This rescue operation went much faster than expected; they had thought it would take much longer.

Qin Luo also noticed an improvement in his physical abilities, though he still couldn't use his abilities much. Whenever he tried, his whole body would ache, probably due to overexertion.

He needed to rest and recover properly.

The survivors gathered together numbered over 600, a daunting sight when all clustered in one place.

After counting everyone, their squad had to notify the nearby logistics team to come and pick them up by vehicle.

Seeing that someone had come to rescue them, the survivors burst into tears of joy.

"Thank you, thank you so much! We thought we were going to die here. We can't thank you enough!"

The young man leading the group kept saying this, holding onto Qin Luo's hand and not letting go. He was reportedly the manager of a hot pot restaurant on the fourth floor, who, like Mr. and Mrs. Zhao Gang, had gathered people into his restaurant during the emergency.

"I'll never forget that day. It happened just after 6 PM, during the busiest time in the shopping district. Many people were out shopping when suddenly someone in the mall fell ill. The news spread quickly through the employee group chat."

The manager showed them a video on his phone, clearly showing the early stages of zombies biting people. A man suddenly bit his pregnant wife.

At first, some kind-hearted people tried to intervene, but they too were attacked by the man.

"Fortunately, I received that warning message. I've always been a bit paranoid, and after seeing that message, I felt uneasy. I kept thinking about it afterward."

The manager's hands shook as he recalled the events.

"It wasn't until I heard screams from downstairs that I snapped back to reality. I quickly told my colleagues not to go out and then called all the customers on the fourth floor into the store. Soon, customers from the second and third floors started running up too."

"Those of us who survived are the ones you see here. We tried to save as many as we could."

They were lucky that the fourth floor was all restaurants. They managed to survive on the food stocks, rationing carefully until now.

The manager was able to successfully send out a distress call to headquarters because he had read the apocalypse survival manual. "It said phone signals would fail, so I kept sending messages until I finally got through to the rescue department at headquarters."

Wang Weihu praised him, "You're really impressive and level-headed. Because you quickly gathered everyone into the store and locked the doors, these 500-plus people were able to survive. You've done something truly remarkable."

The manager scratched his head, embarrassed. "Anyone would have done the same. I just did what I could."

He was an ordinary worker with no special education, and he never expected to become the pillar for a group of people after the apocalypse. He led them in rationing food, tried to improve their living conditions, and attempted various self-rescue methods.

He even comforted other survivors, which is why they were able to survive.

Bai Shu, while writing his report, suddenly realized something. "If the customer flow was normal, why were there so many zombies in the mall?"

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When they first arrived, they saw the mall packed with zombies.

The manager quickly explained, "Because there were zombies outside too, and people from outside thought they could take shelter in the mall, but instead..."

He didn't need to finish the sentence.

People from outside thought they could find refuge in the mall, not realizing it had become hell inside.

And zombies couldn't operate the revolving doors.

So they all got trapped inside.

Everyone sighed, but there was nothing to be done. In the apocalypse, only the fittest survive, and sometimes luck plays a small part too.

Qin Luo patted the young man's shoulder. "We'll report the situation accurately. For outstanding performers like you, headquarters will provide rewards."

The manager was very modest. "I really didn't do much. You guys are the cool ones! At first, I thought it would be like in the movies, with a big rescue army coming in, all grand and impressive."

Instead, only a few people came, but after seeing the ability users in action, he was even more in awe!

The manager introduced himself as Ding Shengjie. "How can one become an ability user? The apocalypse survival manual didn't mention how to become one."

He said he wanted to be cool like them and save more people.

Qin Luo smiled and told him to wait. "Who knows, maybe the base will research a way in the future."

Wang Weihu also put his arm around Ding Shengjie's shoulder, saying with a smile, "Alright, young comrade, you should rest now. Thank you for your cooperation. We've gathered all the information we need. Tomorrow, buses will come to take you all to the base."

The nearest base from here was the H City Survivor Base, with A City a bit further, and B City even further. Currently, these three major bases were holding out, while other cities were still very dangerous.

Bai Shu looked at the large number of people. "H City is almost at capacity. This group probably won't all go there."

Qin Luo agreed, "A City has fewer people, so some might be sent there."

While they were discussing business, they hadn't noticed Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo for a while. The two were busy comforting children with candy. Many kids looked numb and timid, hiding in their parents' arms.

Even worse were the children without parents. About twenty or so children had no one to care for them.

They were all crying quietly.

Chen Xiaofei couldn't bear it and discussed with Xu Duoduo. They took out some candy and gave each child a handful to put in their pockets.

The air inside was really not good.

Some survivors were clean, others dirty, but no one complained about each other.

After Qin Luo and Bai Shu finished discussing business and reported the completion of their mission, they walked over to see what Chen Xiaofei and Xu Duoduo were up to.

"Kids shouldn't eat so much candy, right? It'll rot their teeth," Bai Shu said bluntly as he approached.

This scared the children, who looked like they might cry again but didn't dare to. Their expressions were heartbreaking.

Chen Xiaofei immediately responded, "Hey, what are you doing? Don't scare the kids. Life is hard enough, what's wrong with a little candy? And don't look at us like that, the Squad Leader and I aren't just fooling around, we're doing important work!"

They had managed to get information from the children about the exact location of C City's food warehouse.

The roads here were too complicated, and GPS was useless. It would be hard to find without a local's knowledge.

Among the orphaned children was a ten-year-old girl who was old enough to understand. When Chen Xiaofei asked, she even drew a map. As soon as she finished drawing, she started to cry, "These are the crayons my mom bought for me, but it's the last box... waaah!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl burst into loud sobs, startling the three men and the little zombie.

Xu Duoduo hurriedly stuffed chocolate into her mouth, trying to stop her from crying. The crying was making her head buzz, and it really scared the little zombie.

Chen Xiaofei crouched down to comfort the child.

Bai Shu took the cute crayon-drawn map to study it. "Wow, this is really good. You're very talented, little one. Have you studied drawing before?"

Qin Luo also put his hand on the little girl's head, patting it gently. "Don't cry. You've done very well. Your mother would be proud of you."