boyutpedia Chapter 269 Going Out 7
Chapter 269 Going Out 7
After the car had traveled about ten kilometers, Liu Yu glanced at Wang Hao and said with some concern:
"Captain, how about I take over driving so you can rest? Driving in this fog is too taxing on your eyes and mind. If we take turns driving, we can ensure we have plenty of energy."
Wang Hao rubbed his temples, feeling that his eyes were indeed a bit dry. He had been tense the whole way, focusing his gaze and trying hard to make out the road ahead, which had definitely taken a lot of energy.
He thought about it and felt that Liu Yu's suggestion was fine.
"Okay, you drive the rest of the way, and then we'll take turns driving."
Wang Hao stopped the car, unbuckled his seatbelt, and straddled the back seat with his long legs, switching places with Liu Yu in the car.
The outside environment is dangerous, so try not to get out of the car if you can avoid it.
The gas station that Battalion Commander Zhou mentioned was next to the town. Along the way, Jiang Li could see some collapsed buildings and some skeletonized corpses.
It's unclear whether these bodies were eaten by animals or died by some accident on the roadside.
Looking at the corpses, Wang Tang's eyes were filled with sorrow. He sighed, "Alas, they are all pitiful people."
Upon hearing this, Yang Yile crossed her arms and sneered, "Aren't we pitiful people too? Instead of worrying about others, we should worry about ourselves."
"Perhaps one day we too will lie exposed in the wilderness like these corpses, devoured by animals until not even our bones are left."
His words immediately silenced the car.
"I don't think I'll end up dead in the wilderness. On the contrary, I think I'll live a good life. Maybe it's you who will end up dead in the wilderness."
A soft, sweet female voice rang in everyone's ears, like a pleasant song that soothed the soul, but the words were full of hostility.
Yang Yile's expression changed upon hearing this, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes: "What did you say?"
The sound of clenching teeth was fierce, like a jackal baring its fangs, sending chills down one's spine.
Jiang Li gave Yang Yile a scared look, and just as Yang Yile was showing a satisfied expression, a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. "Didn't you just say that yourself?"
"Damn it, are you cursing me, you bitch?" Yang Yile pretended to stand up and give Jiang Li a good lesson.
"Alright, stop arguing." Wang Hao turned to look at the car behind him, his voice serious. Then, his tone softened. "We're a team now, and we need to cooperate with each other, not start arguing before we even reach our destination."
"Are you already afraid of the dangers outside? Are you prepared to feed the birds or other wild beasts with your bodies? Cooperation is the only way to achieve a win-win situation. I hope we can all return unscathed."
"I'll give the captain face and not hold it against you."
Yang Yile gritted her teeth, knowing she couldn't afford to offend Wang Hao right now. She suppressed her anger, sat down, kicked the seat, and turned to look out the window.
Zhang Tianai stretched her head out from behind Ye Jingmo and gave Jiang Li a thumbs-up.
Jiang Li said what he was about to say, and Yang Yile's words were clearly meant to disgust someone.
It's okay to say someone else has become a corpse, but it's unacceptable for someone else to say you have become a corpse. That's a complete double standard.
If his cousin hadn't been a battalion commander, how could he have infiltrated the ranks?
Zhang Tianmeng expressed her contempt for people who used connections to get ahead.
"Jiang Li, what are you doing with such big suitcases?" Fu Qian leaned over and asked curiously.
She had been curious when Jiang Li boarded the bus with that big suitcase, but she was a little embarrassed to ask.
After all, they are on a mission, not traveling, so they don't need to bring so much luggage, especially a 30-inch suitcase. They would have to stuff all their clothes inside.
Fu Qian wouldn't be foolish enough to think that it was a box full of supplies; if they had that, who would risk running out of the base?
Jiang Li was reminded of Pudding, who was sealed in the suitcase, and quickly unzipped it.
Everyone saw a pair of furry ears emerge from the suitcase, followed by a pair of watery eyes.
"This is... a dog??!"
Wang Tang exclaimed in surprise, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Fu Qian covered her mouth, her expression filled with shock, which then turned to joy. "What an adorable dog."
Yang Yile sneered and said sarcastically, "I didn't know, I thought you guys were on vacation?! You even brought a dog with you, you might as well not do any missions, so as not to drag us down."
