216: It likes this place very much.

After clearing the zombies blocking their path, Ai Yue and the others wasted no more time and continued toward the Songzhou Safety Tower.

The final stretch of the journey was smooth, with no major dangers encountered—only a few people out killing zombies to collect crystal cores and a scattering of lone zombies.

Those people were wary and gave Ai Yue's group a wide berth upon seeing them. Although Ai Yue's group was small, every member looked like someone not to be trifled with, so no one dared to step forward and cause trouble.

As for the zombies they encountered, there was even less to say; they were dealt with with a simple wave of a hand.

Thus, before nightfall, the group arrived at the Songzhou Safety Tower.

The closer they got to the Songzhou Base, the more excited Gong Qiumu became. Along the way, he kept pulling people aside to chatter incessantly, like a chirping little sparrow.

Ai Yue was incredibly annoyed by his noisy behavior, but seeing that face full of youthful vigor, she managed to endure it.

In this Apocalypse dominated by shades of black and gray, such a smiling face was truly rare. Looking at it more often made one's mood lighter, provided one could ignore the non-stop talking.

“Quick, Uncle, Auntie, we’re almost there! Just another half hour and we’ll arrive!” Gong Qiumu took Ai Guosheng and Li Shilan's arms, looking as excited as a child.

Then again, he was essentially still a child.

During this time, Gong Qiumu had become very well-acquainted with Ai Guosheng and his wife, so he acted particularly warmly toward them.

Ai Guosheng and his wife also liked this young man who always had a smile on his face, and they were always beaming when they were with Gong Qiumu.

Gong Qiumu smacked his lips and sighed. “Sigh, it’s a pity we don’t have a car. Otherwise, we would have arrived days ago. Why would we need to walk so laboriously? My Little Green was destroyed just like that at Nameless Mountain, without even a scrap of its remains left.”

“Sigh...” As he spoke, Gong Qiumu let out another heavy sigh. He truly felt pained over that car.

After all, in the current environment, aside from the Safety Tower, who else had the capability to own a durable vehicle?

Even though Gong Qiumu was the son of the top leader of the Songzhou Safety Base, it would be difficult for him to have another chance to own a car.

Upon reaching the base's main gate, the group found that outside the walls of the Songzhou Safety Tower, there wasn't a single zombie; everything appeared normal.

Gong Qiumu didn't care about any of that. In a fit of excitement, he ran to the gate alone and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Old Li, my brother and I are back! Open the gate quickly and let us in!”

The guards standing on the high city walls took a closer look and saw that it was indeed their Colonel Gong and the second young master, who often ran away from home. They immediately opened the base gates and let them in.

Gong Qiuqiu led Ai Yue and the others directly to the top leader's small office building.

Along the way, seeing Colonel Gong's party, no one dared to stop them, and their path was completely unobstructed.

People they passed on the road saw Gong Qiuqiu leading the group into the distance and began to tease, “Colonel Gong must be exhausted having a brother like that. He runs away from home at the drop of a hat, forcing Colonel Gong to drop everything to go and catch him.”

Passerby B: “Haha, yeah, the second young master is truly mischievous. But he does have skills. He’s sneaked out so many times, and every time he comes back in one piece. If it were people like us going out in this world, hey, we probably wouldn't survive a single day.”

Passerby C: “That’s true. They are people with real ability, not like me, who hasn't even awakened a Superpower yet.”

Passerby A: “Sigh... yeah. I wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to awaken a Superpower.”

Passerby B: “Why talk about that? As long as you work hard for two years and save up enough trade coins, there's still a chance to get an energy stone to awaken a Superpower.”

“True, true. But Colonel Gong and his brother have been out for quite a while, haven't they? It's been half a year.”

“Yeah, they were out right when those unknown monsters appeared and the zombie outbreak happened. They were quite unlucky.”

“Fortunately, they returned safely. Otherwise, if we lost Colonel Gong, what would happen to our base in the future?”

...The people behind them were full of discussion, but the group walking away heard none of it.

“Mmm, the feeling of being home is really nice. The air is so fresh, and these little flowers are blooming so beautifully. Sister Ai Yue, look, even this tree looks more spirited than the ones outside, doesn't it?”

Ai Yue: “...”

Gong Qiumu was all smiles along the way, constantly introducing the surrounding scenery to Ai Yue's group.

“How is it? Uncle, Auntie, does this scenery suit your aesthetic? Living here in the future, I guarantee you’ll live comfortably and happily.”

Li Shilan felt happy just seeing Gong Qiumu's handsome face and said with repeated smiles, “It’s beautiful, very beautiful.”

Ever since Mo Li turned into a zombie, it had been a huge blow to Ye Rui. Even now, it was difficult to see a smile on her face.

Seeing Ye Rui's lack of interest in anything and her wooden expression, Ai Yue sighed inwardly. She had no way to help her step out of the shadow cast by Mo Li's death; she could only rely on herself to move on.

Ai Yue squeezed Ye Rui's hand with concern. Ye Rui looked at Ai Yue and forced a painful-looking smile.

She looked nothing like her former lively and clever self. Ai Yue felt pained watching her and gave Ye Rui's hand a firm squeeze.

Ye Rui returned the squeeze with some strength as well.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, knowing her sister was worried about her state. However, she just wanted to wallow for a few more days; after that, she would pull herself together.

Gong Qiuqiu brought Ai Yue's family to meet the top leader and the base's high-level officials. The top leader and the others expressed a warm welcome and hoped they would settle down here.

However, Ai Yue did not agree.

The top leader didn't press the matter further and moved on to discuss the situation regarding the zombies outside and the unknown monsters. Ai Yue felt it wasn't right for her family to stay there for the meeting, so she stood up to take her leave.

Gong Qiumu volunteered to arrange accommodation for Ai Yue's family.

The top leader indeed had very important matters to discuss and handle with the others. Seeing that Ai Yue emphasized she didn't mind, he agreed to let Gong Qiumu handle the arrangements.

“Sister Ai Yue, you are extremely welcome VIPs at our base, so I’m arranging the highest standard for you. I guarantee you’ll live comfortably and spaciously.”

Gong Qiumu said with a grin.

“What VIPs? You’ve learned to joke with me now?” Ai Yue said, speechless.

She added, “There’s no need for any special arrangements. Just find a quiet place for my family. We don’t like being disturbed.”

Gong Qiumu patted his chest. “Don’t worry, Sister Ai Yue. We’ve spent so much time together, I know exactly what your requirements are. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. Just follow me.”

Gong Qiumu led Ai Yue's family through the base, turning left and right, going deeper and deeper.

After walking for half an hour, they finally reached the place.

He had brought them to a separate small courtyard deep within the base.

The surrounding environment was also very good, lush and green.

Da Wang, in Li Shilan's arms, liked it very much. Upon arriving, he jumped down from Li Shilan's embrace.