“How shall we compete?”
“It’s simple. We’ll go out to another empty house. Whoever finds the other first wins.”
Wang Zhihai immediately burst out laughing. “Captain, you have to let me go on a mission this time, hahaha.”
He was quite confident in this regard. Although Lin Yuan’s speed, strength, and reaction time were all superior to everyone else’s, reconnaissance wasn’t just about being strong.
It required meticulous observation, a cautious mindset, sufficient patience, and quick familiarity with the terrain.
Lin Yuan was talented, but surely not so fast that he had already mastered what Wang Zhihai had taught him.
He shouldn’t have, right?
About ten minutes later, Lin Yuan had already pressed a dagger to Wang Zhihai’s throat. “Brother Wang, you lost.”
“Captain, who did you learn this from?!” Wang Zhihai was exasperated. The two of them had entered this building, intending to get the upper hand, but they hadn’t found any trace of Lin Yuan. Then, they were caught off guard and captured.
Sheathing the dagger, Lin Yuan smiled. “I used to play hide-and-seek with my dad a lot, so I know a little. You’ve also taught me a lot recently, so I’m quite proficient now.”
Wang Zhihai finally understood. Right, Lin Yuan had mentioned it in passing – his father was a scout.
“Actually, I should have lost this competition. It’s just that you were a bit too eager, Brother Wang, which is why I managed to seize the opportunity and gain a slight advantage.”
“Sigh, maybe I really should retire. Since that’s the case, Captain, I have no objections, but you must pay attention to your safety.”
“I understand. Before I leave, I need to ask the brother and sister a few things. Have Lin Qingyan and Qin Xia finished bathing them?”
“They should be done by now.”
Returning to the supermarket, Wu Tian saw Wang Zhihai’s dejected expression and knew Lin Yuan had won.
He quickly handed over the black rain gear he had prepared.
“Wait, Captain,” Zhao Mengnan called out to him, taking off his bulletproof vest and helmet and offering them to Lin Yuan. “Captain, please wear this. It’s safer.”
Lin Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony, put them on, and asked while changing, “Where are Jiang Ziqi and the others?”
“Qing Tian swapped hers with Ziqi, and she’s wearing Captain Wang’s bulletproof vest.”
After putting on the gear and picking up his pistol, along with two spare magazines, Lin Yuan called Mu Qingtian, Jiang Ziqi, Wang Zhihai, and Wu Tian over.
“Now, let’s assign tasks.
According to the information provided by Liu Mengmeng and her brother, we can infer that a group of inhumane survivors has settled nearby. I’ve just checked the map, and there are many places that fit such a large gathering. However, the two most likely locations are the ones Wu Tian has already told you about.
Mu Qingtian and Jiang Ziqi, your mission is to scout whether there are any of these people on our evacuation route. Wang Zhihai and Wu Tian, you need to ensure the safety of the convoy and can use all means necessary if required. Do you understand?!”
“Understood!” All four of them looked solemn. This was the first time they had encountered a group of survivors, and they were unlucky enough to run into such ruthless and unscrupulous survivors right from the start.
“Any other questions? Feel free to ask.”
Zhao Mengnan raised his hand.
“Captain, what if those people aren’t in those two directions?”
“Then we’ll take the opportunity to pass through. Don’t bother with them. Under any circumstances, do not initiate conflict with other survivor groups unless they provoke us. Do you understand?!”
“Understood!” x4
At this moment, Qin Xia came out with the brother and sister, who had finished bathing and changed their clothes.
Looking at them, Lin Yuan’s expression softened. He said, “You actually know that we can’t save everyone, but if we can, we should. As for the rest, if they threaten our team’s safety, I hope you won’t be soft-hearted. Once a fight breaks out, whether we strike first or they do, we must eradicate them completely, leaving no future trouble! Do you understand?!”
His voice was particularly cold, but to Wang Zhihai and the others, it sounded very comforting.
Comforting indeed.
“Understood!!”
“Alright, Ziqi, Qing Tian, wait for me by the entrance. I’ll be out after asking a couple of questions,” Lin Yuan said, then walked towards Liu Mengmeng, who was still wiping her hair.
“Mengmeng, I have a question for you. Did you see what those people looked like at the time? Do you have any strong impressions? Did they have guns?”
