The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

From the eastern region to the northwest, if it were before the apocalypse, the journey by train would only take about three days. However, now, with the entire base relocating, the time required was far more than three days.

According to Lou Dian and Lei Hongming's estimates, it would take a month. Of course, this included accounting for various damaged roads, traversing mountains, natural disasters, and other unforeseen events. One month was indeed a short time for the relocation of an entire base, and the speed would likely be delayed considerably.

As expected, on the third day of their departure, they had traveled less than a thousand kilometers.

Lei Hongming frowned as he looked at the map. They were about to cross several provinces, two of which were formerly densely populated, meaning a relatively high concentration of zombies. Passing through first and second-tier cities would also be troublesome. This route was planned by Lou Dian, and Lei Hongming wasn't doubting his decision, but he habitually considered things from the ground up.

Lei Xianyun brought over a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of him. Seeing him staring at the map, he knew the officer was worrying about the people again. "Sir, the night watch personnel have been arranged. Please eat something first. The Marshal and Madam have already rested, and they asked you to rest early as well."

Lei Hongming rubbed his temples. He had slept very little these past three days, and he probably wouldn't have a good night's sleep until they reached the northwest base. He routinely inquired about the condition of all the survivors, especially the elderly, the weak, and the children. As long as they didn't encounter a powerful zombie horde or other disasters, there wouldn't be any casualties.

By the fourth year of the apocalypse, the weak had mostly been eliminated. The remaining humans, even ordinary people, had good physical fitness and could adapt to the harsh climate. As long as no accidents occurred, humanity could tenaciously continue to survive. Therefore, in this migration, everyone in the base who was willing to go to the northwest base was taken along, regardless of age or physical condition. Of course, those who were unwilling were allowed to choose other bases; they weren't forced. Surprisingly, except for some ability users who chose other bases, all the ordinary people trusted Lei Hongming, and not a single one left.

Lei Hongming's heart stirred, and he asked, "Where are Mr. Lou and the others staying tonight?"

"In the houses on the outermost edge of the village," Lei Xianyun said with a smile, admiration in his eyes.

Lei Hongming nodded, not surprised. Since their departure, whenever they rested, Lou Dian always avoided crowding with other survivors, choosing to stay in the outermost area. If zombies or mutated beasts attacked, they would be the first to be hit. Even ability users rarely wanted to live in such a remote place; it lacked a sense of security. Therefore, Lou Dian's actions were considered by everyone to be an act of kindness. His ability rank was the highest, so living on the outer edge was the most appropriate; it showed he wasn't using others as cannon fodder.

In reality, this was a beautiful misunderstanding. Lou Dian had a strong sense of possessiveness and was never one to socialize. Staying away from the crowded masses was the most suitable arrangement for him. As for the dangers of the journey, he didn't even consider them.

As dusk approached, Lou Ling sat on a clean earthen mound, watching the sun set behind the mountains. In her hand, she held a bowl of noodle soup. Floating on the surface were a few tender baby bok choy leaves and several slices of marinated mutated beast meat. The soup seemed to have been infused with the marinade, exuding a rich meaty aroma that instantly stimulated her appetite.

This was specially made by the base's chef for several important officers, and they naturally had the privilege of enjoying it.

After giving two slices of meat from her bowl to Lou Dian, Lou Ling slowly ate her noodles. She found the chef's cooking skills quite good, and the marinated mutated beast meat was exceptionally fragrant, giving her a hearty appetite.

"Delicious?" Lou Dian saw her eating faster than usual and knew it suited her taste.

"Yes, it tastes like home," Lou Ling said nostalgically.

Hearing this, Lou Dian seemed lost in thought.

A few days later, when they arrived at a town for the night and were given a separate house, Lou Dian personally made thin noodles. When Lou Ling tasted the same marinated meat and marinade as in her memories, her expression was one of surprise, followed by a surge of emotion. This man had actually gone and learned how to make it himself…

So, in this moment of deep emotion, even the sight of a woman she wasn't particularly fond of didn't dampen her good mood.