Before Wang Hao set off, Battalion Commander Zhou had told him about this privately. However, when he actually saw Pudding appear, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. After all, in today's environment, it is not an easy thing to keep a pet, let alone keep it so well.
Pudding cautiously surveyed its surroundings, and only after confirming there was no danger did it slowly extend its paw, rest its head on Jiang Li's leg, and whimper sweetly.
Wang Wang ~
I was so dizzy from sitting here! I almost thought I'd never see you again, my owner.
"What's its name?"
Fu Qian asked Jiang Li, her eyes sparkling. She really wanted to touch Pudding's fluffy body.
"It's called Pudding, and it's there to help us find vanilla flowers."
Jiang Li stroked Pudding's fluffy head, making it squint comfortably, its ears turning into airplane ears.
"Then it will be our partner."
Zhang Tianmeng's smile revealed his teeth, making his baby face appear even younger.
The atmosphere inside the car became cheerful and filled with laughter because of the arrival of Pudding.
The road was littered with gravel and dead branches, which slowed the car down. It took them three hours to finally reach the gas station.
"Liu Yu, you and Fu Qian stay in the car. If anything unexpected happens after we get off, you'll be responsible for getting us out of there."
The others, armed and lightly equipped, advanced in pairs, back to back, exploring the terrain.
Wang Hao unbuckled his seatbelt, adjusted the holster on his waist, and prepared the magazine and knife. His face was solemn; he dared not be careless in the slightest.
Jiang Li then took a spray bottle out of her backpack and carefully put it in her pocket.
Everyone in the car quickly prepared their weapons and equipment, waiting for Wang Hao's order to head to the gas station.
The car door opened, and Jiang Li and Ye Jingmo, dressed in combat uniforms, got out of the car. In the dim light, they could see the dilapidated gas station ahead.
The gas station sign with the three large characters "Gas Station" had fallen to the ground, and the red paint on the wall had turned gray, resembling a scene from a horror movie.
Wang Hao and Zhao Mingkai led the way, followed by Wang Tang and Zhang Tianmeng.
Jiang Li turned on her flashlight, illuminating the road ahead. Pudding, who was following at her feet, was not on a leash, but wore a protective collar with spikes around its neck.
Seemingly sensing its owner's mood, Pudding was not as relaxed as it was in the car. Instead, it pricked up its ears, cautiously observing its surroundings, and occasionally lowered its head to sniff the ground.
In the still, thick fog, only the clattering sound of a few people walking could be heard.
Wang Hao walked up to the gas pump, made a stop gesture, and the people following behind him stopped as well.
The gas pump was covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that it hadn't been used for a long time. The gas nozzle was carelessly tossed on the ground, and there were dark red marks on the ground in front of it, suggesting that a bloody battle had taken place there before.
Wang Hao squatted down, wiped the bloodstains on the ground with his hand, and sniffed them. "It looks like this was left a long time ago."
He then stood up and used his flashlight to scan the area of the gas station office. He could vaguely see broken windows with shards of glass scattered on the floor, and the door was half-closed.
"Let's go."
Jiang Li followed forward, "Huh?!" She seemed to see a figure moving quickly in the thick fog.
Jiang Li stopped and shone her flashlight in that direction with some uncertainty, but found nothing.
"what happened?"
Seeing that Jiang Li hadn't followed, Ye Jingmo looked down at her, his eyes filled with concern and doubt.
"It feels like something has passed away."
Jiang Li pointed into the thick fog in the direction where she had just seen the dark figure.
Ye Jingmo looked in the direction Jiang Li was pointing, but didn't find anything wrong.
He did not let his guard down; instead, he paid even closer attention to the movements around him.
Standing behind them, Yang Yile had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a flashlight, listening to Jiang Li's words with a mocking smile.
"Isn't it because you're already scared before you even get into the office? You're making a mountain out of a molehill just because you see something."
If there were anything, it would have appeared long ago. The fact that it hasn't appeared yet suggests it's a cowardly animal, probably a cat or dog.
Jiang Li ignored Yang Yile and instead looked at Pudding, who seemed perfectly normal. She couldn't help but wonder if she had really seen wrong.
Forget it, let's be more vigilant to avoid being caught off guard.
