Chapter 61: On the Road Again

At that moment, Yue Xuanxuan also woke up. He curled up alone in a corner, calling out "Sister" over and over again.

Upon noticing this, Lin Qingqing walked over, picked him up, and placed him beside Aunt Zhang. Taking a deep breath, she then shared her future plans with the two of them.

"Minmin and I are planning to take you to the base. If you have any other ideas, you can let us know."

Hearing this, Aunt Zhang looked at her in surprise. "You? You..."

"Don't worry, both Minmin and I are ability users. We will definitely get you safely to the base."

This time, Aunt Zhang remained silent. She glanced at Yue Xuanxuan beside her. The boy was hugging his knees, tear tracks still staining his pale face, wearing an expression of complete detachment from the outside world.

Seeing Yue Xuanxuan like this, Aunt Zhang ultimately abandoned the idea of seeking out her younger brother. Her relationship with her brother's family had never been good to begin with, and they had only gone looking for them previously because Chen Gang had insisted.

Now, Aunt Zhang trusted no one in her heart except their life-savers.

"Alright, then thank you, Miss Lin. Xuanxuan and I will always keep your profound kindness in our hearts!"

"You flatter me, Aunt Zhang." Seeing that Aunt Zhang was about to kneel and kowtow, Lin Qingqing hurriedly stopped her.

"I'm not going to the base!" Yue Xuanxuan suddenly spoke up at that moment. "I'm not going to the base. I want to kill zombies, and I want to grow stronger!"

"Xuanxuan, what nonsense are you talking about!" Aunt Zhang cried out in alarm. "It's so dangerous outside, how old are you anyway?!"

Lin Qingqing looked at him. The boy's eyes were red and filled with stubbornness—an expression that heavily mirrored Yue Tingting's when she told her she wanted to protect her younger brother that very night.

"If you don't go to the base, where will you go?" Lin Qingqing did not answer him directly, instead posing a rhetorical question.

"Can you drive? Can you scavenge for supplies? Can you protect yourself?"

A rapid succession of questions completely stumped the boy.

"I..."

"I can teach you how to kill zombies, but first, you need a place to survive!"

Yue Xuanxuan remained silent for a long time after hearing this. After a while, as if he had figured something out, he said solemnly to Lin Qingqing, "I have no objections to whatever arrangements you make, but please, you must teach me how to kill zombies. Don't worry, I will definitely repay you in the future!"

Looking at the boy who seemed to have grown up overnight, Lin Qingqing unsurprisingly saw the shadow of Wen Ling in him. Children who lost the shelter of their family always matured rapidly; while the result was gratifying, the process was incomparably poignant.

"Alright!" Lin Qingqing agreed with crisp decisiveness, and then proceeded to pack up their belongings alongside Aunt Zhang and Lei Min.

Before leaving, Aunt Zhang cremated the bodies of Chen Gang, his son, and Zhao Na, taking a small pinch of their ashes with her. As for Yue Tingting, who had already turned into a zombie, she was left behind at the gas station due to Yue Xuanxuan's stubborn insistence.

"That's no longer your sister!"

"I know... We can just make the door locks more secure so she can't get out."

Seeing his pleading expression, Lin Qingqing finally yielded to his request and left Yue Tingting behind.

The five of them fit just right into a single vehicle. Aside from the seats, every other space was crammed full of supplies.

During the organization of the supplies, Lin Qingqing sought out Wen Ling. "Minmin and I have formed a team. Wen Ling, would you be willing to join us?"

"Does joining the team mean we'll never be separated again?"

"You could say that. Wherever we go in the future, we will take you with us," Lin Qingqing said.

"Yes, of course I'm willing! I can be your scout and help you reconnoiter the situation," Wen Ling said happily, thrilled that these two older sisters were finally willing to accept her.

"Once you join the team, you'll be our official scout," Lin Qingqing said, patting her hair.

"Mm-hmm!"

