"Hurry up and pack up! We're about to leave, and you need to bundle up all these supplies so they don't get lost along the way!"
"It's not easy to find food on the road in this cold weather. We have to prepare some in advance!"
"Let it go! Be gentle, don't hurt Dahei!"
Early in the morning, when it was barely light, a large group of survivors tied all the supplies and other things they had packed last night to the mutant beasts.
This time, there were 32 people and 63 mutant dogs with an average height of more than three meters who went to the official survival base with Xia Ruanruan, Yang Fan and others. These mutant dogs were almost all medium and large mutant dogs, while those small mutant dogs that were estimated to be smaller in size, as well as Xiong Baqi, were left in the school.
For this reason, Xiong Baqi and the other small mutant dogs all whined and expressed their unwillingness. If Xia Ruanruan had not put on a stern face and pretended to be angry, they would probably have wanted to wag their tails and follow the team directly to the survival base together.
"Awooo wooo wooo~Woof woof woof~" (Just take us there, Ruanruan~ We'll definitely be good and obedient, and we won't hold you back~Woof~)
"Woof woof woof~" (That's right, that's right! Look at my sharp teeth and my majestic fur. I'm sure I can protect Ruanruan well on the road. Just let us go with you!)
"Wuwuwuwu~" (If you don't let us go, I'll cry in front of you, wuwuwu~)
A short-legged Shiba Inu with black fur on its back was about to roll on the ground.
"No~ Four or five hundred kilometers is too far~ You can't go to the survival base with me~" The little girl raised her head, raised her hand to touch the Shiba Inu's head, and shook her head to refuse.
Although the little girl's voice was still soft and sweet, the group of small mutant dogs around her all tucked their tails and whimpered sadly, even their ears drooped, looking heartbroken.
Seeing this scene, many survivors around grinned and laughed kindly.
Many of these pet dogs were once exceptionally intelligent, able to interact harmoniously with their humans. They would not only pick up packages for their owners but would even wake them up on time every morning. Now, with the outbreak of the virus, these dogs, who have lived with humans for extended periods of time, have become even more capable of understanding their humans' every word and action.
Mother Yang smiled and shook her head. She stuffed the large white schoolbag she was carrying with medicine and food and put it into the 'small carriage' that everyone had woven long ago. She instructed Xia Ruanruan, "Xiao Xia, this schoolbag contains the fish cakes that Chef Gong made this morning, a small can of side dishes, some snacks, and a thermos. If you're hungry or thirsty, just eat, but don't waste yourself on this journey... We've also put two quilts in that carriage. Wrap yourself up when it's cold, but don't freeze yourself!"
"And this time, Doctor Zeng will go with you. If you get sick, catch a cold, or have a fever, you must tell Doctor Zeng at any time... Otherwise, if you get sick, it will be no small matter!" Mother Yang kept nagging at Xia Runrun, giving her detailed instructions.
The reason why everyone in the shelter had the confidence to travel four or five hundred kilometers across mountains and rivers to the survival base in the neighboring province was simply because of the powerful combat power brought by Xia Runrun. In addition, Yang's mother and Xia Runrun had been getting along happily these days. She truly liked and worried about the child in front of her.
It was because the little girl had a high fever in the middle of the night and the mutant beast banged on the door. Yang's mother still remembers it vividly.
Looking at a large group of people preparing a 'small compartment' for her, and listening to Yang's mother's careful instructions to her, Xia Runrun sighed and decided to take this opportunity to give everyone a mental boost in case she grew bigger when she came back and scared them.
The little girl raised her head, her big eyes like black grapes blinking as she looked at Mother Yang. She said in a serious and solemn voice, "Don't worry, Grandma Yang. I'm an adult now. I can definitely take good care of myself on the road! You can rest assured!"
But the little girl was soft, white and tender, like a milk dumpling. Even though she had a serious face, in Yang's mother's eyes she looked like those kindergarten kids who told adults every day that they had grown up.
