Chapter 100 Leaving
Chapter 100
Over the next few days, Ruan Ning's team split up to make preparations.
Gathering information in the apocalypse has become difficult, but not impossible.
In the post-apocalyptic world, there are no large-scale caravans, but there are always sporadic, audacious survivors or small groups engaging in short-distance, high-risk exchanges and movements for scarce resources.
Relying on her intuition brought about by her spiritual perception and the connections she had previously accumulated, Zhou Min inquired about fragmented and vague pieces of information from afar in the most chaotic corners of the market and in the information center.
She gleaned some information about the "Highland Outpost" from several dusty hunters who had just escaped from the dangerous western frontier to heal their wounds: it was indeed dry, cold, and desolate there; the zombies weren't that dense, but mutated scorpions and sandworms were elusive.
Water is more expensive than oil; might and might are the only true power. The information is scarce, but enough to piece together a brutal and realistic picture.
Stockpiling supplies is a tough battle. Lin Yan memorized the list: furs and winter clothes for warmth, energy bars and compressed biscuits, antibiotics and painkillers.
Nighttime belongs to space and cultivation. Ruan Ning devoted almost all of her dark time to it. Fourth-order water-based abilities require a massive amount of practice to solidify, and the ability to manipulate liquids, especially biological fluids, is a delicate skill that is repeatedly depleted and replenished with the help of the spiritual spring.
During a break from her cultivation, she gazed at the increasingly thriving fields in her space: wheat seedlings sprouting ears, rice grains filling out, and fruits and vegetables bearing fruit. Self-sufficiency was no longer a fantasy, but a gradually solidifying foundation.
She even tried soaking ordinary seeds in the spring water to observe the changes.
Zhou Min and Lin Yan didn't slack off either. They continued their skills training day after day. Ruan Ning would occasionally bring them a bunch of vibrant green vegetables or a few plump tomatoes, vaguely saying that they were "traded with someone who has connections." The two women understood each other perfectly and cherished what they had.
The Shen family seems to have temporarily ceased their activities, and the discussions at the base about the two "accidents" have also subsided.
However, Ruan Ning overheard officers in the mission hall complaining about intermittent communication from the southeast, suggesting a large-scale weather anomaly; Lin Yan heard from the warehouse manager that the base was ramping up its stockpiling of waterproof cloth and desiccants.
The decision to leave was finalized after another sweltering, oppressive evening. The vague weather warnings over the base's loudspeaker and the officers' somber expressions foreshadowed the approaching rainy season.
We can't wait any longer. Ruan Ning tightened her backpack. Zhou Min and Lin Yan finished their inspection, and Da Huo quietly squatted by the door.
“I’ve memorized the route,” Zhou Min said in a low voice.
"The supplies are all ready." Lin Yan patted her backpack.
Ruan Ning nodded, but her gaze was fixed on the distance, as if she could see through the walls towards the capital base. Just like that, they left? Shen Yao has gone mad, Li Wei is dead, but the Shen family's retaliation will come sooner or later.
"Before you leave, leave a 'gift' for the Shen family," Ruan Ning said calmly.
"What should we do? We can't go to the capital base right now." Lin Yan frowned.
“No need to go in.” Ruan Ning took out the sealed metal box containing the “X-739” sample from his spatial storage. “Remember when Lei Bao and Venom died on the second basement floor of the research institute? Li Wei must have had secret contact with Lei Bao back in the Dawn Base. He might have even given Lei Bao some ‘benefits’ or ‘mission items’.”
She opened the box and looked at the strange flakes of moss and wriggling liquid. "We disguised this 'high-risk sample from the research institute' as something that Li Wei secretly gave to Lei Bao for some ulterior motive. Then, we let it 'accidentally' appear at the Dawn Base, so that a force that was at odds with the Shen family but wanted to curry favor with the authorities would 'accidentally' discover it and hand it over to the base's higher-ups."
Zhou Min realized: "Framing Li Wei and the dead Lei Bao? Making the base suspect that the Shen family sent people not only to recruit, but also to secretly trade in or sabotage dangerous samples?"
“Not only that.” Ruan Ning closed the lid. “Once this thing is activated in a humid environment, it will cause a lot of trouble. If the base’s higher-ups find that the source is suspected to be the Shen family, they will be furious and increase their vigilance, while also putting pressure on the capital. The Shen family will not only have to deal with the inquiries from the capital, but will also completely lose the space to operate secretly in the Dawn Base, and may even be used as an excuse by other families. This will greatly delay their efforts to retaliate against us, and also buy us time to leave.”
Lin Yan's eyes lit up: "Let the base and the Shen family fight like dogs! But how do we do it? How do we put the stuff in without leaving a trace?"
“The Thunder Leopard Squad’s belongings and residences have definitely been seized and cleared by the base’s security team, but perhaps not completely,” Ruan Ning pondered. “We need an opportunity, an opportunity that won’t directly implicate us.”
She looked at Zhou Min: "When you were gathering information before, did you notice which people or teams in the base were dissatisfied with the Shen family, had some connections with the security team or the supplies clearing department, and were also quite greedy?"
Zhou Min quickly recalled: "Yes! The 'Iron Fist' squad, the captain used to work in warehousing, and he's familiar with the logistics department that clears out supplies. They have a grudge against Lei Bao and can't stand the arrogant attitude of the people from the capital. A few days ago, they were complaining about the large losses and small compensation in this mission."
“They’re the ones.” Ruan Ning quickly decided, “We’ll anonymously put this ‘sample,’ along with some miscellaneous items with the Shen family’s secret markings that we’ve taken from the bodies of Li Wei’s men, and a forged fragment of a simple instruction that imitates Li Wei’s handwriting, into an inconspicuous box. We’ll find a way for the ‘Iron Fist’ team to ‘accidentally’ find it. They’ll most likely hand it over in exchange for credit or benefits. Even if they keep it for research, if something goes wrong, the investigation will only point to Li Wei and Lei Bao.”
The key to the plan was anonymity and indirectness. They didn't need to personally access Lei Bao's belongings or infiltrate official warehouses.
Late at night, Ruan Ning quickly assembled the "gift" using the prepared materials.
Zhou Min used her mental powers to sense and avoid the patrols, then discarded the box in a hidden corner of a route frequently used by the "Iron Fist" team, leaving a seemingly hasty but ultimately inconspicuous trace.
The next morning, they observed from a distance that the "Iron Fist" team had indeed found the box. After some arguing, the captain took the box and hurriedly headed towards the police station.
"The seed has been planted." Ruan Ning withdrew her gaze. "Once it sprouts, it will be enough to give the Shen family a hard time. Now, it's time for us to go."
Ruan Ning, his two companions, and their dog drove away from the Dawn Base, just like every mission before, without arousing any suspicion.
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