Lai Xiaoyu, holding a tray, came to deliver their dinner, but was surprised to find the two in the room already eating. When she saw the two bowls of delicate thin noodles, her mouth watered, and she felt even more envious and jealous. However, she could only be envious and jealous; there was no need for hatred. She had that much self-awareness.

"Take it back to the others. We don't need it," Lou Dian said indifferently, dismissing her with the casualness of waving away a fly.

As for the matter of them cooking separately—this was common. The strong, especially those with space abilities, naturally had their own food reserves. Eating better was a normal occurrence!

Lai Xiaoyu, who had finally managed to snag the task of delivering their dinner: =__=! Look over here, handsome! There's a beauty here too! Why, after all this time, after delivering dinner so many times, had this man never even glanced at her? Was she really that plain-looking?

Lai Xiaoyu could only leave in disappointment, but she still hadn't given up. She didn't believe there was a man in the world who didn't love beauty! Men all had their weaknesses. Even if they could control their emotions, they couldn't control their bodies. Sooner or later, she would find an opportunity! Fist pump!

Lou Ling glanced at the stiffly departing woman, then at the man who was hanging his head, diligently picking out marinated meat for her. Her mood couldn't have been better.

After traveling like this for half a month, thanks to Lou Dian's protection, even when encountering several zombie sieges, they quickly escaped danger. They had finally covered half the distance. Apart from some ordinary people who fell ill due to the intense heat, no one had died at the hands of zombies. Such a result naturally filled everyone with hope, believing they could safely reach the northwest base.

However, an accident still occurred.

While passing through a second-tier city, the group finally encountered an attack from intelligent zombies. This time, the intelligent zombie was even more cunning. They couldn't find its whereabouts at all. Even with Lou Dian using his mental power to cover the entire city, the intelligent zombie still hid like a rat, refusing to show itself, directing the city's zombies from the shadows to attack them.

This zombie must have been a rat in its previous life to be able to make itself so inconspicuous, hiding in the dark, secretly carrying out its plan to destroy humanity.

Lou Dian's face momentarily contorted, and even the corners of his eyes began to redden. This was a sign of him about to unleash his fury.

Just as the blackened, twisted individual was about to blow up the entire city, Lou Ling finally came to the rescue, dragging a thin woman with her.

Due to this zombie attack, both ordinary people and survivors had suffered casualties. Seeing the continuing losses, everyone began to despair, which finally led You Jun, who had been wavering, to decide not to hide any longer.

Of course, he only decided to reveal the truth to the Lou siblings. So, when Lou Ling escorted a group of ordinary survivors to safety, You Jun called out to her and pushed his frail girlfriend forward.

"Miss Lou, Aya can help you. I hope you can protect her," You Jun said, worried sick, still pushing his girlfriend forward.

Lou Ling had a very good impression of You Jun and had inquired about his situation. He wasn't among the first batch of awakened ability users. When the apocalypse struck, he and his girlfriend, Aya, sought refuge in the base. Later, they encountered an accident on the road and he was scratched by a zombie. Fortunately, he didn't turn into a zombie, but instead became an ability user. Afterward, because he had to protect his girlfriend and her mother, he was often held back, which resulted in his ability remaining at a low level.

Under normal circumstances, even if You Jun abandoned his girlfriend and her mother, two burdens, and joined the ability user team to obtain better resources for training, no one would say anything. But You Jun stayed, and even though his girlfriend was an ordinary person, he never showed any disdain.

However, it now seemed that his girlfriend was no ordinary person.

Lou Ling looked thoughtfully at Aya, who was nervously twisting the corners of her clothes.

But the situation was urgent. Lou Ling was decisive and, without asking about You Jun's intentions, nodded at them, grabbed Aya, and took her to the front lines of the battlefield. Aya, presumably for the first time, stood at the forefront, facing millions of zombies, her hands and feet turning cold with fear. Fortunately, Lou Ling had dealt with the zombies before they could pounce.

Arriving at Lou Dian's side, Lou Ling saw the redness at the corners of his eyes and was secretly glad she arrived in time. Pulling Aya closer, she asked, "Aya, it's your turn."