Mother Yang: "Hahahahaha, great, great! Ruanruan is already an adult this year, Grandma Yang knows."
The other survivors around who heard this nodded and said they understood.
Xia Ruanruan: "..."
The expressions on your faces trying to suppress laughter don't tell me that!
…
With the help of other mutant dogs, Xia Ruanruan was directly carried by another mutant dog and placed on Dahei's back. After scratching the back of her neck which was slightly itchy, Xia Ruanruan climbed on Dahei's fluffy but slightly prickly back hair and quickly got into the "small carriage" woven with bamboo strips.
The small carriage made of bamboo strips does not look particularly large from the outside. Considering the weight of Dahei and the height of the little girl, the entire carriage is only about 1.2 meters high. A 4-and-a-half-year-old child will not hit his head when standing up. The small carriage made of bamboo strips is square, with a small window. There is also a fixed reclining chair on the left side, and the empty right side can be used as a sleeping place at any time.
Food, daily necessities, bedding, and some small miscellaneous items that could be used on the road were all bundled up in the "small compartment". Xia Runrun's face was filled with surprise when she saw it, and her heart also felt warm.
Following the low hoot of the owl, Old Man Yan sat on Gugu's back, and the others also climbed onto the backs of the mutant dogs. Some sat on one dog, while others sat on a mutant dog together.
“Gu~!”
Gugu flew in the front, chirped, and spread his wings. The mutant dogs following behind him immediately started running and caught up with the owl's pace. Egg Yolk shook his tail and also followed closely behind the mutant dogs.
Egg Yolk is three meters and five meters tall. Although it is just a rural cat, its size is no less than that of a mutated large night dog. Even if its endurance may not be as good as theirs, its speed is much faster than theirs. In addition, Egg Yolk has no weight on his body, so he can chase the dogs steadily.
Many survivors in the school looked up and saw the disappearing human figures. Finally, they called their companions to go back, as there was still a lot of space in the shelter waiting for them to build!
A little boy in the crowd tugged at his father's sleeve, tilted his head back, and asked in a puzzled voice, "Dad, why did we have to go so far to a survival base to find solar power equipment? Can't we just use thermal power?"
"Plants infected with the virus grow incredibly fast. Every year, they grow a significant amount taller. All of this could be used as fuel. Why would we even have to go all the way to the survival base to find solar power equipment? Look, it's snowing today, so the solar power equipment can't be used."
The little boy pointed at the sky, which was now floating with snowflakes falling, and his face showed an even more confused expression.
"Hey! I was wondering, you little brat actually know what thermal power generation is. It seems you had pretty good grades in school."
Before the boy's father could say anything, the middle-aged man next to him reached out, stroked the boy's head, and grinned, "Since you know that this firewood can be used as fuel for thermal power generation, how come you don't know that thermal power generation is highly polluting? Our Xingyue City used to be a top-tier city. To protect the urban environment, all the surrounding thermal power plants were demolished decades ago."
"But... can't we build another one? A small one will do... I'm not afraid of pollution..." The little boy stretched out his ten fingers and made a small circle, with anticipation in his eyes.
This way, everyone won’t need to go to such a faraway survival base.
He had gone with his parents to other places before, searching for safe shelter. Back then, the distance wasn't very far, yet they'd encountered several attacks. He heard they were going to the next province this time. How far would it take to get there? And how many dangers would they encounter along the way?
The little boy's eyes were filled with worry.
"Hahahaha! You have a nice dream, kid. If we had that technology, we would have built a thermal power plant long ago. Why would we even think of going to the neighboring province to find people for a survival base?" The middle-aged man patted the boy's shoulder and smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Even if all the people in their shelter were put together, there would be less than 1,500 people. Not to mention that there might not be any one among them who knew how to build a thermal power plant. Even if there was someone who knew how to build one, the machinery and manpower required to build the power plant were beyond their ability.
"Alright, alright, stop asking questions. After breakfast, come with me to the fields. You don't need to do anything else. Just help me throw away those grass roots and tubers I dug up from the ridges... If we leave these in the fields, the crops won't grow well next year..."
