Chapter 159: New Mission Begins
What used to be a three- or four-day drive can now be completed in seven or eight hours by plane.
We were unable to contact Chu Bai until we reached our destination.
Everyone's worries were finally relieved.
"Sister An, try to think positively. Even if we don't see Brother Chu, we still have to avenge them."
"Pah, pah, pah! You jinx, shut up!"
Yu Miaomiao pinched He Liang's lips, physically muting him.
The plane landed smoothly on the designated open road. K's piloting skills were very stable. Yu Miaomiao and Lu An only sat in the co-pilot's seat for a while during takeoff and landing, and didn't have to worry about anything in the cockpit at all.
The plane door opened, and Yu Miaomiao and Lu An were the first to step out of the cabin, greeted by a pungent, putrid stench.
The atmosphere of revenge is stronger here than anywhere else.
It's like the origin of some kind of decaying matter.
Yu Miaomiao recognized that smell all too well; it was the stench produced by a large gathering of mutated creatures, a strange beast.
The sky remained unchanged as it was Polar Day, and the ground was extremely desolate.
Abandoned buildings and vehicles are scattered all around, silently telling the story of the cruelty of the apocalypse.
"Prepare to disembark. Be aware of your surroundings."
Yu Miaomiao distributed a walkie-talkie to everyone for easy communication.
"Initial reconnaissance of the surrounding environment revealed no suspicious or potential threats, which is the main reason I chose to land here."
K stepped out of the cockpit and explained to everyone the main reasons why he chose to land here.
"Moreover, this was originally a private airport, and there is a control tower over there, which can serve as a temporary base."
K was very thoughtful; even the issue of the base, which Yu Miaomiao hadn't considered much, was still in the planning stages.
Yu Miaomiao has the space at his disposal, but he still often struggles to adapt to the current situation of a surge in team members.
But with K, you won't need to have these worries anymore.
"K, thank you, well done, very thoughtful."
She gave K a thumbs up, and K Weiwei nodded politely in response.
"It's my duty."
Everyone disembarked from the plane one by one, and Yu Miaomiao stored the plane in his spatial storage.
He Liang spread his shadow and led everyone to move quickly toward the control tower, their coordination and movement were perfect.
"Inspect the inside of the control tower later, set up a temporary outpost, and build simple defensive fortifications."
Upon entering the control tower and seeing its empty state, Yu Miaomiao had a general plan in mind.
"This place offers a good viewpoint and is a good surveillance location. We can set up simple observation posts at the windows and reinforce the entrance to prevent any uninvited guests."
This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack; it is indeed a good location for a stronghold.
Yu Miaomiao then found a few simple traps in the space, and He Liang and Ji Mu took them and set them up in a simple way.
They were already very close to The Nineteenth Institute, but they dared not approach itsterritory rashly. They needed to stay here and wait for the intelligence to be clear before taking action.
Yu Miaomiao, Lu An, and the others reinforced the doors and windows with materials salvaged from the previous house. They didn't mind using them here, and they were very sturdy.
After looking around and finding nothing missing, everyone conducted a simple search of the surrounding area.
Exploring the surrounding environment is also a way to gather information; groups of three head in different directions.
K and Ji Feng remained at the stronghold.
Lu An, Ji Mu, and He Liang form one group; Yu Miaomiao, Xu Nanwei, and Ye Jian form another group.
"If we're lucky, we might get an extra treat for dinner tonight."
He Liang is already eager and ready to get started.
Perhaps the delicious temptation of the mutated pheasant was too great, or perhaps the spicy and delicious taste of the mutated wild rabbit was too tempting; in any case, all he could think about was eating meat.
" Brother He Liang, don't let your appetite get the better of you. Our primary task is to gather intelligence and resources, and safety comes first," Ji Mu reminded He Liang half-jokingly.
In a post-apocalyptic environment, any carelessness or underestimation can lead to serious consequences.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare say I'm the best at fighting, but I'm absolutely good at staying alive."
"This looks like it used to be a small convenience store. Let's go in and take a look."
