"Did you find anything?" Li Wenjia muttered to himself while talking to the drone.
The signal light on the drone flashed twice and the rotor speed slowed down.
"That's good. You have a new job!" He squatted down, pulled out a data disk from under the drone's mount, then took out an energy pack from behind him and plugged it into the drone's spare port.
The drone's horn beeped, the signal light flashed several times, and the four rotors generated lift again.
Li Wenjia watched the drone fly away from the ground, waiting until it became a tiny dot before returning to the rock. The weather was perfect, and he didn't plan to return to camp; he wanted to soak up some sun. He no longer needed to manage the drone; its data link was taken over by the headquarters' artificial intelligence the moment he pulled out the data disk.
He placed the data disk back into its protective case and then stowed it safely in his waist pouch, along with the bullet. He'd return the bullet for carving. The dagger was becoming increasingly useless, now good only for cutlery; it couldn't even repair a fingernail. These outdated tools, crafted with human technology and designed for self-destruction, would soon be useless.
Li Wenjia lay down and closed his eyes until he was awakened by the alarm in his helmet.
"System, self-check."
"Operator A0015, your body temperature has dropped two degrees Celsius in the past hour. We recommend turning on the electric auxiliary heating module."
Li Wenjia blinked and got up from the ground again. The sunlight had disappeared and a layer of snow covered his body.
"How long have I slept?"
"Operator A0015, system sleep mode has lasted one hour, twelve minutes, and five seconds. Remaining power is 42 percent."
Li Wenjia used eye tracking to control the display screen on the mask, and he saw that there were more than a dozen unread text messages in his mailbox.
"Xiao Li, it's time to come back. Jinling said they can resupply today. Report anything you need!"
"Xiao Li, where are you? If you don't report it now, you'll have no chance!"
. . . . . .
"Li Wenjia! Where have you been?"
Li Wenjia then realized that he had missed a great opportunity and felt like crying but had no tears.
Logistical supplies for the expedition were difficult to obtain, but not impossible, just costly. Cruise missiles were used to resupply the expedition, though fragile equipment and materials were out of reach. Most of the time, the expedition received over a dozen tons of consumable supplies every ten days or so, typically ammunition, rations, spare parts, and, on August 1st, some chocolate with a liqueur filling.
Originally, they were airdropping supplies, but after losing several transport planes, they learned their lesson. Those mutants were jealous of the thin-skinned, large-bodied transport planes, and several of them were shot down by biological arrows. So, flying higher should be fine, right? Hey, there are still plenty of indiscriminate laser satellites in the suborbital atmosphere.
Li Wenjia returned to the camp with his belongings and was confronted by Ma Dongsheng's scolding. Ma Dongsheng's personality and temper had changed after his death in Qinghai. He seemed to be unable to stop talking and acted like a nanny in the team, interfering in everything.
Comrade Qinghai's original name was Wu Zhi. He fell into the water while trying to rescue supplies during that ice operation and froze to death. Uncle Ma's aphasia lasted for two days, and then he became what he is now.
Operations on the ice were a painful experience the expedition team hated to discuss. They had never dreamed of the existence of mutants in the water, and nearly a quarter of the team members perished in the stomachs of fish. The two-meter-thick ice was like paper to the fish, who moved freely among the convoys, each attack carrying a load of lives and supplies.
However, if they could go back in time and give the headquarters another chance to choose, they would still choose to cross Poyang Lake. At that time, the area was flooded, and if they didn't go across the lake, they would have to go through the swamp.
"...Next time, don't wander around! No, there can't be a next time! I used your quota to buy some extra bullets. Also, Qin Xin is looking for you."
Ma Dongsheng finally finished his lecture, his attention diverted to other things.
Qin Xin was a good girl, one of the few biologists to survive the expedition. Of course, her importance came primarily from her brother, Qin Huang, one of the founders of the Countermeasures Bureau. Her family was all officials, meaning she was a typical second-generation official.
The mention of Qin Xin made Li Wenjia feel like he was about to suffer again. This girl was definitely not a soft-hearted researcher. Any woman who had the foresight to volunteer to join such a dangerous expedition and survive so many losses could be imagined to be a rare individual.
Qin Xin had long been eyeing Li Wenjia, but it wasn't a romantic relationship. The 36-year-old woman was after his body, a prime research subject. Benign mutations were rare, and those like Li Wenjia who could autonomously control their mutations were even rarer.
Of course, there is more than just Li Wenjia in the Countermeasures Bureau, and Qin Xin originally had more choices.
Ning Weihe, that’s the director of the Countermeasures Bureau, skip this.
Wang Dongyue seems to have been sent to the Green Zone first. How did she find out even though she just applied? Skip.
. . . . . .
Hmm? You're about to be discharged? Why not pick him? It'll be a good opportunity to make use of your remaining energy.
So, this stubborn woman joined the expedition despite her brother's opposition.
"Where is she?"
"Medical vehicle number three. The two survivors from yesterday have woken up."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com