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墨書 Inktalez
“Company Commander, our backup supplies can only last for two more days,” Jackson Wang reported to Qin Zhi Han.
“We have been out for five days, and we don’t know the situation of the other teams. If we can’t return to base, the food supplies there will definitely be insufficient. Once Colonel Zhu can’t withstand the pressure, Colonel Jiang and his group will initiate Plan S, and the situation will become very dire,” Bai Zhen expressed his concerns.
“Do you recognize the terrain around here?” Qin Zhi Han asked as he gazed into the distance.
“Hey, isn’t this near City A? Weren’t we in R City before? How did we end up here?” Jackson Wang replied in surprise.
City A is situated between R City and H Base, and it normally takes only half a day to travel from City A to H Base.
“I remember there’s a path through Longhu Mountain. If we take that route and hurry a bit, we should be able to reach the base,” Qin Zhi Han contemplated.
“Longhu Mountain? That place is known for its desolation; it’s said that no birds fly there and no traces of humans are found. Eighty percent of it is primitive forest, and locals only dare to venture in the outskirts. Isn’t this a bit risky?” Bai Zhen hesitated.
“If Colonel Jiang and his team take control of the base, not only will our situation worsen, but thousands of ordinary people will also face sacrifice. In a crisis, we have no choice but to fight with all our might,” Qin Zhi Han stated calmly.
“Exactly. As long as the base stands, we still have support. My sister hasn’t awakened her Ability yet; she still needs the protection of the base,” Jackson Wang agreed.
Su Ruolan listened as they discussed their next course of action. When she heard about Longhu Mountain, her thoughts stirred. She remembered that during their previous encounter with an encirclement, she had traversed the Dragon Tiger Mountain Range with them and was somewhat familiar with several peaks and paths there. Longhu Mountain is a mountain range at the border of H Province and another province, stretching north-south in a claw-like shape. It spans hundreds of kilometers with an average elevation of around 1,500 meters. Once they crossed Longhu Mountain, they would be close to H Base.
“Since we’ve decided to head to Longhu Mountain, I’ll notify everyone shortly to arrange for rest and patrols,” Bai Zhen resolved.
“It’s currently nine in the evening; let’s synchronize our watches and set our departure time for three in the morning,” Qin Zhi Han said as he checked his wristwatch along with Bai Zhen.
“I’ll take the first half of the night watch,” Su Ruolan said, looking at Qin Zhi Han.
“Wake me when it’s time to switch,” Qin Zhi Han replied coolly before entering the Eastern Wind Ironclad to rest.
After the Dark Day, although the temperature gradually rose, the nights remained very cold, especially between midnight and two in the morning when it would suddenly drop below zero. Su Ruolan wore a tattered cotton jacket; despite possessing Ice Ability, resisting the cold still consumed energy. Ice Ability was a mutation of the Ice Element, which had long been criticized for its lack of offensive power below level three, only capable of producing hundreds of cubic meters of water for drinking and washing. The true strength of Ice Ability lay in its ability to freeze instantly, with hardness and lethality that were off the charts. However, Su Ruolan was still at the stage of condensing water before turning it into ice. Since she had absorbed the Pure White Crystal Core without any adverse effects, she was gradually replenishing her energy while resisting the cold. To her surprise, she discovered white droplets slowly emerging within her meridians; this was the power of ice. Previously too weak to manifest beyond her bloodline, it could now take shape.
Su Ruolan felt her consciousness becoming clearer and her perception range expanding. Her mental energy slowly spread out, crossing over the vehicles in the camp and reaching far away. Although her body was not physically present, it felt as if she could see ordinary soldiers inside a vehicle sleeping soundly, observe the vigilant gaze of a soldier on top of the vehicle scanning back and forth with his gun, and sense the slightly damp humidity in the air along with droplets sliding down from the tips of leaves in the distance. That feeling was marvelous, as if she had merged with nature.
When Su Ruolan came back to her senses, she found herself sitting in the back seat of the Eastern Wind Ironclad.
"Reset, what just happened to me?" Su Ruolan asked in confusion.
"You'll know once you check your body," Reset replied curtly.
Su Ruolan looked inward and was startled to find that she had advanced to a high-level second tier.
"The fierce battle consumed all your energy. After absorbing the Core twice in a row, your energy surged, widening your meridians and helping you level up. Next time you advance, please prepare for safety; otherwise, if interrupted midway, you could suffer backlash or worse—complete failure. You really are something else; you even reached a state of divine connection. If it weren't for that man named Qin Zhi Han having no ill intentions and bringing you into the vehicle, I would have woken you up regardless of how rare it was," Reset said, showing some inexplicable resistance towards Qin Zhi Han but still speaking honestly. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "The moment you released your mental energy, he seemed to sense something."
As she pushed open the door, a tall figure with his back turned came into view; Qin Zhi Han's left ear twitched slightly, but he did not turn around.
"I..." What should she say? She couldn't reveal the truth; expressing gratitude felt too shallow since he had helped her once again.
Jackson Wang walked over from a distance, exclaiming in surprise, "You're awake! Feeling better? A girl is still a girl; don't push yourself too hard. Us tough guys can handle it."