Yu Miaomiao and his team searched inside the private airport. Since it was a small private airport, there wasn't much to explore, but there was a small convenience store with its door ajar.
The group pushed the door open quietly, looked around cautiously to make sure there was no danger, and then boldly stepped inside to explore.
Although the shelves had been looted, Xu Nanwei still found some unopened canned goods and drinking water in a corner. He handed them all over to Yu Miaomiao to store in his spatial storage, planning to divide the looted supplies together when they returned.
Meanwhile, Lu An's team was also busy.
Although He Liang kept talking about eating meat, his senses were exceptionally sharp, and he detected lurking mutated creatures several times in advance.
Although they were all mutated rats and mutated cockroaches, which were not very harmful but extremely disgusting, the group was able to avoid these unnecessary battles.
Ji Mu, on the other hand, left no corner unchecked, meticulously searching for clues or useful information.
They also found several boxes of instant noodles that had expired one or two months ago in the airport lounge.
"It's just past its best-before date, not spoiled. I like the spicy beef flavor."
He Liang didn't care what it was; as long as it was edible, he stuffed it all into his backpack.
Even if they don't eat it, they can exchange it for other things. These are invaluable resources in the face of the apocalypse.
Several hours later, both groups returned to the base and gathered together to share the supplies they had found.
"The good news is that we found some food at the convenience store; the bad news is that, except for the canned goods, everything was a bit past its expiration date. Our Squad rule is that all searched items are divided equally, so I've already divided them into equal portions. Please help yourselves to what you need."
After distributing the supplies found that day, Yu Miaomiao sat back down in her chair. "Does anyone else have made any other discoveries?"
Lu An took a regional map out of his backpack and placed it on the table.
"We found a map of the area. According to our investigation, apart from a convenience store, there are almost no other supply points nearby, and they have all been looted. There are very few supplies to be found in this area. Tomorrow, we will expand our exploration area."
"no problem."
Yu Miaomiao and his group naturally had ample supplies, and Xu Nanwei also had some reserves stored in Yu Miaomiao's space.
However, He Liang, who just joined the team, and Ji Feng... The Ji Mu brothers, along with Ye Jian, all need to be self-sufficient every day, making this outpost clearly not a good location for ordinary survivors.
"No wonder there's no one around here, no food, and no water. Plus, the open space makes the target look huge."
Yu Miaomiao lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "It's not suitable for ordinary survivors, but it's quite suitable for us. This place has been looted, and no one should come here again for a while."
"I agree with your point of view," Ye Jian nodded in agreement.
"There are no supply points around here, and they have all been looted, so other survivors don't visit frequently."
"So, where should we go from here?" He Liangasked. Although he had just joined Yu An Squad, he was very adaptable and had never complained about the hardships. "Don't forget our mission objective."
Yu Miaomiao certainly knew that their main task was to find Chu Bai and bring back the equipment and instruments.
"Five kilometers northeast of here is an old industrial area, and The Nineteenth Institute is located there." Yu Miaomiao pondered for a moment and then continued, "However, the industrial area has a complex architectural structure. If we are ambushed or attacked by alien beasts after entering, we can easily be scattered, so we cannot act rashly."
"Should we send a drone to scout ahead?"
"It's possible, but it could also easily alert the enemy."
"Oh, what's there to worry about? I'll go." He Liang stood up and stretched his ankles. "MySupernatural Ability will come in handy. I'll go scout it out tomorrow."
"Hehe, but can we eat and rest first today?"
He then changed the subject and returned to the topic of food.
"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal."
"Eat up, eat up, isn't this canned food we just found? It's tuna." Ji Mu had already opened a can first. "It smells a bit fishy, let me try it."
Yu Miaomiao watched as Ji Mu held a can of tuna in oil and put it in her mouth. "Stop, stop! Every bite you take is full of oil, and your cholesterol will go up a notch."
"It's alright, Sister Miao. It's the apocalypse, why are you still being so particular? Back in Ni Chongyang, when I was starving, I would often think, 'I'd eat a cockroach alive right now…'" Ji Mureplied with a smile, but still took out the small knife she carried with her, stabbed some fish meat, and put it in her mouth to savor it.
