The next morning, the rescue team set out.
As the truck drove out of the industrial park, He Xu looked back. On the wall, Xie Zhiwei’s figure stood in the morning light, and she could not see him anymore only after they turned the corner.
Li Jun, in the passenger seat, handed her a hand-drawn map. “According to the route Old Wang estimated, we first take the old provincial road, then turn onto a farm path. The problem is, that section of road may not have been traveled by anyone since the apocalypse.”
“I have a guide.” He Xu closed her eyes, and her ability slowly extended.
In the sky, a peregrine falcon she had contracted in advance spread its wings and flew forward.
Through its eyes, He Xu “saw” the road conditions: a broken bridge, abandoned vehicle convoy, wandering zombie hordes…
“There’s a collapse one kilometer ahead. We need to detour.” She reported in real time. “The small road on the left looks clear, but there is a large gathering of zombies at the end. I suggest turning right.”
Da Liu stared wide-eyed from the back seat. “Boss He, your ability is way too convenient!”
“Only able to see, not fight.” He Xu smiled bitterly. “If we really run into danger, we still have to rely on you all.”
The journey was fraught with dangers but safe in the end.
Two hours later, the truck entered a broad farmland area. This place had once been the city’s “vegetable basket,” but now it was overgrown with weeds, and rotting crops floated in the irrigation ditches.
Through the peregrine falcon’s eyes, He Xu observed this deadly silent field.
Suddenly, an unusual patch of green entered her vision. In a small depression on the west side of the agricultural station, a cluster of abnormally lush potato sprouts was actually growing, leaves glossy, especially striking in the desolation.
This did not look like natural growth. It looked rather like it had been deliberately accelerated.
Her heart stirred slightly.
Could it be… a wood-type ability user? In the original work, there was no description of a natural-type ability user appearing in the west city.
“Look there.” Zhao Hong’s shout interrupted her thoughts, pointing into the distance.
A group of white buildings stood in the center of the fields, with walls as high as four meters and the main gate tightly closed.
But what made people’s hearts pound was that outside the walls, at least a hundred zombies were densely gathered, constantly scratching at the iron gate, making a teeth-grating scraping sound.
“This number…” Sun Linyue inhaled sharply. “A direct charge is impossible.”
Li Jun parked the truck in a concealed place, and everyone observed with binoculars.
The agricultural station’s structure was more complex than imagined: the main building was a three-story research building, connected beside it were a glass greenhouse and a warehouse. There were watchtowers at the four corners of the wall, and a figure seemed to be moving on one of the towers.
“They’re still alive.” He Xu confirmed. “But the main gate won’t hold much longer.”
The iron gate had already deformed under the zombies’ impacts, and the hinges let out groans of being unable to bear the weight.
“We have to lure the zombie horde away.” Li Jun thought. “With sound? Or…”
He Xu suddenly pointed at the greenhouse. “Look, the ventilation window on top of the greenhouse is open. If we can get in from there, then clear the zombies at the gate from inside…”
“How do we get on the roof?” Da Liu asked. “The wall is so high, and it’s surrounded by zombies.”
Everyone fell silent.
Just then, He Xu’s peregrine falcon perspective caught something unusual. Outside the back wall of the agricultural station, there was a tall poplar tree, and a thick branch extended right into the wall. And on that branch, something seemed to be stuck.
There was a piece of bright yellow cloth, fluttering slightly in the wind, like a marker deliberately left by someone.
“I have a way.” She pointed at that tree. “Climb in from the tree. But someone needs to create a disturbance on the outer perimeter and lure away the zombies at the back door.”
The plan was quickly formulated: Li Jun and Da Liu would drive around to the front gate and use firecrackers and a loudspeaker to attract most of the zombies; He Xu, with Zhao Hong and Sun Linyue, would take the opportunity to break in from the back wall.
The operation began.
The truck roared toward the main gate, and firecrackers exploded among the zombie horde. The zombies roared and turned toward the source of the sound, surging like a tide.
“Now!” He Xu said in a low voice.
The three jumped out of hiding and rushed toward the poplar tree. Sun Linyue climbed first. This former scout was agile, reaching the tree in seconds.
She threw down a rope, and He Xu and Zhao Hong followed closely.
The process of jumping from the branch into the wall was breathtaking. There were still a dozen or so scattered zombies below, and upon hearing the noise, they were raising their heads and roaring. When He Xu landed, her foot slipped, and Zhao Hong quickly caught her.
“Thank you.” He Xu said, still shaken.
She looked up at the branch she had noticed earlier. The strip of yellow cloth was gone.
The back door of the research building was slightly ajar. The three slipped inside and immediately smelled a strange mix of disinfectant and rot.
The corridor was dim, and emergency lights flashed green. There were dried bloodstains on the ground, extending all the way to the stairwell.
“Be careful.” Zhao Hong raised his homemade crossbow and walked at the front.
The first floor was laboratories and offices, completely empty. Faint voices came from the second floor.
“…Has the signal been sent?”
“It’s sent, but we don’t know if anyone received it…”
“Food can last two more days. Water… water is not enough.”
“What do we do, what do we do?!”
He Xu signaled Zhao Hong to knock, while she raised her voice and shouted: “We’re a rescue team! The zombies outside have been lured away. Open the door quickly!”
Inside the room, it instantly fell silent, followed by hurried footsteps. The door opened a crack, and a pair of wary eyes sized them up.
