"There's something about this kitty!"
Lucas, who revealed his figure, didn't feel embarrassed at all for being seen. He walked towards the group of people and suddenly reached out to grab the black cat.
This action was not random for Lucas; he was genuinely interested in this black cat.
Almost causing himself trouble, Lucas felt that he had to study this little thing.
When the black cat saw Lucas reaching out to grab its hand, it lightly jumped to the side and meowed a few times, expressing its dissatisfaction.
"Haha!"
Lucas laughed, but his gaze suddenly fell on the chubby guy, and his face instantly drooped.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Lucas."
"The people in the car are researchers; they should come with me."
Lucas spoke in a light tone, but with an undeniable air of authority.
At this moment, the grandfather and grandson in the car were also looking at Lucas. When Lucas wanted to grab the cat earlier, the boy wanted to get off the car, but his grandfather held him back, signaling him not to act impulsively.
Since Lucas had destroyed several cars, the old man knew that Lucas was a formidable opponent, but he had no idea how many others were hiding in the shadows.
"You..."
The chubby guy was about to say some harsh words to Lucas, but he saw Mata Hari signaling him repeatedly with her eyes. In the end, he swallowed his words and lowered his head directly.
If even Mata Hari couldn't provoke this person, then he definitely couldn't.
Lucas also noticed Mata Hari's gesture. Seeing the chubby guy behaving himself, he didn't say anything else. Instead, he walked to the window and looked at the two people inside the car.
"Hello, I'm Lucas. I have a place where there are many survivors struggling to stay alive. I need some researchers to go there and change the environment, so that everyone can live more safely."
This time, Lucas directly stated his intentions because time was running out. His shadow clone had warned him, and several car convoys had appeared on the nearby streets.
At this moment, with hundreds of cars appearing here, if Lucas's estimation was correct, it should be the people from the Annan Sanctuary City mentioned on the radio.
After all, the loud explosions from the vehicles earlier must have alarmed them.
Since it was called a sanctuary city, its strength was definitely not to be underestimated. Lucas had no intention of contacting them for now, let alone engaging in a direct confrontation.
After speaking, Lucas used his watch to command the bus to quickly approach.
"There's another energy research scientist on the bus. You can talk to him there."
The old man and the boy in the SUV still hadn't responded to Lucas. They just stared at him, making Lucas feel like he was talking to thin air.
Since the other party didn't want to interact with him, Lucas decided to let Kayla Mead take care of it.
Didn't this guy say he had no friends? Today, Lucas would find some for him.
Experts should be able to find a common language, or at least that's what Lucas thought.
"Mata Hari, ask them to get on the bus. Someone is coming!"
"Also, blindfold the boy in the car."
Lucas suddenly said to Mata Hari, and then he asked the mute woman to come and help as well.
Meanwhile, Lucas saw from his shadow clone that there were only two streets left among the people from the sanctuary city. They had to leave immediately.
"Sorry, I'll explain later. We have to leave now."
Lucas said to the old man, then he opened the car door and quickly returned to the bus.
At the same time, the shadow clone suddenly initiated an attack, blowing up several cars on the distant street to hinder the progress of the sanctuary city convoy.
One minute later, Mata Hari and the mute woman escorted the chubby guy and the grandfather and grandson onto the bus.
Lucas confirmed the direction and instructed the bus's autopilot to drive back to Blue Sky Lake, preparing to return.
If he didn't want to confront the people from the Annan Sanctuary City, he definitely couldn't go to the remaining research institutions.
Mata Hari and the mute woman were in charge of watching over the chubby guy and the others, while Lucas stood in front of the unmanned aerial vehicle control station. The suicide drones had already been released.
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At this moment, Lucas thought very simply. If the people from the Annan Sanctuary City persisted, he didn't mind playing a big gamble.
According to the instructions on the suicide drones, if they launched a suicide attack, at least half of the incoming convoy would be instantly wiped out.
At the same time, Lucas also saw dozens of drones appearing in the sky, flying towards the direction of the bus.
"The moving bus should stop immediately, or face the consequences!"
"You have only one minute!"
A voice with a military tone came from one of the drones equipped with a loudspeaker.
"They're quite confident!"
It is impossible to make the bus stop.
