Chapter 67
Jiang Zhi's eyes widened: "An ordinary person?"
She couldn't help but sit up straight and look over again.
The thought that the other person, with the strength of an ordinary person, had carried out so many difficult tasks in this world full of mutated creatures, filled me with a sense of awe.
Chen Shaoting nodded.
"There are quite a few mutants in the military, but most of them are mutants with enhanced bodies. Very few can evolve into other attribute abilities."
"So I've always wanted to train those greenhorns with rare superpowers."
Jiang Zhi understood.
In an era where might makes right, if a manager does not have absolute military power, he will not be able to suppress the capable people under his command.
After the soldiers cleaned up the scene, Luo Yonghui and his group got out of the car.
The cement top of the gas pump had several holes, allowing sunlight to filter through.
The concrete floor of the parking lot has arched and cracked.
There were two electric four-wheeled cars parked there.
Jiang Zhi was somewhat tempted.
By this time, Huang Xianming's men had already cleaned the service area.
Gu Kaizhi's team has already gone to check if there is any gasoline left in the gas pump.
Jiang Zhi didn't join in the fun.
She was very interested in the two cars in the parking lot.
If we could take it back and have my older brother modify it, since it's electric... maybe they could experience what it's like to drive a four-wheeled vehicle for the rest of their lives.
As I was thinking this, Jiangzhi had already walked over.
Two cars, separated by four or five parking spaces, were covered by the same type of plant.
Jiang Zhi recognized it as a mutated pothos.
Interestingly, the pothos plant actually started spreading from the gas station staff's office in front of the station.
The vines snaked their way into the driver's cab through the gaps in the wheels, and even the seats were covered in green.
The dashboard did not indicate any danger.
Jiang Zhi carefully scanned the area again with her mental energy before she felt relieved.
With a little force, she pulled the car door off.
A number of mosquitoes suddenly flew out.
Each of these mosquitoes is about the size of a finger.
They were densely packed under the leaves, but fortunately everyone present was fully equipped with protective gear. They wore specially made high-density long shirts, several layers of rubber gloves, and even protective goggles.
Therefore, I'm not so afraid of these kinds of flying insects.
Just in case, Jiangzhi had Jiangshu sweep the car with a bone stick, which scared away a bunch of mosquitoes.
A dark mass of bullets flew out of the broken car window, looking quite eerie.
The commotion was quite loud, so Wu Bing followed.
"Jiang girl, what are you doing here? Be careful not to run into danger."
Jiang Zhi pulled out the pothos plants one by one from the car, revealing the car's original appearance.
Jiang Zhi smiled slightly at him, "I want to see if this car is still usable."
Wu Bing became interested. "This is my forte. Let me take a look for you."
After Wu Bing opened the front cover and inspected it, he said, "It's unusable; the battery pack inside is basically dead."
Jiang Zhi was a little disappointed.
Jiang Shu didn't give up and went straight to the other car to check it.
A moment later, he looked up at him with a happy expression.
Jiang Zhi immediately ran over excitedly.
Wu Bing, who was standing to the side, looked completely bewildered.
"Ah Zhi, this machine should still work." Jiang Shu said excitedly in a low voice, "I checked it, and the damaged parts are all unimportant."
"The battery is a bit of a hassle, though."
Batteries are consumables, and with the current rate of technological recovery, it is not possible to manufacture new batteries for the time being.
Wu Bing finally understood: "So you two siblings are trying to salvage a car to take back with you."
Jiang Zhi chuckled: "I wouldn't dare think about that, I just want to find some usable parts."
Wu Bing disagreed: "The parts of this kind of electric car are different from those of a gasoline car. Even if you bring it back, not many of them will be usable."
Jiang Zhi asked in surprise, "Who said we were going to assemble it into a car?"
"Huh?" Wu Bing was a little confused. "Then what do you need car parts for?"
Jiang Shu said somewhat embarrassedly, "We have a flatbed cart at home, so I was thinking of bringing some parts back to see if we could modify it to make it more handy."
Wu Bing exclaimed, "Wow, you have such a capable person in your family?"
Jiang Shu nodded: "My older brother is very good at this. See this mantis pliers in my hand? My older brother modified it."
Wu Bing had seen the mantis pliers in Jiang Shu's hand earlier.
I thought they had spent a lot of money to hire a professional to modify it, but I didn't expect it to be done by one of their own people. I was quite impressed.
At this moment, Luo Yonghui said, "Your brother's skills are quite good, and his ingenuity surpasses that of the experts in the team."
It's just a pity that the materials used weren't good enough.
