Xu Nuo was confident in Park Su; this was part of his intention to train him, as it was time for him to start using his Daoist skills. However, he wasn't entirely relaxed; he kept a safe distance, ready to intervene if Park Su encountered something he couldn't handle.
But as it turned out, mishaps were rare. The occasional zombie was easily managed by Park Su. After observing for a while and seeing Park Su handle everything with ease, Xu Nuo had him use the treated zombie bodies as bait in the formations while they had the time.
Around the mall, Xu Nuo also placed five isolation talismans to minimize blood spill and attract zombies to the zombies within his formations first.
Naturally, Park Su didn't need to handle the grunt work; his hallucinogenic dandelion, idle otherwise, could use its seeds to materialize and perform these tasks.
Meanwhile, inside the mall, the situation was surprising to Shi Lei and his group. He initially thought Ge Qing and Lu Shang had only brought them in to avoid conflict with the leaders, expecting a quick scavenging session. Instead, after entering, they took a quick look at the chaotic first floor, then divided the eleven into five groups. Lu Shang led one, Ge Qing another, with each group tasked to clear one floor. They weren't to rush but to take only what was useful. If they found items too large to carry, they were to toss them down from the upper floors for later collection.
This arrangement left the other ability users dumbfounded. Was this really the pace of scavenging? Were they actually planning to stay in here for the full two hours as instructed by those young leaders?
Their speculation didn't last long, as it soon became clear that Ge Qing and Lu Shang meant business. They meticulously sorted through the clutter, selecting only useful items. Clothing, bedding, food, and household goods were their priority. Soon, everyone's hands were full, and they started throwing down the excess.
During their scavenging, they encountered zombies several times, sometimes singly, sometimes in groups of eight or nine. However, with their vigilance and a third-tier ability user among them, dealing with these zombies was straightforward, not interrupting their pace much.
However, the crystals from these zombies were mostly claimed by the third-tier ability users, leaving little for the others. As their time in the mall stretched, anxiety grew among the group.
Shi Lei repeatedly asked Lu Shang when they could leave, to which Lu Shang just smiled, pointing at the closed, dilapidated door, "Haven't you noticed? We've been in here for forty to fifty minutes, and not a single zombie has come through that door. Those two outside have the air of being able to hold off ten thousand. Feel free to scavenge; if they can't handle it, I'll get a signal, and we'll get out."
He then continued to gather useful items, thinking to himself that following Xu Nuo and Park Su was indeed beneficial.
Shi Lei was perplexed by the confidence Ge Qing and Lu Shang had in these young leaders, but as Lu Shang pointed out, the door hadn't budged since they entered. He didn't believe no zombies had been killed outside, given how much blood had been spilled inside, which must have attracted more zombies.
This was the reason for his initial unease, but now it seemed perhaps he had been too worried. Gradually, he calmed down, focusing on collecting resources, starting to trust the two outside.
After two hours, they had filled over twenty suitcases with goods, with additional items wrapped in sheets and blankets. These lower-tier ability users had never scavenged so leisurely in a mall before, and even after packing everything, they were still somewhat dazed.
When Lu Shang finally announced it was time to pack up and leave, they realized they'd been in the mall for well over two hours. Recalling their initial worries and how they were eventually persuaded by Ge Qing and Lu Shang to calmly collect supplies for such an extended period was astonishing.
Reflecting back, they hadn't heard much fighting outside, just the occasional distant roar of zombies, with no sounds of zombies crashing against the building. This made them think perhaps the zombies hadn't arrived, and they could have packed even more.
Only when everyone was carrying, shouldering, and backing loads did they grasp how much they had collected in this short time in a mall they had previously raided at least three times. The results were beyond their imagination, and even more astonishing was that no zombies had intruded during their long scavenging session.
This sparked their curiosity about the situation outside. Could today really be an auspicious day for gathering supplies with no zombie interruptions?
As they pondered this, they heard Ge Qing say with a smile, "I hope you won't be too shocked by the battle scene outside!"
At his words, they braced themselves for a gruesome sight upon opening the door, but instead, they found their vehicles quietly parked, with just a few scattered bodies, their crystals gone, and no strong scent of blood.
One of the team leaders stood calmly at the front of a car, counting yellow papers before pocketing them, while the other leader looked excited next to a pile of white ash that wasn't there before they entered, which seemed oddly like cremated remains.
More bizarrely, beside this leader was a sprawling mutated plant, its vines covering a wide area, glowing with a chilling blue light, clearly indicating its leaves were poisonous. Yet, the leader was interacting with it affectionately. As they came out, he patted the plant, which then shrank into a cute-looking potted plant, still emitting that cold blue light. Had they tamed this mutated plant?
Before they could process this, the leader with the pot approached Ge Qing, saying, "Looks like you had a good haul. Let's load up and move to the next spot before it gets dark!"
Ge Qing glanced at the heaps of white ash on the ground. While others might not recognize it, he and Lu Shang, having seen Xu Nuo's formations in action, knew these were the remains of zombies incinerated by the formations. Judging by the volume and height of the ash, Park Su and Xu Nuo had done quite well outside in those two hours. Although Xu Nuo had promised to share half of his gains with the team, Ge Qing didn't know exactly how much that would be, so he didn't mention it publicly. After all, they were on Xu Nuo's side.
Once they were back in the vehicles, they soon reached their second destination, the largest farmers' market in town. This time, Park Su and Xu Nuo didn't stay outside but joined them inside to help gather supplies. However, Xu Nuo's orders were still peculiar: first, collect all vegetables, even if slightly spoiled; second, don't miss the small shops around the market, taking all spices and cooking oils.
Third, pay attention to seeds in the surrounding shops or any unsold seeds from vendors; all seeds must be taken for the two leaders, who would exchange them for zombie crystals.
Fourth, they only needed to focus on collecting the specified items, and their personal safety would be ensured by Park Su, Xu Nuo, Ge Qing, and Lu Shang.
Overall requirements: Clear out what they need, speed is good but don't panic. If there are zombies hiding in the shops, act quickly. If you feel overwhelmed or can't react in time, prioritize escape, and these four will rush to support you.
This arrangement surprised Shi Lei and his companions. According to the leaders, they were only responsible for gathering supplies, while their safety was managed by four individuals. If they encountered higher-level zombies, they were to flee rather than fight. In short, aside from collecting resources, they didn't need to do much else, but they had to follow the leaders' instructions on what to take.
Shi Lei noticed that the leader who could control plants must be a wood-based ability user, explaining Xu Nuo's interest in seeds and all non-rotten vegetables. With a wood ability user, perhaps those items could be revitalized into edible food. However, Park Su's abilities were inscrutable to him, suggesting that Park Su was at least at a higher tier, possibly even third-tier, given his control over such a formidable mutated plant. Yet, Park Su's name wasn't known among the third-tier ability users in Base S, leading Shi Lei to speculate he might be at the peak of the second tier.