However, Lucas did not underestimate the other party, and he wasn't confident about confronting the military.
Fortunately, the bus was moving at full speed, and normally the other party wouldn't be able to catch up.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Lucas shot and destroyed the broadcasting drone with his shadow clone that was still perched on a rooftop.
After firing the shot, the shadow clone quickly retreated in the direction the bus was heading.
This shot directly conveyed Lucas' attitude and served as a warning to the people in the shelter city.
Boom!
A UAV flew directly above the bus in the sky and dropped a bomb, which exploded in front of the bus.
Lucas glanced at it, his expression turning grim.
Naturally, the bomb from the other side didn't harm the bus. That was still the case even without activating the air barrier.
At this point, Lucas didn't intend to let the shadow clone shoot again. However, the suicide drones had entered the attack range.
If the other party persisted, Lucas was prepared to retaliate.
"We can't escape. There used to be two intact military units stationed in An'nan City, and they didn't suffer much loss during the disaster."
"Moreover, there's an armored unit and hundreds of hidden tanks outside the city."
"Let me and my grandson get off and handle them ourselves. We can hold them back."
The elderly man sitting in the chair suddenly stood up and said to Lucas.
"Two military combat units..."
Even though Lucas didn't really consider the other party a threat, he was still greatly surprised.
The strength of An'nan Shelter City exceeded his expectations.
"Mata Hari, control the infected crows and see if you can make them stop," Lucas said, his mood sour as the bombs kept exploding near the bus.
As the old man had said, it seemed extremely difficult to get away today without fighting for their lives.
While speaking, Lucas used the drones to search for the command vehicle in the convoy. He wouldn't hesitate to take action when necessary.
Although the other side was also human, patience had its limits, and Lucas wasn't easily swayed.
Perhaps to impress Lucas, Mata Hari went all out this time.
The infected crow flock that Lucas had seen in the video reappeared in the form of a cloud in the sky.
In the drone footage, the infected crow flock quickly formed a large cloud at high altitude. Their numbers were overwhelming, too many to count. It was eerie to see them up close.
A few minutes later, under Mata Hari's control, countless infected crows rushed into the convoy.
From the drone's perspective, almost all the vehicles were enveloped by the infected crows, and the convoy finally came to a halt.
The enemy drones quickly ceased dropping bombs. Several of them seemed to be out of control, flying erratically in the air.
"Impressive!"
"In a month, it will be even more impressive!"
Lucas turned to Mata Hari, smiled, and gave her a thumbs-up.
He was becoming increasingly satisfied with these evolved individuals around him.
"Now it won't be a problem to leave. You may not know, but you've saved me a powerful weapon. Hahaha."
Without waiting for Mata Hari's response, Lucas laughed and returned to the driver's seat, slowing down the speed of the bus until the shadow clone quietly jumped onto the rooftop. Then he resumed maximum speed, paying no attention to the pursuing convoy.
As for the tank unit outside the city, Lucas didn't even consider it.
Heavy weapons wouldn't be easily used to attack a bus.
Lucas understood this, and he believed the military personnel would understand it even more.
More than twenty minutes later, the bus successfully left the city, and the people from An'nan Shelter City didn't catch up.
With the crisis resolved, Lucas approached the old man and, after confirming his identity, removed the cloth covering the boy's eyes.
"Professor, you really don't have to worry about anything. In such special times, I can only resort to these methods. When we reach Blue Sky Lake, I believe you will like it there."
Standing in front of the old man, Lucas spoke sincerely.
"And, your grandson's situation is not a bad thing."
"This world is changing, and humans cannot just sit idly by. That's why evolution has occurred; otherwise, survival would be impossible."
"Coincidentally, I understand some methods of evolution. Your grandson will become an extraordinary person in the future."
The reason Lucas had Mata Hari blindfold the boy's eyes was because when he looked at the boy, he felt his body stiffen.
If it weren't for Lucas' strange body modifications by the system, he would have turned into a statue immediately.
"People are in your hands, what else can I say? I only hope you treat us well."
The old professor was also an open-minded person. Since they were in the lion's den, it was best to go with the flow.
"Believe me, let's wait and see."
Lucas didn't want to explain much. When they reached Blue Sky Lake, these people would naturally understand.