Liu Mengmeng stopped what she was doing and thought carefully, her expression growing increasingly ferocious. The pretense of fragility and calmness she had maintained was now shattered.
She wanted to kill all of them.
“Most of them had ordinary faces, men and women. The women I saw that day, besides the one who was captured, were generally not good-looking.
There were two people who left a particularly deep impression on me. One had a very sinister face, with triangular eyes, slightly dark skin, a scar on the right side of his head, and no hair, making him look very conspicuous. Others seemed to listen to him, and he was the one who killed those two children.
There was another man with buck teeth and a strange-looking head, how should I put it, not flat. There was a tattoo on his neck, but I couldn’t see what it was.
As for guns, I didn’t hear any gunshots. They were all using melee weapons, like machetes and spears. However, I did see some people carrying things on their backs, and I don’t know if they were guns.”
Carrying things? Like hunting rifles?
Lin Yuan thought it was still possible. In the rural areas of this era, if there were hunting rifles deliberately hidden, and they weren’t shown to anyone or were collectively concealed, it wasn’t impossible.
Thirty-odd people, wielding large knives and spears, managed to take down a service area.
They were quite something.
Theoretically, with coordinated personnel and appropriate formation, it was possible to take it down.
Were they really that capable?
Lin Yuan pondered, then shook his head. He would know after the reconnaissance.
As for the way this girl emphasized the killing of the two children, it was likely that she wanted them to eliminate that group of people.
Unfortunately, Lin Yuan didn’t have that much capability, nor did he want to be a knight-errant, unless this group happened to block their path.
He patted the pistol tucked at his waist and smiled. This way, they would be fed bullets, the powerful kind.
“I’m done asking. Now you follow Sister Qin Xia. She’ll show you around. Remember not to wander off,” Lin Yuan said after giving his instructions, then prepared to set off.
“Wait,” Liu Mengmeng called out to Lin Yuan.
“What is it?”
“If possible, I mean if it’s possible, can you save my parents?”
Lin Yuan looked at her for a moment, then smiled. “If it’s possible, I will.”
Walking to the supermarket entrance, Lin Yuan put up the hood of his rain gear and checked the map again, confirming the direction. He waved his hand.
“Let’s go!”
It was pouring rain, but there were no thunderstorms or lightning, so Lin Yuan and the others brought walkie-talkies to maintain timely contact with the convoy.
They had already exited the highway and had gone to check the evacuation route. As Lin Yuan had expected, a landslide had blocked more than half of the road. It was barely passable for pedestrians, let alone vehicles.
“Captain, let’s go. We can only take that road, and the danger isn’t too great. Once we pass that village, we’ll be on the national highway.”
But as they were about to return, Lin Yuan seemed to spot something.
He quickly signaled Mu Qingtian and Jiang Ziqi to take cover on either side.
Jiang Ziqi didn’t know these tactics and had to crouch down with Lin Yuan.
“What is it, Captain?”
“Use your sniper scope to look at that highway exit. Is there any movement?”
They were only about 500 meters from the exit where they had just come off the highway. Although the pouring rain blurred the vision somewhat, Lin Yuan still sensed something was different.
Mu Qingtian was carrying a QBU-191 precision rifle. She didn’t bring a sniper rifle because it lacked a silencer and couldn’t be fired casually.
The 4x optical sight was sufficient.
“Captain, there is indeed movement. It’s a group of people, moving towards the highway, carrying things. It’s probably guns!”
Damn it, could it be that they were really watching from the shadows?
Then why didn’t they intercept them when they came out?
This rainy day was truly a good day. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the heavy rain to launch a surprise attack.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then quickly opened the walkie-talkie and said, “Moon, there are people heading onto the highway. Everyone enter combat readiness immediately. Load the grenade launchers and smoke grenades, prepare for battle!”
“What?! Now! Do they want to catch us off guard by using the rainy weather? Okay, I’ll prepare immediately!”
The walkie-talkie went silent. Lin Yuan stared intently in that direction. The sky was as dim as if the sun had set.
Could these people really be the group Liu Mengmeng mentioned?
“Let’s follow them first, assess the situation, and if necessary, surround them!”