Following the person in front for a while, Lu Heng was led to an office building.
"This used to be the town's government building; we're using it for our operations now," Li Qiang explained to Lu Heng as they walked.
"I used to work here too. To be honest, most of our current members are original town residents. Although people from other places came after the zombie outbreak, they couldn't integrate into our core organization."
Pushing open the door to an office, Lu Heng saw that it was still quite tidy inside.
Casually finding a seat, Lu Heng watched as the office door closed before speaking again.
"I've been observing you all for a while now. Don't be surprised; I mean no harm."
"We know. It's just a bit unexpected. We can tell you're of a high rank. Being out here alone at this time must mean you have some skills."
Li Qiang took out a pack of cigarettes and offered Lu Heng one. "We don't have many of these left, so I won't give you a whole pack."
"It's fine. By the way, I don't smoke. As it happens, I have a few cartons on me, so I'll give them to you." Lu Heng waved his hand, and five cartons of Hua Zi appeared on a table not far away.
Looking at the brand-new packaging of the Hua Zi, Li Qiang was once again surprised.
"What? Where did you just get those from?" He hadn't seen Lu Heng carrying any bags, and Lu Heng's movement had been very casual, just a wave of his hand, and these cigarettes appeared on the table in front of them.
"A storage ring. This item can store things."
A small ring appeared on the table.
"Aren't these things from those fantasy novels in our past life?" a young man following behind Li Qiang couldn't help but say.
"You have a good eye," Lu Heng smiled at the young man.
"Heh heh, I used to love reading all sorts of novels, so heh heh heh." The young man scratched his head and smiled.
"Hmm, you spent your school days reading novels instead of focusing on your studies."
Li Qiang glanced at the young man. "Go take a look at that ring."
The young man looked at Lu Heng again. Seeing Lu Heng nod, he smiled politely and walked to the table to examine the ring.
"It looks very ancient, and I don't know what metal it's made of. Does this also require a drop of blood to recognize its master?"
"It seems you've read quite a few novels." Lu Heng chuckled. "Indeed, it requires blood. However, whoever drips blood on it will be contracted with it."
"Oh, so you've already dripped blood and contracted with this one?"
"No, this is a new one. I'm giving it to you."
"How can we accept this? Brother Qiang, you should contract with it; it's a good thing."
Lu Heng took out another one and placed it on the table. "This one is for Li Qiang. The one in your hand, I'm giving it to you."
"Heh heh, thank you." The young man bowed politely to Lu Heng.
"Qin Ye, such a valuable item, you should return it to Brother Lu quickly." Li Qiang quickly stopped him. If this item was as Lu Heng said, its value would be extraordinary, and they couldn't accept such a gift for nothing.
He could tell Lu Heng meant them no harm, but they had nothing of value to exchange with Lu Heng if they accepted it for free.
Hearing Li Qiang's inner thoughts, Lu Heng smiled slightly. "You don't need to be so formal. As I said, I've been observing you for a while, so these two are welcome gifts."
"That won't do. This is our first meeting; we can't accept such valuable items."
"Young man, why don't you try it? See if things from fantasy novels really exist?"
"This... Brother Qiang?"
"Then we'll accept this one. Qin Ye, you try it."
"I'll try it then."
Suddenly, a plant thorn appeared in Qin Ye's hand. He pricked his fingertip, and a drop of blood quickly fell onto the ring.
Qin Ye instantly felt the contracted relationship with the storage ring and sensed the storage space within it.
"Brother Qiang, it's real! Novels didn't lie to us after all. I feel like there's a space here about the size of a football field," Qin Ye said excitedly.
"That's amazing?" Li Qiang was indeed a bit surprised. He looked at the other ring on the table.
"You'll know once you try it too." Lu Heng pushed the ring forward.
Li Qiang looked at Lu Heng, stood up, walked to the table, picked up the ring, and pricked his finger with a dagger.
His eyes brightened, and Li Qiang was also very excited. He tested the ring's usage, and instantly, the five cartons of cigarettes on the table disappeared. He then sensed the five cartons of Hua Zi in the storage ring.
"Brother Lu, this item of yours is too incredible. I won't ask how you got it, but I want to remind you that if this is exposed, it could easily attract the covetousness of others."
Everyone understood the principle of "possessing a treasure brings disaster," especially in the apocalypse. Without sufficient strength, carrying such items could easily lead to a fatal end.
"It's fine. I have enough means to protect myself; no one can snatch anything from me."
"Heh heh, that's good. Brother Lu, you also said you've been observing us for a while. What is your purpose?"
"Don't be nervous. I have my own base, which is much larger than your town, and its defenses are also incomparable to yours."
"Is it far from here?" Qin Ye, having also tried the storage ring, interjected.
"Not too far. If you fly, it would take about an hour or so."
"Then it's not that far. However, we don't have airplanes in our town, and the roads outside seem to be blocked. Driving outside also easily attracts zombies," Qin Ye nodded and replied.
"Does anyone here know how to fly a plane?"
"No. The townspeople are ordinary civilians. Although there are retired soldiers, they are just regular army soldiers who served for three years; none of them know how to fly a plane," Li Qiang said after thinking.
"That's a bit of a shame. Would you like to learn to fly a plane?" Lu Heng asked Qin Ye.
"I can learn too? I wasn't very good at studying in high school, and my English is just average," Qin Ye said, blushing.
"I can find someone to teach you, as long as you want to learn." Learning a skill with one-on-one instruction from a dedicated teacher is not difficult for these young people.
"I want to. But do I have to go to your base to learn?"
"Yes."
Qin Ye looked at Li Qiang. He felt conflicted at that moment, wanting to learn such a practical skill but also not wanting to leave the town.
Since being rescued by Li Qiang in the apocalypse, he had stayed by Li Qiang's side. Having lost his family, he had come to regard Li Qiang as his elder brother.
"If you want to go, then go. You won't leave and not come back after learning, will you?" Li Qiang said with a jest, trying to dispel Qin Ye's worries.
"How could I? I still have to take care of you in your old age," Qin Ye replied.
"Cough, cough, cough... What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Qiang choked on his own saliva, surprised by Qin Ye's heartfelt words spoken in a moment of urgency.