The Initiation Plan

She called it a foolish question, but Lu Jiaze wasn't angry. His gaze lingered on the first-floor door. The sound of zombies battering the door frame from outside drifted into his ears.

"So that's how it is. Ability users can also have a second ability," Lu Jiaze muttered to himself, falling into deep thought.

His long-held speculations had been confirmed by Jiang Chu.

This also meant that Jiang Chu possessed more than just one type of ability.

Seeing his burning gaze, Jiang Chu looked away and warned with a cold sneer, "Not even one in a thousand people is guaranteed to be an ability user. For this one-in-a-thousand or one-in-ten-thousand probability to appear in you and me is already highly fortunate. Possessing two abilities sounds glorious, but just because you want it doesn't mean you can get it."

Moreover, her own second ability hadn't even manifested yet. Half of what she just said was merely an excuse to stop Lu Jiaze from asking further.

Even she didn't have a second ability right now, let alone Lu Jiaze. After all, in her past life, even by the seventh year of the apocalypse, he only possessed the Lightning-system ability.

Jiang Chu searched the first floor of the laundromat for a few minutes. Aside from some clothes, there were no useful items.

She went upstairs first, her attitude cold. "I've already told you to keep what just happened a secret. I shouldn't have to remind you again."

Jiang Chu opened a can of Coca-Cola from her backpack. Zhang Hu and the others followed her arrangements, taking turns to monitor any movement from the Honghai Base.

"Still no one has come out." Ning Ting put down the binoculars and tilted her head to look at her.

Jiang Chu said indifferently, "If no one comes out by this afternoon, they likely won't be coming out for these two days. They are waiting for us to come to their door. If we're lucky, perhaps someone will open the door directly for us."

When she said "lucky," the corners of her lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile, sending a shiver down her teammates' spines.

"Tomorrow, Xiang Shu will stay here and wait for our return." Jiang Chu sat cross-legged and took out the map to examine it carefully.

Everyone was stunned. Liang Tianyong hurriedly replied, "But it's bound to be unsafe for him to be here alone!"

Not to mention the close proximity to the Honghai Base, there were also the zombies in the hallway and outside the door downstairs—none of which were easy to deal with.

Perhaps once they left tomorrow, this area would only have Xiang Shu as the sole living person. How could he not worry?

Ning Ting pulled him back. "Be rational. It would be even more unsafe for him to come with us. Staying here is actually better. As long as he doesn't make any unusual noise and secures the windows, he can wait safely for our return."

If he followed them, it wouldn't just be unsafe; a single slip-up could mean death.

If Xiang Shu went with them, from the moment they set off, his teammates would have to split their attention to watch over him, and even pull him along at critical moments to ensure he didn't fall behind.

Doing a mission like this was clearly unacceptable and would only drag them into the abyss.

"Ning Ting is right. He's actually safer here. Once we settle down in Honghai, we'll come back to get him," Zhang Hu said calmly. Although Da Gao was injured, he could at least fight and run. Xiang Shu, on the other hand, might not be able to.

Gao Qingyang also chimed in, "Yes, the captain will definitely leave him enough food. We don't need to worry about that."

Jiang Chu cast a cold glance at Liang Tianyong and said flatly, "This mission is extremely dangerous. It is precisely because we fear for his safety that we are leaving him here. Before we set off, I will clear out some of the surrounding zombies. In addition, I will have Zhang Hu and the others thoroughly inspect this shop, and we will leave most of the food in our backpacks for Xiang Shu. As long as he stays quiet, doesn't wander around, and stays put, there should be almost no issues."

"If I told you that entering Honghai would instead walk us into an enemy trap, would you still want him to follow?"

Jiang Chu naturally had her own calculations. The entry of the group suspected to be the Hei Hu into Honghai had overturned their previous plans.

The other party had very likely laid a dragnet in Honghai, just waiting for them to show up.

Xiang Shu was currently too weak; bringing him along would only make him a liability. To ensure his safety and the smooth execution of the plan, leaving him here was the only option.

Including herself, the remaining eight people were just enough to be split into two squads.

She, Lu Jiaze, Gao Qingyang, and Chen Qingqing would form one squad; Zhang Hu, Shen Yinqiu, Liang Tianyong, and Ning Ting would form the other.

Each side had two ability users. Since she was carrying two patients, Liang Tianyong's group would have a slightly lighter burden.

She clearly explained the squad division plan to her teammates.

Everyone expressed their agreement.

Xiang Shu gestured in sign language, roughly meaning that he was willing to stay here and quietly wait for their return.

Once Chen Qingqing woke up, Jiang Chu supervised her as she finished the cup of water, then briefly informed her of the current arrangements.

As for how to enter, Jiang Chu planned to hijack a vehicle tomorrow to take a detour.

That night, the team got a very good rest.

The next day, before dawn, they were ready to set off.

As promised, Jiang Chu left almost all the remaining food for Xiang Shu. They had consumed more than half of their food during their two days at the laundromat. If Xiang Shu rationed the rest, it would easily last him four days.

Plus 2.5 liters of mineral water, it was enough.

Additionally, Jiang Chu left him a gun, a dagger, a flashlight, toilet paper, a watch to tell the time, and a lighter.

While she did this, Zhang Hu, Gao Qingyang, and the others made sure to recheck all the windows and glass doors upstairs and downstairs.

Zhang Hu touched the glass. "The quality of this glass isn't bad. Unless all the zombies on the street crowd and push against this door, it won't break."

Jiang Chu also used her ability to clear out half of the zombies on the second floor. It was necessary to keep some, otherwise, it would be too conspicuous.

She placed a portion of the food left for Xiang Shu under the bed, and the rest in a backpack in the corner of the breakroom.

"The windows must be locked, the curtains must not be drawn, and the same goes for the glass door curtains outside. Try to walk carefully. Don't drink water too frequently, or you'll have to use the restroom more often. When going downstairs to use the restroom, your movements must be extremely gentle. Also, light can attract zombies, so don't turn on the flashlight unless absolutely necessary, especially at night."

"If you really can't hold it, you don't have to go downstairs. No one will laugh at you anyway."

"For the rest of the time, lock yourself in the breakroom, suppress your curiosity, and absolutely do what I say. There are very, very few survivors in Yi City. If you hear a sound that isn't made by a zombie, you must stay even calmer and hide here. We will try to return as quickly as possible."

"Lu Jiaze and Gao Qingyang taught you how to use a gun two days ago. It's still the same saying: do not use it unless it's a matter of life and death."

Jiang Chu stared at Xiang Shu, instructing him word by word.

Fearing he wouldn't remember, she also had Chen Qingqing find a pen and paper to write it down for him to keep on hand.

Xiang Shu nodded vigorously.

After a day of calming down, Liang Tianyong was no longer as tense. He just kept using sign language to tell Xiang Shu to absolutely follow Jiang Chu's words.

Afterward, Jiang Chu walked in another direction, leaning against the sealed window by the stairs.