XG 66 - Supplies gathering is our first priority

“No. It’s too stressful to do that, so we will just wait until they reveal themselves. The reason why I say this is because the phrase one of the experiments had already started and I need to focus on protecting Charles and Zhang Bei. The bodyguards will also lend their hand to keep an eye on things, so the practical training for both of you ends here.”

It was supposed to be a serious discussion, but Suzie Yap was constantly distracted by Wong Xue Guo’s new hairstyle. Her hair was much longer than before, which she tied into a high ponytail without the usual plait today due to occasional laziness, and her unrestrained soft strands sway gently from the wind coming from the ceiling fan. Her current look was cute and softer, just like the image of a well-behaved, sweet daughter.

Oh, how much she wanted to pinch her daughter’s soft, white cheeks!

"But won't it be dangerous to leave the spies alone until they act? What if they sabotage us and we fail to catch them in time?" Wong Xue Guo shared her worry.

Suzie Yap replied with a neutral tone very unlike her current state of mind. "Your father and I knew who we could trust and who to be suspicious of. We had people keep an eye on them and report to us if anything goes wrong."

"What do you need us to do?" Chen Yibo asked.

“Practical training can only bring you this far. Both of you need to experience real danger to improve your senses and response timing. It will help you improve much faster. Take this opportunity to also search for food and grab other useful stuff back. Our base will definitely run out of stuff one day."

Wong Xue Guo suddenly feels as if she was going to be abandoned by her mother. This situation has a high similarity to a new adult cub being thrown into the wilderness by the mother lioness.

“Oh, baby, mommy will never let you get in danger,” Suzie Yap immediately cooed at her daughter’s downcast expression. “Xunsu and L.L. will be following you two. If there is any danger, run. If it’s something that the four of you could not handle, call me. My phone will always be on my side, I promise.”

Wong Xue Guo could not help but laugh when her heart was no longer feeling down. Her mother was getting better at reading her mood. “I know, mother.”

When Suzie Yap glanced at Chen Yibo, he immediately said, “I will protect her.”

“I know you will.” Suzie Yap smiled softly. “Not only do I want my daughter safe, but I also want you to be safe, get it? Both of you will keep an eye on each other, and help out when the other is in danger.”

Chen Yibo and Wong Xue Guo nodded obediently and they earned a tight hug from Suzie Yap that gave into her desire to hug these two lovely children. After her self-imposed restriction was lifted, she often gave in to her desire.

Resting her cheek on her mother’s collarbone, Wong Xue Guo watched the similarly positioned Chen Yibo, whose face was spotted with a slight blush and there was a hint of a smile on his curved lips. She graciously thought that she could share her mother with him, whose mother had died from childbirth.

Chen YiWen and Chen Yibo were supposed to have a younger sister, but she had died with their mother during labor. No one wanted that to happen, and it was Chen Zhang Bei that took the news the hardest.

Every year, the Chen father and sons would gather in Malaysia before New Year to celebrate Chen Yibo’s birthday before the family of three would fly to China. Mrs. Chen and the baby were buried in China, where the family will visit their tomb during their death anniversary.

They decided to set out for field training tomorrow, as today was a special day.

It was Wong Xue Guo’s eighteenth birthday, while the day before was Chen Yibo’s birthday.

It was a small celebration among the Wong and Chen family, but there was still a chocolate cake made by Suzie Yap. This year’s celebration was not as grand as the previous years where her mother would invite many people, but to her, this year’s birthday was the best she had.

Wong Xue Guo did not hide their plan to go out ‘hunting’ from Kim Sung-Ho and it was a surprise he wanted to join them. Upon hearing it, Ash also jumped out to join them, saying the base was too boring and no one liked him to help out with important things.

She could not blame Ash for being disliked, because this guy has technology disaster hands. It was not to the extent of breaking down a machine, but more to causing an error in one of the steps despite being watched over by someone in charge.

It was an unexplainable phenomenon that had people pity him, but still did not allow him to help out other than cleaning things up physically.

Kim Sung-Ho’s participation was immediately agreed upon, but when it came to Ash, Suzie Yap had thought it over for more than a few seconds. In the end, Ash was accepted, but he will not be guarding the rear or taking the lead. He will be in charge of collecting goods and stick close to the team members.