"Do you think we should find some people to scout around? We haven't checked the area near Xingyue University, and we don't know where there are any good wild fruits and vegetables to pick."
As the survivors chatted quickly, the group entered the cafeteria.
…
The small carriage moved forward at high speed as Dahei ran.
Xia Runrun sat on a small stool, covered with a small quilt, and stretched her neck to look out the window.
The simplified version of the small car window is only the size of an A4 paper. Due to the tight time and the fact that glass windows are easily broken, the window has no other covering except the bamboo net. I just opened the window a little and looked out through the gap, and the cold wind immediately rushed into the car window through the gap.
"quack?……"
666 tilted his head and stretched his neck, wanting to see the scenery outside, but when the cold wind blew, the starling retracted its neck and curled itself into a ball.
A rural cat with soft, snow-white fur shook its ears, raised its eyelids and glanced at the little girl who was concentrating on looking out at the scenery. It moved its whiskers and curled up into a ball.
Before the virus outbreak, it only took about an hour and a half to get from Xingyue City to the survival base in the neighboring province by high-speed rail. However, after the outbreak, many sections of the road collapsed and were blocked, or were occupied by mutant animals. Even with mutant dog packs, it would take at least three or four days to cross the entire area.
According to the team's plan, they would rest around noon in Yueshi Town, fifty or sixty kilometers away, which was the fastest national highway leading to the survival base in the neighboring province.
For just two short seconds, the white cat breathed evenly, as if it was fast asleep.
…
In the downtown area of Xingyue City, in a large abandoned underground parking lot, hundreds of abandoned vehicles are parked in a haphazard manner. Some of these vehicles have begun to rust and lose their paint, some have broken glass fragments into slag, but most of them have been poked with large holes by huge plant roots.
This is the root of a mutated banyan tree. Originally, the banyan tree was just a small potted plant in the flower area of the shopping mall above the abandoned underground parking lot. However, after the virus outbreak, the banyan tree potted plant, which was only the size of a palm, broke through the ceiling of the mall's more than ten floors, and with an arrogant and domineering posture, split the entire mall in half, standing upright.
The crown of the tree grows outward, reaching a width of hundreds of meters, blocking out the sky and being extremely lush. However, it is precisely because of the domineering posture of this banyan tree that it attracts many mutant animals living in the city.
Seven or eight black-feathered golden eagles with a wingspan of more than ten meters built a nest on the tree. With an arrogant and domineering attitude, they occupied the entire tree and even used a large area under the tree as their hunting ground.
"call out!--"
The hunting black-winged golden eagle was like a streaking arrow, instantly scaring off numerous birds and beasts, sending them fleeing in all directions, not daring to approach the area. Meanwhile, beneath the canopy of the banyan tree, a swarm of termites, each as long as an index finger, frantically excavated their nest.
Termites were densely packed all over the cave, and some even crawled out of the cave into the underground garage.
If someone took a look at this underground garage with a flashlight at this moment, they would probably be scared to death.
It was everywhere on abandoned vehicles and banyan tree roots.
“Sizzle!——”
The corrosive liquid spewed out by several mutated termites directly burned through a banyan tree root as thick as an arm.
“Crash!——”
A thick new root system quickly grows out to replace the original position, and the cycle continues.
“Squeak—”
A dull creaking sound was heard in the dark underground parking lot. A young man in a white coat pushed open the door of an abandoned SUV and jumped out of the car. The mutated termites around heard the sound and looked in the direction of the SUV, but then retracted their heads as if they saw nothing.
Chu Hang walked in the darkness as if he were walking on flat ground. He seemed not to notice the dense swarm of termites and turned to leave the underground garage.
To others, this big banyan tree, which is home to thousands of mutant termites and mutant golden eagles, may be a burial place, but to him, it is no different from a safe survival base.