Jiang Li focused her attention, observing her surroundings, and followed closely behind Wang Hao.
Ye Jingmo stood beside Jiang Li, adopting a protective stance to guard against any potential danger.
When everyone was only five meters away from the office, the office door suddenly opened, and before anyone could react, a tall, slender figure rushed towards Wang Hao, who was leading the group.
Jiang Li quickly raised the flashlight and shone it directly on the figure. The gray-black fur was dull, and the fur at the back, including the tail, was bald. The exposed skin had raised patches.
Sharp teeth clenched, saliva dripping from them like threads, and a cold gaze fixed intently on Wang Hao, as if it wouldn't be satisfied until it tore a piece of flesh from his body.
It was a wolf, and everyone could clearly recognize its appearance.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Hao reacted swiftly, raising his leg and kicking the wolf hard in the belly.
The wolf in mid-air had no way to change its posture and could only take the kick head-on.
It was immediately kicked to the ground some distance away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Bright red blood flowed from the wolf's mouth, and it kept whimpering, its whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Yang Yile tried his best to steady his trembling body and calm down, but he had never seen such a scene before.
That's a real beast that can kill people.
Although he used to be a petty hoodlum, it was just small-time stuff and wouldn't cause any real harm. If it weren't for his relatives saying that the trip was safe, he wouldn't have joined in the fun and spent a considerable amount of money on supplies to curry favor with them.
Yang Yile subtly moved closer to Liangzi, seemingly seeking some sense of security.
Liang Zi silently moved a few feet to the side; he didn't want to get too close to Yang Yile.
Wang Hao calmed his racing heartbeat caused by the sudden burst of power, his gaze still fixed on the thick fog around him. His intuition told him that there was more than one wolf.
"Everyone move closer and form a circle."
Wang Hao's expression was very serious, and his loud voice was filled with vigilance.
Zhao Mingkai asked Wang Hao in a low voice, glancing towards the office that was still a few steps away, "Captain, should we run into the office right now?"
The office is protected by walls, so they only need to pay attention to the side facing the door to defend themselves effectively.
Wang Hao shook his head. "I don't know what the situation is like inside the office. What if another wolf jumps out..."
Before he could finish speaking, Pudding lowered its front paws, crouched down, and made a threatening sound into the thick fog.
Wang Hao and Zhao Mingkai, without saying a word, both turned to look in the direction Pudding was calling.
Within the thick fog, the shadowy figures of wolves slowly emerged.
Only then did the group realize that they had been surrounded by wolves without their knowledge, and they were now in a standoff with the wolves.
Jiang Li quickly scanned the area and found that there were at least ten wolves in front of them.
The wolf pack slowly approached Jiang Li and his companions.
They entered the flashlight's beam, revealing their forms.
In contrast to the shabby appearance of the previous wolves, these ten wolves had gray fur with a faint sheen, sharp eyes that stared intently at the group, and occasionally licking their muzzles with their red and black tongues, revealing their ferocity and desire.
Zhang Tianmeng swallowed hard. They had just come to get gasoline and ran into a pack of wolves. Should they say they were incredibly unlucky?
Jiang Li calmly searched for the location of the alpha wolf in the pack. From her previous experience fighting wolves, she knew that the most important core of a pack of wolves was the wolf king.
The wolf pack follows the command of the wolf king. If they can find the wolf king, they have a good chance of driving the pack away.
"Everyone is trying to find the wolf king. If we can injure or kill him, the pack will leave."
Ye Jingmo held a loaded pistol in his right hand, ready to fire at any moment should the wolf pack attack.
His voice was cold and devoid of emotion as he calmly told everyone that to catch the thief, one must first catch the king.
Ouch~
A wolf's howl broke the tense atmosphere in the thick fog.
The wolves lowered their forelegs, bared their teeth, and pounced on the group.
Even Wang Hao, this giant of steel, couldn't help but curse inwardly. They hadn't even seen gasoline yet, and they were already going to have to fight a pack of wolves head-on. God really wasn't looking out for them.
In contrast to the calmness of Wang Hao and others, Wang Tang and Yang Yile were extremely anxious. Neither of them had received professional training before, and facing a life-or-death situation, they trembled uncontrollably, their hands holding guns shaking.