57. Small-scale events

The prisoner ranks moved slowly in the square. Among the crowd, a middle-aged man had his head down and his shoulders hunched over.

His white robe, which was originally a symbol of his status, was now covered in dirt, his hair was messy and stuck to his forehead, his stubble beard was gray, and he looked utterly disheveled.

He was filled with mixed feelings: he had lived a glorious life, once a powerful figure in the business world, and after the disaster, he used his accumulated connections to rise to the position of elder of the Xuanwu Base. His life had always been smooth sailing.

But now, they have become prisoners, detainees.

He gritted his teeth inwardly, blaming no one but himself for choosing the wrong side, which led to this predicament.

He dared not meet the eyes of the other survivors, afraid of catching their strange looks. These lowly people, how dare they look at him like that? They didn't deserve it!

In his anger, he glanced at the platform and his expression froze instantly, followed by incredulous astonishment, and then wild joy. At that moment, he disregarded the stares of others, raised his bound hands, and frantically waved them at the platform.

Fortunately, the people on the platform noticed him.

The guards immediately stepped forward, roughly dragged him out of the line, and shoved him to the man.

Huangfuchuan staggered a few steps, looked up at Huangfu Jinrang, and exclaimed excitedly, "Xiao Rang, it really is you! Dad thought he was seeing things! Dad has been looking for you! I'm so happy to see you're alright!"

At a glance, Huangfu Jinrang recognized him—Huangfu Chuan. The man who had the final say at home, the man who abandoned her when the disaster struck.

She looked behind him and asked, "Where's my mother? Where's Huangfu Gan?"

Huangfuchuan's expression became unnatural. His chapped lips opened and closed a few times, his eyes flickered, and he awkwardly avoided her gaze.

In an instant, Huangfu Jin felt a wave of desolation wash over her, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips. She should have known better; this man had always only cared about himself, and what wouldn't he do to survive?

She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and waved to the guard, saying, "Take him away."

"Xiao Rang!" Huangfuchuan cried out anxiously, struggling desperately, "I'm your father! You can't be so cruel! Xiao Rang! Save me!"

Huangfu Jinrang looked at him coldly, her voice devoid of any warmth, "You are not worthy." After saying that, she looked away, feeling disgusted even to look at him again.

The guards forcibly dragged Huangfu Chuan away, and silence returned to the platform. Huangfu Jinrang stood there, remaining silent.

Fu Yunong patted her shoulder without saying anything. Some things don't need to be deliberately questioned.

Summer arrived swiftly; overnight, the scorching heat swept across the land.

The sky was a sickly grayish-white, looking like a dirty piece of glass, and the sun became a blurry spot of light that burned like fire on the skin.

The thermometer showed a temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, but the actual perceived temperature was probably around 60.

The extreme temperature difference caused many survivors to experience shock and convulsions, and most of them fell ill in a short time. Ru Feng quickly obtained a large quantity of medicine from Fu Yunong and organized people to distribute and treat the patients, thus preventing a mass death toll.

The survivors were forced to live a nocturnal lifestyle, hiding in the shade during the day to avoid the heat and only being active at night. The Conscience Supermarket's opening hours were also adjusted to the early morning, and during the day, Fu Yunong and the others simply hid in their spatial dimension to sleep.

Shi Dong sat on the sofa, looking at the sky on the light screen, and said quietly, "This is just the beginning, it will get even hotter later."

The survivors will have to move underground, or they will all die from the heat. However, with Fu Yunong's supplies this year, the situation might be a little better.

Xiao Linfang sighed softly. This damned world. The harsh winter has just passed, and the scorching summer is here again. It's so hard for people to live.

The extreme weather did not stop the zombies' advance; in just a few days, several small bases on the highlands were wiped out one after another.

Temperatures are getting ridiculously high: when you walk outside, the soles of your shoes can stick to the ground, and if you accidentally touch metal, your skin can immediately get scalded and blistered.

Ru Feng immediately organized the survivors to move to underground bunkers, and then come out at night to reinforce the city walls.

Fortunately, they had exchanged a lot of solar generators from Fu Yunong, so the main city wasn't completely dark at night, and they were able to gradually organize an effective counterattack and barely hold the line.

A sudden thunderstorm turned the world into a giant steamer, the humid air making it hard to breathe. Sometime during the day, a dark green vine began to climb up the wall, and anyone who got too close would be silently entangled, its sharp thorns sucking them dry.

With no other option, they had to pour gasoline on it and set it on fire.

However, one problem after another arose.

Before the vines were completely cleared, a multitude of snakes, insects, and rodents suddenly appeared out of nowhere. These creatures were larger than usual, and they would bite anyone they saw, making them impossible to guard against.

Some of those bitten died on the spot, while others survived for a few days before succumbing to a strange disease. Even more terrifying, some of them mutated directly into zombies, rushing into the crowd to bite and cause further casualties.

In the city lord's study underground, Ru Feng leaned back in her chair, wearily rubbing her temples, a sense of powerlessness washing over her.

All her efforts seemed to have been in vain, as the survivors still lived in constant fear.