Back in the underground laboratory, he had been injected with a color-changing gene similar to that of chameleons, fiddler crabs, and rock ptarmigans. Probably due to the influence of the virus, this gene, which was originally only able to change color to blend in with the environment, has become one that allows all creatures to ignore his protective abilities. Even if he were to live among a group of mutant lions now, no lion would bother him.
This is also one of the reasons why he has been able to survive in the underground laboratory until now.
…
“Crunch, crunch…”
Black leather boots groaned as they stepped on the snow as Chu Hang walked on the icy streets blasted by the north wind.
The aftereffects of the spiritual body's manifestation had completely subsided last week. During this period, as his mental strength recovered, he would search for the escaped experimenters and accomplices in the Pearl Shelter in Xingyue City every day.
Cold snowflakes fell from the sky, sprinkled on my cheeks, and melted into icy water droplets.
Chu Hang looked up at the dark clouds in the sky. His mind was filled with the scenes he saw when his spirit body transformed into a white cat and wandered around the underground laboratory at night.
Some were covered in wounds, imprisoned in experimental cages and whipped, others lay bloodied on operating tables, and some mutant animals even had their organs removed alive...
“Crunch, crunch…”
The man walked in the snow with a cold look in his eyes. After his mental strength was fully recovered these days, he found the addresses of the three researchers and five accomplices.
“Hua La La~ Whoosh~”
A cold north wind mixed with snow quickly covered up the traces left by Chu Hang during his travels.
…
"The Longquan Survival Base is located in a valley in the neighboring province. It used to be a small military base housing 180,000 artillery troops. After the virus outbreak, orders were issued to quickly transform it into a new type of survival base."
"This survival base isn't particularly large, but it's densely packed with over 16 million people... Honestly, if the plants hadn't mutated and their yields hadn't increased significantly after the viral outbreak, that valley wouldn't have been able to support so many survivors."
Yang Fan and several survivors sitting on mutant dogs were talking while running. Their voices passed through the cold wind and entered Xia Ruanruan's ears, making her subconsciously prick up her ears and listen carefully to the news about the Longquan Survival Base next door.
"But after all, it was a team built by the military. Otherwise, our small shelters might not be able to get some material resources for free." Huang Haichao nodded.
The difference between official national survival bases and small shelters is not just that they are safer, larger, and can accommodate more survivors. Most importantly, they have greater survivability and will proactively provide supplies to small shelters.
As long as someone comes to ask for help, they will basically provide a certain amount of material assistance according to the number of people.
But all the small shelters were set up by private individuals. Not to mention helping others and providing them with supplies, even just taking care of themselves and keeping themselves well fed, clothed and protected from mutant and ferocious beasts was already a great effort.
"We need a lot of solar power generation equipment this time, and the Longquan base may not be willing to distribute it to us for free. We may have to find other ways to bring the solar power generation equipment back."
Yang Fan shook his head and expressed his worries. The big golden retriever howled, as if responding to his owner's worries.
Xia Runrun frowned slightly and thought about this problem seriously.
It is difficult to get food these days, but it is not difficult to have enough to eat. One root of a mutated starchy plant is enough to feed a family of three for several days. Sweet potatoes and other high-yielding crops can feed a family for half a month or even longer. But because of this, it is obviously not appropriate to exchange ordinary food for solar power generation equipment.
"Then what should I exchange it for?..." The little girl held her chin with her two chubby hands and thought seriously. Her pair of dark eyes looked at the snow scene outside the window, and for a moment she was a little confused.
“Gah! Gah!!”
suddenly!
While Xia Ruanruan was thinking, suddenly a green light flashed across the sky, like a meteor, with a rough voice, whoosh and slammed into the window of the small carriage!
Xia Ruanruan: “……?”
Xia Ruanruan: “???!!!!”
Where did this green parrot come from?!
"Gah! Oh my god! Why is it so cold?! I'm freezing to death!"
The big green-feathered parrot was shaking off the snowflakes on its body and quacking, with its proud posture of holding its head high and chest puffed out, as if it was the owner of this carriage.
Xia Ruanruan: "..."
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