Chapter Fifty-Four: The Hour of the Hunt Approaches

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing—I’ll be leaving the community soon to take care of some personal matters. Brother Huo, could you let those at the front know?” I suddenly remembered the “Ultimate Slaughter” mission; ever since it was triggered, the clock had started ticking. In other words, my seventy-two-hour countdown had begun the moment the event was activated. If I failed to complete the task within that period, the sadistic gene-ecological lock would erase me without mercy.

“No problem, that’s a small matter. I have full confidence in you, Brother Cao,” Huo Tian replied after a moment’s hesitation. I knew exactly what he was wavering about. I’d just warned him that there might be trouble in the settlement, and now I was heading out on my own—anyone would be suspicious under these circumstances.

“Don’t worry. I’m a wanderer by nature. If I don’t return, it won’t be surprising. Maybe I’ll be dead, or maybe I’ll have gone somewhere else,” I said, laughing at myself.

Huo Bing’s face changed; she grew visibly anxious and blurted out, “Brother Cao, I’ll go with you!”

“Nonsense!”

“No.”

Seeing that the only two men in the room opposed her, Huo Bing clearly wasn’t happy. The three of us stared each other down in silence. She glanced from me to her father, then said with determination, “Neither of you has the right to decide. I’m nineteen—an adult. I can be responsible for my own actions. I’m going with Brother Cao!”

I leaned back against the sofa, massaging my forehead. This time, I was going out purely to slaughter the undead, not to handle anything technical. Bringing anyone along would only complicate matters—going alone was the best choice.

I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the old fox Huo Tian’s ashen face. He always acted as if everything was under his control, but now, when it came to his daughter, he was at a loss.

“You… you! I’ve spoiled you too much! This is outrageous! Nonsense!” he snapped.

“Brother Cao will protect me…”

“Let’s be clear: I may not even be able to protect myself this time, so don’t expect me to watch out for you,” I said.

Huo Bing shot me a look of indignation. “I can take care of myself! You think I’m weak?”

“Um, Brother Cao, if it really can’t be helped, maybe you should let Bing go with you…” Huo Tian looked at me.

I silently wondered if Huo Bing was really his biological daughter. Didn’t he worry that something might happen to his precious girl out there?

“All right, since her own father consents, I have nothing more to say. Besides, her legs are her own—how could I stop her?” I nodded.

After that, I turned to leave, with Huo Bing following close behind—clearly determined not to let me out of her sight.

“I need to ask you something. Do you know of any nearby places with an oil depot, or, according to your previous risk assessments, any areas populated only by low-level undead?” I asked as we returned to my room.

Having been stuck in ZM City for so long, I wasn’t familiar with the surroundings; I had to ask.

“Areas with low-level undead? That’s hard to determine. Some of the undead, unable to find humans to devour, have started eating each other and evolving. There’s no telling where higher-level monsters might show up now. And the risk assessments aren’t always accurate.”

“Uncle Shen Lin went to a low-risk area, didn’t he? But he was still killed by something in there. As for oil depots, I haven’t heard of any, but there is a chemical plant.”

A chemical plant? An explosion there would be as devastating as any oil depot. More importantly, such factories would likely be swarming with undead—after all, a plant is much larger than a depot, and it’s only natural that many workers would have been trapped inside when the world fell. A large factory could have easily housed a thousand people or more.

“Where is it? How far is the journey? Have you ever been inside?” I fired off my questions in rapid succession.

Huo Bing answered patiently, “It’s to the south of the settlement, about a hundred kilometers away, in XY City. We’ve been to the city itself before—didn’t run into any Nightmare Beasts, those terrifying predators, but there aren’t many resources left. The place has been picked clean by scavengers.”

“I only know about the chemical plant from the old-timers—never been there myself. In fact, no one from our community has ever gone inside, but you might want to ask Shen Dong; he’d know more.”

A hundred kilometers—about two hours by car if nothing goes wrong. The timing would work, and there were no large predators there, which was vital. I didn’t want to encounter a Nightmare Beast or a mutant in every city. Since XY City had been swept clean multiple times, it was unlikely to harbor anything too dangerous. Otherwise, the survivors wouldn’t have dared to raid it so often.

I took out my composite titanium blade from its box, slung it diagonally across my back with a bandage, and grabbed my trusty backpack. No matter where I went, that “万能小背包” always came with me. It was filled with essential supplies; I had to be ready for the possibility that I might never return.

Wherever I ended up, that would be my temporary home.

“Uncle Fusheng, are you heading out again?” Chen Yunyun rushed out from the side room, followed by Han Shuqing.

I squatted down and gently held the little girl’s porcelain hand. “Yes, I’ve been cooped up at home for three or four days. Time to get to work, or I’ll start rusting.”

Chen Yunyun was clutching a rag doll she’d found somewhere. In her childish voice, she said, “Then Uncle, you have to come back safe! Don’t leave Yunyun behind. When you return, I’ll give you a back rub and a shoulder massage.”

What a charming little girl. I ruffled her hair and said gently, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely come back. Listen to your mother at home, and don’t run off.”

I stood and nodded to Han Shuqing, then left with Huo Bing.

“Mr. Cao! I’ll… I’ll wait for your return,” Han Shuqing called from behind me.

I didn’t look back, just raised my hand in farewell—after all, who could say if I’d ever make it back? In this post-apocalyptic world, no one could guarantee they’d return once they left.

“Woof! Woof…!”

Si Ye came bounding after me, quickly catching up and playfully baring his teeth as if to threaten a bite.

I’d actually forgotten about the dog. He hadn’t gone hungry these past few days, so he must have eaten his fill on our last outing. I really didn’t want to see him drooling at me again—it was just too unnerving.

At the training grounds, I found Shen Dong organizing the team to inspect the residents. I wondered if his diligence was rooted in his trust in me—after all, I’d been very serious when we discussed this matter.

“Shen Dong, has anyone from the team ever gone to the chemical plant in XY City?” I asked bluntly when I saw him.

Shen Dong glanced at me and Huo Bing, quickly realizing why I was asking. His face grew grave. “You and Bing are going to the plant?”

He was silent for a moment, then confessed, “I haven’t been there. My father once led a team, but half the men never came back. He never said what was inside, only that if you don’t want to die, stay far away from that place.”

“Since then, no one’s ever gone back. And with so few supplies left in XY City, even the scavenger teams stopped going there. It’s been about six months now—nobody knows what the situation is like anymore.”