Aya nodded and closed her eyes.

The roars of zombies, the explosions of abilities, the screams of humans—all kinds of sounds mixed together, creating a heart-pounding scene.

Lou Ling guarded Aya, helping her fend off the incoming zombies, not without wondering what kind of ability she possessed. But now was not the time for idle chatter. You Jun valued Aya; if she had no abilities, he wouldn't have sent her here to die.

Aya suddenly opened her eyes, her breathing slightly rapid, and pointed to a building a kilometer away. "There's a special zombie there. It's the one commanding these zombies to attack."

Lou Dian, who was slaughtering zombies one after another, heard this and his eyes lit up. He flipped his hand, revealing several grenades, then used his spatial teleportation to throw them directly into the building.

Booming explosions rang out, and the nearby zombies were sent flying. Except for a small number of zombies that were blown to pieces, the others were impervious to blades and bullets. Aside from their clothes being blasted to ashes, they suffered no casualties. At this moment, from the building that had been reduced to rubble, a similarly ragged zombie jumped out.

Lou Dian, completely enraged by this zombie, teleported directly to it after it emerged. Wielding his Tang blade, infused with a spatial edge, he sliced off the head of the escaping zombie and then instantly teleported back to his original position.

Lou Ling reached out to support him, noticing that his ability was almost depleted. His handsome face was slightly pale, making his dark eyes appear even colder. The red at the corners of his eyes added a touch of madness, making him appear frightening. Spatial teleportation, though powerful, could not be used frequently, especially after he had already expended so much of his ability.

With the death of the intelligent zombie, the zombie horde's attacks became disorganized. Lou Dian threw a few grenades in the distance to attract the attention of the other zombies, and Lei Hongming urged the others to get in the vehicles and leave.

Time ticked by, and the number of zombies dwindled. The remaining ability users covering the rear also left.

At midnight, they finally stopped in a remote mountain gully to rest and recuperate.

Except for the exhausted ordinary people, everyone else got busy, especially tending to the wounded.

Lou Dian leaned against Lou Ling, closing his eyes to replenish his ability. Lou Ling sat upright, her gaze directed at the young couple sitting together in front of her. Beside them, an elderly woman looked at them anxiously, several times starting to speak but stopping herself.

Lou Ling silently took out two bottles of water and two packs of biscuits from her backpack and handed them over. "Have something to eat first."

You Jun's heart relaxed, and he accepted them without hesitation. He gave one bottle of water to the elderly woman and the other to Aya. Licking his dry lips, he tore open the biscuit package and offered it to the two of them. Aya took a couple of sips of water, then handed the bottle to You Jun, letting him drink a few sips before putting it down.

"What is Aya's ability?" Lou Ling asked, one hand clasped with the man leaning against her, the other reaching into her backpack for a bottle of water.

"Sensing zombies," Aya replied quickly. "I can sense zombies within a kilometer radius and analyze their abilities."

A remarkable ability! No wonder she was able to pinpoint the hidden intelligent zombie.

"Very good."

A clear and gentle voice sounded. Everyone looked over and saw that Lou Dian had opened his eyes and sat up. His cold gaze swept over the three of them. He naturally understood why Aya had concealed her ability. Their abilities were too weak; if they didn't hide them, they would only be exploited by those in power until their deaths. Moreover, although Aya's ability was special, her combat power was too low. If she were to go deep into a zombie horde, she would be eliminated in an instant unless a powerful person was assigned to protect her. Just sensing zombies—who would go to such lengths? Mental ability users could also sense zombies. The key difference was in situations like this. Intelligent zombies were mostly cunning. Having Aya's ability allowed for quicker elimination of intelligent zombies, reducing a lot of trouble.

Lou Dian looked directly at Aya and said, "When we reach the northwest base, I will make arrangements for you."

Hearing this, You Jun and the others were overjoyed. Lou Dian's words indirectly indicated that Aya's ability was indeed useful, and that they would ensure her safety.

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Safely reach the northwest base!

Lou Dian's goal: My sister always comes first!

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