Chapter 489: Chapter 489: Hotpot in the Darkness

"Did you run into a group of zombies?"

Bai Xiqin glanced at the bus.

It’s alright, the whole bus isn’t completely dark, so it seems the journey was relatively smooth.

"No, those zombies stayed still, then went crazy and devoured those who didn’t escape in time. We drove fast and got far away, but the screams from behind were still very audible!"

Bai Yifan’s expression showed some lingering fear.

Truly, one wonders what this damned apocalypse has brought to the world.

The once overcrowded Earth was quite bustling. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Now, it’s just a zombie’s carnival.

"As long as you’re safe."

Bai Xiqin had come to terms with the life and death of ordinary people in the apocalypse, remaining very calm inside.

The survivors who escaped from Sheep Village were considered quite lucky; at least they had a chance to run.

In the apocalypse, people caught and used as blood bags by zombies basically had no chance of survival.

Grumble—

The weak rumbling of stomachs came from the top of the bus, belonging to the superpower users.

Having been injected with drugs and not having eaten spinach when fleeing, they were already hungry on the tense journey.

Sitting on the bus, they were all excited, knowing that once they reached Yunhua Safety Base, they would be truly safe.

The safety base would not refuse any superpower user entry. Even if they had left without reason, once they recovered, they could continue their missions to collect crystal cores.

Life seemed to be getting a bit better.

Not only were those superpower users hungry, but the Bai Family and the two uncles were also hungry.

"Are you hungry?" Bai Xiqin scratched her head, looking at the superpower users on the bus.

They were all superpower users, and the Bai Family did save their lives, so forming good relationships in this unfamiliar city of Shanghai wouldn’t be bad.

The Bai Family wasn’t stingy; if they admitted to being hungry, they could certainly offer a meal.

Of course, this meal couldn’t be from stored food—it had to be freshly foraged.

"...Not hungry."

There was a moment of silence on the bus roof, then a weak voice responded.

They mainly feared the Bai Family would think of them as freeloaders and abandon them.

At night, carrying over a dozen strangers with superpowers was pretty unsafe. If the Bai Family, fearing they had ulterior motives, left them on the road, they’d be in trouble.

In their current state, they’d barely be a snack for a zombie.

Grumble—

Their stomachs rumbled again.

They stubbornly looked up at the sky, refusing to admit their hunger.

At worst, they could wait to eat once back at the safety base, skipping a few meals wasn’t a big deal.

It was far better than being recaptured by zombies!

Bai Xiqin understood their thoughts, realizing they believed her family wouldn’t feed them.

In the apocalypse, surviving was already hard; few would offer a free meal to others.

"We’re heading over to find Uncle Wang’s car and food. If you can move, come down and gather some firewood!"

After speaking, Bai Xiqin greeted her family and, along with Leng Yebai, headed back toward Sheep Village.

Knowing her family was safe was enough; they needed to bring back Uncle Wang’s garbage truck.

The people on the bus roof were stunned for a moment, taking a while to react.

Wasn’t the direction of Sheep Village overrun with zombies?

Why would they go back?

Just to fetch a garbage truck?

And most importantly, were they really going to offer them a meal?

"Should we go gather some firewood?"

A younger superpower user swallowed, pressing a hand to his stomach.

After being imprisoned for so many days without enough to eat and lacking proteins, they were all emaciated.

If possible, they’d genuinely wish to have a hot meal right now.

The superpower users stayed silent for a moment, then helped each other down from the roof and began searching for firewood nearby.

Fearing unexpected circumstances, they stayed close to the bus, afraid they wouldn’t be able to climb up if they had to flee.

This caution was born of their experiences; having been trapped for so long, they were cautious even when close to freedom, not wanting to meet trouble close to the base.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

However, the lure of food was too great, leading them all to disembark and forage for firewood.

Before long, they had gathered a pile of firewood and watched eagerly in the direction Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai left.

With anticipation.

During the wait, they ripped their clothes to use as rags, starting to clean the bus.

A water ability user could only summon about a bowl of water, but fortunately there were several, making it just enough.

Finish the work, and it’d be easier to justify eating later—definitely want to eat more.

The Bai Family watched as their expressions shifted from blankness to excitement, and provided some clean water for drinking.

Two hours later.

In the eyes of those who had been eagerly watching, a green garbage truck was driving towards them.

The green garbage truck was covered in blackened blood, making the top barely visible as the once eco-friendly green garbage truck.

On first glance, the garbage truck looked filthy, discarded roadside without a second thought.

But upon closer inspection, not only was there blood on the garbage truck, but dirt as well, indicating it had run into various obstacles without any noticeable damage!

The garbage truck must have been reinforced by some mysterious expert!

The garbage truck stopped next to the bus, Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai stepped out from the driver’s cabin.

Bai Xiqin held a bundle of fresh green vegetables, just harvested from the ground, still juicy.

As long as one had the courage and didn’t fear zombies or mutant animals, there would always be something edible in the land.

Besides wild vegetables, Bai Xiqin also had a lot of spinach in her arms—plucked from Sheep Village.

By now, the zombies in Sheep Village had calmed down and returned to their places, so picking some spinach wouldn’t alert the Zombie King.

Apart from the lush greens, the dozen superpower users stood gaping at Leng Yebai.

Leng Yebai was holding a bloody wild boar. It wasn’t a fully grown boar, weighing only about seventy to eighty pounds.

It had long tusks and sharp bristles, its skin dark, and no black mucus in its mouth—a truly edible wild boar.

Grumble—

The rumbling of stomachs among the superpower users grew louder, yet they didn’t rush forward immediately, just stood there dazed.

Meat was incredibly scarce in the apocalypse, with artificial breeding chains collapsed, capturing wild or edible mutant animals was almost impossible for ordinary people.

They knew it was already rare enough for others to rescue them, and eating someone else’s pork seemed a bit too much.

Ahem, but if they were offered to eat, they... wouldn’t refuse either.

Too hungry!

Their state was akin to visiting someone’s house as a child, just as they were slicing up watermelon.

Wanting to eat, but feeling shy.

Leng Yebai, being straightforward, didn’t give them the chance to feel awkward, placing the wild boar in front of a superpower user and handing over a knife.

"We’ll take the pig’s hindquarters; the rest is yours."

Leng Yebai’s voice was cold, yet to them, it was like music to their ears.

"Alright!"

A superpower user glanced gratefully at the Bai Family and quickly began preparing the meat.

Bai Zhengxuan brought down a large iron pot from the bus, along with a small piece of hotpot seasoning for them.

The superpower users carefully lit a fire, eyes fixed on the large iron pot and hotpot seasoning, as their stomachs growled even louder.