"Then the Cyan Dawn Team officially welcomes you! I am the team leader, Lin Qingqing, a Tier-2 ice-attribute ability user!"

"My name is Wen Ling, a Tier-1 perception-attribute ability user. Thank you for taking me in. I'll definitely work really hard in the future!"

Just like she had with Lei Min, Lin Qingqing formally shook hands with her. As the leader, she did not treat Wen Ling like a child, but instead invited her to join the team with the dignity of an equal member.

Wen Ling was overjoyed. She deeply yearned for her ability to be valued, and Lin Qingqing treating her as an independent team member exceeded her wildest expectations.

"Minmin, the team leader invited me to join the team too!" Wen Ling excitedly shared the good news with Lei Min.

"Welcome aboard. I am the deputy leader, Lei Min."

"I am the scout, Wen Ling."

After the two of them introduced themselves with utmost solemnity, they both burst into laughter.

At that moment, the Cyan Dawn Team officially welcomed its third member: Team Leader Lin Qingqing, a Tier-2 ice-attribute ability user; Deputy Leader Lei Min, a Tier-1 lightning-attribute ability user; and Scout Wen Ling, a Tier-1 perception-attribute ability user.

At this time, even they themselves did not realize how formidable a combination two mutated ability users plus one special ability user truly was.

No matter where they went, these three types of abilities would become the focal point of contention among various factions. However, even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care.

Human relationships rely on fate. The destinies of the three of them were similar, and sharing life-and-death bonds made forming a team a natural outcome.

The black SUV set off once again. According to the address provided by Lei Min, under normal circumstances, they would be able to reach the base within a single day.

However, road conditions in the apocalypse were unpredictable, and no one knew whether the planned route was actually passable. To be safe, Lin Qingqing drafted three routes, labeled A, B, and C respectively. If one route proved impassable, they would immediately switch to another.

"Why don't we take this shortest one first?" Lei Min said, pointing at the shortest route, C.

"Alright. If worst comes to worst, we can switch routes from here or here," Lin Qingqing said, marking two connecting intersections between routes B and C.

Once everything was ready, Lin Qingqing drove off. Without a GPS, Lei Min sat in the front passenger seat to direct her.

This was the seventy-first day of the apocalypse. The morning dew on the grass had not yet dissipated, and sunlight fell upon the earth as usual.

The once bustling city had now lost all human presence, devoid of its former clamor.

The surroundings were silent and still, with only zombies wandering openly here and there, while the lucky survivors who managed to stay alive hid like light-shunning rats, surviving cautiously in the corners of the city.

Just then, a black SUV burst out from the morning mist in the distance, driving down the street facing the morning sun. The zombies attracted by the sound of the vehicle were either left behind in the dust or sent flying directly upon impact, arrogant enough to treat these zombies as if they were entirely beneath notice.

If any survivors were to witness this, they would undoubtedly be filled with curious speculation about who could possibly be sitting inside that car to act with such audacity.

"Captain, change lanes! Quickly change lanes, there are tons of zombies ahead, we can't charge through!"

Wen Ling had her ability activated the entire time. Spotting the horde of zombies in advance, she issued an immediate warning. Hearing this, Lin Qingqing turned the steering wheel without a second thought, veering away from their previously determined route toward an alternative path.

Their journey along the way was far from smooth. Both route C and route B became impassable halfway through, leaving them with no choice but to switch to the final option, route A.

Route A was much farther than the other two, deviating significantly from Rongcheng. Along the way, apart from an airport and railway lines, they could only spot sparse residential buildings interspersed with farmland.

"It looks like we definitely won't make it to the base before dark today," Lei Min said, looking at the setting sun on the horizon.

"Traveling at night is unsafe. Let's find a place to rest first. This road shouldn't have the same problems we encountered earlier," Lin Qingqing said.

No one raised any objections to this. Ultimately, guided by Wen Ling, they chose a small rural courtyard to settle down for the night.