She stared at the documents on the desk, her lips pale. What should she do?

While she was lost in thought, a pair of hands gently placed on her shoulders and kneaded them softly.

"You haven't slept for days, take a rest first, I'll keep an eye on the rest."

Ru Feng's shoulders relaxed slightly. She closed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

Lying in bed, a heavy weariness washed over her, and Ru Feng quickly fell asleep.

She didn't sleep well; in her dream, the howls of zombies mingled with the screams of survivors. She vaguely heard Suya whispering to someone. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't wake up.

At the main gate of the city, a huge RV descended from the sky, crushing the zombies surrounding the entrance into a bloody pulp. Fu Yunong and the others quickly boarded the vehicle, and the large speaker on the roof immediately blared catchy music.

"Go!" Fu Yunong gave the order, and the RV rolled forward like a bulldozer, crushing the zombies. With the support of the shield, it managed to carve out a path paved with blood and flesh.

The music grew louder and louder, attracting the horde of zombies, who followed the RV in a dark mass.

In the passenger seat, Fu Yunong focused intently on harvesting, and after a long time, her fingers even started to cramp.

Seeing this, Shi Dong let Xiao Linfang take over driving, while he gathered his supernatural power, and a thunderbolt crashed down, clearing a vacuum zone around the RV.

Huangfu Jin spread his mental energy, precisely locking onto the Nest Mother and the Brain Eater in the zombie horde, attempting to seize control of them and weaken the zombie horde's attack.

Lin Songsong focused intently on maintaining the protective shield, firmly protecting the RV.

Several Swiftmen crashed into the shield and fell heavily to the ground. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Linfang stepped on the gas and crushed them to pieces.

The RV sped ahead, leading the horde of zombies away from the main city. Reaching a wide, flat area, the RV stopped, the stereo still blaring music, as the group continued clearing away the pursuing zombies.

In just one hour, most of the horde of corpses had been cleared away. The sun grew increasingly scorching, and even with the air conditioning in the RV on full blast, fine beads of sweat still appeared on the foreheads of the group.

"Sisters, get ready!"

As soon as Fu Yunong finished speaking, the group and the RV disappeared from the spot.

The space was cool and pleasant. Fu Yunong tapped a few times, and the next second, chilled drinks and fruits appeared on the table.

Huangfu Jinrang gulped down a large mouthful of ice-cold cola, let out a long sigh, and exclaimed, "That feels good!"

Xiao Linfang was already cutting the chilled watermelon. As soon as she made a small cut, the watermelon split open, and its sweet aroma immediately spread.

There are also popsicles, milk tea, cantaloupe, strawberries, etc. on the table for you to choose from.

Fu Yunong devoured two large slices of watermelon, letting out a satisfied sigh. Suddenly, she grinned mischievously as a spiky fruit appeared on the table, plump and evenly sized, emitting a unique aroma.

"Eek~" Xiao Linfang immediately pinched her nose.

"Durian!!!" Huangfu Jinrang's eyes lit up; she loved it.

Shi Dong had already made a slit with a knife and started tearing it apart with her hands, her eyes sparkling. Fu Yunong could tell; she loved it too.

The five plump durians were shared among the four people except for Xiao Linfang. This durian was a typical dry type, with a dense texture and rich flavor. Seeing that they still wanted more, Fu Yunong bought two more.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone washed up and rested.

On the bed, Shi Dong turned her head slightly and asked, "Do you have enough points?"

Fu Yunong hummed in response, "Not yet."

The return ticket requires level six to purchase, but so far she hasn't encountered a level six zombie.

Shi Dong gave a soft "hmm" and closed her eyes.

Fu Yunong glanced at her and then closed her eyes as well.

After a short rest, the group set off again, changing the direction of the RV. The stereo worked tirelessly, attracting the nearby horde of zombies once more. This process was repeated throughout the day, and by the end of the day, the zombies around the main city had been almost completely cleared out.

Underground bunker.

When Ru Feng woke up, she was still a little dazed. After listening to Su Ya's report, she was stunned for a while before she reacted. "You mean, Miss Fu and the others lured the horde of corpses away?"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Ru Feng's eyes cleared instantly, and she immediately gathered her men: everyone was divided into two teams, one team carrying gasoline and gunpowder to try to completely eradicate the vines; the other team followed the doctor to make sure the condition was under control.

For the next few days, Fu Yunong and her companions continued to drive their RV around. When they got tired, they would retreat into their spatial dimension to rest, and then come out again to continue harvesting crystal cores.

Thanks to their actions, the main city was finally able to catch its breath.

Ru Feng stood on the city wall, her heart filled with emotion. If it weren't for Fu Yunong and the others, the base would probably have been in chaos long ago.

"Pass the order: activate the heavy weapons depot." Ru Feng turned to her subordinates and instructed, "Organize the superhumans and soldiers to launch a proactive attack."

"Yes, Lord City Lord!"

The following day, the team from the main city of Cloud Peak officially set off.

Heavy machine gun vehicles led the way, followed closely by superhumans, while ordinary soldiers cleared out the remaining zombies. With ample manpower and resources, dealing with the zombies became increasingly easier.