They found it curious that Park Su and Xu Nuo weren't scavenging on the same floor; they often threw things from different windows. Their speed was astonishing, clearing each room without hesitation, as if they knew exactly which rooms held resources or zombies. They could clear an entire floor in just two minutes, a pace that astonished everyone.
By the end of the first day, they had covered four residential areas, ten small supermarkets, two small markets, and one large supermarket. They hadn't had a chance to hit any large shopping malls yet, but that was because they hadn't encountered one on their route.
Nonetheless, by the end of the day, they had filled a shipping container with supplies. They hadn't traveled far, though; they were now closer to the city center, which meant they could hit the malls the next day – an exciting prospect.
However, a new issue arose: staying overnight in their current location seemed perilous. Returning to the suburbs would waste too much time the next day, potentially jeopardizing their advantage in the bet.
Yet, staying here didn't guarantee safety. At this point, Park Su and Xu Nuo had them stop in front of an apartment building in the city. Xu Nuo and Park Su got out, glanced at the building, and said, "This apartment should have the fewest zombies. We'll stay here tonight." After this, he beckoned everyone else out of the vehicles and continued, "Come here and each take two isolation talismans. Place one on the window outside and another on the door. As long as there aren't zombies above level three, they shouldn't sense any human presence. I don't have many talismans, so they'll only cover six rooms. It's best if two or three people share a room; this has its advantages, especially if something unexpected happens, someone can come to report."
He then pulled out twelve talismans from his pocket, shook them, and said, "Of course, if you don't trust my talismans, you're free to not take them or find a place you think is safer to stay on your own. Now, Lü Xia, Ge Qing, and Shi Lei, come with us to clear this floor of zombies. Lu Shang, you stay here to protect their safety. If they encounter zombies they can't handle, notify us immediately. Also, organize the room assignments and distribute these talismans. If anyone wishes to stay separately, let us know, tally the numbers and names. While I won't escort anyone away, I'll ensure we don't travel too far tomorrow so we can wait for you to join us again. But in Xu Nuo's view, unless someone is foolish, they wouldn't seek to stay alone."
Lu Shang had witnessed the effectiveness of Park Su's isolation talismans and knew they could genuinely mask their scent from zombies.
However, just because he had seen it firsthand didn't mean those who hadn't would believe in their efficacy and choose to stay. Besides protecting them, the real intention was likely for him to convince the others of the talismans' effectiveness.
To be honest, when Xu Nuo expressed his willingness to share these talismans, Lu Shang was quite surprised. The sheer number Xu Nuo produced made Lu Shang envious; he almost wished he could keep them for himself, had his character not been so upstanding.
Shi Lei hadn't expected Xu Nuo to specifically call him to join in clearing zombies on this trip, since, although he knew Xu Nuo was strong, he had never actually seen him in action. He had seen Xu Nuo's control over abilities, but during their time together, it became clear that Xu Nuo's real prowess lay in his mastery of Taoist techniques, which seemed to be tied to Xu Nuo's personal secrets, thus rarely displayed in public.
Even the isolation talismans mentioned today were only revealed for the first time. To Shi Lei, Xu Nuo's willingness to share these talismans was likely driven by the urgency of the bet.
On the other hand, Shi Lei was puzzled. With Xu Nuo and Park Su's strength, they could easily gather enough resources to live comfortably in any base; why bother bringing them along?
Yet, if the resources were to be divided as Xu Nuo suggested, it would only benefit his team. There wasn't much to complain about.
Or perhaps Xu Nuo was simply helping Lü Xia and her friends gather more supplies before they left for Base B, making their journey more comfortable.
Regarding their character, Shi Lei had come to trust them by the second day of being with them. Both Xu Nuo and Park Su were friends of Lü Xia, who was also a friend to him. Although they all lived in the same apartment and were busy with their own lives, appearing to have little interaction, they often helped each other out, especially since many had families. Lü Xia, a single mother with a son, received much support from the community of ability users' families.
Moreover, Chen Jingxuan, her son, was quite likable, and in a world where few children survived the apocalypse, many who had lost their own children poured their affection onto him.
Shi Lei had an elderly mother with him, and although he had never married or had children, his mother's wish was for him to find a wife and have a grandchild. After the apocalypse, he protected her, which allowed them to survive, albeit precariously, to reach Base S.
Back then, survival was hard enough, let alone thinking about marriage or children, which made everyone feel quite hopeless. But after spending some time here, his mother got to know Lü Xia and her son.
Though the old lady thought her son might not be someone Lü Xia would consider, knowing she hoped her husband was still alive somewhere, she still transferred her longing for a grandchild onto Chen Jingxuan. Given that the boy was so charming, Shi Lei and Lü Xia grew closer over time.
Through more interaction, Shi Lei came to understand Lü Xia better and trusted her judgment. If she vouched for someone, they were likely decent. When he first met Xu Nuo and Park Su, his doubt was only about their abilities, not their character.
Secondly, after witnessing their control abilities firsthand, Shi Lei overheard two level-three ability user vice-captains discussing how they had seen Xu Nuo use impressive Taoist techniques during a night watch. This piqued his curiosity about Xu Nuo's Taoist skills, but Xu Nuo and Park Su usually acted discreetly, avoiding the crowd.
Shi Lei, like other lower-level ability users, understood that this might be due to some secrets they were not willing to reveal. Since Xu Nuo and Park Su were already willing to share so many resources, they felt there was no need to pry into others' secrets. If someone wanted to share their secrets, that would be ideal; if not, one should respect their choice. However, it was still somewhat disheartening, as not sharing secrets could only mean they weren't fully trusted.
Considering their own limited abilities, it was indeed hard to earn others' trust. Instead, they were more likely to be targeted by various forces, and selling them out might not lead to any good outcomes.
Now, being specifically called to join them suggested that they might reveal a bit of their secrets to him, which surprised and pleased Shi Lei. Could this mean that Park Su and Xu Nuo were beginning to trust him in some aspects? Lü Xia, walking beside him, sensed his tension and patted his shoulder, laughing, "You don't need to be so nervous. It's a good thing they trust you, isn't it? Just help them out, there won't be anything too difficult for us to do. We'll just pick up the benefits from behind. So, this is just a simple cleanup operation, no need to be so tense."
Although Shi Lei wanted to retort that clearing a building full of zombies, not knowing where each one was hiding, didn't seem like a simple task by any stretch, seeing Lü Xia's confident and relaxed smile, he eventually set his doubts aside, nodded, and followed them into the building. In those ten short minutes, his worldview was radically updated by their combat prowess, which was beyond his wildest imagination.
Was what they used really talismans? They seemed more like high-explosive miniature bombs to him. How could zombies just vanish upon contact?
How did they know which floors had zombies and which didn't? How did they immediately locate and eliminate zombies upon entering a room?
He had come with the intention to showcase his skills, but instead, he found himself picking up zombie cores with Lü Xia while checking room damage and noting down which apartments could be used for the night, as Park Su, Xu Nuo, and Ge Qing dealt with the zombies.
By the time they came back down with the small team, Shi Lei felt dazed. He knew Park Su and Xu Nuo were strong, but not this strong!