These two young-looking team leaders had brought along two third-tier ability users, who, despite their youth, were well-known in the ability user community.
There were fewer than twenty third-tier ability users in Base S, and these two were not only a couple but also an openly gay pair. Their straightforwardness, boldness, and care for their team members made them popular to team up with.
It was rumored that Lu Shang had been seriously injured recently, so it was surprising to see him join this expedition. Had they waited all this time for these two to join their team? This realization put many at ease and made the wait seem worthwhile. Surprisingly, these two followed Xu Nuo and Park Su's orders with a respect that appeared genuine, not forced by any monetary or material gain, which puzzled and impressed the other ability users.
While they didn't understand the sudden respect for these young leaders, it was clear that anyone who could command such respect from third-tier ability users must have substantial skills.
Their approach to the town was notably different from previous teams. They strolled through the streets as if on a pre-apocalyptic shopping spree, showing no signs of tension. When encountering zombies, they simply drove over them without hesitation.
They parked near a former shopping mall, instructing Ge Qing and Lu Shang to lead the scavenging operation. Xu Nuo gave them half an hour to carefully select useful items, advising them not to rush or collect unnecessary junk, as they would visit more malls. He also assured them that the number of zombies inside was manageable, and since Ge Qing and Lu Shang had insisted on joining, they should contribute.
Meanwhile, Xu Nuo and Park Su would stay in the vehicles to block zombies from entering the mall, preventing the team from being trapped by an influx of zombies drawn by the noise and scent of blood.
This strategy was bewildering to the other ability users. Previously, scavenging was a frantic, rushed affair where they barely had time to check what they were grabbing, fearing being surrounded by zombies attracted by the commotion. Half an hour was the maximum time spent inside, to avoid being overwhelmed.
Although there were many zombies in the town, with a pre-apocalypse population of at least 600,000, where 80% turned immediately into zombies, and another 5% were either killed or turned, leaving only 15% to escape, the number of zombies was still substantial.
Even with repeated sweeps by different teams, the number of zombies outside was always much higher than inside the malls. Yet, Xu Nuo and Park Su boldly claimed they could manage the situation for two hours, which seemed like an overconfident dream to the others. They doubted whether these two could truly handle the thousands of zombies that might be attracted by the prolonged activity inside.
With Shi Lei, a peak first-tier ability user, leading the charge, two of them immediately stepped forward to suggest shortening the time inside and leaving some people to help clear the zombies outside.
Xu Nuo outright rejected their proposal, insisting they follow his plan for collecting resources. As they tried to argue further, Ge Qing grabbed one of them, saying, "Alright, instead of worrying so much here, you should quickly join us in gathering supplies. If the leaders say there's no problem outside, then there isn't. You trusted them enough to come along, so you should trust them fully as your teammates, not just see them as decorations."
Although Shi Lei was still uneasy, his intentions were good. With a third-tier ability user like Ge Qing speaking up, he hesitated. Could these two young leaders really possess greater capabilities than Ge Qing and Lu Shang, enough to make such bold claims and command such trust?
Despite his doubts, considering the potential thousands of zombies outside, he was concerned, especially since many ability users had families to think about. If something went wrong, their loved ones would be left without support.
As he hesitated, Ge Qing dragged him inside, reassuring him not to worry too much. Meanwhile, Xu Nuo communicated telepathically with Lu Shang, "Collect as many resources as possible. We'll keep the situation stable outside. If too many zombies come and we can't ensure your safe exit, I'll notify you early to come down. Your task is to help gather resources and ensure everyone's safe evacuation."
Lu Shang, though unsure how Xu Nuo was communicating, had seen enough of their secrets not to question it further. He nodded, leading the eleven into the mall.
Once the others were gone, Xu Nuo breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Park Su, "It's good to just have us now. Since we confirmed our relationship, we've had less time alone together. I regret not making the most of our time when we were just the two of us."
Park Su, blushing from his words, quickly stood up, "Stop teasing, let's set up some formations. If a horde of zombies really comes, my hallucinogenic dandelion won't be enough to handle them."
Xu Nuo loved seeing Park Su blush but knew they had no time to waste. As he had stated, if they weren't adequately prepared, and zombies managed to break through, the already skeptical team would trust them even less, their disdain becoming more apparent.
For Xu Nuo, who was considered a master both before and after the apocalypse, it had been a long time since he'd been looked down upon like this. This had only happened when he was a novice, before his reputation grew and people sought his help.
He didn't mind such looks for himself, having gone through this process before. But when it came to Park Su, whom he cherished, he couldn't stand others' disrespect. He'd seen Park Su's efforts and growth; though not as physically strong as him, Park Su's combat abilities after rigorous training and practice were far beyond Ge Qing and Lu Shang.
To see respect given to them but disdain towards Park Su was intolerable; they needed to prove their worth with action.
However, Xu Nuo was cautious about revealing too much of their methods, especially Park Su's secrets. While these people had been kind in Park Su's past life, in this life, under the influence of significant gains, people might change. Xu Nuo couldn't be sure they wouldn't betray Park Su for profit, and he knew such betrayal would deeply hurt him.
Xu Nuo wanted no uncertainties, which is why he sent everyone inside and decided to work with Park Su to eliminate the zombies trying to get in.
Most importantly, in Xu Nuo's eyes, those people would not help but rather hinder if they stayed. He also wanted to collect the zombie crystals to help Park Su absorb them faster and possibly reach the fourth tier on their return journey. This would be crucial for dealing with the high-damage mutated rose Ge Qing mentioned. If they could subdue that rose, Park Su's combat power would likely increase significantly.
As Xu Nuo began setting up the formations, Park Su summoned his green vine to help and learn. The process wasn't entirely smooth; occasionally, zombies drawn by the noise would attack, but Xu Nuo didn't even lift his head, trusting Park Su to handle his back.
Park Su relished this trust, feeling they were no longer just leader and subordinate but equal partners in love. This trust made him feel comfortable, and he didn't want to disappoint Xu Nuo. The zombies could hardly get close before being strangled by Park Su's green vine.
Since these were all first-tier zombies, they posed no real challenge to Park Su, who killed them efficiently with minimal blood spill, targeting their heads to quickly extract the crystals. Xu Nuo was pleased; in just fifteen minutes, they had set up eight killing formations around the mall area.
To help Park Su better understand the formations, Xu Nuo made sure four of them were identical, giving Park Su two chances to learn each type. After setting everything up, Xu Nuo handed Park Su thirty purification talismans, saying, "These are for purifying blood. Although you can't draw talismans yet with your spiritual energy, you can use them. Once the formations are activated, there will be a lot of blood around, not inside the formations but around them. You'll be in charge of purification. The range might be broad since we can't predict how many zombies will be outside, but I trust you can handle it. We don't want to be underestimated, right?"
Park Su took the talismans with a serious expression, "Don't worry. I can handle this."