novelraw Chapter 279: Time Is Even More Pressing Now
Chapter 279: Time Is Even More Pressing Now
This past month.
Su Zhan endured the elements, sleeping in his clothes in the cramped cabin of the off-road vehicle when tired, and continuing to battle Mist Creatures when awake.
The ample supplies he had brought... compressed food, clean water, fuel, were finally running low under such high-intensity consumption.
Su Zhan looked at the empty trunk and the almost-empty fuel gauge.
It was time to temporarily leave this leveling treasure trove.
Su Zhan started the engine. The off-road vehicle roared to life, turned around, and headed back the way he came, driving towards that northwestern border city named Xichuan.
He needed to resupply again, and also needed to obtain information from the outside world, to see what changes had occurred in the world beyond over this past month.
After all, this Uninhabited Zone was pretty much a dead zone for signal;
you couldn't even get online.
The journey back to Xichuan City was exceptionally smooth.
He didn't encounter any more trouble with roadside extortion.After all, on the way here, those few blind fools had already been thoroughly cleaned up by Su Zhan, becoming fertilizer beneath the Gobi Desert.
The dust-covered off-road vehicle drove into Xichuan City.
Compared to a month ago.
Su Zhan's skin had been roughened by the desert sun and wind-blown sand of the Gobi, carrying a wilderness aura utterly out of place in the city.
He first found a hotel that looked rather inconspicuous and checked in using the ID card for "Chen Qing".
Entering the room, his first action was to step into the bathroom.
A stream of warm water poured down, washing away the dust, sweat stains, and scent of blood clinging to his body.
He rested for a night, alleviating the fatigue accumulated over consecutive months.
Early the next morning.
Su Zhan drove his car and began a large-scale procurement of supplies.
He headed straight for the large wholesale markets and outdoor equipment stores on the city outskirts.
Step one, food and water.
Su Zhan walked into a wholesale grain and oil store and said directly to the boss, "Twenty boxes of compressed biscuits, thirty kilograms of beef jerky, ten barrels of purified water."
The boss was startled by this extravagant purchase volume.
Glancing at Su Zhan and his dust-covered off-road vehicle, he assumed it was for some expedition team or geological survey team and didn't ask further, efficiently starting to prepare the goods.
Su Zhan carefully checked the production dates and packaging seals, confirming everything was correct before paying, then directed the store clerk to load the heavy supplies into the vehicle.
These high-energy, long-storage foods and ample drinking water were the foundation of his survival in the Uninhabited Zone.
...
"Give me four of your best all-terrain off-road tires."
Su Zhan pointed at the two significantly worn tires on his vehicle.
The road conditions in the Uninhabited Zone were a severe test for tires;
spares were essential.
"Also, vehicle-mounted fuel cans, the largest size, fill four for me."
Su Zhan also purchased several barrels of engine oil, a few spare filters, and a complete vehicle repair toolkit.
In that kind of place, the vehicle was his legs.
He also bought high-capacity power banks and a solar charging panel.
A thick sleeping bag and a moisture-proof pad, because the nighttime low temperatures in the Gobi were beyond imagination.
Su Zhan sorted these supplies into categories.
He meticulously utilized the space in the off-road vehicle's trunk and back seats, packing and securing everything carefully to ensure nothing would scatter or get damaged on bumpy roads.
Nighttime.
Shedding the daytime scorching heat, a cool breeze blew gently.
Su Zhan parked the car and walked to a bustling night market street, finding a barbecue stall in a corner and sitting down.
Greasy low tables, plastic stools.
Surrounded by the sounds of drinking games and laughter.
Full of the atmosphere of everyday life.
Su Zhan ordered some skewers and a bottle of beer. He ate slowly while casually browsing his phone.
The news app pushed messages largely similar to a month ago: some place successfully repelling a small-scale Mist incident, officials again emphasizing heightened vigilance, experts analyzing Mist activity patterns, etc...
At the next table, several middle-aged men with bare torsos were holding forth loudly.
Their voices were loud, carrying the ruggedness characteristic of northwestern men.
The topic quickly shifted from domestic trivialities to matters of national importance.
"Damn it, these times are getting more and more unsettled!"
A man with a crew cut gulped down a mouthful of beer and slammed his glass heavily on the table: "My second uncle's family lives right by the border. Got a call a couple days ago, said at night you can hear strange cries coming from over there, creepy as hell!"
"Tell me about it."
Another man wearing glasses sighed: "My daughter works as a clerk at the Academy, internal info says the things coming out of the Mist now are way fiercer than before. Before, you could still rely on piling up lives, but now... sigh, it's tough!"
"Pile up? With what?"
A third, tall and skinny man sneered: "Old Zhang, didn't your kid Awaken the year before last? I remember it was... that Iron Bone Life Soul or something? The rating wasn't high, right?"
The tattooed man called Old Zhang darkened his expression and muttered, "D-grade. Garbage Life Soul. Useless except for being a bit tougher. Was just thinking he could find a security job in the city and live peacefully."
"And then?"
The tall, skinny man pressed.
"And then? Last week, the conscription order came down!"
Old Zhang suddenly slammed the table, causing people at nearby tables to look over: "Assigned straight to the border patrol! I... goddamn it..."
He couldn't continue, picking up the beer bottle and taking a huge swig directly from it.
The table fell silent, the atmosphere turning somewhat oppressive.
The bespectacled man patted Old Zhang's shoulder, comforting him: "Old Zhang, don't worry too much. At least he's an Awakened individual, stronger than ordinary folks... The frontlines are short on manpower now. Heard even those with E-grade ratings are being mobilized as long as their Life Soul is somewhat useful... The situation is forcing our hand."
"Yeah,"
The tall, skinny man also sighed: "Even kids with that level of talent are being pushed to the frontlines. Means our Daxia is truly short on soldiers. This Mist... when will it ever end?"
Even D-grade Awakened individuals were being conscripted to the frontlines on a large scale. The pressure on the border was imaginable.
The Mist Creatures were not only getting stronger;
the frequency and scale of their appearances likely far exceeded the data officially released.
Su Zhan silently finished his last skewer of barbecue, drained his beer, put down the cash, got up, and left the noisy barbecue stall.
The situation was continuously deteriorating, perhaps even faster than he imagined.
This further solidified his resolve that he must enhance his strength as quickly as possible.
Only with sufficient power could he grasp control of his own destiny amidst these increasingly turbulent tides, and even... settle old scores.
Su Zhan returned to his car, glanced at the thick list of supplies on the passenger seat.
He started the car and drove once more towards the boundless darkness outside the city.
Time was even more pressing now.
There was only one goal in his mind now: get stronger.
Get stronger, get stronger, get stronger!