Jiang Shu chuckled, "If you need any modifications in the future, you can come to my brother, and I'll give you a discount."
Luo Yonghui shook his head as he listened from the side.
These brother and sister are indeed family-oriented.
Three out of five sentences mention the Jiang family.
Gu Kaizhi managed to get seventy or eighty liters of gasoline from the gas pump, but unfortunately, the underground oil storage tank was damaged by some mutated animal, and all the oil inside leaked out.
After the soldiers had completely eliminated the danger, everyone began to rest on the spot.
The brother and sister looked at the jeep where Lin Yuan was and saw their father drawing and writing inside, so they paid no more attention.
With Lin Yuan, this super weapon, around, there's no need to worry about Jiang Shan's safety for the time being.
Jiangzhi took the opportunity to collect all the parts that Jiangshu had dismantled into a bag.
"Uncle Luo, can we not hand these over?"
Luo Yonghui glanced at it and said, "This time, the only requirement from above is to complete the mission. Any gains made along the way do not need to be handed over to the base."
Jiang Zhi was very happy.
They immediately installed a few more usable parts.
Jiang Zhi believed that as long as they scouted a few more vehicles, they would definitely be able to gather all the key parts.
If the tires on both cars hadn't been completely unusable, Jiang Zhi would have wanted to take them back with her.
At that time, Jiang He and Jiang Jun can make the flatbed cart semi-electric.
The team members smiled and didn't interfere, treating it like they were taking care of a child.
After Jiang Zhi finished preparing, Wu Bing called to his brother and sister, "Hurry up and fill your stomachs, there might not be time to eat later."
When traveling, the time and place for eating are very important.
Even in the car, you can't eat casually, for fear of encountering a mutant creature with an extraordinary sense of smell, which could cause trouble.
There is only time to eat when the taste masking agent is sprinkled on the safety zone during each rest period.
This time, Jiang Shu wasn't stingy; he handed out one of his crayfish bento boxes to everyone.
Wu Bing had been looking forward to this.
"I had my eye on your shrimp yesterday; just looking at the size of these makes them look delicious."
Jiang Shu pursed his lips, "Of course it's delicious, Mom used lots of ingredients."
The glistening shrimp meat was wrapped in glutinous rice, which was soaked with spicy broth. As soon as it entered the mouth, the numbing sensation exploded on the tip of the tongue, followed by the spiciness that went straight to the top of the head. Wu Bing was so caught off guard that he almost jumped up from the spiciness!
He coughed several times before he recovered.
"Cough cough, this is way too spicy!"
Yan Liang silently ate a few bites, then looked over upon hearing this, "If you can't finish it, give it to me, and I'll trade you bread."
Wu Bing hissed a few times, "Dream on, I haven't had my fill yet."
He then stuffed the spicy glutinous rice crayfish in his hand into his mouth in a few bites.
Chen Shaoting rolled her eyes and whispered, "What a waste."
Wu Bing gave the other person a silly smile.
As the group was chatting and laughing quietly, they saw Huang Xianming walking towards them.
Hu Yang, who was standing nearby, was startled and quickly stood up, stammering, "Colonel Huang..."
Huang Xianming gestured to him not to be nervous.
"I'm here to see Comrade Jiang Zhi."
Jiang Zhi was taken aback. Forgetting about the lunchbox she hadn't finished eating, she quickly stood up and asked, "Colonel Huang, did you need something from me?"
Huang Xianming's expression softened. "I'm sorry to bother you. I'm here to thank my soldier. If it weren't for you, he might not have been able to come back today."
Jiang Zhi hadn't expected it to be about this matter. She had almost forgotten about the small favor she had done, so she smiled and said, "Colonel Huang, you're too kind. It's nothing."
Huang Xianming shook his head and said seriously, "It's a small matter for you, but it's a matter that will cost him his life. Every one of our soldiers is a very valuable asset to the base. If they sacrifice themselves, it will not only break up a family, but also mean that all the professional training the base has invested in and the tacit understanding between comrades will be in vain."
"Therefore, on behalf of the 2nd Battalion of the base, I thank you, Comrade Jiang Zhi."
Jiang Zhi was genuinely embarrassed. "It was just a small favor, Colonel Huang, please don't thank me. If you keep thanking me, I'll feel too embarrassed to eat."
Huang Xianming smiled faintly. "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer."
After saying this, Chao Wu and his men nodded slightly and left.
Hu Yang looked at Huang Xianming's retreating figure with admiration: "Colonel Huang is such a kind man."
Wu Bing chuckled: "Kind? You'll know how kind he is once you've been trained by him."
