Chapter 396 Preparing Supplies

Xie Tu drove into the city.

I soon spotted her at a bus stop.

Yun Zhao was wearing a green short-sleeved shirt paired with loose beige trousers, which made her skin look even whiter, and she looked refreshing and comfortable.

She didn't tie her hair up today; her dark hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

They stood there quietly.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the stray hairs by her ears fluttered softly, revealing her delicate earlobes.

It attracted frequent attention from passersby.

Not far away.

A patrol team of seven sentries from the base had been standing there with her for who knows how long.

The trading center is right across from the stop where the guide got off.

There are many people coming and going here.

Most of them were dressed in dusty clothes. Some were new sentries who had just entered Dawn Base and were eager to replenish their supplies, while others were search teams returning with a full load.

She stood there waiting for someone.

Putting aside her appearance, her clean clothes and fair complexion alone were enough to attract attention.

This patrol team is afraid that some clueless individuals might come up and cause trouble.

They dutifully stood guard not far away.

Xie Tu noticed the gazes of those around him.

Thinking back to when she and the little bluebird were little, they both seemed to hate being stared at.

Xie Tu rolled down the car window and honked the horn.

Yun Zhao heard the sound, looked up, and jogged over to get into the car.

"Let's go to the trading market to buy gasoline first, then drive to the warehouse in the inner city to get food," Yun Zhao told him as he got into the car.

Xie Tu refused to let her in, saying, "There are too many people inside. You wait in the car, I'll be out soon."

The situation at trading centers and farmers' markets is completely different.

Most of the people trading here are sentinels.

There are weapons, vehicles, gasoline, medical supplies, technological products and inhibitors for sale here, as well as some intelligence trading and private jobs such as modification.

To make things easier for visiting sentries, the base opened some official shops.

But most of the transactions are still private.

It cannot be ruled out that there are gray industries that the base has not monitored.

Yun Zhao understood his intention after a little thought. She had learned about the situation when she came to the base, otherwise she wouldn't have called him in advance.

"Okay, I'll wait for you in the car."

Xie Tu nodded, got out of the car, greeted the patrol team not far away, and asked them to stay there for the time being before entering the trading market.

This was also his first time visiting the trading center.

Previously, because his five senses were too acute, he almost never went to any noisy or crowded places.

Xie Tu didn't look around much; once inside, he quickly found a place that sold gasoline.

—A small gas station located inside the trading center and established by the base.

Actually, you can refuel at various outposts outside.

However, the distances between the outposts along the way are too far, and there is a risk of delays due to unforeseen circumstances, as the fuel may not be enough to reach the next outpost before it runs out of fuel.

Xie Tu didn't ask the price and went up to buy twenty barrels of gasoline.

Items in the trading center do not accept free shipping unless additional fees are charged.

After paying the points, he wrote down the address, "Deliver it here before tomorrow morning."

The staff took a look.

The address reads: Inner City Operations Department Building.

The staff member was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He looked up at him, then looked down at the address on the slip of paper.

He looked back and forth suspiciously several times.

The operations department's supplies were provided free of charge by the logistics department.

You're a sentry from the operations department, coming to the outer city to buy gasoline and requesting it be delivered to the operations department?

Too many points and nowhere to spend them?

Although the staff member did not know him, who would fill in the address of the operations department for no reason?

Of course, it could only be people from the operations department.

"Remember to deliver it on time, and just have the soldier on duty sign for it." Xie Tu gave the instructions and then turned to leave.

No one dares to tamper with the things in the operations department.

He couldn't possibly open and inspect every barrel of oil, so this method ensured that the purchased items were as safe as possible.

Xie Tu turned to the other side and bought a medical first aid kit and various common medicines.

He came out quickly after he finished.

Yun Zhao didn't ask where the gasoline he bought was; he knew he wouldn't make a mistake.

"Now we're going to the warehouse in the inner city to move some daily necessities and bottled water."

Yun Zhao took out the list and said, "We also need to get a tool kit and a spare tire for the military truck."

When you're out and about, the worst thing is encountering an accident.

Yun Zhao had considered everything very thoroughly.

Military trucks are not as good as the vehicles used by the Zero Team. If a truck breaks down or gets a flat tire on the road, at least the Zero Team can change it themselves.

"Okay." Xie Tu naturally listened to her.

She's just not good at practical skills, but she's always calm and thorough when thinking about other issues.

The two arrived at the logistics department first.

They went in, drove away in a small military vehicle, took a set of tools and some replacement parts and equipment, plus two spare tires.

The logistics department staff dared not stop them.

They simply listed the items and had Captain Xie sign them.

"I'll park my car in front of your place for now, and I'll come back to pick it up later."

Xie Tu greeted them and led Yun Zhao to the logistics department's warehouse.

Those supplies were retrieved from contaminated zone number 88.

The warehouse is now mostly empty.

Especially food items, which are consumed in large quantities during the Lunar New Year. Every time we come, we carry dozens of boxes, and now there's almost nothing left.

But we can finish it before it expires.

Yun Zhao felt very gratified.

As long as nothing is wasted.

We'll restock when we find a good contaminated area next time.

The two didn't chat and started moving things.

Yun Zhao picked out some lightweight items from the list he had written.

Xie Tu was responsible for moving heavier items such as bottled water and canned goods.

The two of them carried the loads onto the car again and again, only stopping when it was more than half full.

—We need to reserve space for twenty barrels of gasoline.

"Drive the car to the operations department and park it?" Yun Zhao raised his hand and patted the dust off his hands.

Xie Tu picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and held it to her lips. "Okay, you don't need to run back and forth tomorrow morning. You can leave right after the meeting."

Yun Zhao opened his mouth and took two sips of water, then blinked. "Then, can I drive tomorrow?"

At the base, people said the mountain roads were difficult to travel and wouldn't allow us to drive on them; in the polluted area, they said it was too dangerous and wouldn't allow us to drive on them.

She learned to drive, but hasn't touched a steering wheel yet.

That's such a shame.

Xie Tu, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by her bright, almond-shaped eyes, compromised and said, "I'll drive the mountain road ahead, and you can drive it once we're out of the mountains."

"It's a deal." Yun Zhao was visibly delighted that his wish had been fulfilled.

Xie Tu chuckled softly.

The two drove the small military vehicle into the operations department's courtyard.

Yun Zhao spotted Cheng Dongshu and waved to him.

Cheng Dongshu was on duty, standing ramrod straight, and quietly nodded in response.

Xie Tu greeted the team leader on duty, "Someone might be delivering gasoline tonight, please sign for it."

Although the team leader found it strange, he didn't ask any further questions and nodded in agreement.

There are no cars now.

Xie Tu and Yun Zhao could only walk to the logistics department and drive back to their armored vehicles.

Fortunately, the journey wasn't far.

As Yun Zhao walked, he looked down at the list, "Tent, sleeping bag, spare batteries, multi-fuel... Can you check if I forgot anything?"