As a reserve member of the Engineering Department, personnel from the training camp go on missions for several reasons. First, it allows them to experience real-world use of equipment—otherwise, it’s easy to overlook practicality during design.
Second, it improves their physical fitness. In an apocalypse, a strong body is the most important asset.
Third, it broadens their knowledge and allows them to collect materials from various environments.
For example, the marsh mud in front of them.
A large swamp is a hazard for most people, but for Tu Sanqi, a jar of marsh mud is a natural resource.
This mud is fluid and slightly corrosive; with minimal processing, it can become a handy cleaning material.
Tu Sanqi happily packed two jars, then turned back to take Su Rumeng’s hand, her face lighting up with excitement.
She hoped to come across materials she liked even more!
Ye Ming and the others snapped back to focus and pressed onward.
Thanks to the powder Tu Sanqi provided, no one got stuck in the marsh this time. The area was free of zombies, and the team’s pace unconsciously quickened.
Before long, the damp ground underfoot became noticeably dry.
Tu Sanqi checked her communicator and looked at their current location… ahead lay a dormant ancient volcano.
Even the rocks near the lava plateau were valuable!
This mission turned out to be the most fruitful one Tu Sanqi had ever undertaken.
The team paused at an open area to rest. Tu Sanqi, still eager, put away her communicator and took out some canned food and water… but as she rummaged, she noticed a few vials of medicine in her bag.
She glanced at Su Rumeng drinking a nutrient solution and her curiosity stirred. She leaned over and asked, “Xiaomeng sister, why is my nutrient drink different from yours?”
Su Rumeng glanced at it and replied, “Mine is for ability users; yours is for treating malnutrition. It’s probably more potent.”
Tu Sanqi asked again, “What’s in my nutrient drink?”
Su Rumeng took the green vial and examined it. With no label, she was slightly surprised. “Usually it’s a mix of proteins and vitamins… but yours seems like a newly developed product from the Research Institute, right?”
Even as she said it, Su Rumeng wasn’t entirely convinced. How could a Research Institute product be given to an ordinary person?
“That’s not right,” she quickly corrected herself. “I must be mistaken. Who gave this to you?”
Tu Sanqi replied, “Doctor Chengshi.”
“Oh, then I was wrong,” Su Rumeng said, completely dismissing her doubt.
Those who had entered the district early knew Doctor Chengshi had a grudge against the Research Institute and looked down on their products.
Tu Sanqi thanked her, but silently made a mental note of the “Research Institute.”
After resting, the team prepared to move again. But as they got up, Ye Ming’s expression suddenly changed. “Ling Yi! Defense!”
Ling Yi tensed, placing his palm on the ground. Instantly, a three-to-four-meter-high earthen wall rose on all sides.
Lin Lu and Tu Yu quickly took positions with their weapons, and Ye Ming calmly scanned the surroundings.
At the same moment Ye Ming called out, Tu Sanqi turned to check behind them.
Although the view was blocked by the earthen wall, she could still sense zombie activity…
Not just in one spot.
Following Ye Ming’s guidance, Lin Lu and Tu Yu spotted multiple targets, easily scaled the wall, and soon gunfire erupted outside.
Even with Tu Sanqi’s modifications, the subtle gunfire was still audible compared to true silence.
Soon, Ye Ming and Ling Yi jumped over the wall to assist.
Tu Sanqi and Su Rumeng remained in the safety of the enclosed area. Su Rumeng, though calm, intended to reassure Tu Sanqi, who was facing zombies up close for the first time—but turning, she saw Tu Sanqi squatting and tinkering with her toolbox again.
She wasn’t scared; she didn’t even blink.
Su Rumeng: “…”
Su Rumeng silently crouched beside her, trying to comfort her. “Don’t worry. The captain and the others are working in sync. They’ll handle it quickly.”
Tu Sanqi didn’t respond, only asked, “How many locations did the captain mark?”
“About five or six…” Su Rumeng quickly checked the communicator—and saw that the number of red markers around them had visibly increased.
Now there were nearly twenty.
Su Rumeng: “…What’s happening?!”
Her eyes widened.
Tu Sanqi stayed silent, working rapidly. Due to time constraints, she didn’t even put on a protective mask.
Ten minutes later, she strapped a wearable cannon onto Su Rumeng’s right arm.
“Blast the wall,” Tu Sanqi instructed, packing up at the same time. “We’ll go help them.”
Without hesitation, Su Rumeng fired a shot, creating a breach in the earthen wall. The two moved out, one ahead of the other, with Ye Ming and the others no longer in sight… only zombies approaching the wall.
Tu Sanqi glanced and saw that most were mid-level zombies.
“Blow them to dust,” she commanded.
Although a healer, Su Rumeng had accompanied Ye Ming’s team on previous missions and her shooting was precise.
Two rounds later, a clear path opened in front of them.
Quickly, Tu Sanqi pulled Su Rumeng forward. Su Rumeng was startled, but her hands never paused.
After breaking out of the encirclement, Tu Sanqi didn’t rush to Ye Ming.
Ye Ming’s team was likely encountering high-level zombies; rushing in would be counterproductive.
Keeping the mission in mind, Tu Sanqi stopped, turning with Su Rumeng.
They were here in the grasslands to fight zombies.
Now the zombies were coming to them—why run?
Squinting, Tu Sanqi surveyed the zombies approaching from the earthen wall. Not a shred of fear. “Xiaomeng sister, blast them all to ashes!”
Tu Sanqi’s guess was correct.
Ye Ming’s team had indeed encountered three high-level zombies.
These zombies were not only cunning but commanded lower- and mid-level zombies as meat shields, making them extremely difficult opponents.
Ye Ming held his gun, watching for ambushes while coordinating Tu Yu and the others.
Tu Yu and Ling Yi cleared the obstructing mid- and low-level zombies, while Lin Lu waited for the perfect moment.
When a high-level zombie was distracted, Ling Yi immediately used his ability to create an earthen ramp in front of Lin Lu. Lin Lu moved swiftly, leaping over the blocking zombies, firing three shots midair.
The faint sounds were completely masked by Tu Yu’s movements below.
From Ye Ming’s perspective, Lin Lu leapt, and two high-level zombies standing still were shot in the head—
The remaining high-level zombie, most alert of all, instantly teleported further away. Seeing two companions silently killed, it ran even faster.
Lin Lu intended to chase, but the high-level zombie’s ability seemed tailor-made for escape.
The team had no choice but to finish off the remaining zombies nearby.
Not long after, Ye Ming sensed something and looked back in caution… The high-level zombie that had just fled was caught by a flying ability user.
“Who are you?” the flying ability user asked.