Chapter 238 Recalling the Days in the Family Housing Building

But speaking of which,

Zhou Zhenguo Zhou's ability to multitask was quite remarkable.

He could talk animatedly with everyone about Talent Release while simultaneously sending these kinds of messages to himself...

By now,

he basically understood everyone with a name on the ten-person list.

Chen Yu felt his head throbbing.

With just these few people, there were so many factions; it was truly hard to deal with.

Death List: Han Cheng, Ding Shouchang.

Neutral List: Song Xingmian, Zhang Lieyang.

Suspected Ally: Chen Muqing.

Then there were the four original Awakened from the thunder heavy truck.

[Arrived at Hidden Station—Global Slaughterhouse (Entrance)]

[Current Environment: Heavy Pollution, Extreme Humidity]

[Vehicle Status: Entering Silent Mode shortly. Phase Barrier activation countdown: 180s]

The thunder heavy truck's massive tires plowed deep furrows into the mud,

and the familiar voice finally rang out.

Zhou Zhenguo Zhou stood up straight and gave a standard military salute.

“Since everyone has fully understood Talent Release, my mission is complete.”

Officer Zhou's gaze lingered on Chen Yu for less than half a second. “Finally, I wish you all a successful release and a triumphant return.”

“Swish—”

Han Cheng pulled a heavy, dark-green raincoat from beneath his seat.

“Prepare to disembark.”

Ding Shouchang, Zhang Lieyang, Chen Muqing, and the others also bent down one after another, pulling raincoats from under their seats.

Chen Yu naturally followed suit, grabbing one at random.

As for the dazed Water Bubble at his feet...

It was a water-type pet; water only buffed it and didn't weaken it.

“Clack—”

The thunder heavy truck's wide hydraulic hatch made a heavy thud at the front and slowly opened downward.

“Shhhhhhh!!!”

The sound of torrential rain suddenly erupted, splashing up clouds of gray mist.

“Let's go! Everyone keep up!”

Han Cheng was the first to step into the curtain of rain, with the others following close behind.

Chen Yu's position meant he was destined to be the last to get off, with Song Xingmian beside him.

Chen Yu stepped into the mud and walked forward.

Just then,

“Lu Heng?”

Chen Yu's footsteps came to a sudden halt. “Hmm?”

Song Xingmian took a few quick steps to walk side-by-side with Chen Yu. She tilted her head, her eyes bright under the brim of her raincoat, staring unblinkingly at Lu Heng's ordinary profile.

An ominous premonition rose in Chen Yu's heart.

“You wouldn't happen to have forgotten me, would you?”

Sure enough, Song Xingmian's next sentence made Chen Yu's heart skip a beat!

Didn't Officer Zhou say this Lu Heng was a low-profile guy who didn't know anyone?

How did someone come up and greet him right away?!

Chen Yu gave a self-deprecating smile that carried thirty percent loneliness, fifty percent exhaustion, and twenty percent perfectly measured social withdrawal. His acting skills were fully integrated, making it look genuine...

“Ha, I've been used to being a loner these years, dealing only with pets all day. I'm a bit tongue-tied and not very good at small talk.”

He quickly pulled up the private chat interface at the edge of his vision: [Officer Zhou! Reply ASAP! What's with Song Xingmian? Does she know Lu Heng? She's confronting me directly!]

The message went out, but there was only dead silence.

Seeing him not speak, a flicker of small disappointment flashed across Song Xingmian's face.

The two were currently at the very back of the group. The heavy rain pattered against their dark-green raincoats, forming a natural sound barrier.

“I suppose,”

Song Xingmian lowered her eyes, her tone softening. “I followed Officer Gu to the Beijing Military Region when I was twelve. Calculating it, we haven't seen each other for almost ten years.”

Chen Yu acted as if he were calculating the time: “About that.”