"Company Commander, your blood sugar is low. Do you want me to find some sugar in the supplies? I searched for half an hour and couldn't find any," Bai Zhen said as he approached from one of the middle vehicles.
Sugar? Su Ruolan recalled that Qin Zhi Han seemed to have collected quite a bit of chocolate. Was he doing this to cover for himself or had he forgotten? She looked at Qin Zhi Han with suspicion.
This was Su Ruolan's first serious look at Qin Zhi Han; she suddenly realized that this man was handsome with sharp eyebrows and striking eyes that held authority. His high nose bridge and thin lips gave him an air of confidence; in peacetime, he would undoubtedly be a superstar. She didn't respond to Bai Zhen and Jackson Wang's comments; although Qin Zhi Han showed no outward signs of change, Su Ruolan unexpectedly caught sight of his left ear turning slightly red. If it weren't for his bronzed skin concealing it, everyone would likely have noticed this change.
"You two get back in the vehicle and rest for a while," Qin Zhi Han instructed Bai Zhen and Jackson Wang.
In the distance, the mountains rose and fell, their dark silhouettes heavy against the gray sky, devoid of stars or moonlight. Su Ruolan and Qin Zhi Han stood by the vehicle, their shadows quietly overlapping behind them.
Time passed silently, and the light began to shift, revealing a hint of dawn. The camp became busy as they packed up and prepared to depart.
The vehicle sped toward the entrance of Longhu Mountain. This was originally a path forged by the villagers, but before the apocalypse, the local government had rebuilt it during a transportation network renovation, turning it into a rural road wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Due to insufficient funding, safety barriers had not been fully installed along the sides of the road.
As they navigated the winding mountain road, it often felt as though the front of the vehicle was hanging precariously over the edge, while the rear still lingered on the curve. Looking out to the right, a sheer cliff loomed just beside them; despite the lush trees, one could still sense the menacing height of several hundred meters. To the left, steep mountainsides were partially covered with nylon nets, where faded black and red characters warned of "Landslide Risk, Beware of Falling Rocks."
Since they had entered the mountains early in the morning, mist still clung to the air, creating a hazy atmosphere with low visibility that forced them to drive slowly. After half an hour, they had barely traveled a kilometer.
"This fog is taking forever to clear; we're falling behind schedule," Jackson Wang frowned.
"It's just mountain mist; it should dissipate once we reach mid-mountain," Bai Zhen replied helplessly.
"How about I use my Ability to lower the temperature ahead? That should help clear the fog," Su Ruolan suggested hesitantly.
"Wow, this mountain is so vast. How far can you lower the temperature, and how long will it last?" Jackson Wang exclaimed loudly.
"It should cover about two hundred meters in front and behind our vehicle and can last for about half an hour," Su Ruolan communicated with Reset in her mind to gauge her abilities.
"Then give it a try," Qin Zhi Han said, nodding slightly at Su Ruolan's confident gaze.
"Attention all vehicles ahead: shift left and change formation. I’ll lead from the front; others follow my lead," Bai Zhen spoke into the walkie-talkie.
Gradually overtaking other vehicles, Eastern Wind Ironclad took the lead. Su Ruolan continuously used her Ability to freeze and lower temperatures; soon enough, the fog thinned out, restoring visibility for driving.
Eastern Wind Ironclad accelerated to at least forty miles per hour. They quickly navigated several mountain bends as they drove from the valley toward mid-mountain.
"Don't you think the mist has been following us?" Su Ruolan paused her Ability, asking in confusion. "I've tried a few times, and each time the mist that drifts over seems quite thick and similar."
"It is a bit strange, like it's replicating," Bai Zhen also noticed.
The vehicle continued to move forward, and above it on the mountain peaks, large gray animals were running, their massive bodies agile and silent, with sharp fangs and huge eyes that glowed green like flickering light bulbs.
"This deep mountain forest is sparsely populated; there shouldn't be many Zombies. Even if there are, we can handle them—soldiers block soldiers, water covers earth. What danger could there be?" Jackson Wang said dismissively.
"There are no people, but there are animals," Qin Zhi Han and Su Ruolan said in unison.
"Even if there are fierce animals in the deep mountains, in this world, who knows how many can survive? We're still on the outskirts of the mountains; it should be fine," Jackson Wang said, feeling a hint of danger creeping in, his confidence wavering.
Just then, with a loud "thud," several massive creatures jumped onto one of the military vehicle's roofs. The tremendous impact dented the roof inward, instantly killing the soldier sitting below as his head burst open.
A few animals appeared behind the last vehicle, slowly forming a semicircular encirclement as they closed in.
One enormous creature at the front of the pack leaped down from the mountain, sending a cascade of boulders tumbling toward the Eastern Wind Armored Vehicle. Bai Zhen hurriedly slammed on the brakes, barely stopping in front of the falling rocks. The massive animal stood coldly before the vehicle, its fierce gaze fixed on the people inside. Its body was half-crouched, fangs bared, fur bristling—completely ready to attack.
"This is bad; it's actually a Mutated Wolf Pack."
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