First floor of the mall.
Bai Mu gripped the Fire Axe. Raising his hand for a heavy cleave, he smashed a Zombie's head open from behind. The Zombie, wearing a gray hoodie, dropped at the sound, splashing a pool of putrid blood across the floor.
After dispatching this Zombie, he conveniently stepped into the empty menswear and shoe stores next door, grabbed a new pair of pants and shoes, and quickly changed.
He abandoned his original clothes, shoes, and socks in the store, as they had been completely soaked by the pool water. The main issue was the strong stench, coupled with a highly uncomfortable wet and sticky feeling. The water in that pool was simply far too filthy. To avoid infection, it was better to swap into fresh gear.
Stepping into a new pair of air-cushioned sneakers, Bai Mu continued clearing out the Zombies alongside Yan Yu.
After grouping up, the two hurried down to the first floor.
The Zombies on the first floor were densely packed. Every dozen meters or so, one could spot clusters of them huddled in twos and threes. They were either staring at the walls like they were in a timeout or standing blankly in the shadows.
With this kind of density, trying to bypass them was obviously unrealistic. Bai Mu and Yan Yu had no choice but to slowly clear the corridor and push forward.
Because there were simply too many Zombies, it was inevitable that a few alerted ones would rush over. Bai Mu took charge of providing cover, buying Yan Yu time to retrieve her throwing knives.
'The feeling of having three extra points of Strength really is different,' Bai Mu thought to himself.
After equipping the title "Friend of the Witch," his Strength had reached 19 points. With 19 points of Strength, he only needed to use about sixty percent of his power to cleave cleanly through a Zombie's skull.
His efficiency at hacking down Zombies was no slower than Yan Yu's. To save time, he simply wielded his axe and took the initiative to attack.
This could be considered his old profession. Wherever he walked, the Zombies fell to the ground like waves of wheat during the autumn harvest, crashing down one after another.
After hacking his way through a full lap, he returned without a single drop of blood splattered on his body.
Yan Yu watched in silence at Bai Mu's highly efficient attacks, which were as precise as a surgeon's scalpel. Bai Mu had hacked down over a dozen Zombies, and each one only required a single swing of his axe. With a raise and a fall of the axe, a Zombie would drop to the floor. His movements were incredibly practiced, without the slightest hesitation.
Yan Yu silently put away her throwing knives and followed behind Bai Mu. She couldn't really muster the energy to kill Zombies anymore because her mind was wandering. The main question she was pondering was what kind of profession this young man had before entering Paradise. Why was he so incredibly skilled at killing Zombies? He fought like a seasoned professional.
Once there wasn't a single standing Zombie visible to the naked eye, Bai Mu and Yan Yu walked out of that long corridor.
The light suddenly brightened as they stepped into an open-air plaza inside the building. Factoring in the time they had lost at the children's playground, it had taken them nearly half an hour to slaughter their way from the third floor down to the plaza.
Now, they had finally reached their destination. The dim orange sunset illuminated the mottled walls. Bai Mu heard a series of dull, rhythmic impacts—"Thwack, thwack, thwack!" Looking into a corner, he saw Nancheng Port wielding a bent water pipe, viciously smashing it against a Zombie's head.
This burly, dark-skinned man, standing over six feet tall, was wearing a hard hat and gray work clothes. His expression was thoroughly ferocious.
The Zombie was smashed until black blood spurted and its flesh was a mangled mess. Nancheng Port's sheer ruthlessness made it look as though he wasn't bludgeoning a Zombie, but rather a scumbag contractor who had owed him a whole year's wages before absconding with the money.
Great Northern Wilderness wasn't holding back either. He had somehow procured a heavy bone-chopping cleaver and was hacking at Zombies on the other side, wearing a completely benign, kindly expression on his face.
The Zombies in the small plaza had been mostly cleared out by them. However, compared to the pristine state of Bai Mu and Yan Yu, the two brothers had a considerable amount of blood splattered across their clothes.
