January 18th, 6:00 AM.
Swearing to wake early the night before inexplicably ensured an early awakening the next morning.
Jing Lan remained baffled by the mechanism behind this peculiar ability.
As he unzipped his sleeping bag and emerged, the biting chill of the early morning sent a shiver through his body.
Darkness enveloped his surroundings, yet in the distance, two or three moving specks of light indicated that some individuals were on an overnight patrol.
The fact that such arduous tasks could be delegated suggested the team’s leader possessed considerable capability.
From the large man’s sleeping bag, a resonant snore still echoed.
Beside it, a folding table held a pineapple bun and the beer Leng Yu had given him last night.
He ate the pineapple bun with the beer, then checked his tactical knife and the P22 handgun Old Li had handed him yesterday.
A sudden wave of emotion washed over Jing Lan; the trust these people placed in him was truly profound, to simply hand him a firearm.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the sound of a stool being pushed, signaling someone rising, emanated from the adjacent tent.
“Do you enjoy morning exercises?”
Leng Yu, clad in a plaid shirt with a towel blanket draped over his shoulder, emerged from his tent with a deep, resonant laugh in the dim light.
‘How troublesome. This fellow has set his sights on me.’
“Fancy that, we woke up at the same time.”
“Perhaps we’re destined to be good buddies, eh? Care for a walk together?”
Though both this and their previous conversation had occurred in the shadows, Jing Lan felt an undeniable certainty that this man possessed remarkable skill.
It wasn’t due to any exaggerated musculature on Leng Yu’s physique, for there was none.
Rather, it was a familiar aura in his every movement and gesture—the very same presence Jing Lan had sensed from his own master during his training.
“I offered you a spot in my RV last night; why didn’t you come?”
“I prefer sleeping outdoors.”
“Hoh, quite the southern style, wouldn’t you say?”
Leng Yu crumpled the towel blanket in his hand, kneading it thoughtfully.
“So, tell me, what do you have in mind for ‘morning exercises’? Just wandering around this scenic area?”
“Sounds good.”
“Perhaps even search for what you’re looking for?”
A faint displeasure creased Jing Lan’s brow as he crossed his arms.
‘Having told Leng Yu that he was going to rescue his sister from the school building’s rooftop, he couldn’t possibly explain why he had traveled so far to this scenic area.’
‘There must be something within this scenic area that could be used to save those trapped on the rooftop.’
“Are there hot air balloons here? Do you intend to fly to the school building’s rooftop?”
‘This fellow’s mind worked remarkably fast; he was almost on the right track.’
However, this exchange allowed Jing Lan to confirm that Leng Yu was likely unaware of the seaplanes here.
“It’s drones,” he improvised, fabricating an excuse on the spot.
“I once saw a drone show here, with massive drones capable of lifting banners several meters long,” Jing Lan stated, feigning a tone of reluctant honesty.
If Leng Yu was truly unaware of the seaplanes, he wouldn’t be very familiar with the area, rendering him unable to verify the veracity of Jing Lan’s claim about the drones.
“If we could find one of those large drones and take it to my sister’s school, we could transport food and water to the rooftop, and she would survive.”
As Jing Lan wove his fabricated tale, a sudden realization struck him: ‘Wait, transporting supplies via drone is actually a brilliant idea!’
If such large drones truly existed here, they would be no less effective than a seaplane.
Leng Yu clicked his tongue. “Little Lan, you’ve come quite a distance. Couldn’t you find drones in the city?”
“The city is overrun with zombies, and the roads are choked with abandoned vehicles, making it far more perilous than the suburbs or wilderness.”
“If I were to search drone shops one by one, I might not even make it out alive.”
“Weighing the risks, detouring here seemed the safer option.”
‘A perfectly logical explanation.’
Jing Lan had indeed considered revealing his true objective to Leng Yu, but his gut feeling told him that Leng Yu was likely more authoritarian than he appeared.
Otherwise, how could he command so many survivors to build defensive walls and maintain a 24-hour patrol?
