Looking at her son’s excited eyes, Jiang Rong hesitated for a moment, then decisively said, "It was given by a kind person, I can’t even remember what they looked like."

Perhaps her son had already achieved something, but she didn’t want him to have too much contact with the train.

The conductor was in a good mood this time, but that doesn’t mean he’ll always be in a good mood.

Anyway, the train would soon leave the Storm Zone, maybe...

They would never intersect again in this lifetime.

Li Xinlong shook his head regretfully.

At this moment, he noticed that the kitchen counter was already filled with a lot of food: mushrooms, unknown vegetables, flowers, white onions, red fruits, cured meat, luncheon meat, pickled cucumbers, and even a pack of fresh Chinese pastries!

Li Xinlong was momentarily stunned, his mind gradually snapping out of the joy of reunion.

He recalled the scene when he entered the door.

Looking at the busy woman with a complicated expression, "Mom, have you become an Evolver?"

"Yes."

Jiang Rong deftly placed the luncheon meat on the chopping board, casually pinched a small tin box into a metal sheet, and set it aside.

If they were on the train, someone would specifically recycle these metal products.

Li Xinlong opened his mouth, subconsciously wanting to ask.

But his mind took a turn.

His mom had traveled thousands of miles back, endured so much hardship along the way, and as soon as she got home, her biological son started questioning her, how could she not feel hurt?

He forcibly swallowed all his doubts.

Jiang Rong, while handling the food, said cheerfully, "You have no idea how lucky your mom is, not only did I meet kind people on the way, but we also became Evolvers together. Although it was tiring and dangerous, everyone supported each other and somehow ran back all the way from the south..."

"On the way, some boarded, some alighted, I wonder if they could go home, if they make it..."

"Enough about that, but if you make me angry again—"

Jiang Rong raised the kitchen knife, letting out two cold snorts, the knife crackling with electricity.

"Did you master electricity?"

Li Xinlong playfully shrank his neck.

"Just a ’Power Supplier’, just got lucky, caught you off guard, otherwise, it would have been embarrassing today."

"Oh oh..."

Li Xinlong raised an eyebrow, temporarily memorizing this new term.

"By the way, why do they call you Master Rong?"

Jiang Rong glanced at her son.

Li Xinlong scratched his head, "Isn’t it because of Pang Ke’s big tongue? They all thought my name was Li Xinrong, then it spread, and that’s how I became Master Rong."

"Alright, go accompany your friends, I’ll make something delicious for you all."

Li Xinlong reluctantly walked out, suddenly remembering something, "Oh right, Mom, the kitchen hasn’t been hooked up to power yet!"

Jiang Rong casually wiped her hand over the induction cooker, which emitted a "beep" sound.

Jiang Rong turned back with a mischievous smile at her son.

Jiang Rong: I can zap you, why can’t I handle a little kitchen?

Li Xinlong walked out and happened to see Old Yang and Brother Shan carrying large bags of food.

"Master Rong, everything is arranged downstairs, staying overnight won’t be a problem."

Seeing Li Xinlong frown, Old Yang quickly said, "We’ll set off tomorrow, we can reach Zhijin by noon."

"Why the rush? We are a convoy of five thousand people, unlike their train with so many supplies. Tomorrow we’ll organize a hunt nearby, fill our bellies, and then hit the road."

Li Xinlong said calmly.

Pang Ke glanced at the kitchen, then understood.

"Well then..."

"Don’t bring my mom, Ah Ke, you keep a close eye, don’t let anyone bother my mom with convoy issues. If I find out, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Although his eyes were still slightly red, the murderous tone was unmistakable.

In the kitchen, Jiang Rong’s body tensed.

Because the voices in the living room were deliberately lowered and the kitchen was noisy, she only heard the word "train."

Then she thought of the area her son mentioned, which coincidentally was where Xiaohe was staying in the front section of the train, and her heart tightened.

...

The next day, hearing the rustling sound of clothes, Jiang Rong quietly opened her eyes.

Only when the door sounded did she get up and quickly put on her clothes.

She waited until the convoy left in an orderly fashion, then quietly followed on her motorcycle.

Seeing Li Xinlong merely hunting mutant beasts within the county, she was relieved, only returning home secretly after they were fully loaded.

