Shen Jing sat in the car, her chin resting on the back of her hand, watching the excited group of people outside.

After the extreme heat, there is little rainfall, the climate is dry, and there is plenty of sunshine, which limits the growth of crops.

In such a dry environment with large day-night contrasts, the difficulty of normal cultivation is undoubtedly comparable to flowering in the desert.

As far as Shen Jing knew, the research institute had recently been conducting planting experiments on wheat, barley, sugar beets, and sweet corn. However, the results were minimal. Li Miao didn't ask Gu Yan for heat-resistant seeds, seemingly because she didn't want to be completely controlled by Shen Jing.

After all, Shen Jing had already made it clear that if anyone used her resources, they would have to obey her orders!

At this time, do not talk to Shen Jing about national righteousness.

She has some, but not much.

I believe Li Miao feels the same way.

Everything should be done by charging for services!

Remembering what Old Master He said that day: "Jing, are you just going to hand over those seeds to the He family to handle like this? Why not just give them to Li Miao directly?"

Shen Jing yawned while leaning against the steering wheel.

Why not give it to Li Miao?

She wasn't planning any scheming or plotting in the post-apocalyptic base, but rather she knew that one should always be wary of others!

Having lost Gu Chen as their major backer, the Huang family had long since set their sights on Li Miao, who happened to be interested in the Huang family's "superpowered individuals." Shen Jing had Gu Yan control over the water purification agent and awakening agent, and Li Miao hadn't participated in either; Shen Jing knew what Li Miao was up to.

Gu Chen's infiltration of the base was deeper than she had imagined; this was evident from the fact that Gu Yan could be summoned away with just a note back at the research institute...

Just as Shen Jing was dozing off in the car, Huang Simiao returned to the car. She happily held up the bean sprouts and said, "Jing, I just talked to He Qing again. After he learned that you also agreed with Zhang Run, he said he would go back and think of a good way to handle this matter!"

What does this have to do with her?

"So sleepy..." Shen Jing took a bottle of spiritual spring water from her backpack on the back seat and said while drinking, "Unless the power in the central area is cut off directly."

"Haha, Zhang Run also made the same comment. You two are really of the same mind!"

"Did they say when they'll set off again?" Shen Jing didn't want to dwell on this topic.

Huang Simiao comfortably enjoyed the air conditioning and sighed softly, "It'll be soon, just need to change the tires."

That means we'll be spending the night in the middle of nowhere.

I had originally planned to go hunting with Vasily under the cover of night to find high-level crystal cores, but it seems that's not going to happen now.

Huang Simiao, who was just sitting in the car, wasn't too worried about encountering zombies at night, so she remained relaxed.

After drinking the spiritual spring water, Shen Jing finally banished her drowsiness.

She took out a mint from her backpack, took a bite, and handed one to Huang Simiao: "Stay awake."

After all, when you're out and about, you never know which corner a zombie might be hiding in, ready to have a feast.

Only by remaining clear-headed can one cope with a sudden attack. Shen Jing didn't want her promising young talent to be so easily eliminated.

I wonder what He Qing and the others are planning. If they continue to act recklessly like this for the next week, Shen Jing decides to break away from the group and act alone. She and Vasily will then go find the high-level zombies on their own.

However, Shen Jing had a feeling that this high-level zombie would be attracted to someone in the team again.

Of course it's not Huang Simiao...

She suspected Li Chu, and agreed to participate in this operation because she thought Li Chu was also there.

Shen Jing's intuition in this life is ridiculously accurate, but she still wants to observe first.

"Attention all units, all convoy members must remain in place and rest until 4:00 AM before departing!"

The message coming through the walkie-talkie left Shen Jing speechless; it really was a stop-and-go journey.

Huang Simiao seemed to sense her mood and nervously advised, "I also don't want the main force to encounter danger. After all, the suburbs are teeming with zombies at night. It would be better if we waited until the sun came out tomorrow to crush them."

Shen Jing nodded knowingly, "I understand, but the wilderness is actually no safer than the suburbs."

Mutant vines and mutated plants are even more difficult to guard against.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Jing carefully examined Huang Simiao, and only when Huang Simiao became increasingly nervous did she ask, "Can you sense the crystal core of the mutated vine?"

Reminded by her words, Huang Simiao obediently closed his eyes and began to release his supernatural energy.

In reality, the connection is mutual. If a high-level mutated plant wants to hunt Huang Simiao, then Huang Simiao is the perfect bait. However, Huang Simiao can also seize the opportunity to counterattack, obtain the plant's crystal core, and successfully advance his own level!

It depends on your choice; crises are usually accompanied by opportunities!

A moment later, Huang Simiao blinked excitedly, "Yes, yes! It's all green, just like the mutual funds I bought back then!"

"Two choices."

"First, you stay here obediently, and I will use a mental barrier to keep you safe until tomorrow."

“I choose the second option!” Huang Simiao answered directly without asking how she activated the mental barrier.

Shen Jing smiled at her, then her eyes sharpened as she stared at the pale blue sky. "The most dangerous time is after nightfall. Have you thought it through?"

Huang Simiao nodded and asked directly, "So the second option is to take me to find the crystal core, right?"

Upon receiving Shen Jing's affirmative answer, Huang Simiao almost jumped up. She blurted out, "Master! I'm entrusting my old pig to your care!"

Shen Jing was amused by Huang Simiao. "If you can't beat them, remember to run away. Don't linger in the fight. I'll have Vassi keep an eye on you."

"Absolutely! I value my life the most!"

The distant horizon slowly turned deep blue, and the sweltering wind began to feel a little cooler.

The people in the convoy got out of their cars one by one.

They all started by taking out simple dry rations and eating.

In this hot weather, anything you bring will spoil easily, let alone food for camping and cooking. The most convenient thing is to bring an energy bar, or dig a hole and bury a sweet potato, and you can quickly harvest a sweet roasted sweet potato.

Unfortunately, even sweet potatoes, which were used for drought relief in ancient times, are now a rare and hard-to-find commodity in the modern apocalypse.

Survivors who lived through the snow season know this.

The food we eat now is all preserved in the "big refrigerators" from the snowy period back then, and it's becoming increasingly rare!

Shen Jing did not get out of the car, but took out beef jerky and fruit from the car refrigerator.

She had originally planned to prepare one for Huang Simiao, but the girl ran straight back to the group, saying she couldn't let her subsidy go to waste. However, Shen Jing knew she didn't want to take advantage of her, so she added another point.

Unless it's just her and Vassi alone, Shen Jing won't take out the cooked food from her space.

These next few days will probably be spent surviving on chocolate, candy, and nutritional supplements. Shen Jing took out a piece of dark chocolate and ate it, saying to Vasily, "When we take Huang Simiao out later, keep an eye on him."

No one in the world of escape can outrun Vasily.

With Vassi watching Huang Simiao closely, she could harvest high-level crystal cores without any worries!

Yes! Her goal this time is to harvest the mutated plants first!