The military had to figure out how to "deal with" Lucas, but he was completely unaware of their plans.

At this moment, Lucas was driving the bus towards Phoenix Mountain.

Lucas was also contemplating what the mission reward would be and what the purpose of the mission was in the first place.

Was he being a good Samaritan and saving these people?

Lucas believed that it probably wasn't the reason.

Regardless of the purpose, Lucas had made up his mind to leave as soon as the crowd reached Phoenix Mountain.

Lucas thought that completing the mission would involve clearing out the zombies and insects along the way from the town to Phoenix Mountain.

He had the mute girl deal with the scattered zombies on the road ahead of the bus, while he leisurely followed behind in the vehicle.

During the journey of a dozen kilometers, Lucas fired three shots, killing two red-colored insects and collecting two insect nuclei. He also obtained two blank red blueprint sheets by exchanging the insect carapaces.

He used one sheet to manufacture one hundred sniper rifle bullets and kept the other one to upgrade his weapons with Henry.

The bus was not moving at a fast speed. When Lucas was a few kilometers away from Phoenix Mountain, the drones were already able to see the two units led by Henry and Matteo.

However, it was strange that until Lucas reached the foot of Phoenix Mountain, the two units and the crowd remained four or five kilometers behind and never caught up.

Something was fishy!

Seeing the distance between himself and the two units and the crowd, Lucas couldn't pinpoint the exact problem, but he felt that something was off.

Lucas didn't rush to enter the mountain either.

Phoenix Mountain was one of the tallest and largest mountains in the coastal city region, stretching across three provinces. This section of the coastal city consisted of five peaks, with the highest peak reaching an elevation of 891 meters. It was both a scenic area and home to some of the military's research institutions in the depths of the mountain.

Lucas had been here a few times before the apocalypse.

Now that he was here again, Lucas couldn't help but sigh.

With a sigh, Lucas parked the bus and got off.

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There was only one road up and down Phoenix Mountain, which was initially the place Lucas considered waiting for the long term, just like that underground warehouse, a good place to escape from the apocalypse.

However, Lucas didn't expect that the underground warehouse turned out to be a doomsday fortress.

Now it seemed that there should also be a doomsday fortress in Phoenix Mountain.

Especially with the appearance of the second military unit, Lucas became even more certain of his speculation.

The mute girl had already cleared the nearby scattered zombies and stood quietly behind Lucas, silent and cold as ice.

With her in this state, none of the Cobras behind the bus dared to approach Lucas.

Throughout the journey, the image of the mute girl, who killed zombies like cutting watermelons, was far more terrifying in the minds of the Cobras than Lucas.

"None of you should follow me up the mountain. Now, there is a valley to the left of here. It's not big, but it's just enough for you to drive the vehicles in and hide. The chances of encountering zombies there are very low, and with two submachine guns, you can handle the occasional zombies."

"I'll naturally come to meet you when I come down from the mountain."

Lucas said to the Cobras, pointing to the left.

This time going up the mountain, Lucas didn't know what would happen, but he had a bad feeling about it. After much consideration, Lucas decided not to bring the Cobras with him. They were not only a burden, but their presence wouldn't be of much use.

If there really was a conflict with the military, their two vehicles would be reduced to scrap metal within minutes.

The Cobras naturally didn't oppose Lucas' arrangement.

They were well aware that if Lucas wanted to abandon them, he didn't need any excuses and there was no need to beat around the bush.

One minute later, the Cobras left with a few people, and the infected dog followed them to the valley.

Lucas took out the drone control panel and noticed that the crowd and the military behind him were moving at a slower pace.

Frowning, Lucas thought for a moment and decided to take the mute girl with him to the designated location he had arranged with Henry.

Once the crowd entered the mountain, his mission would be considered complete, and Lucas was still waiting for the system to reveal the purpose behind this mission.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the bus, seemingly running from behind.

"She didn't follow the crowd?" Lucas looked at the figure with some confusion and quickly recognized her as the woman who had come to find him twice before.

"Sir, I have something urgent to tell you!" The woman shouted in front of the bus.

Seeing her demeanor, it seemed like she had something important to say, so Lucas got off the bus.

"Sir, the military is planning to harm you!" The woman immediately informed Lucas of what she knew.

Because there were many soldiers in the military who were her fans, she unintentionally learned from one soldier that Matteo's unit, armed with heavy weapons, was given a mission.

For some reason, the woman felt that this mission seemed to be targeting Lucas, so she quickly found an opportunity to leave the crowd and inform Lucas of her speculations.

She had always believed that it would be safer to follow Lucas.

The woman still had faith in her judgment.

"The armored vehicle and missile launcher will not enter the mountain. They will set up a firepower defense position at the foot of the mountain?" Lucas pondered these words and used the drone to observe the nearby terrain, especially the location he was heading to in the mountain.

Upon closer inspection, a chill ran down Lucas' spine.

In this location at the foot of the mountain, despite its low terrain, once the artillery and missile launchers were deployed, Lucas believed that the firepower coverage could sweep across the entire front of the mountain, including the location he had agreed upon with Henry.

Moreover, there were no roads leading to the back of Phoenix Mountain.

If they were really attacked by the military's artillery fire, the only possible escape for Lucas would be to leave the bus and hide in the dense forest.

After considering these factors, Lucas started to believe what the woman had said.

"You took the risk to tell me all this, but is it because you want to follow me?" Finally, Lucas spoke to the woman with a softer tone.

At the same time, Lucas remembered who the woman was.

She was a famous celebrity before the apocalypse. No wonder she looked so familiar.

The woman didn't say anything, just nodded.

She already knew that the powerful person in front of her wasn't someone who would refuse to take others in.

At least, that was what the several people who had been following behind the crowd had achieved.

As long as she showed her value, this person would agree to let her follow.

"Go towards the left, there's a valley not far from here. My people are temporarily staying there," Lucas instructed. "You can stay with them and wait for me to come down from the mountain."

After saying that, Lucas got back on the bus.

In the apocalypse, no one was anyone's babysitter.

For such a short distance, Lucas naturally wouldn't escort the woman there.

Once the woman left, Lucas immediately entered the mountain.

Whether there was a conspiracy or if he was being "arranged," Lucas had to enter the mountain in order to complete his mission.