Chapter 255

As the off-road vehicle drove into the gate of the western hills safe zone, Lin Chen's gaze swept over the scene on both sides,

and the corners of his mouth curled into a rare arc. The once-dilapidated walls had been reinforced into a reinforced concrete structure, heavy machine guns were mounted on the wall tops, and patrol members wore uniform cold-weather gear,

walking back and forth in orderly steps, their faces carrying the spirit and vitality belonging to the living.

In the open space inside the gate, rows of neat prefabricated houses had been built,

and cooking smoke rose from the chimneys on the roofs, drifting into the distance mixed with the aroma of food. The roads between the houses were swept clean,

small vegetable plots were opened up by the roadside, and the green vegetables were growing gratifyingly,

while several children in patched clothes were chasing and playing by the vegetable beds, their laughter crisp.

In the central plaza of the safe zone, a temporary trading market had already taken shape, with shouts and bargaining voices rising one after another. Some people displayed meat from mutant beasts they had just hunted, some sold homemade weapon parts, and others were sewing clothes with needle and thread, everyone's face carrying a look of stability. The Starfire Group members responsible for maintaining order were not as overbearing as the previous security teams; they just stood to the side, occasionally mediating a dispute, their movements crisp and efficient.

"Captain Lin is back!

" Someone shouted, and the noise in the plaza instantly quieted down. Everyone's gaze turned toward the convoy, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

Several white-haired elderly people walked forward leaning on canes, holding sun-dried wild fruits in their hands,

and tremblingly handed them to Lin Chen: "Captain Lin, thanks to your Starfire Group, we can live a stable life."

Lin Chen reached out to take the wild fruits, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "A stable life is earned by everyone together.

Keep the rules of the safe zone, don't steal, don't rob, and don't cause trouble, and everyone can survive."

A burst of enthusiastic response erupted from the crowd, and several young people immediately shouted: "We will join the patrol team tomorrow and follow Captain Lin to kill mutants!"

Lin Chen nodded and instructed the deputy beside him: "Distribute the food and medicine we brought back,

prioritizing the elderly and children. Give the patrol team members extra meals, adding two taels of mutant beast meat to each person."

The deputy immediately responded and directed the team members to unload the supplies from the vehicles.

The crowd in the plaza looked at the boxes of food and medicine, their smiles becoming even brighter.

Lin Chen looked at the scene before him, knowing clearly that this was only temporary stability.

The threat of the Black Scorpion organization and the mutant virus was still there, and the real test had not yet arrived.

He turned and walked into the safe zone's command center, which was originally an abandoned warehouse,

now cleaned up, with a huge map hanging on the wall,

marking the locations of various safe zones and the distribution range of mutants. Several staff officers were hunched over the map, discussing battle plans in low voices. Seeing Lin Chen enter, they all stood up and saluted.

"Post the alliance covenant and the Black Scorpion organization's intelligence up.

" Lin Chen threw the documents in his hand onto the table, "Notify the captains of each squad to have a meeting in an hour to deploy the next combat mission."

The staff officers immediately sprang into action, and the command center became busy at once. Lin Chen walked to the window, looking at the plaza outside, his gaze becoming determined. He wanted to make this safe zone a beacon in the post-apocalypse, a reliance for everyone to survive.

At the same time, at the temporary camp in the Ice Field Mountains, the air in the tent was filled with a faint medicinal smell. A Nian lay on the cold-resistant mat, her face still pale, and the black veins on her right calf had temporarily stopped below her knee, yet they still exuded a chilling coldness that made one's heart tremble.

Lu Ran stood guard at the tent entrance, holding a submachine gun in his hand, vigilantly watching the wind and snow outside.

He was still carrying injuries, yet he refused to leave even half a step, fearing he would miss the moment A Nian woke up.

Inside the tent, Sister Chu Yao Yao had her back to Lu Ran, holding a pitch-black pill in her hand,

a faint black mist lingering around the pill. She took a deep breath, crushed the pill, and the powder fell into her palm, turning into wisps of black mist that slowly seeped into her fingertips.

On Sister Chu Yao Yao's arm, the black patterns that had originally stopped at her wrist suddenly seemed to be stimulated by something and began to squirm crazily. She gritted her teeth and slowly transferred the black mist from her fingertips onto A Nian's leg.

As the mist seeped in, the black veins on A Nian's leg began to shrink slightly,

and the speed of the spread slowed down again. A look of relief appeared on Sister Chu Yao Yao's face,

but she was also trembling all over from the pain. She could clearly feel the black patterns on her arm spreading toward her elbow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The black patterns were like little snakes, crawling over her forearm and up to her elbow; wherever they passed, her skin felt a heart-piercing pain.

Sister Chu Yao Yao bit her lip tightly to keep herself from making a sound, and the cold sweat on her forehead streamed down her cheeks, soaking her collar.

She knew that this method of preliminary treatment used her own body as a medium to draw out the virus in her body to neutralize the virus in A Nian's body. Every treatment would cause the virus in her own body to spread a little more, but she had no other choice. A Nian was the key to finding the Human Alliance headquarters; she could not let A Nian turn into a mutant.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Sister Chu Yao Yao finally withdrew her hand. The black veins on A Nian's leg had shrunk back to the middle of her calf, and the color had faded a bit. Sister Chu Yao Yao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at her own arm; the black patterns had already spread to her elbow, appearing particularly glaring on her fair skin.

She hurriedly picked up the bandage nearby and, gritting her teeth, wrapped it around her arm circle by circle. The bandage was wrapped very tightly, making her gasp in pain, yet she still refused to stop. She had to cover these patterns up; she couldn't let Lu Ran see them, couldn't let anyone see them.

Lu Ran was still guarding outside, his footsteps coming from time to time, carrying a hint of anxiety. Sister Chu Yao Yao finished wrapping the last circle and tied a dead knot, only then turning around,

a tired smile appearing on her face.

A Nian slowly opened her eyes, looked at Sister Chu Yao Yao, and said in a weak voice: "Team Leader Chu... I feel much better."

Sister Chu Yao Yao walked forward, reached out to touch A Nian's forehead, and nodded: "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Lu Ran walked in, carrying a bowl of steaming meat soup: "A Nian, you're awake? Drink some meat soup quickly to nourish your body."

His gaze landed on Sister Chu Yao Yao's arm, looking at the tightly wrapped bandage, and his brows furrowed: "Team Leader Chu, what happened to your arm?"

Sister Chu Yao Yao's heart skipped a beat; she hurriedly hid her arm behind her back and said with a smile: "It's nothing, I accidentally got scratched by a tree branch just now, just a small injury."

Lu Ran didn't think much of it, nodded, and handed the meat soup to A Nian. A Nian took the meat soup and drank it in small sips, her eyes filled with gratitude.

The wind and snow outside the tent were still heavy, and the roars of mutants could be heard faintly. Sister Chu Yao Yao looked at the ice field outside the window, calculating silently in her heart. The inhibitor was already used up, and the preliminary treatment could only last this long. They must reach the Human Alliance headquarters as soon as possible; otherwise, neither she nor A Nian would last long.