Chapter 255: Traces

Chapter 255: Traces



Seeing that the debris was cleared and abandoned cars shifted away from the road in front of the supermarket, Shi Xuan said, "Captain, it looks like someone got here before us."

Long Yu didn't respond immediately. He inspected the traces on the ground carefully. When he noticed faint footprints overlapping with tire tracks, his expression darkened.

He stood up and said, "The mutant rats became more active today. Let's collect the supplies and leave as quickly as possible."

Apart from Quan Yuanwei and Sima Yun, the others noticed footprints left by mutated rats. Realizing the mutant rats might hide inside the supermarket, they took out their weapons.

Some ruins blocked the supermarket entrance, leaving only a narrow path wide enough for people to walk through. Since it was too narrow for the trucks and the SUV to pass, they decided that Sima Yun would stay outside to guard the vehicles while the others went inside to gather supplies.

Walking into the supermarket, Long Yu surveyed the messy scene. Most of the shelves had fallen, and items were scattered across the floor. He signaled to the others, who nodded in response.

They separated and carefully checked the supermarket. Ten minutes later, they gathered again at the entrance.

Long Yu said, "There's nothing useful left here. Could it be that those people ahead of us already looted everything?"

Huang Qian pointed toward the back and said, "Captain, there is a warehouse in the back area. Should we check it out?"

Long Yu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Let's go."

The five of them made their way to the warehouse. Seeing that the lock on the door had been broken, they didn't have much hope of finding any supplies.

However, contrary to their low expectations, the warehouse still contained a lot of supplies. The shelves were half-filled with boxes, and some boxes were stacked in the corner of the warehouse.

Meanwhile, Yao Ran, Huang Zhihui, Deng Qiqi, and the Sima and Quan families had finished loading everything into the three trucks and the bus.

Seeing some space left on the last truck, Yao Ran said to Sima Hao, "Brother Sima, can you guard the vehicles for a moment? I need to go upstairs to check if we left anything behind."

Sima Hao nodded, "Sure."

Yao Ran knew he had no weapon besides a wooden stick, so she handed him her gun and a box of bullets.

Seeing this, Sima Hao hesitated for a moment, then returned the gun and bullets to her and said, "Miss Yao, this is too valuable. I can't accept it."

"Please take it. You will need it to protect our supplies. If someone tries to rob us, you must shoot before they can take action, or else you are the one who will die." Yao Ran said seriously.

Sima Hao was not naive. He knew the world had changed, and the peaceful times of the past were gone. Clutching the gun and bullets, he nodded, "I understand."

With Sima Hao guarding the supplies, Yao Ran quickly went upstairs. On the 19th floor, she found Huang Zhihui and Deng Qiqi helping Grandpa and Grandma Quan pack their daily necessities into backpacks.

"Zhihui, Qiqi, I'm going upstairs to check for anything we might have missed." Yao Ran said from the staircase.

Huang Zhihui and Deng Qiqi paused and then looked at Yao Ran. Huang Zhihui nodded, "Alright."

On the 20th floor, Yao Ran went to unit 2001. She took all large furniture into her space, leaving the apartment empty, and then checked her own and Long Yu's apartments.

After confirming nothing was left behind, she went downstairs to help the Sima and Quan families pack their daily necessities into backpacks. By the time they were ready, the sun was high in the sky.

Before leaving, Long Yu handed Yao Ran a satellite phone. She dialed the only number in the phone's contact list and waited.