89: Chapter 89 Campfire Council

The daytime training continued as usual.

Zhou Che was still the fastest learner.

Luo Xi had just finished demonstrating the whip kick.

He watched it once and could then perform it properly, his power generation even more standard than Luo Xi's own.

The others had it rough.

Although the recovery ability of a Transcendent was extremely strong, Wang Laowu's arm had not fully healed, and he grimaced in pain whenever he kicked.

Shen Fei almost tripped over himself.

The group practiced bitterly, their admiration for Zhou Che growing even more.

Not only was he strong, but he learned things so quickly; it was truly maddening to compare yourself to him.

A mundane yet pretentious day passed just like that.

At night, a huge bonfire was lit in the center of the camp.

The orange-red flames danced, dispelling the chill of the night.

The heads of each department, as well as all the Transcendents, sat around the bonfire.

Zhou Che sat in the main seat, holding a wooden stick in his hand, poking at the charcoal in the fire.

"I called everyone here today for one thing."

Zhou Che looked up at the crowd. "You should all have felt that the temperature is not right."

"It's July, yet it's cold enough to need a coat. This is definitely not normal."

The people below nodded one after another.

"That's right, Zhou Che. It's too abnormal. I've lived for over thirty years and have never seen such cold weather in July."

"I just touched the water pipe, and the water was freezing to the touch."

"Many ordinary survivors have caught colds, and the cold medicine in The Convoy is almost used up."

Everyone started discussing it all at once.

Some thought it was just a normal climate fluctuation and it would be fine in a couple of days.

"Maybe it's just a cold front, and it will warm up in a few days. There's no need to make a fuss."

Others felt that things were not that simple and felt a hidden unease.

"What strange things haven't happened since the apocalypse? What if winter has really arrived suddenly? We haven't prepared anything for winter."

Zhou Che raised his hand, suppressing the discussion.

"I agree with the latter."

"The climate of the apocalypse cannot be judged by common sense. We cannot gamble."

"If we win the gamble, nothing happens. If we lose, a large group of people will freeze to death."

"I have decided that starting tomorrow, the entire team will enter a state of combat readiness. If the temperature continues to drop tomorrow, we will set off immediately to scavenge for winter supplies in nearby towns."

"Cotton coats, quilts, coal, hand warmers—take everything we can get."

Everyone nodded.

Zhou Che was right; better safe than sorry.

In the apocalypse, any slight negligence could cost lives.

Zhou Che looked at Wang Zhiming sitting in the corner.

"Wang Zhiming, work some overtime tonight and compile a list of nearby towns suitable for scavenging supplies."

"Prioritize large shopping malls, supermarkets, clothing stores, and warehouses."

"Plan the route as well; let's try to go and return quickly, don't delay too long."

Wang Zhiming immediately stood up and nodded solemnly.

"Rest assured, Zhou Che, I guarantee that I will have all the information compiled and handed to you before midnight tonight."

The meeting ended there.

Everyone dispersed to prepare.

Mr. Zhou sat by the bonfire, not moving.

Wang Zhiming stayed up half the night, hunched over a creaking wooden table.

He was marking the pre-apocalypse map on his tablet stroke by stroke.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered in the draft, and the black smoke made his eyes sore, forcing him to rub them from time to time.

Several empty ink bottles and a dozen discarded draft papers were piled on the corner of the table.

He hadn't expected that even after the apocalypse, he still couldn't escape the fate of staying up late.

He first circled three small surrounding villages with a red pen, then crossed them out fiercely.

He absolutely could not go to the villages.

It was time-consuming and laborious, requiring him to search house by house, and it was easy to alert the anomalies.

Relying on searching villages to get winter supplies for over two hundred people wouldn't be enough even by next year.

It was purely a waste of effort.

There were two towns left.

One was Qinghe Town, which only had two main streets and at most three mom-and-pop clothing stores; it didn't even have a decent department store.

These few things would be enough for a few dozen people at best, not enough to distribute.

Wang Zhiming shook his head and crossed it out too.

Finally, his finger landed on the words "Linshui County" on the map, and his eyes lit up instantly.

This place was the most suitable.

They were currently in the Guang'an City area, and the main city was absolutely off-limits.

With over three million permanent residents, once the anomalies concentrated in the urban area after the apocalypse, there would certainly be countless anomalies inside.

The lesson from Shancheng last time was still fresh in his mind; of those who managed to escape alive, less than one in ten survived.

But Linshui County was different.

Before the apocalypse, it only had a population of over 700,000. The urban area wasn't large, and there were only a few core areas.

The number of anomalies was relatively controllable, and with The Convoy's current strength, if they handled it carefully, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Most importantly, there was a Hongfan Plaza in the center of the county.

Coupled with the scattered shops along the streets, gathering enough winter supplies for over two hundred people would be absolutely more than enough.

There was no need to think about towns further away; it would take three days to drive there and back.

If a cold wave suddenly broke out halfway there and the temperature plummeted to tens of degrees below zero, The Convoy could freeze into ice sculptures in the wilderness.

Both the people and the vehicles would end up there.

Wang Zhiming organized all the information clearly.

What supplies were in which place, and roughly how much could be scavenged.

He estimated how many anomalies they would encounter, which route to take to avoid high-risk areas, and how to retreat in case of emergencies.

He wrote three full pages densely, with neat handwriting and clear logic.

He even marked the iconic buildings at every intersection.

He blew on the ink on the paper, carefully folded it, and tucked it into his pocket.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Mr. Zhou would definitely be satisfied with this.

He took the materials and went to find Mr. Zhou excitedly.

Just as he walked to Mr. Zhou's RV, his feet suddenly froze in place.

He saw that the ten-meter-long black modified RV was gently and rhythmically moving up and down.

The windows were tightly shut, and the black curtains blocked all light.

Faint, fragmented gasps and laughter could be heard from inside.

Wang Zhiming's face instantly turned red to the roots of his ears, and he was so embarrassed that his toes curled.

The materials he was holding in his hand almost fell to the ground.

How could he dare to go up and disturb them?

He hurriedly turned around, tiptoed, and slipped back to his own vehicle as quietly as possible.

He was afraid that if he made too much noise, he would be heard by Zhou Che inside.

Back in his vehicle, he patted his chest, still feeling lingering fear.

"My goodness, I almost walked in on Zhou Che's good time."

If he had been seen, how embarrassing that would be.

He sat on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He was both glad that he had run away quickly and muttered in his heart.

"Mr. Zhou really has boundless energy; he was so tired from training during the day, yet still so spirited at night."

He had to get up early tomorrow and go over before Mr. Zhou woke up; he must not run into them again.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Mr. Zhou pushed open the car door, and a bone-chilling cold wind rushed into his face.

The temperature had dropped again.

Yesterday it only felt like the beginning of autumn, but today it was already as cold as late autumn.

Inside the camp, some people had already put on cotton coats.

Several old people were wrapped in tattered quilts, huddled by the bonfire coughing, their faces frozen purple.