94: Chapter 94 Trip to Linshui County

Gone was the panic and fear from their previous missions; everyone's eyes now held a firm resolve.

The morning of team training had not been in vain.

They knew they were not fighting alone.

They had teammates by their sides and Zhou Che at their backs.

Zhou Che nodded and turned to walk over to Luo Xi.

He pulled a cold, gleaming dagger from his coat and handed it to her.

This was the strange object dagger he had obtained from Lin Wan last night.

"Take this, you'll need it for close-quarters combat."

Luo Xi was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took the dagger.

It felt ice-cold to the touch and had a decent weight, its blade sharp enough to reflect one's shadow.

She tried swinging it a couple of times; the balance was excellent.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou." Luo Xi's cheeks were flushed red from the cold wind, but her eyes remained exceptionally determined.

Zhou Che looked at her ears, which were red from the cold, and her fingertips, which were turning purple.

He reached up, unwound the wool scarf from his own neck, and wrapped it around hers without a word.

The scarf still held his body heat, instantly dispelling the chill.

"You stay safe, too."

Luo Xi's body stiffened abruptly, her ears turning instantly crimson, the flush spreading all the way to the base of her neck.

She lowered her head, not daring to look into Zhou Che's eyes, her fingers clutching the scarf tightly.

She whispered a soft "Thank you," then hurried to turn around and walked quickly to the front of the formation.

Even her retreating figure betrayed a hint of panic.

"Oh?" Ruan Xiaoxiao sidled up to Mr. Zhou, winking and teasing, "Zhou Che, you've got game. You're quite the charmer."

"Don't talk nonsense." Zhou Che patted her head. "Get on the vehicle. If we waste time, we won't make it back before dark."

Ruan Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue, laughed, and ran onto the vehicle.

Standing nearby, Captain Liu Ruyan watched this scene, the corners of her mouth curling slightly, though she said nothing.

She simply tightened her own scarf a little more.

"Move out!"

Zhou Che waved his hand and was the first to jump into the lead hovercar.

With the roar of engines, seven or eight hovercars slowly lifted off, forming a long line as they headed toward Linshui County.

Except for the nine Transcendents, the rest remained to guard the camp.

The wind grew stronger, making the car windows hum.

The sky was gray and murky, like a dirty rag, blocking out the sun completely.

Not a single ray of light could penetrate it.

The temperature continued to drop, hovering at just over ten degrees now.

A thin layer of fog had formed on the car windows, requiring constant wiping to see outside.

His beloved vehicle didn't have a defogging mode before; it seemed he would need to install one now.

The cabin was very quiet; no one spoke.

The ordinary survivors huddled together, their eyes nervously watching the scenery flashing by outside the window.

The Transcendents closed their eyes to rest, conserving their energy in preparation for the coming battle.

Zhou Che leaned against the window, using his fingers to wipe away the fog.

Outside lay an endless expanse of ruins.

Former farmlands had turned into wastelands, overgrown with withered, yellow weeds.

Occasionally, one could see a few corpses leaning against the roadside tree trunks, still frozen in the posture of running before they died.

Pecked beyond recognition by crows, they looked particularly gruesome.

The whole world was deathly silent, save for the sound of the wind and the roar of the engines.

It was so oppressive it made one struggle to breathe.

"Mr. Zhou, drink some hot water to warm yourself up."

Captain Liu Ruyan handed over a thermos containing piping hot ginger tea.

Zhou Che took the thermos and took a sip.

The warm liquid slid down his throat, dispelling the chill from his body.

"How much longer until we arrive?" he asked.

"Twenty more minutes."

Wang Zhiming leaned over, pointed to a mark on the map, and said, "Once we pass that broken bridge ahead, we'll be within the borders of Linshui County."

"According to previous intelligence, there is a PetroChina gas station at the entrance to the county, and the underground fuel depot should not have been emptied yet. Should we go check it out first?"

Zhou Che nodded. "Fine. Let's go to the gas station to resupply first."

"Although we use Transcendent power sources, we still need gasoline. The camp generators need fuel for heating at night, and the vehicles need fuel for lighting and heating. Without gasoline, ordinary people won't be able to handle the sub-zero temperatures at night."

Storing more gasoline was always the right move.

"Understood." Wang Zhiming nodded and marked the location of the gas station in red on the map again.

Zhou Che picked up the walkie-talkie and said to all the vehicles: "Attention everyone, we are about to enter the territory of Linshui County. Stay alert and prepare for battle."

"Received!" "Received!" came the replies from various team leaders over the radio.

The cabin instantly grew tense.

The Transcendents picked up their weapons, loaded their bullets, and drew their machetes.

The ordinary survivors also gripped their crowbars and ropes, watching outside the window with vigilant eyes.

In the wind, one could already faintly smell a trace of blood and rot.

On the distant horizon, the gray outline of buildings appeared.

That was Linshui County.

A massive tomb that had buried seven hundred thousand people.

Zhou Che's eyes became sharp.

He activated his Perceiver Sequence, carefully probing for movement ahead.

A few scattered anomalies were wandering at the entrance of the gas station.

Nothing to fear.

However, a faint sense of unease rose in his heart.

He just felt that this trip to Linshui wouldn't be that smooth.

He gripped the blood moon scepter inside his coat and took a deep breath.

No matter what monsters and demons were inside.

They were determined to obtain the winter supplies this time.

"Stop the vehicles."

Zhou Che waved his hand, and the three hovercars came to a steady stop at the entrance of the gas station.

"First Squad, follow me in to clear the area. Second Squad, guard the perimeter. Third Squad, watch the vehicles and people; nobody is allowed to wander off."

He pushed open the car door and was the first to jump out.

The cold wind, laden with dust, rushed at his face, carrying a faint stench of rot.

Zhou Che gripped the blood moon scepter, his fingertips exerting slight pressure.

The Perceiver Sequence quietly activated, sweeping across the entire gas station.

Captain Liu Ruyan followed behind him holding her long whip, the tip trailing on the ground, ready to strike at any moment.

Luo Xi walked on the flank, clutching a halberd in her hand, with the strange object dagger Zhou Che had given her hanging at her waist.

Her eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, scanning every corner where someone—or something—might hide.

The gas station was empty.

Four fuel pumps were tilted and askew, their hoses torn to shreds.

The ground was covered in black oil stains, sticky underfoot.

The convenience store's glass door was shattered, the shelves completely empty—not even an empty can remained.

The cash register was smashed to pieces, and shredded banknotes were scattered on the floor; in the apocalypse, they were too coarse even to use as toilet paper.

"Clear."

After checking the corners of the convenience store, Luo Xi shook her head at Zhou Che.

"It was scavenged clean long ago. Forget gasoline; there isn't even half a bottle of mineral water left."

Zhou Che nodded, having been mentally prepared for this.

Roadside gas stations like this had long been picked clean by passing convoys.

Just as he was about to call everyone back to the vehicles, a "rustling" sound suddenly came from the warehouse behind the gas station.

It wasn't the sound of wind blowing against wooden planks, but the sound of claws scratching at wood—one stroke after another, making one's scalp tingle.

"It's here!"

Zhou Che let out a low shout, and the three of them moved almost simultaneously.