In the Commander's office at Luocheng Base, a subordinate presented a thick stack of forms. "Commander, another stronghold of the Azure Dragon Gang we were investigating has vanished..."
Zhou Shoushan rubbed his forehead. "Report."
"Half of our patrol forces have been dispatched to investigate the major strongholds, but for some reason, the Azure Dragon Gang's spatial abilities are incredibly potent. Every time we get news and rush over, that stronghold disappears."
"Furthermore, there aren't many spatial ability users in the city, making the mission to eliminate the Azure Dragon Gang's strongholds extremely difficult. The strongholds we know the locations of, only…." The subordinate's expression was troubled.
Zhou Shoushan furrowed his brow. "So, only that one stronghold has any information?"
"That's right, it's the stronghold where the elite squad has vanished several times. According to our observers, the location of that stronghold should not have changed. An elite squad is still undertaking a mission there."
"Which squad? Have them withdraw first. This is one of the few clues we have. Don't alert them."
"Squad members include... Xiao A Luo, Mo Chen, Wang Biao..." The subordinate checked and quickly read out the names.
"Wait..." A flash of surprise crossed Zhou Shoushan's eyes.
"What's the mission progress?"
"It seems the remaining squad members have decreased. The specific mission details are unclear."
"Is the small, slender girl among the remaining members?"
"It seems... no?"
Zhou Shoushan pondered for a moment.
"Don't have them retreat yet. Continue the mission." Zhou Shoushan closed his eyes, rubbing his tired eyes, and leaned heavily against the back of his chair.
If it were Luo Xiaole... perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope...
"Sir, you should rest. You've been too busy allocating resources for the city recently. Your health will be affected," the subordinate said, filled with concern.
Zhou Shoushan took a sip of tea. "The Azure Dragon Gang is growing too powerful. If we don't find an opportunity to eradicate them soon, it will be a significant threat to Luocheng Base. I cannot relax for a moment."
"And then there's the Young Master..."
"Rebel..." Zhou Shoushan's face turned frosty. "To think he's done so many treacherous things behind my back..." After hearing about the conflict between his son, Zhou Kaifeng, and Luo Xiaole at the base entrance last time, he had been having his son's movements watched.
Indeed, considerable evidence of his collusion with the Azure Dragon Gang had been discovered.
"I want to see just how far this rebel's ambition will take him."
...
Inside the barrier, the kitchen.
"Sister Xiaole, you're up quite early!" Brother Wang and the others greeted Luo Xiaole warmly.
Old Li, however, suddenly slipped a small piece of ham into her hand.
"Thank you yesterday, sister. We sick folks wouldn't be cared for, let alone given medicine or treatment. If it weren't for you yesterday, my life might have been lost!"
The honest man's eyes were filled with gratitude. "This is something I've been hoarding. I saw it the moment you arrived; you look too frail. Eat this to get stronger!"
"Oh..." Luo Xiaole felt a little embarrassed, as it was merely a small favor from her. "Then, thank you, big brother!"
She didn't refuse. Since he was so sincere, accepting it would make him feel better.
However, she had decided that if this mission was successful, she could save all these older brothers from the kitchen, and they wouldn't have to endure such hardships anymore.
"You there, bean sprout, come here!" an irate voice suddenly called out.
"It's not even mealtime yet! What does the Azure Dragon Gang want with you?" Old Li was taken aback.
"That tone doesn't sound friendly. Sister, you should be careful. Shall we accompany you?" Big Qiang also chimed in.
The moment Luo Xiaole heard the voice, she wanted to laugh. This fellow Pi Jiajia was quite addicted to acting...
To prevent others from realizing they knew each other, he was putting on a show of authority.
"It's fine, don't worry. I'll be back shortly."
Luo Xiaole walked along, her neck hunched, following Pi Jiajia. To anyone watching, it looked like she had done something wrong and was being taken away for a scolding.
"Hey, you matchstick, causing trouble right after arriving!"
"With that tiny frame, you probably can't take much of a beating."
Luo Xiaole and Pi Jiajia stifled their laughter as they reached a blind spot.
"Boss, please be merciful and don't hold it against me! I couldn't get you out for a private talk otherwise!" Pi Jiajia clasped his hands together frantically.
