After everyone removed their belongings from the warehouse, it was empty again.

Located near C City's highway toll station, their brief encounter was coming to an end as they prepared to go their separate ways.

Mu Enya held onto Xu Duoduo reluctantly, making her promise to visit when back at base, "I live in Building B, very close to you."

Xu Duoduo nodded. This was her first friend in the apocalyptic era, and she was so happy she even gave her a piece of chocolate.

Mu Enya was delighted.

Having nothing to give in return, she gave the little zombie her protective charm necklace.

Zhang Chi called for Mu Enya to hurry up and get in the car, so she rushed off.

Xu Duoduo didn't even have time to refuse.

She couldn't accept the charm.

Zhao Gang shook hands with Qin Luo and the others, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you so much. If it weren't for your rescue, our family of three might still be hiding in that service area."

Especially since that mutant snake-person had passed through there - if they had hesitated and not left with the team, they would have eventually encountered it.

Even without the snake-person, they couldn't have lived in the service area forever.

Now, joining the main group and understanding how this new world worked, Zhao Gang felt more at ease. "Once we're settled at H City Survivor Base, we must treat you all to a meal - please don't refuse."

Liu Chunhui also brought her young daughter over to thank Qin Luo and his team.

Qin Luo and the others just said it was their duty, "If not us, other rescue teams would have come."

This was headquarters' current principle - never abandon any human.

Zhao Gang was deeply moved by this principle, and with this feeling of gratitude, he got into the car.

Qin Luo watched as the vehicles drove onto the highway toll station, and then it was time for them to begin their mission.

Wang Weihu was driving today, with Chen Xiaofei in the passenger seat. Qin Luo and Bai Shu sat in the middle row, while Xu Duoduo returned to her spacious spot in the back.

The car's interior had been cleaned with the blood-removal solution provided by the base. The solution worked well, leaving no heavy blood smell behind.

"It's about forty minutes to the commercial district. We can head straight there. I'll clear out the zombies, Old Wang and Bai Shu will rescue survivors, and Xiaofei will go with Xu Duoduo to collect supplies nearby."

Qin Luo assigned everyone their roles. Wang Weihu and the others agreed, and Xu Duoduo blew her whistle to signal understanding, making everyone laugh.

Their modified SUV headed straight for their destination - the Baoli Commercial District in C City.

The closer they got to the commercial district, the more zombies they encountered.

Bai Shu and Qin Luo shot through the sunroof, each headshot taking down a zombie.

During daytime, zombies moved more slowly, some even hiding in shaded areas.

But nothing escaped their sharp eyes, no matter where the zombies tried to hide.

Xu Duoduo sat in the back, watching the street scenes through the window. The once-bustling city was now silent, with only occasional howls from mutant dogs and zombie groans. No living person was visible on the streets.

Her eyesight was quite good too, and she occasionally noticed curtains moving on second floors - probably survivors who were too cautious to reveal themselves to unknown visitors.

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The sound of gunfire continued, along with explosions from small bombs they dropped.

After circling around, they had eliminated about 90% of the zombies, finally stopping at the main entrance - Gate One - of the large shopping mall.

Wang Weihu parked at the entrance, and it was time for them to split into three groups.

"I'm heading out. Keep your earpieces on for contact. Xu Duoduo, don't wander off alone. Xiaofei, take care of her."

After giving his final instructions and seeing Chen Xiaofei's OK sign, Qin Luo left with Wang Weihu and Bai Shu. They soon split into two teams, with Qin Luo heading into the mall for a killing spree.

Wang Weihu and Bai Shu would rescue scattered survivors around the mall.

Despite yesterday's injuries, ability users healed quickly. They could move freely today, and working while injured was common for them anyway.

None of the four seemed concerned, each focusing on their tasks.

"Little Squad Leader, let's go! C City is known as the granary capital, there should be grain shops nearby. Let's go raid them!"

Chen Xiaofei was excited, carrying his gun at the ready, his baby face full of enthusiasm.

The little zombie nodded gracefully, then headed straight into the nearest shop, which happened to be a grain store.

Most shops in this area indeed sold food, but the bulk of supplies would be in warehouses.

They needed to patiently search for warehouses - those were the real treasure troves.

However, this commercial district also had a residential area with high-rise buildings nearby, so there were plenty of shops.

Even small finds would add up.

As soon as Xu Duoduo entered the grain shop, she saw a zombie stuck at the cash register - probably the cashier, still wearing the store's apron, though her face was now unrecognizable due to decay.

She didn't linger on the sight.

Chen Xiaofei took it down with one shot, finally letting the young woman rest in peace.

The store indeed sold various grains, mostly whole grains, and seemed to be a tourist spot, also selling local specialty snacks.

The little zombie knew to check expiration dates, reaching out with her small claws to examine them. Seeing they had six-month shelf lives, she confidently collected them.

There were many of these traditional sweet pastries, plus bottles and jars of grains on the shelves on both sides.

The center of the store had bags of rice and other items.

Xu Duoduo's claws snatched up everything she passed by, taking only sealed items and leaving opened bags. She quickly cleared out the entire store.

Chen Xiaofei found it oddly satisfying to watch, just following her lead.

Xu Duoduo was clearly experienced at this, moving quickly. Next door was a spicy hot pot restaurant, and she went straight for the refrigerators.

While the displayed ingredients had rotted, the freezer contents were fine since power hadn't been cut.

She collected three freezers' worth of hot pot ingredients - various meatballs, beef slices, lamb slices, and their special soup base seasoning packets.

The shops had few zombies inside - most doors were open, so zombies had wandered outside. Only those trapped behind counters remained.

Next was an outdoor sports store, where they collected many tents, fishing gear, camping equipment, backpacks, and waist packs.

Chen Xiaofei was particularly pleased with this store, especially for its outdoor clothing and shoes. It was a huge store with a comprehensive selection.

"Little Squad Leader, how big is your space actually? Can we take all these men's clothes? I really love them!!"

Chen Xiaofei preferred wearing sportswear, especially from this premium brand he usually couldn't afford.

Xu Duoduo coolly nodded, wandering over to touch and collect everything.

Chen Xiaofei couldn't help grinning, following her with his gun, "Wow, this is amazing! Little Squad Leader, your space is truly huge!"

Besides Taotie in B City headquarters, he'd never heard of anyone with such large storage capacity. They'd already collected three warehouses full of canned goods, plus lots of miscellaneous items, and could still keep collecting.

It was incredibly satisfying!

Next to the outdoor sports store was a huge snack shop. These had been the most popular stores in the past decade, offering an enormous variety.

This chain snack store had the most complete selection, even with a dedicated childhood snacks section, ranging from spicy strips to preserved fruits to meat snacks.

Everything had its own area.

It was a bit dirty inside, with traces of the chaos from when the apocalypse first hit.

Ignoring the bloodstains on the floor and some messy areas, about 80% was still good - the store had relatively low contamination.

Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo made the perfect team - both loved snacks. Entering the store, they were like mice in a rice bin!

"Little Squad Leader, quick, come here! I've picked up all the scattered snacks and put them back on the shelves. You can collect the whole shelves at once!"

Xu Duoduo went over when she heard him. The shelf was full of various gummy candies that looked delicious. Another small section of her mental multi-faceted space cube was filled, but there was still plenty of room left.

It seemed impossible to fill it completely!