Though exhausted from daily training, everyone felt their futures were brighter the more they worked. To them, surviving in this post-apocalyptic world wasn't as hard as they once thought, and they grew increasingly fond of their leaders, Park Su and Xu Nuo.
When Xu Nuo returned after six days, having successfully elevated his abilities to the fourth tier, Park Su felt his worldview had been refreshed. Xu Nuo's ability manipulation was only at the mid-third tier before, and now he was at the fourth tier so quickly!
This made Park Su jokingly jealous of Xu Nuo's seemingly effortless breakthroughs, but remembering that Xu Nuo was his partner helped balance his feelings, even instilling a sense of pride.
With Xu Nuo back, their plan to train and hunt zombies expanded. Several times, they intentionally left zombie bodies and their blood scent, drawing in hordes of zombies. Initially, the low-tier espers were concerned about their capacity to handle such situations.
But each time they were on the brink of exhaustion, Park Su and Xu Nuo would take over, finishing off the zombies with swift, powerful moves, guiding the group to a safe, prepared resting spot. No one was injured during these operations, and after resting, Xu Nuo and Park Su would go out to clean up the remaining zombies before rejoining the team for rest.
Although the espers only saw the simple methods used by their leaders, the results were awe-inspiring. Consequently, they lost their fear of incoming zombies, driven by the belief that their leaders wouldn't let them die in vain.
During this time, the trust in their two leaders grew immensely, even rivaling the popularity of Lü Xia and Shi Lei among the team, turning them into avid fans.
They spent a total of ten days in Pingcheng, far exceeding their initial expectations, yet no one complained. In these ten days, not only did they gather most of the city's resources, but their abilities also significantly improved. Even the last three espers at the peak of the first tier broke through to the second tier, a pace of advancement they wouldn't have dared to dream of when joining the team.
Seeing the situation stabilized and the resources nearly depleted, with only one container truck left empty, Xu Nuo thought about the next town they planned to visit. It would be a pity to leave behind what they had collected if they encountered something valuable.
Since they found an additional container truck in Pingcheng due to the ample resources, they now had one truck per person, with no extra hands to drive another. Xu Nuo had no intention of separating from Park Su to drive alone, so he decided to end their scavenging in Pingcheng. He suggested leaving some resources for future explorers or the city's survivors, although they hadn't encountered any espers despite their extensive exploration.
Park Su was skeptical about this sudden change in policy since they had been thorough in their scavenging, leaving little for others. However, he didn't oppose Xu Nuo's decision, and the team, having developed a deep reverence for Xu Nuo, followed his word without question, even admiring his thoughtfulness towards other potential survivors or espers.
With their eight trucks full, they prepared to leave, but on their last day in Pingcheng, they encountered an unexpected event. This wasn't a dangerous situation but rather meeting a group of survivors. From a distance, Xu Nuo could see with his abilities that there were quite a few people gathered in their own village.
The village was surrounded by traps, with people taking shifts to guard against zombie attacks or perhaps other threats that required vigilance. Park Su and Xu Nuo hadn't initially considered this much.
The location chosen by the survivors was at the junction of Pingcheng and another smaller town, which wasn't economically developed even before the apocalypse, making this area relatively remote and open. This meant more farmland and households, leading to a good stock of provisions. However, Park Su and Xu Nuo had no interest in robbing these ordinary survivors struggling to live in this new world.
As they planned to detour to another village to leave, they thought the darkening sky might make night travel inconvenient. Thus, they considered spending the night in this village before departing in the morning.
Xu Nuo instructed Lu Shang and Ge Qing to communicate with the survivors, expecting it to be straightforward since they were better at dealing with people than he and Park Su. However, when the two didn't return after some time, and as night fell, Xu Nuo grew concerned. These two were not ones to take matters lightly.
Having only scanned the area roughly with his mental energy before, Xu Nuo hadn't paid much attention, trusting in Ge Qing and Lu Shang's negotiation skills. But now, with the delay, he worried something might have gone wrong. These two were potential key members of his future plans; he couldn't afford to lose them in some village. So, he told Park Su to stay in the truck while he went to check on the situation.
Park Su, having waited alongside Xu Nuo for so long, was also anxious and didn't want Xu Nuo to go alone to check on the situation. Given that even Ge Qing and Lu Shang, both third-tier espers, were delayed, he was genuinely worried.
They had dealt with many zombies in Pingcheng, and the team's proficiency in killing zombies had improved significantly during this time. With Lü Xia and Shi Lei present, Park Su believed they could handle any external threats while he and Xu Nuo investigated.
Thus, Park Su insisted on accompanying Xu Nuo. Xu Nuo felt there might be issues in the village and didn't want to risk Park Su's safety. However, Park Su's sincere words broke through his resolve, "I won't feel at ease if you go alone to gather information. If you leave me here to guard the team, are you sure you trust me? Moreover, we should trust our team members. Let's go check the situation. Even if something bad happens, at least we'll be together."
With such heartfelt persuasion, Xu Nuo couldn't refuse, so they headed towards the village entrance together.
Having previously scanned the area with his mental energy, Xu Nuo knew about the traps and navigated carefully, avoiding them all. He had also warned Ge Qing and Lu Shang about these traps, and there was no sign they had been triggered, suggesting they had passed safely. These traps were mostly designed for zombies, not sophisticated.
As they neared the village entrance, they understood why Ge Qing and Lu Shang hadn't returned - they could hear the commotion from a distance.
Xu Nuo immediately used his mental energy to see that Ge Qing and Lu Shang were at the center of a crowd, causing him to frown as he approached with Park Su. No matter what, he needed to get them out.
As they approached openly, they were noticed by the villagers. A robust man blocked their path, separating them from Ge Qing and Lu Shang, giving them a once-over before asking gruffly, "Who are you? What are you here for?"
Xu Nuo glanced at him briefly before looking towards the crowd behind, "We're teammates with them. I came to find them. What have they done to deserve this treatment?"
Instead of answering, the man squinted at them again before turning to shout to the crowd, "Everyone, come quick! Here are two more of their helpers!"
The crowd's attention shifted to them, and Park Su could feel the unfriendly gazes. This was not the first time they'd encountered such a situation, but they hadn't done anything wrong. They just wanted to stay for one night, a request they hadn't even made yet. Was there a need for such hostility?
Seeing this, Park Su stepped forward, "We're just a passing convoy with no ill intentions, only wishing to spend the night here. If you disagree, we can go to the next village."
"But please do not trouble our teammates. It would be best to release them. Otherwise, if you provoke them, it won't be good for you either. I believe they haven't done anything to warrant this treatment!"