After saying that, he looked up at Jiang Zhi and gave her a thumbs up: "Jiang girl, you're not bad. Our Colonel Huang rarely gives people a friendly look, you're the first one to do so."
Jiang Zhi took another bite of the rice ball, and finally smiled.
She was happy to be able to help people.
After they had filled their stomachs, Chen Shaoting took Jiang Zhi to relieve herself.
The toilet stall doors in the service area were half-open, the floor was covered with water stains and weeds, and toilet paper was tangled on ferns, looking like a wad of moldy foot wraps.
The squat toilet was overgrown with weeds that could cut people, but neither of them complained and simply cleaned it up a bit to make do.
In the wild, having a place to relieve yourself with this shelter from the view is already considered good.
After relieving themselves, Luo Yonghui and his group went into the convenience store and searched around.
Pushing open the door, the rusty hinges creaked eerily, and the musty smell mixed with the stale stench of expired snacks assaulted my nostrils.
The shelves were askew. The freezer, because it wasn't powered on, had black mold growing on its inner walls, and a half-empty bottle of sticky cola lay in the corner, its opening crawling with mutated ants.
Yan Liang squatted down and rummaged through the cardboard box. Suddenly, a mutated cockroach the size of a basketball darted out and was swatted to death by him expressionlessly.
Jiang Zhi and Chen Shaoting next door felt a chill run down their spines.
Indeed, you should never underestimate the destructive power of cockroaches on women.
Jiang Zhi tensed up, scanned the area, but didn't see anything usable.
Just as she was about to continue ransacking the inner room, she suddenly bumped into something hard under her foot—Jiangzhi picked it up and brushed off the dust, only to find that it was an unopened bag of spicy strips.
Vacuum-packed snacks, when viewed through the transparent plastic, appear to have no apparent changes inside.
A hint of nostalgia flashed across Jiang Zhi's face, but she still casually tossed it aside.
—I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to eat these snacks again in my lifetime.
The group cautiously entered another room.
This appears to be the staff dormitory area.
Perhaps because the walls are relatively intact, the items inside are fairly well preserved.
It was clear that a mutated animal had come in and searched the place; the room was in a mess and there were signs of a fight.
The metal bunk bed was piled crookedly in the corner, with rusty bed rails and faded floral sheets piled together.
Only a few water-based pens can be seen on the bedside table.
Chen Shaoting was somewhat disappointed.
"There's nothing good here, let's go."
Jiang Zhi, with her sharp eyes, noticed a dusty notebook next to the bed.
She couldn't resist picking it up and taking a look.
It contains records of daily life, but it's not very meaningful.
Jiang Zhi turned to the last few pages.
——"December 19, 2019".
I was shaken awake at three in the morning when a chandelier fell down. The stationmaster, fearing the earthquake might cause a fire, called us all outside. Xiao Chun, who was on duty with me, squatted beside the rubble, crying, saying his golden retriever was missing.
I remember, the golden retriever's name was something like Er Shun.
By the way, Xiaochun is only 19 years old this year.
December 23, 2019.
The pothos plants inside the house covered the entire room overnight, which terrified the stationmaster and the rest of us.
This place is too far from the city center. Yesterday, the stationmaster and Lao Wu drove to scout the route. The stationmaster came back without saying a word, while Lao Wu just kept muttering "It's over, it's over."
December 25, 2019.
The convenience store freezer was empty, and the shelves were only filled with instant noodles. The store manager said that if things continued like this, everyone would starve to death, and from today onwards, everyone would only be allowed to eat one meal a day.
We were so hungry that our hands and feet felt weak.
These past few days I've often thought that I'm going to die here.
No signal, and can't go out...
Thank goodness my parents left, otherwise they would have been so worried about me...
...
I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I think I saw Xiaochun's Ershun today.
But it looks as big as a calf; I must be seeing things.
By the way, today is Christmas.
Merry Christmas. "
Jiang Zhi wanted to continue watching, but Jiang Shu leaned closer. "Er Shun? That dog's name is quite unique."
Wu Bing's focus was on other things: "I must say, the quality of this pen is quite good. After all these years, it has only bled a little bit."
He put the pens from the bedside table into his pocket.
"Let's take it all; we can't leave empty-handed."
"How can you say there was no gain?" Jiang Shu asked, puzzled. "Didn't we just get several dozen liters of gasoline?"
Wu Bing said "Uh": "I forgot to tell you, in situations like today's resource search, it's first come, first served."
In other words, the gasoline just now belonged to Gu Kaizhi's team.
Jiang Shu was surprised, "That's pretty much the same as when we go to collect them."
