CHAPTER 679: 【673】QUEEN OF THE APOCALYPSE 9 (1 UPDATE)

Zhu Li’s father was a surgeon at a private hospital and had exceptional skills, which was why he could afford a villa halfway up the mountain in the Jing Suburb Mountain Area. Of course, it also had a lot to do with his connection to Zhu Yu’s maternal family. Being in the suburbs, once they left the residential area and saw the rising smoke of the city center and the occasional scattered zombies on the rugged mountain roads, their hearts sank even further.

The situation was clearly more severe than they had anticipated, with a notably low proportion of living people.

"Where are we going? Look, there are cars everywhere. Who knows how many there are on the highway?"

"Heading west seems like the safest option. Fewer people in the west. Even if we go to the Northeast, Daxinganling, or the Northwest, it would work. In any case, we must avoid the Central Plains and the south. Though the south is rich in resources, it’s an economic hub and won’t be short of people. From what I see, we should head west."

Though they decided on the direction, fuel was still a problem. Luckily, they had awakened early enough so the gas stations along the road could sustain them for a while. Otherwise, relying on five-year-old An Nuo’s generated electricity—which was barely enough to power a car—wouldn’t work. His electricity might sustain normal lighting, but doubtfully enough for driving a vehicle.

Once on the highway, they saw abandoned cars and scattered zombies everywhere. They had brought oil pumps, and whenever they found a suitable spot, Zhu Li would lead An Nuo to kill zombies while Rong Hua and Zhao Yun extracted fuel from other cars and stored it in their space.

Initially, An Nuo was afraid to kill zombies, but Zhu Li wanted to train him. She let him take the lead. The first time, he was nearly bitten. Although he managed to release some electricity at a critical moment, it wasn’t enough to kill the zombie. It was she who decisively chopped off the opponent’s head to avert a crisis.

Under Zhu Li’s deliberate guidance, the two cooperated tacitly; Xiao An Nuo would paralyze the zombies with his electricity, and she would deal the lethal blows.

"You did great. This is how you improve your abilities. If you live under our protection all the time, you will never grow. Besides, we can’t protect you forever. What if one day all your brothers and sisters are gone? You’ll need to protect your little sister, right?"

Inspired by this, and eager to enhance his powers quickly, they would collectively kill zombies whenever they saw them on the road, as long as there weren’t many. Even Zhao Yun, holding a child, would join because she also needed to improve. Otherwise, their space would stagnate and never progress.

Now they had plenty of food. The remaining space was mainly used for storing oil, daily necessities, and other essentials. Zhu Li even utilized her vast storage to reserve two RVs as backups, naturally, at a high rent—twenty-four hours cost one hundred Gold Coins each, two hundred for both. Besides, she stored all kinds of repair tools and lubricants. Daily rent alone nearly amounted to five hundred Gold Coins. Now, she hardly consumed vegetables from her space, selling them mostly for Gold Coins to buy seeds and upgrade.

Indeed, after half a month’s efforts, she had successfully upgraded and acquired three plots of land. More land meant more Gold Coins, higher levels, and more expensive seeds. Conversely, they sold for more too.

Along the way, she collected many seeds. With just a pot of soil, she could grow a batch of green vegetables or a mushroom (spore) in no time.

Their daily water and fire usage were enough to sustain hers and Rong Hua’s training durations.

At the start of their journey, they scarcely encountered normal humans. But as they hit the highways, they started encountering normal people driving on these roads.

Some vehicles were equipped with defensive armaments, and even military jeeps and trucks appeared. Every time they passed the city edges, the roads were blocked, not just by cars but also by many, many zombies. After a few bloody fights, their abilities universally improved—essentially, they escaped death several times.

Thanks to the help from a few military vehicles whose operators fired machine guns, their escape wasn’t as difficult.

Guns, in Hua Country, weren’t something ordinary people could obtain; thus, anyone with a gun was likely from the military.

Zhu Li was grateful that at the beginning of the apocalypse, people’s compassion still lingered somewhat. So even as they followed along, they weren’t expelled. After all, their group had children and women, with only Rong Hua being relatively strong. It was reasonable for others to take care of them a bit more.

To express their gratitude, they would give some instant noodles and snacks, taken from other people’s cars, as thanks to those who helped, and their aid wasn’t refused.

These soldiers were all strong, tall men with exceptional abilities and had mostly awakened their superpowers, including one powerful, Spiritual system user.

However, they notably lacked Water Element and Wood Element Superpowers. So when they offered hot water for them to make noodles, the muscular man with a scar on his face, who led them, actually took initiative and asked, "Are you a family? Where are you heading?"

"We come from different families, but now we’re one family. We don’t know where we’re headed. We initially wanted to go somewhere with fewer people, but stepping out, we realized everywhere is filled with monsters, and it’s tough everywhere. Whether we can safely reach a safe zone remains questionable."

The man’s voice was somber, "In today’s world, there’s no such thing as a safe zone anymore. There’s no government, no military anymore. Everything depends on ourselves. Since we can help each other, let’s stick together. My name is Reyas, and I’m a Thunder Element user, thirty-five years old."

"My name is Gao Huajiang, Fire Element, thirty-two years old."

"My name is Zhou Kai Xuan, Wind Element, thirty years old."

"My name is Meng Zhonghua, Ice Element, thirty-three years old."

"My name is Zhang Qinghai, Space Department, twenty-nine years old."

"And me, I’m Baozi, twenty-eight years old, Spiritual system."

They were a six-man team, already a group before the apocalypse. People being honest, Zhu Li and her group were naturally candid too.

After introducing themselves, when she revealed she was a dual Superpower Body possessing both Water and Wood Elements, the six men’s eyes suddenly brightened.

"Ah, I knew it. Seeing you use water to wash vegetables, I figured you weren’t short on water. Especially bringing two kids, the water you used couldn’t be just from bottled water. But we’re surprised; you, little girl, are a dual Superpower Body with both Water and Wood Elements. That’s quite rare, isn’t it? And this means we won’t be short of water or food, right?"

Baozi was lively and cheerful, not at all resembling a strong Spiritual system power user.