When Zhang Xiaoli opened her eyes and looked at the pet she had just acquired, the willow tree, she was stunned.
Was this still the imposing willow tree she had seen before?
Over ninety percent of its trunk and branches had been chopped off, and the largest remaining trunk was only about forty to fifty centimeters thick.
"At least it's still a willow spirit."
Zhang Xiaoli could only comfort herself, then waved her hand and stored the willow tree into the pet space.
With the willow tree subdued, Qin Shilei and the others returned to the old locust tree.
The leaves and small branches of the old locust tree had all been burned away, leaving only some of the larger trunks still smoldering.
After extinguishing a small section of the trunk, Zhang Xiaoli reached out and touched it.
A moment later, she said, "This old locust tree is dead, and I didn't find any crystal cores."
An Qian frowned, puzzled, "Why didn't it drop a treasure chest?"
Qin Shilei guessed, "Perhaps it spat out the spiritual pearl on its own, so there were no battle spoils."
He paused and then said, "Then let's go. Let the fire continue to burn."
Zhang Qiang chimed in from the side, "If you don't mind, you can add the two of us, and I'll act as your guide."
"That would be greatly appreciated, Brother Zhang," Qin Shilei nodded and readily agreed.
Having someone more familiar with Ning'an City as a guide would undoubtedly be best.
Zhang Qiang drove, Xie Haimei in the passenger seat, Qin Shilei in the middle of the back seat, with An Qian and Zhang Xiaoli on either side.
"Most of Ning'an City has now been reclaimed by the military, but the process incurred heavy losses, and they cannot exercise absolute control over the city."
"Many hunting squads have appeared in the city, whose objective is to hunt zombies."
"The environment has changed drastically, and the power of firearms has greatly diminished. The army does not easily provoke powerful teams."
"Among them, the strongest are three hunting squads. The 'Apocalypse Home' led by Tang Haotian of the Tang Group, with a membership of seven to eight hundred people, most of whom have physical fitness comparable to elite soldiers before the apocalypse."
"The second is the Ning'an Martial Arts Hall. Its master, Zheng Shao'an, was a martial arts grandmaster before the apocalypse. The five to six hundred members are mostly his former disciples, each possessing unique skills."
"The third is an organization called 'Dark Moon.' It is rumored to have been an underground organization even before the apocalypse, and its displayed strength is no weaker than the other two. Its leader is a mysterious figure codenamed Red Moon."
Zhang Qiang introduced the distribution of forces within Ning'an City as he drove.
An Qian asked the question that concerned her the most, "What about ordinary people? How are they living?"
Xie Haimei replied, "Thanks to the military's assistance, ordinary people can still barely survive."
She paused and then added, "If they are beautiful and encounter some despicable individuals, their fate can be quite tragic."
Because she had met Zhang Qiang and his group at the very beginning of the apocalypse, she had avoided becoming a plaything for those powerful men.
An Qian could only pray in her heart that her mother had locked the door and was safely waiting for her return.
Xie Haimei suddenly turned around and asked Qin Shilei, "Brother Qin, do you have any spare arrows? As an archer, I don't even have a single arrow, which is quite alarming. I'll buy them from you with crystal cores."
Qin Shilei took out seven arrows. "These are the last seven arrows I have left, unfortunately, the arrowheads are all bent. I'll give you three."
These arrows had been fired at least three times each, and Zhang Xiaoli had helped him retrieve them and pick out the better ones.
Looking at the seven arrows in Qin Shilei's hand, Xie Haimei felt a pang of sympathy for him.
He couldn't even afford arrows. The arrowheads were so bent, and he was still using them. Their accuracy must have been compromised.
Xie Haimei thought for a moment, then accepted the three arrows and said generously, "Brother Qin, when we get back to the city, I will definitely buy you three hundred good arrows, so you won't miss your shots because of the arrows."
Zhang Xiaoli took the arrows and looked at them, questioning, "Does a bent arrowhead affect accuracy?"
"Of course," Xie Haimei pointed to the arrows in her hand. "For arrows like these, where even the shaft and fletching are damaged, a sixty percent hit rate would be considered good."
"That's strange," An Qian also chimed in. "How has Qin Shilei never missed a shot? Are you truly an arrow god who never misses?"
Zhang Xiaoli added, "Even at two to three hundred meters, it's a hundred percent hit rate."
Qin Shilei said calmly, "You two shouldn't flatter me. I actually have to see the target before I can shoot it."
"..." Xie Haimei looked at the three of them speechlessly.
I'm also a shooter, is it really appropriate to boast like this in front of me?
Finally, she nodded and said, "I also have to see the target before I can shoot."
Zhang Xiaoli asked in confusion, "How could you hit that person last time when they had already hidden behind a big tree?"
Qin Shilei replied plainly, "Because I had already seen him, and I knew he was hiding behind the big tree."
Seeing that the conversation was becoming increasingly outlandish, Xie Haimei turned away, no longer paying attention.
Although she knew that arrows had a trajectory with an arc, it was impossible to apply that in actual combat.
Without realizing it, the off-road vehicle had entered Ning'an City.
The scenery that greeted their eyes bore a few more traces of bombardment than Ancheng.
The roads must have been cleared, as vehicles could drive relatively smoothly on the main thoroughfares of the city.
Under An Qian's direction, Zhang Qiang drove directly towards Tianhe Garden in Songshan District.
As they got closer and closer to Tianhe Garden, An Qian's anxiety grew.
Qin Shilei gently held her hand and gave her a reassuring look.
An Qian's home was on the 25th floor of Building C.
Everyone quickly ran up the stairs.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
"Mom, it's me, open the door quickly." An Qian's voice trembled slightly.
But there was no response.
"You step back a bit."
Qin Shilei pulled An Qian behind him and kicked the door.
*Bang!*
The iron door slammed hard against the side wall.
An Qian rushed in and quickly searched through the rooms.
Her expression became increasingly anxious.
"There's a note from your mom here."
Qin Shilei handed An Qian a note he found on the coffee table in the living room.
"An Qian, after the zombie outbreak, your father happened to be nearby. Due to the power outage and lack of drinking water at home, your father and I went to the nearby Tang Group to seek help from his colleagues at the company. Love, Mom."
After reading the note, An Qian immediately ran outside.
Qin Shilei and the others had no choice but to quickly follow.
Everyone soon arrived at Meijing Haoting, about four to five kilometers away, which was a villa district.
"This is the stronghold of the high-ranking members of Apocalypse Home. What are you doing barging in?"
As An Qian was about to enter the villa district, she was stopped by an auxiliary member of Apocalypse Home.
"I'm looking for An Wenyuan. He should also be a member of your Apocalypse Home," An Qian stated her father's name.
Just then, a woman who bore some resemblance to An Qian walked out from inside.
Seeing An Qian, her lips curled into a smile, and she walked over. "You're here to find my dad, aren't you? Come with me."