"Brother Bai, Sister Yan Yu, you're still alive!" Great Northern Wilderness exclaimed in pleasant surprise as he lopped off a Zombie's head.
Nancheng Port turned his head at the sound, saying in astonishment, "You guys actually didn't die!"
"We were delayed a bit on the way," Bai Mu explained. "But it was worth it. We managed to get three jerrycans of gasoline."
Bai Mu took the gas cans out of his backpack one by one. The capacity was clearly marked on them; they were all ten-liter containers, making for thirty liters in total. Usually, a compact car's gas tank only held about forty to fifty liters. These three cans of gas were enough to fill the tank more than halfway, allowing them to drive for over three hundred kilometers.
Great Northern Wilderness beamed with joy, throwing up a thumbs-up. "See, little brother? I told you the teammates we matched with this time were pretty good."
Nancheng Port returned to his silent demeanor, putting away his water pipe and stepping behind his older brother.
"How are things on your end? Did you find anything useful?" Yan Yu asked.
Great Northern Wilderness rubbed his nose. "We only managed to get one can of gasoline. We also found a case of bottled water and a few cans of pork and peas."
"Oh right, I also found a pack of cigarettes. Foreign brand. Do you guys want one?" Great Northern Wilderness pulled a black-and-white striped cigarette box from his pants pocket.
"I don't smoke," Yan Yu said, shaking her head.
"Got a lighter?" Bai Mu casually reached out and took one.
"Of course." Smiling widely, Great Northern Wilderness lit the cigarette for Bai Mu. It seemed the three cans of gas Bai Mu and Yan Yu brought back had left him extremely delighted, prompting him to offer a light so eagerly.
After all, this was tremendous news. Their teammates were safe and sound, their four-person squad remained fully intact, and they had even brought back the most desperately needed supplies for the current phase.
This was the sheer advantage of a team; you didn't have to shoulder every burden alone.
Bai Mu took a drag of the foreign cigarette. The taste was a bit harsh and fiery, but highly refreshing. Great Northern Wilderness also lit one for himself and his brother. The three of them puffed away, blowing clouds of smoke, looking exactly like old friends sharing a tacit understanding honed over many years.
After a short rest that lasted the length of a cigarette, the two parties briefly exchanged information and refueled the car.
"Main Quest (Phase One) 'Refuel the Car' has been completed."
"Main Quest (Phase Two) triggered: Proceed to the farm in the west of the city."
The notification sound from Paradise rang out. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, there were still about two hours left until sunset. Their efficiency for the phase one task was fantastic, securing them more than enough time to drive the car to a safe location.
"Who's driving?" Nancheng Port asked.
"I'll do it," Great Northern Wilderness volunteered. "I have a heavy-duty commercial driver's license, and my driving skills are pretty good. I've already checked it out; aside from the driver's seat being on the right, this foreign car isn't much different from the delivery trucks I used to drive."
"Actually, let me do it," Bai Mu interjected. "The road conditions outside will likely be quite complicated. I used to drive these kinds of roads all the time."
Great Northern Wilderness shot him a skeptical look. He couldn't really be blamed; Bai Mu simply looked far too young. He really didn't look like a veteran driver.
"Sister Yan Yu, why don't you decide?" Instead of voicing his doubts, Great Northern Wilderness handed the decision over to the team leader.
Thanks to those three cans of gasoline, Yan Yu's prestige as the team leader was temporarily preserved.
They hadn't discussed the minute details just now, and Great Northern Wilderness naturally assumed the primary credit for bringing back the gasoline belonged to Yan Yu. The squad's current atmosphere was highly positive. To ensure they smoothly cleared the Script, he didn't want to ruin the vibe, so letting the leader make the call was the best approach.
"Let Bai drive," Yan Yu said, handing the driver's seat over to Bai Mu with almost zero hesitation.
The two brothers had absolutely no idea what Bai Mu had accomplished, but she did. In just a short thirty minutes, Bai Mu's image in her mind had already transformed from a complete newbie into a hidden powerhouse.
Yan Yu figured that if Bai Mu wanted to be the driver, he definitely had his reasons.