Chapter 475: The Bystander Advantage
“I already asked the people at Panshui Base. They confirmed there are no high-level mutant plants in the area. As long as we’re cautious, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Song Xiao.
Song Xiao dropped his gaze, reverting to his previously timid demeanor, and nodded. “Y-yeah… that’s right.”
A man that spineless surviving four or five years into the apocalypse… Jin Diao didn’t even know what to say.
Lu Weiyi was here as a support role. Since the others had already made the decision, he didn’t interfere further and simply nodded.
“Everyone knows how to parachute, right?” Jin Diao pointed at the backpacks neatly lined up in the helicopter. “We’ve equipped everyone with a personal parachute. If anything happens, jumping is the first priority.”
“Wood Element users should try to group all team members together during descent to avoid separation. Earth Element users will assist—watch out for obstructions and help ensure safe landings in case of attack.”
“Got it!”
“Roger that!”
The Blazing Flame Squad had already been briefed on the route. Song Xiao was only accompanying them, so Jin Diao was basically giving instructions to Lu Weiyi’s group of three.
Liu Rui looked confused, but Xu Sa paid close attention. Lu Weiyi, who had already been briefed by Cong Qing, nodded for Jin Diao to continue.
“Research shows there are many types of mutant birds in the area. Lots of strange mutations. Along the way, the helicopter’s protection is up to Young Master Lu.”
“I’ll do my best,” Lu Weiyi replied.
“I’ll support too,” Xu Sa said. After yesterday, he discovered he could now create perfect lightning spheres—possibly forming a protective layer around the aircraft.
“Good.” Jin Diao didn’t object. In fact, their battle roles had already been assigned to six members of the Blazing Flame Squad. They hadn’t planned to burden Lu Weiyi’s group with frontline duties.
Xu Sa understood that and didn’t press further. Before departure, Zhuang Mingxu had already reminded them that their main goal was to return safely. The heavy lifting would be done by the others—they only needed to watch out for their own.
Once everything was in place, Jin Diao leaned closer to Lu Weiyi and quietly explained where the backup agent and engine oil were stored. He was the strongest among them; if anything went wrong, Lu Weiyi was the most likely to survive.
“Liquid agent?” Lu Weiyi glanced at the white plastic canisters on the ground. They had no markings and were a milky white color—he couldn’t tell what they were made of.
“Don’t touch that,” Jin Diao stopped him mid-reach. “That stuff was only tested on animals. The effects are strong enough to cause permanent sterility. For some animals, it even caused…” he raised an eyebrow and glanced downward, “erectile dysfunction. We don’t know how it affects humans, so better not take the risk.”
Lu Weiyi took a small step back, which made Jin Diao’s lips twitch with suppressed laughter.
“This stuff cost the research institute a fortune, and the current supply is very limited. What’s been distributed to us is even more so. If… you really want to keep it, then please do.”
Lu Weiyi nodded in agreement. After familiarizing himself with the storage locations of other supplies on the plane, they officially left the coverage range of the Capital Base.
Mutant birds began appearing more frequently in the surrounding area, so the two returned to their seats.
“Captain, reporting in—birds approaching from multiple directions. Should we engage?” came Meng Huan’s voice through the headset from the co-pilot seat.
“Don’t waste ammunition. Gain altitude. Climb above 4,000 meters,” Jin Diao ordered calmly, eyes on the window.
“Copy that!”
Before the dense flock of birds could close in, the helicopter steadily ascended, leaving them far behind.
There aren’t many bird species that can adapt to altitudes over 4,000 meters—especially inland. Even after mutation, their pursuit range is limited. The few that kept up were promptly dealt with by the powered individuals onboard.
“We’ll be flying at high altitude until we reach Jinnan Base. It’ll take about eight hours. Everyone take this chance to rest,” Jin Diao said, glancing at the ever-ready Xu Sa and the visibly tense Song Xiao.
“No worries, we’re safe for now. Our real job begins during the spraying phase, which requires ultra-low altitude flying with strict speed and height constraints.”
“Exactly. That’s when things get tough. We’ll not only have to deal with mutant birds, but also watch out for high-level mutant plants.”
“Mutant… plants?” Liu Rui asked curiously.
“You didn’t know?” Sun Kai chimed in, seeing Xu Sa and Lu Weiyi looking over with interest. “Some of those mutated plants have branches that can stretch and contract like tentacles. They’ve claimed entire mountains. Reaching up into the sky is no problem for them.”
“You’ve never seen one before?”
“We’ve spent the past couple of years clearing zombies around our base. As for mutant plants and animals, we’ve deliberately kept their levels under control since the start. Nothing overly extreme,” Xu Sa explained.
He didn’t mention that their base had nearly stripped the surrounding forests bare to survive the winter. The current lush greenery was thanks to their wood-element users, who worked to replant and nurture the area. There was no chance of high-level mutations developing under those conditions.
