There were 110 jin of rice, 90 jin of high-gluten flour, and five boxes of instant noodles brought back yesterday (120 individual packs), two boxes of beer (24 bottles, 500ml each), two boxes of milk (48 cartons, 250ml each), three boxes of fresh orange juice (72 cartons, 200ml each), and 5 jin of assorted snacks (mixed biscuits, chocolates, etc.).
For meat, there were 20 jin of frozen beef, 30 jin of frozen pork, two frozen chickens, and one box of canned luncheon meat (24 cans, 340g each).
For vegetables, there were three large bags of frozen mixed corn, peas, and carrots (1000g per bag), ten onions, and twenty tomatoes.
Looking at the remaining supplies, Huo Ling felt a headache coming on. Given the appetites of ability users, this would only last about half a month.
They needed to stockpile more supplies.
Fortunately, they still had nine boxes of salt, three boxes of soy sauce, and ten boxes each of soybean paste, doubanjiang, chili sauce, and pickled vegetables—all of which had been looted from a seasoning wholesale shop earlier.
For now, seasonings weren’t a problem.
But people couldn’t survive on seasonings alone. They still needed staple food, meat, and vegetables.
Huo Ling had just overused his mental power for scouting, which left him with a headache. At that moment, he noticed a sneaky gaze and looked over.
Of course—it was that jellyfish little monster.
Lin Shuangshuang was staring at him worriedly with wide eyes.
Huo Ling sighed.
Now his headache felt even worse.
At that moment, Zhao Pingsheng came downstairs holding printed documents.
“Perfect timing, everyone’s here. I’ve got some new findings—listen up.”
Everyone immediately turned to him.
Zhao Pingsheng handed out the documents. Even Lin Shuangshuang got a copy. In terms of social awareness, Dr. Zhao was extremely considerate.
Lin Shuangshuang looked very happy.
Huo Ling glanced at her.
“First, the usual reminder: pollution value. I already told you last time not to randomly bring back supplies, especially anything with blood on the packaging. Those are absolutely forbidden. Virus concentration is extremely high.”
“Second, I’ve discovered more virus types this time. When you go out on missions, make sure you’re fully protected—wear proper clothing, goggles, gloves. Do not get infected.”
Wu Zhe, the youngest and most curious, immediately raised his hand. “Got it, Dr. Zhao! But what exactly is pollution value?”
Luo Na couldn’t help laughing at him.
Gao Lei awkwardly added, “Brother Zhao, can you explain it a bit more? I don’t really get it either.”
Zhao Pingsheng smiled helplessly but patiently explained.
Pollution value was essentially the concentration of various viruses. The higher the virus load, the higher the pollution value.
“Any living being infected by this substance will soon mutate and lose their sanity, turning into monsters.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help glancing at Lin Shuangshuang, then at Huo Ling.
The former was quietly picking at her fingers.
The latter looked irritated, his brows slightly clouded with worry.
Luo Na nodded. “Got it. So next time we go out, we just fully gear up!”
Gao Lei and Wu Zhe nodded quickly, following their “big sister leader” obediently.
Zhao Pingsheng smiled again. “Good.”
Though he wasn’t much older than them, he carried the air of a caretaker.
“No matter how careful we are, we’ll still get some level of contamination when we go out. However, I’ve found that wood-type energy cores can suppress the virus effectively. So try to collect more of those.”
“Of course, other cores are also useful—they help improve ability levels. In short, all energy cores are valuable. Gather as many as you can.”
He closed the documents.
“That’s about it. Captain Huo, anything to add?”
Huo Ling tilted his chin slightly. “No. You can go back to work.”
Zhao Pingsheng left.
Wu Zhe slumped over the table. “I know energy cores are good, but they’re so hard to get! One hundred zombies might not even drop a single one. Supply and demand really decide everything…”
Luo Na sipped her soy milk. “Wow, Xiao Wu, you even know proverbs?”
“Of course I do!”
Gao Lei, more steady, said, “As long as it’s useful to us, we’ll collect it no matter how hard it is.”
They needed energy cores to level up.
Lin Shuangshuang also needed them for treatment.
They were on the same path.
Huo Ling didn’t hide anything from the team. He directly explained Lin Shuangshuang’s situation.
“She’ll stay with the team from now on. We’ll allocate the required wood-type cores to her first. Any extras go to her. In return, any other types she obtains will be prioritized for team use.”
He looked around.
“If anyone has objections, speak up. I’ll accept all opinions.”
Lin Shuangshuang felt a little nervous, but she was more than happy to stay.
Even though her memories were chaotic, it didn’t stop her from wanting to stay by his side.
Luo Na and the others exchanged looks, then smiled.
“No objections.”
“It’s fair.”
“Very reasonable. We agree, Captain Huo.”
Huo Ling nodded and then spoke into the communicator that had already been open.
“Old Zhao, Old Zhang, what about you two?”
A slightly distorted voice came through, but the meaning was clear.
Zhao Pingsheng’s warm voice responded, “No objections. Welcome new teammate. Health system has successfully added Shuangshuang’s profile.”
Zhang Dapeng also replied cheerfully, “I’ll prepare a new wristband for her later.”
All team members wore customized wristbands with many functions, including connecting to the main screen and checking all kinds of data.
For example, the storage information Huo Ling had just checked.
Entry records were handled by robot Xiao San and Xiao Si, so everything was extremely detailed. Xiao Yi and Xiao Er were cooks, mostly staying in the kitchen.
Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were mechanical dogs responsible for patrol.
The original combat team had four members. Now with Lin Shuangshuang, there were five.
Zhao Pingsheng and Zhang Dapeng served as medical support and engineering support respectively.
As a newcomer, Lin Shuangshuang was smoothly accepted by the team.
She felt both nervous and happy.
“Thank you. I’ll work hard.”
She said this seriously, eyes firm.
Even though her memories were chaotic.
Even though they kept resetting.
She would still try her best.
She would never drag the team down.
Luo Na smiled brightly, brushing her hair aside. “Welcome. Finally, we’ve got a girl in the team.”
She was genuinely happy.
Gao Lei and Wu Zhe also said they had seen her combat ability—it was strong.
Lin Shuangshuang felt warmth in her heart.
It felt like she had a team again.
She hoped this time she could stay longer.
Longer and longer.
She nodded firmly.
“Mm!”
And so—
The seven-person survival team was officially complete, and everyone was very satisfied.