As the sun dipped westward, three hours after Bai Wen's departure, the group of burly men returned, driving a camouflage armored vehicle and several small trucks loaded with supplies and women—evidently a fruitful haul.
The gaunt leader who had earlier unleashed the Wind Blade crouched beside a subordinate with a shattered skull, remarking to his companions, "This was done by a large-caliber firearm, likely a professional sniper rifle. Seems there are still capable fighters in S City besides those from the Black Cloud Safe Zone."
"Second Brother, with such specialized weaponry, the owner must be formidable. I estimated those four shots came from over a kilometer away, shortly after we left. If they'd targeted us during our passage, I couldn't have blocked them," another man added.
"Enough. First, transport the supplies and women back. Then we'll track down this shooter. Anyone who kills our people from Zuo Mountain Safe Zone won't get away with it!"
At dawn the next day, warm sunlight bathed the land. Fully armed and clutching his rifle, Bai Wen stealthily entered an alleyway, dispatching zombies hiding from the light before emerging in another secluded lane to decapitate a zombie and extract its crystal.
This area had remarkably few zombies—likely cleared out by yesterday's group. He planned to try his luck at the Black Cloud Safe Zone, inspired by the four crystal harvesters he'd observed. Perhaps they too collected crystals? Though they'd probably taken their haul, he had to check before leaving S City.
When he reached the underground mall housing the Black Cloud Zone, neither living souls nor zombies remained. Only the entrance was littered with over a hundred corpses, their blood congealed—evidence of yesterday's massacre. It appeared everyone in the Black Cloud Zone except the women had been slaughtered.
The extensive safe zone lay in ruins. After searching fruitlessly for valuables, he made a prized discovery in an office: a securely hidden, locked box that had escaped notice. Without SCV's detection, he might have missed it.
Inside were hundreds of crystals of varying sizes! After SCV processed them—deducting ammunition production costs—his energy crystal count surged by 500 points, reaching 1,100 total.
Returning cautiously to the orphanage, he summoned Yun Huo and Tai Long from their lookout posts into the air-raid shelter, sealing the entrance. Yesterday's gunfire had exposed them; their pursuers could already be searching. Caution was paramount.
Spreading out a map of Tibet, he began scouting locations for his future base—somewhere secluded yet spacious, not too distant from cities for convenient crystal gathering.
After looking for a long time, he finally settled on a location right in the center of Zang Province, over two hundred kilometers from S City and not far from B City or H City. Most importantly, it was only about five hundred kilometers from 'that place'—he still remembered the location where he had endured so much pain and suffering, and the person who had ripped out his heart!
The most crucial point was that the area was a large mining site, deserted for dozens of kilometers in every direction and not on any major roads, making it unlikely to be easily discovered.
Now that he was exposed, those people would inevitably come for him sooner or later. He had no confidence in facing them head-on at this stage, so he needed to leave S City as soon as possible. Only after establishing his main base and producing combat units would he return to retrieve the Crystal from them.
Once the location was decided, he began searching for a suitable vehicle. The car he had initially used was no longer an option—it couldn't possibly fit so many people. So he went out again to scavenge and soon found a relatively intact large RV parked by the roadside.
Bai Wen inspected it and was very satisfied.
He then had the SCV examine and modify it. After half a day of work, the RV was transformed into an armored vehicle covered in steel plates!
Abandoned cars littered the streets, and gasoline was easy to collect. Thanks to the sealed fuel tanks, most of the gasoline hadn't evaporated, so he quickly gathered enough to stock the RV.
That evening, when he returned to the orphanage, he called an emergency meeting.
Facing the confusion in everyone's eyes, Bai Wen got straight to the point: "We can't stay in S City any longer. They'll find us eventually, so I plan to leave and hide somewhere remote!"
"But..." Hua Duo raised her hand. "If we go somewhere with few people, where will we get food? And how will we leave?"
"I've already prepared a vehicle that can safely take us out of S City. As for food, don't worry—I believe that as long as we stick together, we'll overcome any hardship!"
"Of course, you can also choose to stay behind. I'll leave weapons and food for you. But you should understand—this journey will be fraught with dangers, and I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep every single one of you alive."
Bai Wen naturally didn't want to drag along so many burdens, but these were people he had encountered by chance, and he couldn't just abandon them. He'd let them decide for themselves.
The group fell silent, except for Wang Ya, who raised her hand without hesitation.
Yun Fei Wu quickly followed suit, raising her hand as well. "I—I'll go with you too!"
The others, though still fearful, knew that without Bai Wen, they might not even survive a week. Reluctantly, they raised their hands as well.
Bai Wen was surprised—he hadn't expected them to cling to him like this. Clearing his throat, he spoke sternly: "You need to understand—I can't possibly take care of all of you by myself. If real danger comes, I'll prioritize my own survival. Don't blame me if I leave you behind!"
"Brother Bai, we know what you mean! To be honest, we're not helpless either. I once beat a Zombie to death with a steel pipe—we can protect ourselves!" Tai Long thumped his chest confidently.
"Yes, we don't need your protection. We can take care of ourselves and even help you with daily tasks. Please, you must take us with you!" Yan Jiang also pleaded.
Bai Wen helplessly pursed his lips. "Fine, have it your way. Pack your things quickly—we leave first thing tomorrow!"
Everyone began gathering their belongings, their moods heavy. The road ahead was treacherous, and none knew how long they could endure.
However, when they saw the safe and comfortable Armored RV, they were stunned speechless. How had Bai Wen completed such a massive project alone?
Of course, Bai Wen couldn't tell them the truth. Though the secret might come out eventually, by then, he wouldn't care anymore.
Once aboard the RV, their spirits lifted with excitement. Yun Huo volunteered to drive—he had been Yun Fei Wu's chauffeur before and was experienced with RVs, so Bai Wen trusted him with the task.
The RV was spacious, with a bedroom, living area, kitchen, and bathroom, plus the passenger seat. Even with eight people, it didn't feel cramped at all.
Summoning his courage, Yun Huo started the engine. Following the route Bai Wen had set on the navigation, he forcefully rammed through the cars blocking their path, speeding toward the outskirts of S City.