside him was now baring sharp teeth with a sinister grin. His claws were beginning to rot upward.

Seeing the Fifth Division captain standing before him, the man lunged forward.

Yin Lu retreated while raising his machine gun and firing a burst.

Fortunately, the zombie had only recently mutated. The infection had not fully spread, and its strength was only slightly above that of a normal person.

After the machine gun burst, it quickly collapsed.

However, a wave of cold dread rose uncontrollably in Shang Zhisheng’s heart.

That black gorilla just now clearly had not bitten anyone. Why then was there a zombie among their team?

What exactly infected him? Where did the infection come from? Or had the gorilla bitten the teammate before climbing onto the truck?

But if he had been bitten, why was there no cry for help or resistance? Why hadn’t they known earlier that a mutated creature was present?

He looked toward Yin Lu. The latter’s face was also pale as paper.

Having just killed a teammate, Yin Lu felt complicated emotions.

But he quickly realized that there might not be just one mutated black gorilla here.

There might be other mutated creatures hidden nearby.

And these creatures were probably smaller than the gorilla and harder to detect, which is why they had managed to bite and infect someone without being noticed.

Thinking of this sent a chill down the spine.

What was most terrifying was the possibility that the mutated creatures, being small in size, had hidden inside the vehicles.

If the convoy drove back to Ancheng with such creatures on board, they might inadvertently be brought into the city.

Compared to the safety of the entire city of Ancheng, this batch of food supplies suddenly seemed far less important.

Just thinking of how short Ancheng was on food, and how Lin You’s breakfast shop could not supply much, Shang Zhisheng felt troubled.

They were not far from Ancheng now. He exchanged a look with Yin Lu and ultimately decided to abandon the truck.

No matter what, no mutated creature could be allowed in.

After abandoning the truck, the food and vehicles would need to be burned, buried, and thoroughly disinfected.

But this would render the route unusable for several weeks.

Ancheng would have to return to relying entirely on internal supplies.