The tank division of the Sanctuary City didn't show up. When they were about to reach the plains, the bus stopped.
"Mata Hari, your convoy was surrounded by bugs here. Look at the footage from the drones. We might also be surrounded soon."
Carrying the drone control panel, Lucas walked over to Mata Hari and pointed at the images on the screen that were transmitted back.
In the drone's night vision lens, piles of vehicle wreckage appeared on the screen. There was hardly a single person or bug visible on the scene, whether alive or dead.
This scene made everyone, including Lucas, feel uneasy.
The battlefield seemed too clean, to an unsettling extent.
That was also why Lucas stopped. They hadn't encountered any bugs or zombies throughout the journey on the bus, which made it too smooth to believe.
Mata Hari seemed to understand Lucas' meaning and suppressed her exhaustion from excessive use of her abilities. She immediately controlled the infected crow flock spread out in the sky above the plains to search for any hidden bugs.
The drones weren't as effective in this situation compared to the infected crows.
Lucas also commanded his shadow to start searching in the plains.
Without confirming the safety, Lucas wouldn't enter the plains.
He took some chocolate to replenish Mata Hari's energy and prepared some food for everyone.
Kayla Mead and the old professor didn't show any hesitation, but the chubby guy seemed somewhat apprehensive and afraid of Lucas.
At this moment, he was constantly thinking about escape.
As one of the important figures who followed Mata Hari from the beginning, the chubby guy had no intention of going to Blue Sky Lake.
Lucas didn't care about him. In the bus, he said that metal abilities couldn't create much impact.
If something modified by the system could be controlled by any Guardian at will, Lucas wouldn't have bothered playing the game.
After handing over the cooking task to the chubby guy, Lucas walked over to the black cat and wanted to touch it.
Lucas found the abilities of the black cat quite useful and had a possessive desire.
"Meow~"
Imitating a cat's meow, Lucas was about to put his hand on the black cat's head, but the black cat easily evaded him.
"It won't let you touch it. Black Beauty is very clean."
The boy raised his head high, with an arrogant look on his face as he spoke to Lucas. The normal eye in his head clearly carried a hint of displeasure towards Lucas.
In fact, the boy wasn't only displeased with Lucas; he was also curious about how Lucas wasn't affected by his and the black cat's gaze.
"Do you find me dirty? Then I'll make it even dirtier!"
Perhaps it was the situation on the plains that ignited Lucas' anger, and the boy's attitude instantly made him uncomfortable.
This time, Lucas suddenly made a move and directly grabbed the black cat.
With Lucas' agility attribute exceeding 100, it wasn't difficult to catch the black cat.
Lucas grabbed the back of the black cat's neck, and the black cat called Black Beauty instantly became like an ordinary cat, turning into a well-behaved little kitten. Its pair of eerie black eyes looked at Lucas, and it even made a couple of pleasing sounds.
Just as the boy was about to speak and thought Lucas would do something to the black cat, Lucas took out a red bug core and held it out to the black cat's mouth.
"Eat it. You'll become even more powerful after eating it."
At that moment, Lucas suddenly became gentle.
In fact, Lucas really liked cats, from childhood to adulthood.
It's just that before the apocalypse, he had to struggle for a living, and after the apocalypse, he had to strive for survival. Lucas had never owned a cat.
Since there was a ready-made one now, even if it belonged to someone else, Lucas didn't mind playing with it.
Moreover, this cat wasn't an ordinary cat, so Lucas naturally liked it even more.
"This thing was dug out from those monster bugs, right?" the old professor suddenly asked when he saw Lucas take out the bug core.
"Yes, it was dug out from the bodies of red bugs. I call it a bug core."
"The bug core has a large amount of energy in it, humans like Mata Hari and the others who have developed special abilities can absorb its energy and then make themselves is special abilities more powerful."
"Not only humans, this thing is the same for bugs, red bugs can evolve into yellow bugs after swallowing this up to a certain amount."
"I feel that your grandson's special ability isn't very strong, it should be because he hasn't absorbed the energy of the bug core."
"This one is kind of my welcome gift to your grandson, if you don't know how to absorb it you can ask Mata Hari."
Lucas said to the old professor, putting down the black cat and taking out another red bug core and handing it to the boy.