On the way back, the team rescued another small group of survivors. After contacting a nearby logistics team, they waited for personnel from the B City Survivor Base to come and take over.

There were more than eighty individuals in total.

Each one of them was emaciated and starving. The food supplies 3A Special Operations Team had been saving up finally came in handy.

The survivors devoured the food ravenously.

It was a pitiful sight.

Wang Weihu handed out bread and bottled water, saying, "Take your time, no rush."

Bai Shu recorded some detailed information about the survivors.

Qin Luo spoke to the logistics team from B City, "There's a small town about a kilometer ahead with several mutated fruit trees. Since your team has a Spatial Manipulation ability user, you should collect them. Don't let them go to waste—they're pears and loquats, good stuff."

If it weren't for the fact that the mutated trees were too large and bizarre, and their storage space was maxed out—plus Xu Duoduo's spatial ability couldn't be exposed—they would have taken the fruit themselves.

The opposing team's captain looked ecstatic. "Really? You 3A guys have some serious luck!"

Although mutated plants were becoming more common, edible ones were still rare. Encountering non-aggressive, edible fruit trees was indeed fortunate.

Qin Luo simply nodded. "Go on, go on." He wanted to avoid seeing Xu Duoduo looking regretful.

Sure enough, Xu Duoduo perked up upon hearing this, her satisfaction evident. Her philosophy was clear: if she couldn't take the food, it shouldn't be left to rot in the danger zone.

Seeing her like this, Qin Luo couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "What are you daydreaming about? Let's go."

The little zombie immediately trotted after him.

Qin Luo, with his long legs, walked quickly. For every step he took, Xu Duoduo had to take three.

Eventually, Qin Luo couldn't bear constantly looking back to check if she was keeping up. He turned around, picked her up, and tucked her under his arm, carrying her away directly.

Ah, much better!

Xu Duoduo: ???

This familiar yet comforting feeling—what was it? Freed from the need to walk, the little zombie fully embraced her laziness.

Once again, she became a little accessory.

After everyone got back in the car, they prepared to continue the journey. This time, they quickly reached the highway toll station.

The road ahead was smooth sailing.

Chen Xiaofei, chewing on a lollipop, cursed from the passenger seat. "Damn it, it's a good thing we came. If that dog Jin Chuanqiong had actually set off the explosion, these dozens of people we just rescued would have been goners. That was too close."

A small action had successfully saved eighty lives.

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Bai Shu couldn't help but comment, "When his backer falls, this kind of person is bound to die miserably."

He was always pulling such despicable stunts.

Qin Luo snorted coldly. "We'll see where he's hiding when we get back. I'll drag him out and beat him up."

He had been annoyed by Jin Chuanqiong's incessant nagging the entire time.

Chen Xiaofei immediately perked up. "No problem! I'll track him down!"

In the last row of the SUV.

Zhou Siqi glanced at the siblings sitting next to her. Thankfully, the two children were sound asleep. Otherwise, she couldn't imagine how they'd react to such violent conversations.

Since the kids and Zhou Siqi were in the back row, Xu Duoduo had to sit with Qin Luo. While Qin Luo was chatting with Chen Xiaofei, she sneakily reached out her little claws to grab his tail. Seeing that he didn't notice, she slowly inched closer.

Finally, she succeeded in hugging it, even rubbing her cheek against it. It was so soft and fluffy.

The little zombie was in heaven.

For some reason, Qin Luo's ears turned red, though he pretended not to notice.

From the front, Chen Xiaofei noticed and blurted out, "Qin-ge, why's your face turning red while you're talking?"

Qin Luo stubbornly replied, "It's cramped in here. I'm hot."

Bai Shu, having watched the entire scene, let out a chuckle. Qin Luo turned to glare at him, but Bai Shu calmly adjusted his glasses and focused intently on his tablet.

Just as Qin Luo sighed in relief, Bai Shu suddenly spoke up. "If it's too cramped, the little squad leader can come sit with me—"

Before he could finish.

"No way!" Qin Luo snapped, his face protective and fierce, instinctively rejecting the idea.

Chen Xiaofei burst out laughing, and even Bai Shu couldn't hold back a grin.

Qin Luo's face turned as red as a tomato. Finally, he tilted his head back and covered his face with one hand, utterly mortified.

He wished the ground would swallow him whole.

The atmosphere was unbearably awkward.

The little zombie tilted her head, looking from one person to the next. Then, delighted, she gave the big gray tail a squeeze, only to see the "big dog" shudder violently.

"Ahem, alright, stop playing with it. Confiscated! Don't think I didn't notice you sneaking around with my tail!"

Qin Luo was flustered and exasperated!

The little zombie didn't understand but felt guilty. She obediently nodded, placed her little claws neatly on her lap, and stared straight ahead, sitting primly.

Seeing her behave so well, Qin Luo felt uncomfortable again. Internally conflicted, he sighed and, with the air of someone facing execution, handed his tail back to her. "Fine, fine, here, hug it. Just don't look so pitiful."

She looked so forlorn it was heart-wrenching.

Xu Duoduo didn't understand why he suddenly allowed her to touch the tail again, but she was an honest little zombie. Honest kids get treats; stubborn ones don't.

The little zombie was very honest.

So she got to hug the big tail again.

Happy zombie.

Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu both let out exaggerated "Eww~" sounds before quickly shutting up, fearing their captain's wrath.

Every day, they danced on the edge of death.

But teasing Qin Luo was a daily necessity—how else would life be fun?

Zhou Siqi found herself envying their camaraderie. Teams this close-knit were rare, especially in the apocalypse. Many teams lost members in battles, and replacements were often randomly assigned.

How could new teammates ever compare to old comrades?

Her expression turned a bit melancholic.

Zhou Siqi hadn't left with the logistics team from B City. She mainly wanted to see Da Qiao before deciding her next move.

These days, every meeting felt like it could be the last.

When they finally arrived at the H City Survivor Base, everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, we're finally here! I'm back!" Chen Xiaofei yelled as he jumped out of the car, needing to let off some steam.

Bai Shu also visibly relaxed. Outside, he was always on high alert.

Wang Weihu handed the car over to the staff for inspection and maintenance. Noticing Zhou Siqi looking uneasy, he kindly offered, "Want me to contact Da Qiao to come pick you up?"

Zhou Siqi checked the time and said softly, "No need to trouble you. Just tell me how to get to the research center, and I'll find her myself."

It wasn't time to clock out yet.

Meanwhile, Qin Luo was sorting through the items in their wristbands with Xu Duoduo. "Why are you so disgusted? The mutants in B City said this stuff is edible. Isn't it just like bullfrogs? They even said it sells for eighty points each in B City Survivor Base. Don't shortchange me."

Displayed on the screen was a pile of mutated frog corpses.

Du Chunjiang was utterly horrified. "Oh my god, why would you bring something like this back? You know the food storage department acts like rabid dogs around anything edible. I really don't want to see these things in the cafeteria!"

She complained while sorting through the 3A team's submitted supplies. "Ugh, I've already had to eat stir-fried mutated locusts with watermelon rind. I don't want to eat this too, waaah!"