“Your base leadership really has foresight,” Li Ze said, clearly envious. Twined around his wrist was a vibrant green vine with tender yellow leaves, recently sprouted. The leaves occasionally quivered affectionately, ready to react to any threat.
“Yes, our base leader has exceptional foresight. Every year before the mass mutation and breeding cycle begins, he orders a thorough sweep of the entire island to prevent surprise attacks.”
“The moment we noticed marine mutant creatures growing in size, he organized all the earth-element users from nearby bases to start land reclamation. We strictly control the sea depth around our island. While other coastal bases were attacked by giant mutated sea beasts, we didn’t have a single large creature approach our waters.”
“And before the sea froze in winter, we quickly built protective walls around the island. Can you believe that even when over 500,000 zombies besieged us, the death toll didn’t reach a hundred?”
“All of this was thanks to our leader’s wise command.”
Xu Sa continued praising shamelessly, eventually pointing toward Lu Weiyi with a grin. He still wasn’t sure what deal Lu Weiyi had made with Zhao Qiang, so he stayed extra cautious. “Thanks to our base leader.”
Liu Rui started clapping loudly in the small cabin, creating such an awkward atmosphere that it made people want to crawl out of their own skin.
“Young Master Lu, what did he do wrong?” Jin Diao asked bluntly.
Lu Weiyi glanced at Xu Sa, rolled his eyes at the latter’s flattering grin.
“Bro, I’ve heard you’re one of the base leader’s favorites. So this is how you earned your way up?” Sun Kai gave Xu Sa a complicated look.
“Nothing like that. It’s all thanks to our leader’s support and tireless mentorship,” Xu Sa replied righteously.
“You’ve really had it tough.”
“No kidding, sounds like a brutal grind.”
“You’ve earned our respect.”
One after another, the others looked at Xu Sa with pity as they offered their condolences. Xu Sa, acting unbothered, casually flicked his fingers, letting small sparks crackle through the air. “I’m an S-Class ability user.”
“…”
“…”
The cabin fell into an awkward silence.
Xu Sa added, “Everyone in our squad is S-Class.”
Another round of silence.
He turned with a bright smile and added, “Even the guy who farms crops is S-Class.”
“…”
“Captain, may I punch him?” Sun Kai asked Jin Diao righteously.
Jin Diao was using binoculars to survey the terrain below and replied offhandedly, “As long as you can beat him.”
“…” Sun Kai went quiet, then turned and said, “Buddy, teach me how to flatter someone so smoothly and unpretentiously.”
“…”
There were very few birds capable of flying this high. Other than the rising temperature as the sun climbed, there was little to worry about. The cabin was full of ability users, and the temperature remained within tolerable levels.
“Sun Kai and Zheng Hong will stay on watch. Everyone else, get some rest. Tonight, I’ll take the night shift with Song Xiao.”
“I’ll join you,” Lu Weiyi said.
Jin Diao was about to refuse, but considering Lu Weiyi’s abilities, he nodded in agreement. “Alright, then rest up now while you can.”
Lu Weiyi nodded and quickly fell asleep, leaning back in his seat.
While joking around with Liu Rui, Xu Sa suddenly felt weight on his arm. He turned and saw Lu Weiyi’s head tilted at an angle. He gently repositioned him so he could rest more comfortably on his shoulder and motioned for Liu Rui to use the chance to get some rest too.
The chatter gradually faded. Only the steady hum of the helicopter’s rotors remained—a calming white noise that lulled everyone toward sleep.
*
While they drifted into sleep high in the skies, Zhuang Mingxu back at the Capital Base received the latest report from Half Moon Bay:
A riot has broken out at Mengbei Base.
Ling Shengge’s so-called “kept” boyfriends had banded together and somehow manufactured a kind of poison. Not only did they administer it to several members of the Blaze Team, but also used it on several individuals from various factions within the Mengbei Base—one of whom was even the team’s vice-captain.
When the base trial was concluded, it was discovered that all these “boyfriends” were actually lovers and secret partners, deliberately placed within different teams. Some of them were willing, others had been coerced. They took orders from Ling Shengge to extract benefits for the Blaze Team from their respective units.
Many of them were already married, maintaining the appearance of loving families. Now, after being bitten or killed, quite a few were dead, and multiple factions had suffered from the fallout.
When Zhuang Mingxu brought the news to Lu Xiao, the Capital Base still hadn’t received official reports. Lu Xiao was surprised upon hearing it.
“Is this information accurate?”
“It is,” Zhuang said. After their base had been framed by several northern bases, he had invested heavily in training spies across different locations—these updates were all fresh.
“The Blaze Team’s leadership is practically wiped out. The remaining nobodies are no threat and are already being fought over by other factions.”