Their positions instantly reversed.
Luo Xiaole waved her hand. "No need to explain. I understand. Tell me, what exactly is the Azure Dragon Gang planning?"
"Their main target right now is likely Luocheng Base."
"What do you mean… they want to replace it?" Luo Xiaole ventured boldly.
"You guessed that too?" Pi Jiajia's gestures were exaggerated. "Think about it. Ordinary soldiers, at most, have weapons. In this situation, they can only rely on numbers and firepower for self-preservation.
But elite squads are different. Each person possesses the ability to fight zombies individually. If they can capture the elite squad of Luocheng Base, absorb their abilities, and then use them for their own purposes, their combat power will increase by more than double!"
Luo Xiaole fully grasped the gravity of the situation.
"But with such powerful spatial ability users, why don't they establish their own base?"
"Because it's more cost-effective! Luocheng Base has grown much faster in the apocalypse than other bases. They think this is a juicy piece of meat to bite into. Of course, there's another very important reason."
"What is it?"
"Zhou Kaifeng," Pi Jiajia paused.
"Did you know, the Azure Dragon Gang was just a small gang at first? Zhou Kaifeng single-handedly nurtured them!"
Luo Xiaole was shocked.
"He wants to replace his father. Therefore, they must take down Luocheng Base!"
Although hard to believe, Luo Xiaole was starting to piece things together...
"Aren't you curious why Zhou Kaifeng is so determined to go against his father?" Pi Jiajia's eyes were full of gossip.
Luo Xiaole narrowed her eyes, feeling that if he were with Luo Shu and Zhou Xiaojun, it would be perfectly fitting...
"Because he wants to quickly amass wealth and control resources and power? And Zhou Shoushan's personality absolutely wouldn't tolerate such things under his nose?" Luo Xiaole asked quickly.
Pi Jiajia looked at her with utter astonishment. "You should open a fortune-telling stall, Xiaole!"
Having discussed this, Luo Xiaole had a clearer idea of the Azure Dragon Gang's objective, and Zhou Kaifeng's scheme was finally revealed.
Luo Xiaole recalled her first impression of Zhou Kaifeng, his arrogant demeanor as a young master.
It seemed that even in the apocalypse, he wanted to occupy a high position, firmly control the city, wield power, and have others work for him without pay in the easiest way possible...
It appeared that the Azure Dragon Gang's stronghold was just a fuse they had found.
The place that would ultimately detonate the storm would still be within Luocheng Base...
Luo Xiaole snapped back to reality. "Do you know the Azure Dragon Gang's next move?"
"I don't know the specifics, but they value resources highly! Their frequency of plundering resources from the surrounding areas seems to have increased recently, mostly weapons."
"Where are the supplies being transported?"
"It seems to be the main headquarters, but I can't access any more information."
It seemed that to stop the Azure Dragon Gang's conspiracy, they might be able to start with the supplies they were transporting.
"We'll discuss this later. The top priority is to share this information with my teammates."
Luo Xiaole took out a pen she found in the activity room and drew something on a piece of paper.
"Find a way to get this outside the barrier in the next two days. They definitely haven't gone far."
Pi Jiajia nodded repeatedly.
Hearing the increasing footsteps around them, Luo Xiaole quickly let out a pained cry, clutching her arm, and ran away sobbing softly.
She jogged back to the kitchen, sorting through the information Pi Jiajia had given her.
The news didn't seem false, but there was one thing: how did Pi Jiajia know so much?
...
That afternoon, Mo Chen and the others waiting outside the barrier suddenly saw the long-absent ripple of water appear at the barrier.
"Look!" Wang Biao nudged Mo Chen's arm.
After spending these two days together, he had come to realize that although this incredibly handsome young man always seemed cold and indifferent to anyone who spoke to him outside of missions, he was incredibly reliable when it came to eliminating the zombies that occasionally appeared nearby.
A teammate who was ruthless, spoke little, and was dependable would naturally earn affection.
No wonder the little healer in the squad tried to hover around him every day.
Though he also paid her no mind.
The ripple of water flashed twice quickly.
A pair of men's feet stepped out.