Behind the crack was a young face, looking in his early twenties, hair messy, with a fresh scrape on his cheek, but his eyes were very bright, shining with surprise in the dim light.
“How did you get in?” He asked, his voice a little hoarse, possibly because he had not had water for a long time.
“From the tree by the back wall.” He Xu showed the park work ID in her hand. “We are survivors from the industrial park in the west. We came after receiving the distress signal.”
“Great!” The young man immediately pulled the door fully open, moving so vigorously that it stirred up a gust of wind. “I told you someone would come! Old Chen kept saying I was just being optimistic without basis. Oh right! My name is Nan Leyou!”
He smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, completely without any gloom, out of tune with the tone of the apocalypse.
Behind him, a middle-aged man with glasses shook his head helplessly and stepped forward. It was the person in charge, Chen Mingyuan.
“Xiao Nan was picked up by us on the road a month ago,” Chen Mingyuan explained, his voice tired. “He said he was a wood-type ability user and wanted to come to the agricultural station to find some seeds and research data. As a result, not long after he arrived, he got trapped here.”
Nan Leyou scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. “I originally wanted to help plant something to improve our meals, but just after I accelerated the growth of a small patch of potatoes, those mutated crows came. It seems the life energy emitted by the plants I accelerated attracted them.”
As he spoke, there was not much frustration in him. Instead, his eyes shone even brighter as he looked at He Xu. “You came in from that poplar tree outside the wall? I hung that yellow cloth strip for several days! I was thinking that if someone came to rescue us, there would at least be a conspicuous marker!”
He Xu suddenly understood. No wonder that cloth strip had been in such a convenient position.
After a brief exchange, He Xu clarified the situation: the agricultural station had originally had twenty-three people. After the zombie outbreak, they had held on thanks to the sturdy walls and stored grain.
But a week ago, a flock of mutated crows attacked the greenhouse and damaged the ventilation system. The stench of rot attracted more and more zombies. They tried to break out, but five people died, and the rest could only be trapped inside the building.
Nan Leyou’s wood-type ability had limited use in an enclosed environment, but he had never given up. He used his ability to purify the limited water source and tried to cultivate fast-growing edible fungi in the corners of the building with good light.
“We still have value!” Chen Mingyuan said urgently. “The seed bank is in the basement, perfectly preserved! There are improved seeds with drought and disease resistance, and a full set of cultivation data! As long as you take us with you, these are all yours!”
“And me!” Nan Leyou immediately raised his hand, like a student eager to speak in class. “I can grow things! Really! Give me a piece of land, a little sunlight and water, and I can speed up crop growth!
“And I roughly know why those crows mutated so quickly.” He paused, lowered his voice. “On my way to the agricultural station, near the north of the city, I saw Dawn Base’s convoy.”
“They seemed to be collecting mutated biological samples. The operation was big and startled quite a few things. I originally wanted to seek refuge with them too, but after seeing some things, I changed my route and came here.”
He Xu’s heart stirred. Dawn Base, that large gathering place in the original work with strict order but hidden worries.
Nan Leyou…?
She remembered! Wasn’t Nan Leyou the second male lead in the original work who liked the female lead?!
How could he appear at the agricultural station? According to the plot, he should have been on a mission at Dawn Base until the female lead appeared and then fell in love with her at first sight.
The plot had already deviated a great deal. She did not know whether that was good or bad.
She calmly asked: “How many seeds are there? What does the data include? Also, Nan Leyou, you said you saw some things at Dawn Base. What exactly?”
“Enough seeds for all kinds of crops to plant five hundred mu of land—vegetables, grains, all of them.” Chen Mingyuan listed them like treasures. “The data includes soil improvement technology, hydroponic system design blueprints, post-apocalyptic crop mutation research records…”
“Mutation research?” He Xu caught the keyword.
A young female researcher spoke timidly. “We discovered that some plants underwent beneficial mutations in environments affected by the zombie virus, with higher yields and shorter growth cycles. If these varieties can be cultivated, at least one large base would no longer have to worry about food.”
He Xu: “!”
“As for Dawn Base,” Nan Leyou took over, “I saw them deal with several of their own people who had been infected. Their methods were clean and decisive, without the slightest mercy.”
“And they seem especially interested in ability users, particularly special abilities. I felt the rules there might be too strict, not suitable for someone as undisciplined as me.”
He shrugged, then showed that sunny smile again. “The agricultural station is better. Even though we’re trapped, everyone really wants to live together and grow a little hope.”
He Xu’s heart pounded wildly.
Seeds, knowledge, and a wood-type ability user… This trip to the agricultural station had yielded a lot!
“We’ll take you with us.” She decided decisively. “But we need you to cooperate in clearing the zombies at the gate. Our truck is attracting attention at the front gate, but it cannot hold for long.”
Chen Mingyuan immediately nodded. “A few of us still have strength and can fight. Also… we have this.”
He lifted the canvas in the corner, revealing two old-fashioned agricultural sprayers.
“What’s inside?”
“A mixture of high-concentration capsaicin and ammonia water.” Chen Mingyuan explained. “It strongly irritates zombies’ eyes and respiratory tracts. Although it cannot kill them, it can temporarily paralyze them.”
Nan Leyou leaned in and added: “I added a little plant irritant extract I refined. The effect may be stronger, but the concentration is hard to control. Everyone remember to cover your mouths and noses later.”
An excellent tool for breaking out. He Xu quickly formulated a new plan: use the sprayers to open a path, everyone evacuates from the back door, then circles around to the front gate to rendezvous with the truck.