Su Su had already mentally prepared herself for the decision to head to the Northern Base the moment Wei Yan delivered that news.
Outside the base, he watched Su Su sit in the driver’s seat. After a brief hesitation, he sincerely wished her, “May everything go smoothly.”
A smooth journey, and everything else… may it also go smoothly.
“Alright.”
At the rear window, Pang Cancan was still leaning against the glass, looking at Le Rui. “Are you really not coming with us?”
While packing, she had already included Le Rui in their group. It wasn’t until this rather independent-minded child personally came to tell them—he had decided to stay at the Southern Base.
“There’s still a lot for me to learn at the base. I want to stay here and improve my strength before coming to find you all.”
There was one more thing he hadn’t said aloud—he wanted to guard the Southern Base for Sister Su Su, so that she could return anytime without worries.
Perhaps because he had experienced too much at such a young age, Le Rui’s thoughts were heavier than those of an average person.
Su Su agreed to his decision.
At the age of twelve or thirteen, he should indeed stay at the base and receive proper education. The two-year accelerated education program she had signed him up for had just started, and he wouldn’t be able to leave so soon.
“Take good care of yourself.”
Meeting Sister Su Su’s concerned gaze, Le Rui felt a warmth spread in his heart.
Just a few days ago, with her help, he had advanced to Tier 4.
Before parting, she had even placed a Grade 5 crystal in his pocket, specifically for his future advancement.
“Safe travels!”
The familiar seven-seater off-road vehicle gradually disappeared from view.
Le Rui stared into the distance for a long time before silently lowering his gaze, hiding the slight redness in his eyes.
“Don’t worry!” Guan Zixuan draped an arm over his shoulder. “Before Su Su left, she told me to take good care of you. And if that’s not enough, you still have Sister Wenxiu—she’s way more meticulous than the rest of us!”
“Mm.”
…
The news from the Northern Base brought an immense shock to Su Su.
Perhaps life had been too stable recently.
If one truly wanted to establish themselves in the apocalypse, they had to maintain their strength and keep up with the changes in the outside world.
So, the route north took a detour—they departed from the northeast instead.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would soon pass through the pre-apocalypse provincial capital cities—H City and S City. The Northern Base was currently far ahead of others, and taking this opportunity, Su Su wanted to see how other places had developed.
The off-road vehicle traveled for two days before taking a temporary rest near H City.
As she sipped her porridge, Pang Cancan asked in confusion, “Sister Su Su, why does the road north feel much smoother than the road south?”
“Maybe it’s because we’ve all gotten stronger.”
Back when they traveled south, Pang Cancan had been a weak Tier 2, Su Su had been a Tier 3 with no attack power, and Xiao Hei had been the only offensive Tier 3. When they encountered large zombie hordes, all they could do was evade, wasting a lot of time in the process.
Now, Xiao Hei was Tier 5, Su Su was also Tier 5, and just a few days ago, Pang Cancan had obtained a Grade 5 crystal, successfully advancing to a Tier 5 ability user.
With this team and this strength, they could basically walk sideways through a horde of low-tier zombies!
If not for the concern of damaging the off-road vehicle, Pang Cancan would have loved to just plow through the abandoned cars blocking the highway. That way, they wouldn’t have to get out and move the obstacles, making their journey much faster.
“That’s true.”
Tonight’s late-night snack was simple—white porridge with salted duck eggs. A light poke with chopsticks released the rich, savory yolk oil. Pang Cancan downed three bowls of porridge in one go. After finishing, she wiped her mouth and blinked her big eyes at Su Su, who was feeding the black snake strips of meat.
Su Su’s gaze was lowered, her serene profile illuminated by the firelight in a striking shade of ochre red.
Her slender fingers gently placed food at the black snake’s mouth. The snake obediently waited to be fed, occasionally flicking its tongue to deliberately lick her soft, reddened fingertips.
Pang Cancan: “……”
Would Guan Yu feed Zhang Fei1Guan Yu (关羽) and Zhang Fei (张飞) were two famous historical and legendary figures from the Three Kingdoms period of China (220–280 AD). They were sworn brothers of Liu Bei (刘备) and served as key generals in his army, helping him establish the Shu Han kingdom. Their loyalty, bravery, and martial prowess made them famous, and they are celebrated in history, folklore, and literature, especially in the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义).?
Would Zhang Fei lick Guan Yu’s fingers?
Pang Cancan shook her head vigorously, forcing those bizarre and absurd associations out of her mind.
“Sister Su Su, since it’s nighttime and visibility is low, why don’t we let the babies take us for a look at what’s going on in H City?”
After evolving to Tier 5, her venomous bugs could fly over ten kilometers, more than enough to take them for a quick surveillance trip around the outskirts of H City.
