A map of Longshan City lay spread across the table.
The three of them gathered around it to discuss their plans.
Su Jin rested both hands on the table and looked from one man to the other. "Only the three of us know about the covert mutants. For now, it's best not to tell the others. So let's run through the basics, and the two of you can flesh out the details afterward. I'll handle briefing Fu Hu and Cheng Du."
He continued, "Before we start, there's a crucial problem. For a distance this far, we have to drive. What happens if we find a car but no keys?"
"What kind of question is that? Do you think Old Wei and I are completely useless? Who needs a key to hotwire a car?"
"Fair enough." Su Jin smiled. "There's one more thing... I don't know how to drive. I'll need you two to teach me, though I should pick it up pretty fast."
When he said he didn't know how to drive, he meant he didn't know how to drive the cars in this world.
Though their designs were probably more or less the same, this was a life-or-death mission—he couldn't afford the slightest mishap.
"That's a minor detail. Let's get straight to the point." Wei De picked up a pen and said, "Longshan Medical University was founded very early on and is closer to downtown. When Hanqiong detonated in the city center back then, the temperatures there plunged even lower than here, and the ice definitely hasn't melted. The biggest obstacle is... the microburst triggered by Hanqiong must have torn apart a lot of fragile structures, maybe even ripping up paving stones across the streets.
"So my earlier estimate wasn't entirely accurate. The shortest distance from here is six kilometers, but the side streets are very likely still blocked by frozen debris. You can't take them, which leaves detouring via Zhongxian Avenue. There will be far fewer obstructions, but it'll add two kilometers each way."
With that, Wei De searched the map and drew a line marking the route.
Then, he circled a point midway along the path.
"This is Longshan No. 3 Middle School. When you pass here, you have to move fast! The torrential rain trapped most people inside their homes, but here, an enormous horde of zombies could be out in the open."
"Why?" Su Jin asked, baffled.
Wei De paused. "That day... a colleague called me. He said his grandson was attending an anniversary celebration at the school. The students were probably all out on the sports field."
"In a torrential downpour? An anniversary celebration?" Su Jin's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"There were officials giving opening speeches."
"It was pouring rain! They still held an opening ceremony in that? Are schools these days really that inhumane?" Su Jin slapped the back of his hand into his palm.
"The VIP stage was covered, wasn't it?"
"No, but—"
"No, but what? The officials rode in cars through the rain to get there—isn't it only normal for the students to get rained on a bit?" Sun Ya snapped impatiently. "Does that even matter? Just listen and remember: there's very likely a massive zombie horde there."
"Fair... enough."
Wei De continued tracing the route: "About a kilometer past that, if I remember correctly, the greenery on both sides is very dense. It could easily have been uprooted by the microburst and thrown into the street. If the road is heavily blocked, you'll need to replan your route, starting from here..."
Mid-sentence, Sun Ya spoke up, tapping a finger on the map.
He turned to Wei De. "Old Wei... isn't this where you usually buy your heart medication? Did you ever pick up that last batch you ordered?"
"Don't worry about that. There's no need to waste time and add risks along the way."
"No, it is necessary, and it's on the way," Su Jin cut in. "Elder Wei, what's the pharmacy called? What medication?"
Seeing Su Jin's resolute gaze, Wei De forced a faint smile.
"Longxing Grand Pharmacy. It's a huge place, visible right from the street. They special-ordered my medicine for me every time. I'd always pick it up right inside the second-floor entrance, on the bottom shelf of the first medicine cabinet. I'll give you an empty box later. Don't push your luck—if you can't find it, get out immediately.
"Let's continue. Straight ahead from here is Longshan Medical University. You'll need to go inside. The school has a massive student body; once an outbreak started, there would have been nowhere to run, so you must be extremely cautious. As for the campus layout, Old Sun is the best person to brief you."
Sun Ya picked up where he left off. "I helped introduce two pieces of equipment to Longshan Medical University's lab, and I gave a few lectures there, so I know the place fairly well.
"I'll draw you a layout of the interior later. As for the sodium fluorescein and portable UV lights, I'll write down exact instructions later too.
"Other than that, is there anything else you need us to prepare?"
Su Jin stared at the map of Longshan, lost in thought.
"A car makes plenty of noise on its own. If the streets are full of debris, crashing into something along the way is practically inevitable, and I'm worried about triggering a chain reaction among the zombies.
"Still, in a car, you can always outrun them. My real concern is that if something unexpected happens, it'll lure a huge horde of zombies back here.
"So I need a device capable of making a deafening racket. Like a bomb... Can the two of you build one?"
"A bomb, you say..." Wei De grew pensive.
Sun Ya asked, "You still have those shotgun shells I gave you, right?"
"Then that's simple," Wei De said decisively. "We can salvage parts from a microwave and washing machine to make a timer circuit. Resistance heating wire is easy enough, and paired with gunpowder, we can make a rudimentary detonator—basically a timed explosive. But the stability won't be great. We'll need to hook up multiple timer modules to improve reliability, which will make deploying it a bit of a hassle.
"A crude explosive like that will have virtually negligible lethality in an open area. Given how zombies are, it's practically impossible to inflict real damage, but for a simple distraction to buy time and draw them away, it'll do the trick just fine."
"It's that simple?" Su Jin's eyes lit up. "Could you make a gun, then? Even a crude one?"
"What do you think this is, a wishing well?" Sun Ya rolled his eyes. "Anything else to add?"
"Not for now. I'll run through the scenario in my head. I'll leave fleshing out the rest of the plan to you two. I haven't been over that way much; you know it better than I do."
*Quit acting! 'Haven't been over that way much'... you've never been there at all!* both old men grumbled inwardly.
"When do you plan on setting out?" Wei De asked.
After thinking it over for a moment, Su Jin said, "I'm thinking five days from now. Five days should be enough time to prepare. Starting today, I'll lead a team to hunt zombies throughout the residential complex, count the survivors, and do some basic ration distribution.
"There's no shortage of zombies in these buildings. I think there's a good chance we'll find more flesh bulbs. If Fu Hu and Cheng Du both take one and gain special abilities like mine, our safety will increase drastically.
"Besides, the people in the other buildings can't hold out much longer. Even if they have enough food, they won't survive without water."
"No! That's dragging it out too long," Sun Ya objected. "The temperature is rising rapidly. Once the ice sheets and the frost encrusting the zombies thaw out completely, their mobility will skyrocket. The danger level of your mission will spike through the roof. You could finish this run in just half a day—a quick round trip is your best option."
"No. Clearing indoor zombies to secure flesh bulbs has to come first. Developing new abilities and gaining immunity is crucial," Su Jin reasoned. "Honestly, while driving, the zombies regaining their mobility won't affect us much anyway. Before the ice thaws, vehicles will slip terribly. More importantly, indoor combat is where the real risk lies.
"If Cheng Du or Fu Hu get scratched or bitten inside Longshan Medical University and we take a casualty, that's a loss I can't afford. There are very few core people I can fully trust.
"There's no need to argue over this anymore. Freezing cold has its own way of fighting, and warming weather has its own advantages."
Chapter 43