Chapter 284

The bus trembled for a moment before stabilizing.0

The front half of the vehicle was dangling in mid-air, with only a small portion of the rear still grounded.0

If it weren’t for the green vines holding it back, the entire bus would have plunged into the abyss the next second, shattered into pieces, leaving no trace behind.0

Standing at the helicopter’s cabin door, Yun Xiaoxiao controlled the vines with both hands, slowly moving the bus.0

She held her breath, veins bulging on her neck, her eyes filled with determination.0

Thanks to her efforts, the bus finally landed safely on the ground.0

“I really thought I was going to die just now,” someone sobbed.0

“Yeah, that was way too close. I was terrified!”0

“Thank goodness that little witch... no, that girl acted in time to save us. Otherwise, none of us would’ve survived.”0

“Exactly! She might have a temper, but she didn’t abandon us when it mattered.”0

“I’ve decided to follow her from now on. I owe her my life.”0

“Same here!”0

“Me too!”0

“Wait, hold on. Did you all forget she forced us to kill zombies as punishment? She didn’t care about our lives.”0

“You can’t say that. Given her ruthlessness, the fact that she didn’t kill us after we stole from her shows she’s merciful.0

Besides, it’s not just us killing zombies—they’re doing it too.0

And haven’t you noticed? Forcing us to kill zombies has actually made us stronger.”0

“You’re right! I never knew I could be this powerful before.”0

“......”0

After the near-death experience, everyone on the bus was still shaken, their emotions running high.0

For most of them, their attitude toward Yun Xiaoxiao had completely changed.0

Some even vowed to follow her to the death.0

Feeling the sudden surge in their closeness, Yun Xiaoxiao was momentarily stunned.0

Then she pursed her lips, a hint of surprise in her expression.0

Because of the earlier incident, the convoy drove much slower afterward.0

Although Mu Yang had organized the installation of snow chains on every vehicle before departure, caution was still necessary.0

Snow chains couldn’t guarantee absolute safety.0

Liang City was a bit farther from Ren City, and along the way, they encountered a few small zombie hordes, delaying their progress.0

“Hey, isn’t that Brother Chen?”0

As they neared Ren City, Nie Yizhou pointed at a helicopter flying toward them and asked curiously.0

Mu Yang looked up. “It does look like him.”0

Lu Chen had gone ahead with a team to scout Ren City earlier.0

No one knew why he was suddenly returning.0

Nie Yizhou turned on the intercom and, as soon as they were close enough to communicate, hurriedly asked,0

“Brother Chen, why are you back?”0

“No need to go to Ren City. The zombies there are gone,” Lu Chen’s deep voice came through the intercom.0

“Gone? What happened?”0

Nie Yizhou sounded as if he’d just heard some juicy gossip.0

“Not sure. A third of the city is surrounded by tall earthen walls.0

There are many survivors inside.0

There’s no sign of zombie activity in the rest of the city either.”0

“Did they kill all the zombies?”0

“Probably. The buildings in the eastern part of the city were completely destroyed, and there’s a large blackened area in the western outskirts, as if something was burned on a massive scale.”0

He suspected that the survivors had killed the zombies and disposed of them collectively.0

Nie Yizhou’s voice became cheerful.0

“That’s great! We don’t have to rush anymore.0

But I’m really curious about that Ren City base.0

Their leader must be a decisive and formidable figure, having the foresight to wipe out all the zombies in advance.0

Oh, by the way, Ren City didn’t send anyone to the meeting held by the Western Base earlier.0

Do you think we should try to persuade them to join us?0

If they participate in the siege of Rong City, we could finish earlier than expected.0

Everyone would have more time to return to their own bases.”0

“I think it’s worth a try,” Yun Xiaoxiao nodded.0

The weather was getting worse by the day. If they could eliminate the threat of Rong City sooner, everyone could return to their bases earlier.0

After making the decision, Mu Yang instructed everyone to take a break.0

The convoy stopped on a wide stretch of road.0

The helicopter also landed slowly.0

It was already close to 6 p.m., and even if they wanted to head straight to Rong City, it wasn’t the right time.0

So Yun Xiaoxiao and the others decided to spend the night there and set off again in the morning.0

They could also use this opportunity to visit the Ren City base and see if they could persuade them to join.0

As for why they didn’t bring everyone to Ren City, the reason was simple: it’s always wise to be cautious.0

They didn’t know what kind of person the Ren City base leader was.0

If they brought too many people, it might give the wrong impression, making the other side defensive and ruining the negotiation.0

On the other hand, if the leader was hostile or had ill intentions, it could lead to unnecessary casualties.0

Although their team was strong—arguably unmatched among anyone they’d encountered so far—it was still necessary to maintain a degree of caution when dealing with strangers.0

Throughout history, many had underestimated their opponents, thinking they were stronger, only to meet their end in confusion.0

This wasn’t about fear but about being prudent.0

Some began clearing the snow from the road, others set up tents, a few scouted the area for zombies to eliminate any threats, and the rest started preparing food.0

Since someone needed to stay behind to oversee things, Yun Xiaoxiao left Lu Chen, Ling Jing, Xiao Feng, and Lei Ming behind.0

She only took Mu Yang, Zheng Yuner, Nie Yizhou, and Ci Wan with her.0

With her and Nie Yizhou there, they could escape quickly if anything went wrong.0

Then, Mu Yang piloted the helicopter, carrying the group toward Ren City.0

It wasn’t far, and within ten minutes, they could see the entire city.0

Meanwhile, in a high-rise building surrounded by earthen walls in Ren City...0

“That helicopter is flying back!”0

Someone in a large room on the top floor exclaimed, pointing at the helicopter approaching through the floor-to-ceiling windows.0

He quickly turned to the person behind him.0

“Base Leader, should we shoot it down?”0

At the desk, a stern-faced man was reviewing some documents.0

Hearing the question, he slowly looked up.