CHAPTER 133: CHAPTER 128 ON THE ROAD! A BIT OF WIND AND SAND

The convoy sped away from the Spring City Outer District at an incredible pace.

Seeing that no battle occurred, Li Qiang and Zhang Lei both let out a long, relieved sigh, a hint of relaxation spreading across their faces. In stark contrast to their ease, Liu Haofeng’s brows were tightly knit, the worry etched there palpable. He felt with increasing certainty that this mission was not going to be so simple.

Chen Pingchuan was the most emotionally stable of the group. Indifferent to the changes outside, he simply focused on continuously lifting the Xuan Iron dumbbell in his hand. Due to the limited space within the SUV, this was the only primitive way he could slowly recover his strength attribute. During breaks, he would also try to meditate, and though the effects were marginal, it was progress nonetheless.

As the vehicles moved farther and farther from the outer district, the bearded Wang Yujie also lowered his guard and muttered to himself, "Today is so goddamn strange. All those Black Demon whelps are acting like they’re dead. Not a single one has shown its face. Maybe it’s their mating season and they’re all busy making little Black Demons?"

Wang Yujie’s dark humor fell flat; naturally, no one in the vehicle responded. He then picked up the walkie-talkie, his tone becoming somewhat more composed as he reported on the situation behind them.

"nightingale, nightingale, this is Big Beard. The rear is clear. I repeat, the rear is confirmed clear, no anomalies."

"Received!" nightingale’s voice was a bit hoarse, yet it held a unique sort of beauty.

Not only were Chen Pingchuan and his group oblivious, but even the battle-hardened nightingale couldn’t have expected what came next. Shortly after their convoy left the outer district, hordes of Black Demons swarmed across the ground, tailing them from a distance.

The convoy raced along the endless highway for over six hours. The monotonous roar of the engines and the unchanging scenery outside the window seemed to grind everyone’s patience down to nothing. Finally, an abandoned gas station came into view on the side of the road.

The convoy slowly came to a halt. The combat team members began their routine actions in an orderly fashion, stretching their stiff bodies from the long ride while cautiously observing their surroundings. Once they were limber, the soldiers spread out in groups of three and five to scout the area.

Inside the gas station’s convenience store, food wrappers were scattered across the floor. The shelves were completely bare, obviously having been looted by wanderers. Once the combat team had completed their reconnaissance, they began distributing food.

The six-person team of high school students naturally gathered together, finding a secluded corner to eat the high-energy bread distributed by their supervising instructor. Though it was called bread, its shape resembled the solid Jell-O from his previous life. It was chewy, and despite the poor taste, it melted instantly in the mouth.

"Jiaqi, did you and Ye Luo learn anything useful over there?"

"What?" Feng Jiaqi asked back, her expression completely puzzled by Liu Haofeng’s question.

Eavesdrop? What does he mean? Why would we be eavesdropping? And on what?

Looking at her adorably bewildered expression, Liu Haofeng felt a heavy weight settle in his chest, as if a massive boulder was crushing him, forcing him to struggle for every breath. A true princess from a wealthy family, not a lick of sense. Look at our team’s composition. Does this look like a high school internship mission? It’s obviously a combat squad on a secret operation.

Of course, Liu Haofeng didn’t say any of this out loud. He had figured it out: you couldn’t judge a young lady like her by normal standards. She wasn’t here for combat training; she was on vacation to enjoy life. Afraid of losing his composure again, Liu Haofeng quickly forced a smile and changed the subject.

"It’s nothing. I was just wondering if the ride was bumpy for you. After all, we don’t get to ride in SUVs like this very often."

"You’re insane. I don’t need your concern, so mind your own business." Feng Jiaqi retorted, even as she snuck a sideways glance at Chen Pingchuan, afraid he might misunderstand their relationship.

Unfortunately for her, the "good man" Chen Pingchuan was also internally mocking her. He, however, didn’t share Liu Haofeng’s reservations and asked her bluntly, "Qiqi, I remember that the female instructor in your vehicle is the leader of this group, right? She seems really fierce."

"What do you mean, ’fierce’?"

Feng Jiaqi didn’t understand the new term he used. Chen Pingchuan then realized that an adjective like that didn’t seem to exist in this world yet.

"It means very cool, striking, and stylish."

"Ah, yes, Sister Nightingale is indeed very... fierce." Halfway through her sentence, Feng Jiaqi seemed to remember something. Her face immediately lit up with a proud smile as she boasted to Chen Pingchuan, "Chuanchuan, did you know? Sister Nightingale is only five years older than us, but she’s already a Level 6 Genetic Warrior! In another year or two, she’ll become one of only two Level 7 top experts in the City of No Night."

"Is that so? That’s amazing."

"Of course! And let me tell you..."

Under Chen Pingchuan’s gentle prompting, Feng Jiaqi naturally shared everything she had seen and heard in the vehicle. Her mouth was like a chick pecking at grains, chirping nonstop.

From Feng Jiaqi, Chen Pingchuan and the others obtained a lot of useful information. Unlike the foul-mouthed, bragging Big Beard, nightingale, the team leader, seemed to know something about Feng Jiaqi’s background. Therefore, as long as Feng Jiaqi’s questions didn’t touch upon the team’s secrets, nightingale would patiently answer them.

This gave Feng Jiaqi the false impression that Sister Nightingale was a very kind person. But could a combat team captain who regularly braved the post-apocalyptic outside world really be that simple?

Obviously not. Leaving aside her ruthless decisiveness, for useless small fry, even speaking an extra word would be a bonus, let alone answering every question she had. There had to be a motive. Both Chen Pingchuan, with his memories of two lifetimes, and Liu Haofeng, the illegitimate son of a prominent family, understood this point clearly.

After a simple lunch, the group hit the road again. This leg of the journey was even longer and more tedious than before. Any signs of human civilization had completely vanished from the roadsides. The endless yellow sand seemed to stain the very sky yellow.

Chen Pingchuan’s once-handsome face was now covered in grime from the dust kicked up by the vehicle ahead, and his once smooth, black hair was now a tangled mess. In just a single day, he seemed to have transformed completely, a stark contrast to the neat and dashing high school student he had been before.

It wasn’t just Chen Pingchuan; the other boys looked the same. The two girls, of course, were an exception. Having been well taken care of, they received silk scarves from nightingale to cover their faces and hair.

"Brother Jie, how many more days is it gonna be? The waiting is killing me."

Hearing Zhang Lei’s complaint, Wang Yujie chuckled and scolded, "You’re that eager to be a miner, kid?"

"Uh..."

The expression on Zhang Lei’s face froze.