The father and daughter walked from morning until noon.

Finally, on the outskirts of a small town near the highway entrance, we saw a military supply depot with base markings.

The father and daughter walked forward with great interest, thinking they might meet other humans.

Unexpectedly, the supply station was closed, and the soldiers left behind had already left with the main force.

There were many cars parked near the supply station, all of them out of gas and unable to continue driving.

Zhao Xiaoxiu clung to the heavy metal door, feeling an indescribable sense of loss.

Zhao Gang said, "The fuel tanks at the supply station are empty."

To be more precise, without the support of the Hope Base, the supplies at these supply depots along the way should have been completely absorbed by the migrating masses.

Zhao Gang manipulated the Blood Touch to squeeze into the narrow gap under the metal door, searched the supply station, took out a map, and held it up to Zhao Xiaoxiu.

"Xiaoxiu, look, we have a map now." Zhao Gang looked at his cub expectantly, waiting for praise.

Zhao Xiaoxiu was delighted and immediately swept away the fallen leaves on the specially treated, smooth ground outside the supply station, then spread the map on the ground and began to examine it carefully.

Zhao Gang squatted down in front of her curiously and asked in surprise, "Xiaoxiu can read maps?"

Zhao Xiaoxiu: "I guess, maybe... I can understand it."

Thankfully, she was with her living father, otherwise Zhao Xiaoxiu's fact that she hadn't finished drinking the Meng Po soup would have been exposed.

This map clearly marks the locations of the five major bases in Area C, as well as the supply depots along the routes between the five bases.

The map was drawn in February of last year, and it should be a brand new supply site map drawn after the Five Bases Alliance.

On the map, Area C resembles a heart, with four major bases in the east, west, south, and north, surrounding the central Taoyuan base.

The Southern Ark Base is located on an isolated island, accessible only by air.

The Arknights base is marked with a special red star on the map. It is the core of the five major base alliances, the hope of all mankind, and the headquarters of a biotechnology company.

Zhao Xiaoxiu glanced at the red star, then looked at Zhao Gang, who was expecting her praise.

A voice inside her told her that her living father might have come from this island.

But Zhao Xiaoxiu simply pointed to the location of Taoyuan Base and said happily, "After passing three more supply stations, we will be able to enter the Taoyuan Base area."

“Dad is amazing! Thanks to the map you found, now we know how to get to the Peach Garden Base,” Zhao Xiaoxiu added.

Zhao Gang got his wish and laughed out loud.

The supply station was constructed using specially formulated materials, and the ground around the entire station was smooth and hard, making it impossible for mutant plants to take root.

Zhao Gang cleared a clean spot where the father and daughter rested for a noon to recover their strength before continuing their journey.

With a map in hand, I feel confident.

According to the map, we should be able to reach the next supply depot by evening.

Zhao Gang did not carry Zhao Xiaoxiu on his back the whole way, intentionally training her physical fitness.

If Zhao Xiaoxiu got tired, the father and daughter would stop by the roadside to rest for a while before continuing on their way.

Zhao Gang wasn't in a hurry to go to Taoyuan Base.

He preferred walking alone in the wilderness with his cubs to a base teeming with people.

There was no one else in the mountains besides him and his cub.

He can be free to be himself, without any need for hiding or restraint.

The cubs can also have more fun.

Play?

Zhao Xiaoxiu, whose legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, read the verb "play" in her father's eyes and almost lost control of her limbs, falling to the ground with a thud.

Of course, under the strict monitoring of the tentacles, this attempt to shirk responsibility failed.

A blood-red fleshy tentacle wrapped around her waist. Zhao Xiaoxiu gripped the tentacle with both hands and was dragged along by it in a horizontal movement.

Before long, two long tracks were left on the road covered with fallen leaves.

Using her tentacles to slack off, Zhao Xiaoxiu successfully completed her physical training for the day.

Zhao Gang turned a blind eye to it, after all, his little one was only three years old and it was already quite good that he could walk this far.

Before it got completely dark, the father and daughter climbed over the wall and entered the supply station, successfully finding a place to stay.

After hiking too hard during the day, Zhao Xiaoxiu ate the last bunch of tomatoes that had gone slightly stale, and a bottle of nutrient solution, and then quickly fell asleep on her backpack.

In the middle of the night, the sound of a passing car engine woke Zhao Xiaoxiu.

Soon, lights shone into the supply station, and a large group of people stopped in front of it.

Perhaps not expecting the supply station to be completely deserted, disappointed curses rose and fell among them.

The high and thick walls prevented those people from entering the supply station.

They set up tents and cooking stoves on the open ground outside the supply station, clearly intending to spend the night there.

"A survivor from the shantytown?" Zhao Xiaoxiu murmured to herself.

Zhao Gang didn't answer her, but gently patted her back, "Go to sleep, go to sleep."

Zhao Xiaoxiu nodded, understanding his meaning; these people outside posed no threat to them.

So I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

As dawn broke, the survivors of the shantytown who were sleeping outside the supply station watched in disbelief as two figures, one tall and one short, nimbly slid down the twenty-meter-high wall. They were so shocked that they forgot to react.

They only came to their senses after the father and daughter had packed up the rope, carried their backpacks, and walked away.

"Hello!"

Someone shouted.

Neither father nor daughter looked back, and strode forward.

At noon, the group of people, riding all sorts of motorcycles and a few dilapidated old-fashioned mobility scooters, caught up with the father and daughter.

There were more than a hundred men and women, all of whom were young adults between the ages of twenty and forty.

Loud disco music was playing in the car, and the person was dressed in a very punk style with a wild hairstyle.

Three motorcycles, each adorned with metal flails, stopped in front of the father and daughter, blocking their path.

Zhao Xiaoxiu's heart tightened. Were they going to rob them?

She guessed right.

Four or five 'wild boys' excitedly jumped out of the car, holding various homemade tools, and circled around the father and daughter, their mouths full of foul-smelling, dirty, yellow teeth, which was disgusting.

"That fair-skinned little brat, buddy, is she your daughter?"

A green-haired man squatted down in front of Zhao Xiaoxiu and raised an eyebrow at Zhao Gang in a provocative manner.

Before Zhao Gang could respond, she reached out and wanted to pinch his little face to see what it felt like.

As Zhao Xiaoxiu watched the dirty hand, its fingernails smeared with black grime, about to touch her, she frowned in disgust, raised the small wooden stick her father had found for her to use as a cane, and slapped it with a "smack!"

They probably didn't expect such a small baby to be so fierce.

The green-haired man didn't react in time and was hit squarely on the arm with a stick, which immediately became red and swollen.

A burning, stinging pain shot through his arm, and the green-haired man quickly withdrew his hand, taking a huge step back in shock.

He looked down at Zhao Xiaoxiu, whose eyes were calm, and couldn't believe it.

How can such a small baby be so strong!