Jiang Zhi looked at the soldiers who were resting on the spot and asked, "Aren't they supposed to be searching for supplies?"
Chen Shaoting smiled and said, "The military implements a class management system. Resources are given priority to the strong, while ordinary soldiers are given resources in a unified manner. They are much better off than our mutant squad, which earns its own money."
Jiangzhi thought this was a good idea.
After all, the work at the base cannot be done without these most lovable people.
Seeing that they hadn't gained anything, Luo Yonghui said to everyone, "Alright, let's go out."
The group filed out of the convenience store.
Just as the group stepped out the door, they heard Zhang He shout, "Alert! Something's up!!!"
Everyone was startled and quickly drew their weapons.
After Jiang Zhi drew her long knife, she glanced at where her father was and found that Jiang Shan, who had been in the car, was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Zhi was greatly alarmed.
She quickly asked, "Uncle Luo, have you seen where my dad and the others went?"
Luo Yonghui said, "Team Leader Lin took a few professors to scout the terrain behind the convenience store. Don't worry, with Team Leader Lin with you, your dad will be fine."
Although she knew Lin Yuan was very capable, Jiang Zhi couldn't rest easy without personally watching over her father.
She turned to Jiang Shu and said:
"Brother, you stay here with Uncle Luo and the others, I'm going to find Dad and the others."
Jiang Shu: "I'll go instead. I can find them directly."
Jiang Zhi firmly replied, "No need, I'll go."
Luo Yonghui, who was standing to the side, tried to stop her, but Jiang Zhi was much faster than he had imagined.
Before she could even open her mouth, Jiang Zhi had already run off like the wind.
Luo Yonghui wanted Jiang Shu to stop him, but found that although the other party was worried, he was not nervous, which made him pause.
A strange intuition flashed through his mind—why did he feel that Jiang Zhi was much more capable than this silly boy?
As the ginger twig moved rapidly, a giant hair appeared on the highway.
It was described as hair because the monster's drooping hair left a trail of mud, and the clumps of hair were covered with stalks of grass and withered leaves, making it impossible to tell what kind of animal was inside. It looked more like a clump of moving rotten cotton.
Everyone was taken aback.
The mutants present had seen countless mutant beasts, but this was the first time they had ever seen a mutant beast covered in fur.
Moreover, this mutated beast was extremely fast, and it rushed in within a few breaths.
Gu Kaizhi's team was closest and directly confronted the mutated beast.
He and his five mutants formed a plum blossom formation and surrounded the mutant beast.
A middle-aged man with a shovel stomped his foot, and the ground cracked open in a spiderweb pattern, with soil spikes emerging from the earth.
The mutated beast kicked off with its hind legs and leaped into the air to avoid the earth spikes.
However, before the mutated beast could recover, its long, dirty fur suddenly froze into ice shards—
Jiang Zhi realized that it was Zhang He in the corner who was manipulating the moisture in the air.
As the team's "tank," a scarred man wielding a steel bar roared, and the bar instantly burst into crimson flames, crashing down upon them. The mutated beast twisted and flung out its dirty fur, which suddenly whipped up a hurricane, extinguishing the flames with a "boom."
Immediately afterwards, a skinny man sprang out from behind the mutated beast, black water gushing from his palm and wrapping around the mutated beast's forelegs. However, the mutated beast opened its mouth and spat out a ball of foul-smelling viscous liquid, which corroded the black water, causing it to bubble and fizz.
The five attacked relentlessly, but the mutated beast charged left and right. In the instant it couldn't dodge the attack, it suddenly shook off its tangled fur. The long fur that was dragging on the ground straightened with a "whoosh," and for a moment, the monster in front of them looked like a giant sea urchin.
Gu Kaizhi exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, it's about to attack! Stop it!"
However, it was too late.
These hairs shot out like countless steel needles in an instant.
The indiscriminate attack caught the mutants off guard. With muffled "thuds," steel-needle-like dog hair pierced their skin and embedded itself in tree trunks. Some people raised their hands to protect their vital parts, only to have their hands instantly pierced by the hair. A low groan immediately filled the scene.
The monster's fur fell away, revealing its true form.
Luo Yonghui's team and Huang Xianming and others behind them were stunned when they saw this.
I never expected that this monster would actually be a mutated dog!
The mutants in Gu Kaizhi's team were caught off guard and each of them suffered minor injuries.
Gu Kaizhi was embarrassed, so he frowned and said, "You all step back and let me handle this."
He took out a mutated luminous pearl, and after injecting a trace of spiritual power into it, the luminous pearl suddenly flashed with a strong light.
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