Su Su wiped her fingers dry. “Alright.”
Pang Cancan excitedly summoned her “babies.”
Two small venomous bugs rolled out from her sleeves. The moment they hit the ground, they expanded into massive creatures measuring 50x50x70 centimeters.
When their four wings unfolded, they even stirred up a faint gust of air.
Pang Cancan was the first to climb onto one of the venomous bugs. Once seated, she quickly waved to Su Su. “Sister Su Su, hurry up and get on!”
Su Su had seen her standing proudly on the bug’s back before. After hesitating for two seconds, she boldly climbed onto it.
Surprisingly, it was quite stable. Her weight didn’t seem to burden the bug at all.
“Hiss!”
Not wanting to be left out, the black snake slithered up onto the venomous bug’s back as well.
Plop!
Just as it had climbed halfway, the once-mighty venomous bug suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a slap, trembling uncontrollably. Its four thick limbs shivered violently.
Su Su looked at Pang Cancan in confusion.
Pang Cancan silently turned to look at the black snake. “Sister Su Su, Xiao Hei ate some of its kind before. Plus, it has a bloodline suppression over them. It’s terrified of Xiao Hei.”
It had only eaten a few venomous bugs! That was all in the past—it had long since “washed its hands of the trade” and stopped eating them.
What was there to be afraid of?
The female had already gotten on—was it going to leave itself behind?
The black snake raised its tail and, frustrated by the bug’s cowardice, lashed at it in disappointment.
“Zhi—”
The venomous bug let out a weak cry. It tried to be strong, but the moment its wings spread, it shuddered twice in fear and simply couldn’t take off.
Su Su pressed her forehead helplessly. “Forget it, I’ll just get off.”
“No need, just make Xiao Hei get down…”
Before Pang Cancan could finish her sentence, she received a threatening glare.
She instantly changed her words. “Then how about I go check out the situation by myself? Sister Su Su, you and Xiao Hei can just wait here for me!”
At this point, it was the only option left.
Su Su nodded. “Be careful. If anything unexpected happens, come back immediately. If you can’t get away, send a venomous bug to find us.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Pang Cancan took off riding the venomous bug, vanishing into the pitch-black sky within moments.
Su Su withdrew her gaze and playfully tugged at the black snake’s tail. “Look at what you’ve done! Cancan’s venomous bug doesn’t even want to carry you anymore!”
What did that have to do with it?
That venomous bug was just too weak and too cowardly.
The black snake lazily slithered to the female’s side, its head “climbing” up to the crook of her neck, rubbing against her again and again, unwilling to part.
The spring rain had ended, and with it, the breeding season had passed.
But it seemed to have left some lingering aftereffects—for example, it constantly wanted to stay close to the female.
At this moment, the black snake’s thoughts were blatantly displayed for all to see.
Su Su held its head, tilting her face away. “Enough! You’ve covered my face in drool again!”
Her expression now was much better compared to before.
The black snake, forgetting past reprimands as always, had a faint gleam of dark light flash through its eyes.
During its most painful moments, its most humble wish had been for the female to accept it. But after gaining intelligence, it inevitably developed a human weakness—insatiable greed.
It wanted to take things a step further.
Su Su couldn’t guess the “dark” thoughts running through Xiao Hei’s mind.
She was still thinking about Pang Cancan, who had yet to return.
Finally, after half an hour, a massive venomous bug carrying the young girl emerged from the darkness.
Su Su finally let out a breath of relief. “How is it?”
Pang Cancan jumped down from midair, her usual lively demeanor replaced with a rare solemnity. “I didn’t see a base, and I didn’t see any survivors. The entire H City has been taken over by zombies.”
Along their journey, they had already seen too many fallen cities.
But a completely lifeless city—it was beyond their expectations.
Su Su found it hard to believe. “Not even a single survivor?”
Pang Cancan shook her head. “The babies can’t fly too far. I could only circle around the outskirts of H City. The density of the zombie horde is just too high. In this kind of situation, it’s impossible for anyone to have survived inside for a whole year.”
Without a base, it was incredibly difficult for individuals to survive in such a harsh environment.
Perhaps, in some extremely rare cases, someone had stockpiled enough food for an entire year at home, and coincidentally, their doors and windows were sturdy enough to keep zombies out. If that were the case, they might have managed to survive until now.
But… in such a vast city, how many such cases could possibly exist?
The impact of that snowstorm was still too great.
Su Su took a deep breath. “Forget it. We’ll continue on our way tomorrow. Maybe there will be more survivors in S City.”
“Mm.”
Both of them felt somewhat heavy-hearted, lying silently inside the vehicle, each lost in their own thoughts.
Until Pang Cancan suddenly spoke up. “Sister Su Su, what if S City has fallen too?”