After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 172 Foraging Crisis
Lu Zhao had just finished uploading the last set of data and tapped his fingers twice on the table when Xiao Ran led two reliable members to gather at the door.

Xiao Ran put on his tactical backpack, checked the flashlight and ammunition one by one, and said in a low voice: "There is an abandoned military warehouse about 20 kilometers down the mountain. There should still be some supplies left. The target is medical supplies and all repairable electronic equipment."

Lu Zhao looked at the two people: one was Yang Tie, who used to be in the garrison, and the other was Xu Wen, the team's technician.

The two packed their water bottles, daggers, and other items into their backpacks. Xu Wen looked up and asked, "Should we take the route under the old bridge, or go directly over the ridge?"

Xiao Ran took out an old map he carried with him and pointed to a winding mountain road: "The terrain is easier to walk, and there are many hiding spots along the way. Let's go, let's set off."

As the three walked along the mountain path, Xiao Ran led the way, while Yang Tie brought up the rear at each fork in the road.

The group was taciturn, each step they took firmly on the gravel. Xiao Ran occasionally counted the roadside marker posts, stopping only once halfway to check his weapons without uttering a sound.

Around noon, they arrived at the outskirts of their destination.

The warehouse door was a sliding alloy door, and the lock was long broken. Xu Wen kicked it twice and looked at a small patch of shoe prints behind the door.

"Someone has been here recently; the footprints are only two or three days old."

Xiao Ran bent down to examine the layer of dust at the corner of the door and found a row of coded magazine casings piled up against the wall.

He picked one up with clips and handed it to Yang Tie: "This is not ordinary civilian ammunition; it's obvious someone cleared the area beforehand."

The warehouse was dark inside. A sweep of the helmet light revealed that most of the neatly stacked metal crates were empty.

The medical supply shelves were reduced to sterilization cotton, and the empty shells of electronic devices were disassembled into parts.

Xu Wen looked through them and found that there weren't even any spare circuit boards or modules left.

Yang Tie found two spare batteries in a toolbox, looked up and said, "The harvest is terrible. Someone harvested it early and took all the valuables."

Xiao Ran stood up, looked around, and saw a patch of freshly dried engine oil on the ground, indicating that the machine box had been moved.

He frowned, already having made his judgment, and said in a low voice, "Hurry up, this place isn't safe."

Xu Wen asked, "Should we retreat or continue the investigation separately?"

Xiao Ran didn't say much, just waved his hand: "Let's go. There's not much left, it's not worth the risk. There might still be people nearby." The three quickly gathered the remaining medical supplies and retreated towards the exit.

Just as I arrived at the factory gate, I heard a very slight friction sound overhead.

Before Xiao Ran could ask a question, Yang Tie had already turned to provide cover. The next instant, the explosive warhead blasted into the ground from the upper corner of the warehouse door, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Four figures advanced while forming a defensive formation, quickly flanking from the side wall.

Xiao Ran's heart tightened. He shouted, "Cover!" He turned around and shielded Xu Wen behind the low barracks, then drew his gun and opened fire.

The enemy advanced from three points, their coordination was skillful, and their movements were all in line with the routines of professional infiltration troops.

A masked man used tactical hand signals to direct the formation to converge and close in.

They were dressed in black and gray camouflage, had brand-new shortwave communicators and full-body protective gear, and their bullets were accurate and silent.

Yang Tie pulled the trigger to return fire, but the enemy deliberately avoided causing casualties, only shooting at vulnerable areas and the knees.

The firefight lasted less than a minute; the other side clearly wasn't going all out, maintaining a distance throughout.

Xiao Ran growled in a low voice, "Who are you?!" The opposing leader lowered his voice and replied, "Scavengers. We're on a cleanup mission and don't want to fight."

Xiao Ran frowned deeply, not putting away his weapon, but simply pressing the muzzle down to indicate that he would not fire for the time being.

Xu Wen froze for half a second, while Yang Tie stared intently at the encirclement.

The four cleaners calmly dispersed. The leader raised his hand to signal his subordinates to take cover, took a step forward, removed his gas mask, revealing a short, stiff beard and a military-grade shortwave headset.

“We have no interest in a protracted war with you. Take your men and leave. Don’t come near this area again. We are here on orders to clear out the warehouse and related information.”

Xiao Ran looked him up and down, his tone indifferent: "Who sent you? The military?"

