Chapter 248: The Veteran Who Faced Death

Chu Yao's fingers holding the communicator tightened slightly, listening to Lu Ran's voice continuing in the earpiece,

talking about the layout of the Bluestone Safe Zone and the movements of the surrounding forces.

She responded a few times, hung up the communicator, and turned to look at the training ground outside the medical room. The team members were training intensely, and the shouts of killing were shaking the window glass with a buzzing sound.

At the same time, at the temporary base in the Western Hills, Lin Chen was standing beside the armored vehicle,

giving instructions to the patrol members who had come to take over. His gaze swept over the list of team members in front of him,

and his fingertips paused on two of the names: "The guards for Lin Hao's water prison

will be changed to a three-shift rotation, two people per shift, and they must be core team members. No one is allowed to approach within ten meters of the water prison, including the logistics personnel delivering food."

The team member nodded immediately: "Understood, Team Leader Lin. The previous guards have already been withdrawn, and the new personnel are all veterans who have followed you through life and death; they are absolutely reliable."

"And his parents." Lin Chen's voice sank a bit, "Let Lin Guodong continue his work in the bottom-level shantytown,

send people to watch him, don't let him have contact with anyone, don't let him leave the range of the shantytown,

and once it is discovered that he is talking to outsiders, take him directly to the confinement room. His wife's mental state is unstable; arrange for two people to guard the door of her room,

not to prevent her from running, but to prevent her from self-harm. Deliver meals and medicine on time, and report any situation immediately."

"Understood." The team member recorded these words one by one in his notebook and added,

"Yesterday, it was discovered that Lin Guodong had secretly hidden half a steamed bun, wanting to bring it to his wife, but it was searched out by our people."

Lin Chen furrowed his brows: "Strengthen the searches. Nothing on his person, except for the tools for work, is allowed to be carried."

The team member acknowledged and left. Lu Ran walked over, holding a schedule for the joint meeting: "The representatives of all the safe zones have almost arrived,

and the person in charge of the Bluestone Safe Zone has sent someone to urge us, asking when we are going over."

"Let's go now." Lin Chen raised his hand to look at the watch on his wrist, then turned to look at the ten elite team members behind him,

"Check the equipment, bring the virus samples, and set off in five minutes."

The team members acted immediately, checking firearms and ammunition, organizing cold-weather gear, their movements crisp and neat. Lu Ran looked at Lin Chen's back, hesitated for a moment,

and then opened his mouth: "Team Leader Lin, this meeting is not simple; every force has its own small calculations; you must keep a sharp eye out."

Lin Chen nodded: "I know. One must guard against others,

especially since the remnants of the Black Scorpion Organization are still wandering nearby; they might be mixed in with the representatives to cause trouble."

Five minutes later, Lin Chen led the team members and boarded the off-road vehicles, driving toward the conference hall of the Bluestone Safe Zone.

Outside the car windows, the ruins of the Western Hills flashed past; traces of battle still remained on the broken walls, and occasionally one could see a few corpses of mutant beasts frozen in the accumulated snow on the side of the road.

The matter of the meeting came to a temporary pause, and the scene shifted back to the direction of the ice plains. Chu Aiyao and Xia Nuan, leading the remaining team members, had already been driving on the ice plains for three days.

The snow vehicle they were sitting in had been modified by the logistics group; the car body was covered with a thick anti-freeze layer,

the tires were widened so they could drive steadily on the accumulated snow, and the car cabin was equipped with heating, barely able to withstand the severe cold of the ice plains.

A-Nian hugged the signal receiver and huddled next to the heating vent; the light spot on the screen was still faint, but it never disappeared completely. He occasionally raised his hand to tap the screen,

muttering: "The signal is still unstable. The location of the Human Alliance Headquarters should be right ahead, it's just that this wind and snow are too heavy, interfering with the signal."

Chu Aiyao held the steering wheel, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. The scenery outside the car windows had changed completely;

before, one could still see sporadic ruins and withered trees, but now only the vast white ice plains remained,

with no end in sight. The wind and snow whipped up snow foam and hit the car windows, emitting a *pitter-patter* sound, with visibility less than five meters.

"Watch the road,

there might be ice cracks ahead." Xia Nuan sat in the passenger seat, holding a map of the ice plains terrain, occasionally reminding Chu Aiyao.

Chu Aiyao gave a hum and slowed down the speed. The snow vehicle drove slowly on the ice plains,

the tires crushing the accumulated snow, leaving two deep tire tracks. The team members in the car cabin all wrapped their anti-freeze suits tightly,

huddling together for warmth, no one speaking, only the roar of the heating and the howling of the wind and snow intertwined.

Just then, the thermometer in the car cabin suddenly emitted a *beep-beep* alarm sound.

Xia Nuan lowered her head to take a look, her expression changing slightly: "The temperature has dropped; it's now minus thirty degrees, and it's continuing to drop."

Chu Aiyao furrowed her brows: "Turn the heating to the maximum, let the team members put on the hoods of their anti-freeze suits, don't get frostbite."

The team members immediately did as told, turning the heating to the maximum, putting on the hoods of their anti-freeze suits,

and wrapping themselves up tightly. Even so, they could still feel the bone-chilling cold drilling in from the gaps in the car cabin, freezing people until their bones ached.

A-Nian shivered and hugged the signal receiver even tighter: "This damn weather, if it drops any further, our car will freeze solid."

"Hold on." Chu Aiyao's voice was very calm, "The Human Alliance Headquarters is right ahead; as long as we find them, we can have a place to stay."

Xia Nuan looked at the ice plains outside the window, feeling some worry in her heart. She knew that the danger on the ice plains was not just the low temperature and wind and snow, but also the ice cracks hidden under the accumulated snow,

as well as high-tier mutant beasts adapted to low-temperature environments. Before, they had encountered an ice plains wolf, whose speed was astonishingly fast, almost pouncing on the car.

The snow vehicle continued to drive forward, the temperature grew lower and lower, and a thick layer of frost formed on the car windows,

only able to rely on the windshield wipers to barely scrape out a gap. Chu Aiyao's gaze grew increasingly focused, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, not daring to have the slightest slack.

The team members in the car cabin were all silent, their eyes carrying weariness, but also revealing a trace of determination.

They knew what their mission was, and they knew they couldn't retreat.

Just then, A-Nian suddenly exclaimed, and the signal receiver in his hand almost fell to the ground.

Chu Aiyao and Xia Nuan immediately turned their heads, looking at the light spot on the screen, their eyes filled with surprise.

The light spot on the screen suddenly became bright, no longer the faint flickering from before,

but turning into a stable bright spot. A-Nian's fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, shouting: "The signal has stabilized! Found it! The coordinates of the Human Alliance Headquarters are in the ice plains mountain range ahead."

Chu Aiyao's eyes lit up, and she stepped on the accelerator; the snow vehicle accelerated,

driving toward the direction of the ice plains mountain range. The wind and snow outside the car windows were still heavy, but a trace of a smile appeared on the faces of the team members. ===== CHAPTER 249 =====