‘If, upon discovering the seaplanes, Leng Yu dismissed Jing Lan’s plan as preposterous and refused approval, the entire scheme of flying to the school rooftop would be ruined.’
‘Moreover, the seaplane plan was virtually a one-time operation; once executed, the plane would likely be trapped on the rooftop and rendered useless.’
‘Drones, on the other hand, could be reused, assuming they actually existed.’
‘Thus, the idea of using a seaplane was even less likely to gain Leng Yu’s assent.’
‘He decided it was better to probe Leng Yu with a fabricated idea first, to gauge his reaction.’
“That truly would be an excellent tool,” Leng Yu mused.
“If such a drone actually exists, it would be an invaluable treasure in this apocalypse.”
“Indeed it would.”
Leng Yu turned to face Jing Lan. “Do you have any idea where these drones might be kept?”
“I don’t.”
“Right, I suppose you wouldn’t have imagined, the last time you saw those drones, that you’d one day be ‘acquiring’ them—not stealing, of course, but a ‘zero-dollar purchase’.”
“But this scenic area is quite vast, with four or five smaller attractions surrounding Bailu Reservoir.”
“Do you happen to remember where you saw that drone show?”
“A lakeside attraction, I believe.”
“Very well, we’ll form a small team today to scout the area.”
“If we locate your drone, you can use it to rescue your sister.”
“However, your plan doesn’t seem all that simple to execute, does it?”
“You’d need to enter the city first, get close to Minzu Middle School, because drones can’t fly too far, can they?”
“Have you considered these challenges?”
“Thinking about it won’t help; I’ll take it one step at a time.”
Leng Yu chuckled. “That’s the best way to think: ‘take it one step at a time, there’s always a path when you reach the mountain.’ See? Isn’t there a path now?”
“I have plenty of guns and ammunition here; I wager you’ve been strategizing how to get your hands on some for a while now, haven’t you?”
“I dislike Northeasterners who constantly try to guess other people’s thoughts.”
Hearing Jing Lan’s retort, Leng Yu burst into laughter, patting Jing Lan’s shoulder twice.
“Don’t worry, as long as you agree to join my team and work for me, team resources will be prioritized for you in the future.”
“That includes the drones; I promise to let you use them first, provided, of course, that you join the supply scouting team and assist me.”
“I’ll reward you for your efforts. Frankly, for anyone else, participating in a single scouting mission wouldn’t be enough.”
“To convince me to let them use something like a drone, they would essentially need to be one of my inner circle, or the drone would have to be used for something that benefits the entire team.”
“But I rather fancy you.”
“Consider it as if you’ve already completed twenty scouting missions; as soon as you demonstrate a bit of your capability, I can treat you as a trusted confidant.”
Jing Lan finally understood what the large man had meant last night when he said, ‘Leng Yu wants to be an emperor.’
Despite the Northeastern young master’s handsome appearance and seemingly benevolent nature at present, Jing Lan still felt an instinctive aversion towards him.
‘The immediate talk of being a “trusted confidant,” offering benefits, and winning people over felt truly unctuous.’
Yet, Jing Lan reconsidered, thinking, ‘Perhaps this is precisely Leng Yu’s strength.’
At the very least, he had demonstrably taken control of this team of thirty or forty individuals, and could even organize patrols and reconnaissance missions according to his will.
‘Perhaps he was indeed a suitable leader for survival in this apocalypse.’
‘It would be best not to fall out with him just yet.’
“Alright then, your ability to command so many people is indeed impressive.”
“If you can save my sister, you will have saved my own life, and I will remember that debt of gratitude.”
“Agreed, it’s settled then.”
“However, you’ll accompany me on a task shortly—consider it our ‘morning exercise’—which will also give you insight into some of my team’s operational philosophies.”
As he spoke, Leng Yu led Jing Lan to his RV, producing some bread and other provisions for him to eat.
“Just wait a little while longer,” he instructed. “Until seven o’clock.”