The leader did not answer directly, but said only, "We only follow orders from above. Meeting you today is a misunderstanding. If you still need supplies, don't worry about those medical kits; you can take the spare panels and circuit boards from the back."

Yang Tie glanced down and saw that there were indeed two new circuit boards that hadn't been packed yet. He picked one up without saying anything.

Xiao Ran pressed on, asking, "What are you cleaning up? Why are you equipped like this?"

The leader raised his chin, his black gloves rubbing against the butt of his gun: "Our mission is to clean up all related abnormal samples. Everyone who has come into contact with the special experimental subjects is on the list."

He paused mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on Xiao Ran.

"I have something to remind you—don't take the little girl you recently rescued to public areas again, and don't try to communicate with her to expose her information."

He stopped there and didn't explain further.

Xu Wen was taken aback and asked, "You mean...you know her?"

The scavenger leader looked at him and no longer denied it. "We've received that file and seen her picture. As long as you don't provoke us now, you can still leave. Get out of this valley before tonight."

Xiao Ran became alert, put away the two power boards, and quietly ordered his team members to step back, while nodding to the other side.

The two sides gradually increased the distance between them, and the other side showed no intention of continuing to follow.

Yang Tie followed closely behind and whispered in Xiao Ran's ear, "Their movements are too synchronized, even more precise than those of ordinary retired soldiers, isn't that...?"

Xiao Ran interrupted him, telling him not to make a fuss. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

Back on the mountain road, Xu Wen, panting, asked, "Brother Xiao, what should we do? Should we tell Sister Wanqing about what happened to them?"

Xiao Ran tightened the power switch, frowned and thought for a few seconds: "Take the data back first. Don't talk nonsense. Before things are cleared up, you can't rely on anyone outside."

The three hurried along the mountain path again. Fearing that the other party would catch up again, the technician turned back twice to check.

Only after the other party could no longer be seen did Xiao Ran slow down, and after confirming that no one was injured, he continued on his way.

In the wine cellar of the base, Su Wanqing had just finished reviewing a genetic comparison report when there was a soft knock on the door.

Lin Che put the instrument in his hand aside, pushed open the door and entered, his demeanor somewhat unfamiliar.

Su Wanqing didn't get up, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Che stood at the door, fastening his cufflinks with his head down. After a moment of silence, he said, "The Night Personality has emerged. I have to remind you that during the last few night patrols, someone has been watching the base from a distance. It's not a local; they move extremely quietly, constantly changing positions, and their patrol routes are very regular."

Su Wanqing raised an eyebrow, tapping her fingers lightly on the corner of the table. "Are you sure they're not one of our own?"

Lin Che shook his head. "No. The other party is very good at avoiding surveillance. They use optical camouflage and jamming tools, and their technology is close to that of the military and special forces. They don't leave many traces, but I can still catch some movement every time they operate."

Su Wanqing pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are they doing?"

Lin Che put his hands in his pockets and said, "There was no intrusion, just on the perimeter. We changed routes each time. Night Personality was afraid you'd let your guard down, so he had me draw a map."

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the inner pocket and laid it on the table. It was marked with thick red lines and symbols.

Lin Che pointed to a ridge, "Here, there's a separate building hidden by the mountain; it's an old military facility. Ye Ren said that the other side disappears into this area after each reconnaissance mission. The coordinates match the list you have."

Su Wanqing gripped the map tightly and asked in a low voice, "You mean, there might be crucial information hidden here?"

Lin Che nodded, leaning against the door. "Most of these structures in the mountains are illusions; they can hide a lot of things. Night Personality believes this place might have a direct connection to the experimental subjects and the Eden Project, otherwise they wouldn't be hiding here so frequently."

Su Wanqing silently put the map away, a hint of hesitation in her eyes. Lin Che said, "You have to believe half of what Night Personality says, and verify the other half yourself. Be careful with the people you hire."

The room was silent for a moment before Su Wanqing said in a low voice, "Go over all the latest clues with Lu Zhao later, and lock this map in the safe. Has the Night Personality shown any unusual behavior recently?"

Lin Che shook his head, his tone muffled: "No. It's just that they're very vigilant now, and their information is much more readily available than mine. If we really have to go there to investigate, it would be best to split into two groups, one overt and one covert."

Su Wanqing nodded without saying anything more, folded the map, and pushed it into the drawer.

Lin Che turned and left, leaving only a series of soft footsteps echoing at the door.

The only things left in the room were the documents and soft breathing. Su Wanqing stared at the documents on the table, motionless.