Everyone sat together, and whether it was due to the change in geographical location or the extreme heat had really subsided, the temperature dropped slightly at night, even though it was Polar Day.
"Why do I feel a little cold? Am I going to catch a cold?" Everyone was still wearing short sleeves. After all, it had been extremely hot, and wearing an extra layer would have been unbearable. Suddenly, the temperature dropped a lot, and everyone felt a little uncomfortable.
"I have some long-sleeved clothes here, everyone should wear them in case the temperature drops suddenly at night."
Yu Miaomiao took out some clothes from her spatial storage and distributed them to everyone, while K lit a bonfire in the center of the room.
Leave the door gaps wider to ensure air circulation.
After dinner, everyone gathered around the fire and lay down in their sleeping bags, and soon some of them started snoring.
"I've found that I don't stay up late much after the apocalypse." Yu Miaomiao lay in her sleeping bag and joked with a smile, "I used to think that only the nighttime belonged to me and that it was fleeting. Now that I don't play on my phone anymore, I find that time passes more slowly."
"Mmm," Lu An echoed softly, her voice gentle amidst the crackling of the fire, "Without the internet and electronic devices, it feels like returning to a primitive way of life, the kind of small-farm life where people work at sunrise and rest at sunset."
"Just like the summer vacations I spent at my grandparents' house when I was a child, there was never any cell phone signal, but I could catch crabs in the river, pick mulberries under the mulberry trees, and play with the cats and dogs in the village all day long, which was quite pleasant."
Yu Miaomiao felt as if these memories were from a past life, her voice carrying a hint of nostalgia.
K sat quietly by the fire, listening to everyone's conversation. He now had a "brand new brain" and needed to access and analyze more information about interacting and communicating with people, so most of the time he listened silently.
He occasionally added firewood to the fire, and sparks danced and reflected on his face.
He couldn't fully understand what humans meant by nostalgia and memory; these things were unnecessary and useless to K.
But as K listened to Yu Miaomiao and Lu An's descriptions, he began to vaguely feel a warm, unfamiliar emotion surging within his cold body.
"K, do you have any fond memories to share with us?"
He is capable of handling massive amounts of data and complex logic, but in the area of emotional experience, it is still a blank slate, yet those descriptions still bring him special feelings.
"I don't think I have this information yet. Human beings' reminiscence of the good old days doesn't seem to be a simple review of information, and my algorithms and data don't seem to be able to process and reproduce this information."
K's processor seemed a bit erratic, but his voice still carried a curiosity and longing for human emotions.
"I think I understand what you mean by 'good memories,' but I can't describe it. It's like when I see it, my processor freezes briefly, and I still can't explain why that happens."
K looked at Sesame Paste, who was lying asleep at his feet. He could clearly record that every time he looked at these furry little creatures, he would experience a "glitch" or "breakdown," but he had no solution.
"This is what it feels like to like someone, K."
The firelight illuminated the three people's faces.Yu Miaomiao's eyes curved slightly as she looked at K with a smile. In the current K's eyes, she saw sincerity and a thirst for knowledge that transcended the boundaries of mechanics, just like the K who used to be happy just by holding a small animal.
The K we know now is like its childhood, while the K we knew before was the mature young adult. Even artificial intelligence grows through continuous learning and understanding.
"I still don't quite understand whether, as artificial intelligence, my existence, besides handling tasks and providing assistance, also needs to participate in these emotions in some way?"
"K, it's not that you need to, but that you want to, or rather, you can and are willing to do it, so you can do it."
"Emotion is an important part of what makes us human. It allows us to find a bridge to connect with each other beyond cold data and logic. K, although you started as a string of code, you will be able to freely feel, choose, and understand this world in the future."
Yu Miaomiao reached out and gently strokedSesame Paste's soft fur, continuing, "When you see such a lovely little life as Sesame Paste, you will feel something in your heart; that's the beginning of affection. But affection can be armor, or it can be a weakness."