[Mission: Find three evolved humans in the town and bring them back to Lake Island. Completion reward: Three yellow capsules and three blank yellow blueprints.]
Lucas had just driven the bus out of the resort when the system, which had been silent for many days, issued a new mission.
Finding three evolved humans with such a generous reward added a hint of pressure for Lucas.
This time, they only took the bus, and everything except the medical pod and six square meters of nutrient-rich soil had been cleared out.
Lucas, Cobra and the old man happened to occupy the only three seats on the bus.
The Cobras' hometown was a small town mainly focused on tourism and agriculture.
The fifty-kilometer journey was relatively safe. Whenever they encountered zombies along the way, Lucas would simply accelerate and run them over.
There were many mountain roads, and it took nearly two hours for the bus to silently stop at the outskirts of the town.
At this point, the number of zombies increased significantly, and many were wandering outside the town.
A fully charged drone flew over the town, observing the situation from above.
The drone flew in the direction indicated by the Cobras.
Since they had arrived, Lucas's first priority was to find the Cobras' parents.
On the screen, the entire town was pitch black, including the adjacent two-story buildings, where the Cobras' parents lived. Several dozen zombies aimlessly roamed outside.
"Cobras, it seems like no one is at your home, and not just your home, the entire town is deserted."
Lucas looked at the screen and spoke, not directly mentioning that the Cobras' parents might no longer be alive.
Furthermore, they hadn't seen a single insect in the town, which made Lucas somewhat uneasy.
If there were no people, where could they find the three evolved humans?
"Old Mayor, where exactly are the abandoned underground weapons factory and the grain warehouse you mentioned? Show them on the map."
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"First, let's go to the Cobras' home and then head to these two locations."
The old man quickly pointed out the locations on the navigation system.
Snap!
The bus's headlights suddenly turned on, illuminating the zombies wandering outside the town.
Several dozen zombies immediately turned their heads.
Mutilated bodies, coagulated dark red blood, pale gray pupils.
Lucas firmly pressed the accelerator.
The bus rushed out fiercely.
Snap, snap, snap!
Seven or eight zombies were crushed on the ground, and a few even flew into the air.
Bang!
A flying zombie crashed into the bus's windshield, spraying blood and flesh.
The bus didn't slow down, continuing forward.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The wipers were turned on to clear the broken flesh from the windshield.
The function of the air barrier was activated.
Bang!
An invisible air wall enveloped the bus.
They headed towards the Cobras' parents' home.
At this moment, countless zombies surrounded them, continuously being flung away by the air barrier. The scene was spectacular.
The Cobras' parents' house was on the east side of the town, while the bus entered the town from the opposite direction on the west side, requiring them to pass through three streets.
After driving a few hundred meters, Lucas finally heard the sound he wanted to hear but didn't like.
The piercing screams of insects sounded not far from the bus, and it seemed like there was more than one.
Lucas quickly set the location and activated the bus's autopilot.
He had the old man watch the drone control panel while he took out a sniper rifle and stood by the window.
Meanwhile, the Cobras held a bunch of grenades, ready to throw them according to Lucas's instructions.
The sound of the insects grew closer, but they still hadn't shown themselves. Lucas couldn't even see them on the drone's footage, let alone from the window.
The continuous insect screams seemed to come from all directions.
For the first time since the apocalypse, Lucas felt so helpless.
Were they being surrounded by insects?
Lucas was worried. The insects were clearly intentionally making a show of force. It made him think that their intelligence had evolved significantly, and these insects might be the yellow ones.
If that were the case, Lucas had no choice but to drive the bus and escape.
"Cobras, I'll cover you. Throw the grenades in the direction of the insect screams."
Lucas spoke to the Cobras and went into the medical pod to fetch two barrels of gasoline and the prepared gasoline bottles.
Since they couldn't see the insects for the time being, Lucas planned to set the town on fire.
Once there was light in the town, they wouldn't be afraid of sudden appearances by the insects near the bus.
The Cobras opened the windows and cautiously threw grenades outside, while Lucas took the opportunity to throw the gasoline bottles.
The explosions of the grenades kept resounding.
At this point, Lucas had already stopped the bus. Its current position was on a relatively narrow street, with low buildings on both sides, making it convenient to observe the surroundings.
Lucas placed the two barrels of gasoline about ten meters apart in front and back of the bus, and then ignited them with the gasoline bottles.
Soon, the roaring flames illuminated the sky.
At this moment, insects finally emerged from the darkness.
Lucas immediately used the drone to determine the level of the insects that had appeared.
Fortunately, the insects that appeared for the time being were all red ones.
Lucas's worries diminished by more than half.
Red insects were nothing more than prey in Lucas's eyes. They posed no threat to the safety of the bus, especially in such small numbers.
In total, there were five red insects, one in the front, one in the back, and two on each side. Lucas extended the sniper rifle out of the window.
Boom!
Lucas fired directly without using the suppressor on the sniper rifle. The first shot blew up the insect in front, about thirty meters away from the bus.
That insect had just leaped above the burning gasoline barrel when it was struck by Lucas's shot.
After firing the shot, Lucas didn't spare it a second glance and immediately opened the window on the other side.
At the same time, two insects appeared, swiftly moving toward the bus on the rooftops, about fifty meters away.
Lucas took aim at the one in front of him and was just about to fire when a streak of fire streaked across the sky, striking the insect on the roof with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom!
The individual rocket exploded, not only creating a loud noise but also generating a blast wave on the rooftop, visible to the naked eye.
Lucas put down the sniper rifle and watched the wave rushing towards the bus. His first reaction was that there might be a military force in the town.