Ch 69: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

For Tang Wenjie now, weaving a metal net wasn’t difficult—it was just a matter of turning metal into fine threads and then intertwining them. However, relying solely on the metal from his intrinsic weapons was far from enough.

He melted down the iron plate they used for ability training in the living room, but it still wasn’t sufficient. So he asked Song Kaiji for more metal—previously, Song Kaiji had specifically gone to the amusement park and dismantled two structures just to provide materials for him to practice with.

From this perspective, this method wasn’t something all metal-type ability users could use. If they relied on scavenging materials on-site, who could guarantee there would be any available? Would metal-type ability users have to carry around huge chunks of metal on every mission? The required amount would be too heavy to transport, so they’d need a space-type ability user to assist them.

After practicing for a few hours, Tang Wenjie felt that he had already mastered the technique of quickly forming an iron net. He even thought that there was no need to create the net on-site—it would waste too much time and consume too much energy at once, increasing the risk of mistakes. Instead, it would be better to pre-weave a semi-finished net at home, store it in Song Kaiji’s space, and then take it out and adjust its shape as needed when they arrived at the mission site.

With that decided, they conducted several trial runs at home, and everyone was very satisfied with the results. Everything was ready—except for one thing: a driver.

Neither Song Kaiji nor Tang Wenjie could drive. They had planned to enroll in a driving school once their university courses eased up in their fourth year. On the other hand, Qu Weiwei had enrolled in driving lessons before the apocalypse. “Let me put it this way—I can drive and go on the road just fine. I just suck at parking in reverse, so I didn’t get my license. But since there’s no traffic police now, who cares how I park? Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Song Kaiji: “…If you failed reverse parking, that means you never even took the third driving test. How do you guarantee you won’t mess up on the road?”

Qu Weiwei flipped her hair dramatically. “That’s none of your concern! Do you really want to ride a bicycle instead? Imagine someone cycling ahead while zombies chase behind—is that safe?”

Was that even a question?! Song Kaiji internally grumbled. What if, after all their effort developing the metal net strategy to avoid being killed by zombies, they ended up dying in a car crash instead? That would be too ridiculous! He turned to Shen Qing for a decision. “How about I hire a driver? This mission isn’t dangerous, and it’s close by. If the driver only has to drive, it won’t be expensive.”

Shen Qing had no objections. “Go ahead, it’s your call.”

Song Kaiji found Shen Qing’s complete trust in him very gratifying. The next day, he brought someone over—someone not entirely unfamiliar. It was the same person who had traveled with Song Kaiji when they first came to the base. Back then, the three of them had been trapped in a store together and escaped to Red City Base. One of them had died on the way, leaving only this person.

The rental car service also provided drivers, but Song Kaiji still preferred someone familiar, so he sought out this person instead.

“Let me introduce you—this is Xing Ye, an ordinary person. He’ll be our driver for this mission.” Song Kaiji then turned to Xing Ye and explained, “Once we arrive, you can either stay in the car or join us on the mission. If you do go out, don’t stray too far from us. We’ll do our best to keep you safe.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “And most importantly, whatever you see today, don’t mention it to anyone else.”

Xing Ye nodded repeatedly. As an ordinary person, he had been lucky to team up with Song Kaiji and make it to Red City Base early, back when the entry fee wasn’t as high. He had even managed to find a job inside the base. However, as more and more people arrived, life for regular humans became increasingly difficult, with their opportunities shrinking day by day. His situation wasn’t exactly easy.

He was grateful that Song Kaiji had reached out to him for this gig. “I’ll keep everything confidential!”

Besides, secrecy wasn’t uncommon among ability-user teams. Any squad hiring outsiders would demand confidentiality—no one wanted their internal matters leaked.

Song Kaiji nodded, then double-checked the supplies they were bringing: the large amount of metal requested by Tang Wenjie, the vine seeds selected by Qu Weiwei, and the crossbow bolts for him and Shen Qing. Lastly, there was a massive bag of food prepared by Mother Tang, filled with an absurd variety and quantity of snacks—so much that it looked more like they were going on a picnic than heading out on a mission.

Mother Tang even insisted on coming along. “I know how to drive! Why won’t you let me go? Ask Xiao Jie—whenever we went out for family gatherings, I was always the one driving back. I’m actually really good at it.”

Since Tang Wenjie’s father would inevitably drink at family events, she had specifically learned to drive for that reason. Her skills were indeed solid.

She wasn’t the type to just hide in the base and live off her family like a leech. Even though Shen Qing was a generous boss who never pushed them to go on missions, letting her cook instead, she didn’t want to be a burden. She wanted to contribute to the team. “Even if I can’t fight zombies, I can at least dig out the energy crystals! Let me handle the grunt work!”

Song Kaiji and the others never intended to keep Mother Tang sheltered in the base forever. In the current world, that would only put her in danger in the long run. People needed to gain survival skills to live in the apocalypse. However, this was their first time testing out the metal net strategy. While it seemed foolproof, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t have unforeseen issues. Mother Tang was older and didn’t have the reaction speed of younger people, so it was better for her to stay back this time. Once they had refined their strategy, they could take her on a mission later.

After much persuasion, she finally relented. “Fine, but I’m still going to the market tomorrow as usual—someone has to keep selling the vegetables! But next time, you better take me with you!”

Seeing that she was finally convinced, Song Kaiji said, “Alright, then while we’re gone, keep an eye out for any news about my family. I don’t want to miss them if they come looking for me.”

Even though the school wasn’t too far, there was no guarantee they’d make it back the same day. They might even have to spend a night there.

Shen Qing also chimed in, “Aunt Tang, I brought some pig’s trotters and chicken this time. I was really craving that ‘Fairy Chicken’ recipe from your phone. So this time, stay back and make us a great meal to celebrate our first mission’s success. Next time, we’ll definitely take you along.”

With both Shen Qing and Song Kaiji speaking up, Mother Tang finally relented.

With everything packed and ready, the team set off on their first mission. Qu Weiwei sat in the front passenger seat to avoid squeezing in with the three men in the back, making the car a perfect fit for their five-person squad.

Aside from Xing Ye, everyone was somewhat excited—after all, it had been a long time since they last went on a mission. Tang Wenjie, in particular, had never actually fought zombies since awakening his ability, making him eager to test his skills.

As for Shen Qing, he was absolutely fascinated. This was his first time riding in a car. The seats were so soft, and the speed was incredible! He leaned against the window, watching the scenery rush past—this was also his first time seeing the world outside the base.

The roads were so wide, the buildings so tall, and some roads were even floating in the air! When the car went onto an elevated highway, Shen Qing’s heart seemed to rise with it. Song Kaiji noticed his intense focus on the window and asked with concern, “Are you feeling carsick?”

He was a bit annoyed at himself for not considering that possibility. If he had known, he would have let Shen Qing sit in the front.

Qu Weiwei also turned around, concerned. “Do you want to switch seats?”

Shen Qing had no idea what carsickness was, so he casually dismissed their concerns before running his hand over the smooth leather seat. “This car is amazing. Why don’t we just buy one instead of renting all the time?”

“It’s not that we can’t,” Song Kaiji replied. In the apocalypse, cars were actually quite cheap—once they left the base, they’d see plenty of abandoned ones on the roads. The real expense was fuel. On top of that, not every team had a spatial ability user, so storing a car was impractical. Renting was just more convenient—it saved money on gas, maintenance, and repairs.

But seeing the fascination in Shen Qing’s expression, Song Kaiji softened and smiled. “If you like, we can pick out a couple of good ones and bring them back.”

Shen Qing immediately nodded enthusiastically.

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