The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

However, the system will not provide worthless information for no reason.

The damaged coin-operated machine, guarded by monsters of level 10 or higher, indicates that its value is at least equivalent to, or even greater than, a bronze treasure chest. Moreover, its location at the south gate of the zoo is exactly where he needs to go.

Su Mu marked the intelligence coordinates and put away the panel.

The zoo and the entrance to the secret realm are near the south gate, as are the coin-operated machines. Since both objectives are in the same area, it saves him time running back and forth.

He turned around and glanced down from the edge of the rooftop. Lin Yuwei was squatting under the eaves across the street, taking something out of her backpack and eating. She noticed Su Mu's gaze, looked up, and waved at him.

Su Mu's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

He was still wearing the glasses Bai Liuxi had given him... The Black Kill Squad hadn't taken them back when they left; perhaps they'd forgotten, or perhaps they'd deliberately left them for him. He pressed a button on the side of the glasses, and Lin Yuwei's information popped up on the lens.

[Target: Lin Yuwei]

[Source: Cable No. 886]

[Level: Lv4]

Combat strength assessment: 124

[Note: Data is questionable; the target appears to be carrying shielding equipment.]

One hundred and twenty-four points of combat power.

Three hours ago, she was level two, with a combat power estimated at less than fifty points. Now, she's level four, with one hundred and twenty-four points. This growth rate is already top-tier among ordinary survivors.

Su Mu took off his glasses, wiped the lenses, and put them back on. He didn't ask Lin Yuwei about the specific skills required for her job change... Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know, and he was no exception.

Su Mu came down from the rooftop and walked to Lin Yuwei's side.

"Where are you going next?" he asked.

Lin Yuwei swallowed the last bite of the compressed biscuit, patted the crumbs off her hands, thought for a moment, then looked up at him with an expression that Su Mu had never seen before, one that was a mixture of excitement and calculation.

"The zoo," she said.

Su Mu's brow twitched slightly.

"I wasn't originally planning to go," Lin Yuwei stood up, brushing the dust off her pants, "but I just thought about it, and I have some information about the north gate of the zoo. Aren't you going there too? It's on the way."

Su Mu looked at her without speaking. What a coincidence? His daily intelligence report pointed to the south gate of the zoo... a broken coin-operated machine, monsters level 10 and above. Lin Yuwei's report pointed to the north gate. Two different points, in the same area.

He recalled a long-held suspicion... Lin Yuwei's talent was very likely similar to his—an intelligence-gathering ability. Not at the same level... He only produced one or two intelligence reports per day, while Lin Yuwei could produce significantly more. But the types were similar.

Su Mu didn't verify this guess. Some things are better left unsaid.

"If you want to come, then follow along," Su Mu said.

Su Mu considered it in his mind. As long as this woman didn't hold him back, it wouldn't matter if he followed her... and based on his observation last night, she really couldn't hold him back.

Last night in the Dark Zone, she hid near the Black Kill Squad for so long, and even people of Bai Liuxi's level only vaguely sensed something was wrong, never managing to pinpoint her exact location. The concealment effect of that environmental assimilation cloak was terrifying.

Even scanning through his glasses, Su Mu could only catch a faint outline; a slight lapse in concentration would cause him to completely lose sight of the target. This kind of stealth ability was something that even the reconnaissance methods of a special military team might not be able to pinpoint, let alone ordinary survivors.

With such skills, she was more than capable of protecting herself in the dark zone, and he didn't need to take care of her at all.

Su Mu glanced again at the thin chain peeking out from Lin Yuwei's collar. To be honest, he was really envious of that cloak... If he had one, he might have been able to get a warning when Bai Liuxi ambushed him in the Dark Zone, and wouldn't have been so passive.

However, this thing is someone else's trump card for survival, so he can only think about it.

If you can follow her, then follow her. At least you won't have to worry about her dying inexplicably in some corner.

Su Mu withdrew his gaze and focused his attention back on the road ahead.

......

The zoo is located in the southeast corner of Ash City, accessible from the edge of the Dark Zone by crossing seven or eight streets and an abandoned commercial district.

The sky was already bright, but the sunlight was obscured by the hazy clouds, and the light that fell down had an indescribable gloom.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a building a mile outside the zoo, a group of people were observing the green area enclosed by high walls through binoculars and high-powered lenses.

Ash Zoo.

From the outside, it looks no different from other ruins in the city... the walls are cracked, the gate is crooked, and the lettering on the sign has faded and fallen off. But looking over the wall and into the city, the scene is completely different.

The plants inside were growing like crazy.

The tree trunks were incredibly thick, and their dense canopies blocked out the sun, shrouding the entire zoo in a dark green hue. The grass on the ground was taller than knee-high, and in some places even waist-high, while the bushes were densely packed together, forming natural low walls.

The air was filled with the damp smell of humus, mixed with the stench of animals and some indescribable, pungent odor that seemed to be the territorial markings of large predators.

Dried bloodstains covered the ground at the zoo entrance in layers of dark red, brown, and black, as if something had been repeatedly slaughtered here.

The ground was cracked in many places. These were not regular cracks caused by an earthquake, but rather something had rammed open from underground. The edges of the cracks were jagged, and soil was turned outwards, as if it had been scratched by a giant claw.

A figure was slowly moving through the gap in the wall. It wasn't a person... it was a monster.

They were about the same size as real animals, but their outlines were different. A creature that looked like a hyena poked half its body out from a gap in the wall. It was completely black, its fur was scorched as if it had been burned, its eyes were dark red, and its mouth stretched to its ears, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth.

It glanced in the direction of the building, then shrank back.

Zhang Peng put down his binoculars and took a deep breath. He turned around and looked at the people behind him who were organizing their equipment. His voice was not loud, but it was steady, and every word seemed to have been carefully considered.

"Is everything ready?"

The twenty-five people were divided into three teams.

He Lin stood on the far left, arms crossed, leaning against the rooftop railing.

Her features weren't particularly beautiful, but she possessed an unforgettable quality... aloof and distant, like a blade of grass growing on a cliff edge.

Her team stood behind her, five people, half men and half women, their positions loose but maintaining a subtle distance between them... not out of distrust, but because each person could fight independently and didn't need to get too close for a sense of security. He Lin was a perception-type user; it was said her talent allowed her to "see" the location and threat level of all creatures within a radius of several hundred meters. Her team was also mostly composed of control-type ability users.