Song Xingmian continued, “Back then, you were always cooped up in the old courtyard of the Military District Family Quarters, not playing with anyone. I didn't expect that after all these years, your personality hasn't changed at all.”

Chen Yu turned his head slightly, also sounding quite emotional: “Yeah, everyone has changed. Recalling the days at the Family Quarters really brings back memories. After all, these years... my life has been just so-so. Best not to mention it.”

This kind of vague, open-ended answer

was what Chen Yu was best at.

Song Xingmian indeed nodded to herself, a hint of empathetic bitterness in her eyes: “After so many years, I'm actually the same. I don't have many friends.”

“I just didn't expect that while everyone was busy with their own things before the apocalypse, we'd actually meet here after it.”

Chen Yu didn't respond, merely pulling his face further into the collar of his raincoat, but he was cursing in his heart:

Damn it, Zhou Shouchang! You were sending private messages so smoothly just now, and now you're playing dead. If you don't reply soon, I really won't be able to keep this act up!

“Splash, splash, splash!”

The massive raindrops made the road muddy. Every step was exceptionally difficult, with the mud exerting a strong suction.

Up ahead, Han Cheng stopped.

He wiped the rain from his face, his gaze passing over Zhang Lieyang, Chen Muqing, and the others in the middle.

When he saw Song Xingmian walking side-by-side with that obscure Lu Heng, a flash of coldness crossed his eyes, which he quickly replaced with a warm expression.

“Mianmian, the mud here is unstable. Be careful not to sink in.”

As Song Xingmian drew near, he naturally reached out, intending to steady her arm.

“If your stamina can't keep up, let me lead you to the front. The path there has already been packed down by my steps.”

Song Xingmian shifted her step slightly, unobtrusively pulling her wrist back. “Thank you, Captain Han, but I can walk on my own.”

Her voice was cold, her rejection crisp and direct.

Han Cheng's hand froze in mid-air before awkwardly closing into a fist and slowly dropping to his side.

“Alright, of course.”

He turned his head, his gaze pinning onto Chen Yu. “Be careful, Lu Heng. Don't let the mud and sand blind your eyes.”

Chen Yu smiled slightly. “Thank you for the concern, Captain Han. I will.”

Chen Yu wasn't the least bit unhappy.

On the contrary, because Han Cheng had interrupted the two of them, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Ding Shouchang chuckled. “Captain Han's consideration for his team members is truly touching. Xingmian, couldn't you take some photos of these small details and send them to the Military District?”

Song Xingmian spoke coldly, “I have my own judgment on what to photograph and record. I don't need anyone's instructions.”

Ding Shouchang was left speechless, secretly lamenting his luck.

Why was he, the vice-captain, always the one getting scolded?

But since the person scolding him was Song Xingmian, he didn't dare to talk back.

After all,

he didn't want his unsightly behavior to be recorded and sent to some secret organization in the Military District.

Most importantly, Song Xingmian's background was special.

Back then, Officer Gu only brought her back from her mother's family when she was in her teens. Because he had missed her entire childhood, Officer Gu's doting on her reached an almost heaven-defying level.

In the Beijing Military Region, everyone knew that Song Xingmian was a bottom line that could not be touched.

“Enough, everyone say less. The mission is what matters.”

Chen Muqing interrupted them in a deep voice, his eyes staring ahead like torches. “The energy fluctuations are getting stronger. There might be something extraordinary ahead...”

“Captain Han, I suggest everyone maintain a one-meter distance. You take the lead, and I'll be responsible for flank calibration.”

“Fine.”

Han Cheng was more than happy to have someone share his burden, especially when that person had an SSS-rank Perception-type Talent.

After the group continued for about another hundred meters,

a building like a steel behemoth finally revealed its full form. It was a massive hemispherical dome station, its metal shell covered in scratches.

The moment the entire team stepped under the building's overhanging eaves, the previously raging sound of the storm abruptly ceased.

The absolute silence caused a sharp pain in everyone's eardrums.