...

Zhijin City, on the rooftop of a large shopping street.

The howling wind blew from the ground all the way up the hundred-meter-high rooftop, ruffling Zhong You’s mid-length hair. He was sitting at the edge of the rooftop, one leg dangling naturally, gazing at the city center three streets away, his expression solemn.

Within his extreme vision, a ten-meter-diameter hole appeared on the bustling pedestrian street. A commercial building over a dozen stories high collapsed at the edge, right over the hole, and under its shadow, numerous large white cocoons hung.

Swaying in the wind, they resembled a mountain of corpses and a forest of bones, eerily unsettling.

A special task force member with a brass kite pinned to his collar walked onto the rooftop, cradling a gun.

"Captain Zhong, everything has been set up."

Zhong You withdrew his gaze, "Where is the armed convoy?"

"Just reached the outskirts of Zhijin City. It’ll be noon by the time they get to Zhijin scavenger market, slow as a turtle crawl."

The brass kite replied.

Zhong You’s eyes flashed with coldness, "I asked you to answer my question, not to give your opinion. If it happens again, you’ll be sent back."

The brass kite was instantly flustered and hastily apologized.

Looking up, the rooftop was already empty, leaving only traces of water on the edge, which quickly vanished in the wind.

Zhong You felt the speed of a crazy descent, his mind as calm as a still lake. He drew two short spears from his waist, twisted them, and thrust them fiercely into the adjacent office building. Glass and concrete shattered noisily, with sparks peeling off downward.

A stream of sleek black freshwater shot out from the steel tank on his exoskeleton, forming a film that enveloped his body and extinguished the sparks on the wall.

"Bang!"

A ball of water hit the ground, bouncing around like a rubber ball.

Yet, it was forcibly retracted into the tank behind him by an inexplicable force.

Not a single drop of water was on the ground.

But the huge sound attracted the greedy gazes of many.

Zhijin City, with a population of millions, had occasional zombies wandering out from the edges, but expert analysis indicated that it still housed over five million terrifying zombie hoards.

Therefore, the Black Kite never attacked such a large city, only periodically clearing surrounding villages and counties to limit the zombie numbers.

A strong wind swept by, causing Zhong You to tilt his head slightly.

Tumor-like sacs burst open on the ground, releasing a pungent stench around.

The surrounding zombies instantly let out terrifying howls, leaping frenziedly from high places as if on spring fever, turning the entire street into chaos, crackling like an earthquake.

Zhong You stood still for a moment before dipping the spear tip into the sticky liquid on the ground, then began his escape.

One after another, Night Demons scrambled frantically from vehicles and staircases.

Tearing sounds were unceasing.

Fat-headed and big-eared Butchers emerged from buildings, wielding unknown weapons in furious pursuit.

Earth Ghosts followed behind, tossing "tumor bombs" at Zhong You’s fleeting shadow, stirring waves of frenzy among the zombie hoards.

Zhong You didn’t hurry to run, instead leading the corpses in circles around him, until attracting a Tier Two Jumper, then he got serious and headed towards the direction of the pedestrian cave.

Just a few hundred meters away, Zhong You leaped up the high buildings on both sides, casually wrapping the Earth Ghost bomb in a ball of water, then tossed it into the shadows below the collapsed commercial building. The short spear in his hand struck the tumor fiercely.

It made a barely audible muffled sound.

The next moment, except for the Tier Two Jumper, the roaring zombie hoard charged one by one into the hole.

And the hole seemed bottomless, swallowing hundreds of zombies and dozens of Tier One Zombies without stopping.

Even though the Jumper had already reached Zhong You’s side, it hesitated for a moment, then roared angrily at Zhong You, attempting to flee in the opposite direction.

In the next moment, the Tier Two Jumper seemed bewitched and plunged headfirst into the cave.

The small tide of corpses stirred by Zhong You quickly came to a halt in a bizarre manner.

If gazing down at Zhijin City from above, one would see similar-sized corpse tides converging towards the hole under the guidance of Tier Two Evolvers.

(Thanks to the big boss Hongchen Hantianwu for the Alliance Leader reward, with the total owed reaching 40,000 words including Orange Polar Bear’s contribution.)