CHAPTER 332: CHAPTER 2: EXPLORATION (PART 2)

Then seal the doors and windows with wooden boards, block potential entrances with discarded furniture, lay out a few solar panels, and arm yourself to face the harsh trials of the apocalypse.

The cannibalistic plundering reduced the population of Avoni Town by more than half in less than a month, leaving the rest struggling on the brink of fear and starvation, waiting for an end they had no idea would come.

The survivors who resisted the viral infection did think about uniting. But none of them could get along, and they were constantly arguing about resource distribution.

No one was willing to give up the supplies they held, especially food and medicine, which became a gateway that only allowed things in, not out.

Ned held onto his final stronghold, fighting off any invaders daring to trespass on his territory, be they human or cold mechanical constructs.

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Just less than 200 meters away from Ned’s "Doomsday Fortress," another stronghold composed of more survivors clearly heard the gunfire.

"Omar!" a small child called out from the rooftop, "That ’old dog’ Ned is in trouble, someone is attacking his house!"

Beneath the rooftop was another "Doomsday Fortress," reinforced and piled with miscellaneous items, but compared to Ned’s hedgehog-like tight defense, it seemed much more bare.

Inside were gathered eight or nine survivors of all ages. Due to the lack of water and electricity, the air was filled with a complex odor of mixed sweat and spoiled food.

Leading them was a man in his forties named Omar, who wasn’t a native of Avoni Town but a refugee from Baltimore.

Before the disaster, a bustling metropolis had better opportunities for life and employment. However, after the disaster, places with more people were more prone to total anarchy, with bloody tragedies far more gruesome than in peaceful small towns.

During his escape, Omar’s car ran out of its last drop of gasoline just outside the town. With no choice, he and several companions who faced similar fates settled down in a relatively intact house in the small town.

The other people in the house mostly had similar experiences: a reticent middle-aged couple, a tightly embraced mother and son, and several children separated from their parents, their eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.

The group huddled together for warmth like hedgehogs in the cold night, cautiously maintaining this fragile survival alliance, yet couldn’t completely trust each other.

With more people came more consumption and subsequent disputes.

Omar was constantly brainstorming solutions to the increasingly scarce food problem—the most straightforward approach was to rob Ned, who was reclusive but well-stocked nearby.

Another more unsettling option was to expel a few housed children to alleviate the food strain.

But neither option seemed like a viable solution.

Ned may have been alone, but he was clearly well-prepared, with plenty of weapons hidden away in his fortress, and he seldom showed himself, like a wary old fox.

Attacking him rashly would undoubtedly pay a heavy price, and no one, including Omar, was willing to risk such a confrontation, as any casualties were unbearable.

Regarding those children, the brutal life of the apocalypse had trained them to be incredibly sensible; they silently did whatever chores they could and had their meager rations reduced repeatedly, thin as dry sticks.

Even expelling them would not save much food, and it could easily provoke dissatisfaction and vigilance among others, shaking the foundation of this fragile alliance.

As for other scattered groups in town, Omar had observed them secretly, and none of them were easy to handle. Each was like a startled bird, using any means necessary to survive.

Survival was getting worse day by day during the apocalypse, and just as Omar felt bleak about the future, the sound of vehicles came from outside the town, unusually abrupt.

The gasoline supply had long since been disrupted, and even with scattered photovoltaic power, it was challenging to fully charge an electric car.

Anyone driving at this time could not be an ordinary force.

Omar immediately became alert, signaling a few children to cautiously climb onto the roof with their only pair of binoculars for lookout.

Sure enough, they discovered a group of "uninvited guests" slowly approaching on the road outside the town.

They appeared exceptionally cautious, stopping their vehicles before entering the town limits, then proceeding like a pack of hunting wolves, searching house by house.

They also released several mechanical dogs as their vanguard, remotely controlling those fearless devices as they roamed the abandoned town, making people instinctively wary.

Omar personally climbed up to the rooftop, grabbed the binoculars, and observed his neighbors, immediately spotting a drone hanging with bombs flying his way.

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The feather bomb was controlled by Chen Rui, who grinned and coldly chuckled as he watched the image on the remote control handle.

The unknown survivors fired a few shots into the air, but the drone could clearly capture their scruffy, unkempt faces.

"Dare to shoot at me?" Chen Rui had the drone hover at a height of over 200 meters, pressed the release button, and watched as the bomb spiraled down, propelled by its feathered tail.

It only took seven or eight seconds before the ground erupted into two clouds of gray dust, followed by the muffled sound of an explosion half a second later.

Zhou Qingfeng did not recklessly stand within the enemy’s shooting range but evaluated the ’bombing’ effect through the camera on the mechanical dogs.

"The power is too small. Even against wooden structures, our bombs didn’t cause much damage, with the shock wave mostly absorbed by the roof."

Kongges shook his head disapprovingly. "Unless it’s a large-caliber heavy artillery, even military-grade weapons could hardly inflict fatal damage on such wooden buildings."

The team’s medic, Roger, chimed in, "The ammonium nitrate we used was originally fertilizer; its explosive power is inherently lower than TNT."

Marco also expressed an opinion, "Use incendiary bombs; wooden structures are most vulnerable to fire."

The expedition team had incendiary bombs, with a simple fuel source obtained by putting waste plastics into an iron barrel for atmospheric distillation. Not great for vehicle fuel, but excellent for igniting fires.

However, everyone immediately dismissed Marco’s suggestion, each thinking, "Using incendiary bombs is easy, but the people inside won’t be saved. If there are any women... wouldn’t that be a waste?"

Zhou Qingfeng and the others conducted the ’bombing’ from meters away, allowing them the leisure to assess the aftermath.

Meanwhile, the two explosions left Ned deeply frightened, prompting him to swiftly leave the second floor of his own ’fortress,’ hiding inside and not daring to come out, preparing for a last-ditch defense.

Omar, further away, was watching in horror, immediately realizing that the group that came today was far more powerful than his, likely a gang of bandits, against whom he stood no chance.

"Gina," Omar called into the house, summoning a scrawny girl about seven or eight years old, "Some people have come from outside the town. Go ask them for some food and see what they want."

The little girl nodded, staggering out and walking along the road towards Zhou Qingfeng and the others.

The first thing she encountered was a mechanical dog in charge of perimeter guard. Heart pounding, she murmured, "Doggie, don’t bite me, I want some food."

The mechanical dog had no speaker but circled the little girl once before ignoring her, continuing its watchful patrol.

The expedition team members, meanwhile, were scratching their heads, unsure of what to do.

"Be careful. If she’s a human bomb, we’re in trouble," Kongges reminded them. "I received relevant training during my time in the military.

First rule: never trust women and children, never be overly sympathetic, and never let your guard down, especially in uncontrolled areas."

The expedition team members had to be extremely cautious, knowing that the US military’s experience and lessons in this regard were extensive and profound.

All battlefield rules were truly bought with lives; ignoring them would be gambling with the lives of oneself and their comrades.

"So what do we do?" Zhou Qingfeng asked as he watched the little girl approaching.

"Have her strip down before coming over, to confirm her safety," Kongges gave his answer.

As the team members considered whether this idea was too perverse, the sheriff turned to the team’s only female, "Jennifer, it would be better for you to handle this."