Ash was brave to follow them, so they should naturally reward it instead of curbing it.

Vihaan wanted to join them too, but he was still needed in the lab. Not only was he disappointed, but even Wong Xue Guo was too, as she was looking forward to witnessing Vihaan’s display of his ability. Vihaan was worried over Kim Sung-Ho, so L.L. promised to keep an eye on the kid, making sure to check for any injury periodically.

Suzie Yap repeatedly informs them to send a message back if they could not make it back to the base on the same day. If they fail to, after twenty-four hours of no contact, Suzie Yap will go out to search for them.

Instead of using their mobile phones, they were given a new communication device by the laboratory where they could use their own built-up communication line as their own mobile phones could no longer be used to communicate once they stepped out of the Musihada compound.

The new communication device looked like a recycled old Nokia phone where one could only call and send messages.

One could not deny they were durable and hard to break. If they have no weapons in hand, they could consider using the phone to break some heads.

It was the second time Wong Xue Guo went past the Musihada Laboratory’s entrance. She immediately zipped up her thick jacket to protect herself from the chilling wind and snow downpour.

When the snow first arrived, she had excitedly gone out to see and touch it, with this being the first time she had seen real snow. She only gets to spend a short time playing with snow before she gets hauled back into the warm base.

Unlike how it was during their arrival, there were more guards stationed around with alert expressions, which unconsciously also affected Wong Xue Guo’s mood as well. Among the guards, she recognized some of them were her father’s gang members helping out with the patrol. Unlike those who stayed inside the laboratory were protected well by the guards, those people on the outside were constantly facing danger.

The guards have no change of expression hearing a team will be setting out, but once they hear they will be gathering more supplies to replenish their diminishing stock, their harsh expression loosens slightly.

Even knowing that the scientists inside the building that were protected by them were working hard to find the cure, the guards had not seen the result and had to constantly risk their lives to guard them. It was normal for them to feel a little dissatisfied with their position.

If normal guards like them were already feeling dissatisfied, what about those armies that everyone believes they should protect the civilians would feel? Wong Xue Guo had seen many cases where the good soldiers were sacrificed for the civilians’ safety. Many times did she wonder whether a soldier should continue saving those cowardly and helpless civilians or choose to protect themselves first.

It was Kang Xunsu that finally told her it was a moral issue that has no right or wrong answer. It was whether the person that made the decision could accept the end result and continue living in peace with that decision.

Wong Xue Guo noticed there were more tents being set up around Musihada land, so the laboratory must have opened up their land and let the survivors stay. But in this winter, they will be cold with only a layer of tent protecting them from the harsh wind. Even the fire they manage to ignite often dies out after a short while.

“Will the survivors run to the lab and demand food once their rations are emptied out?” she unconsciously voiced out her thoughts as she gazed at the survivors when their car passed by them.

“Some tried, but the lab isn’t obligated to help them. If they wanted food, they had to go out by themselves to search for it. No one would stop them from hunting animals. Musihada only provides them a safe place,” Kang Xunsu answered.

“Will they come after our car then?” Ash asked in apprehension, especially when he saw some people peeked out of their tent once they heard their car.

“They won’t dare. Do that and they will not be welcome to stay. There are also some fruits from the nearby trees if they don’t want to go out and hunt for animals. They won’t starve anytime soon if they do not act like pampered idiots.”

As Kang Xunsu said, no one dared to chase after their car, but that might not be the case when they return with goods. That will be something to be worried about when the time comes.

The first thing they needed to find was petrol, especially when they plan to constantly go out by car to train. The ride inside the laboratory compound to the front gate was not a short distance, not to mention they might need to travel further after they had completely ransacked the supplies nearby.

L.L. was their team driver with Kang Xunsu reading the map. Hooray for the international map, because Kang Xunsu also does not understand Korean words. It was unknown what was in his mind because Kang Xunsu does not allow Chen Yibo or Kim Sung-Ho to read the map.

Maybe he just wants to use this opportunity to command L.L. around.

“Strange… where are the zombies?”

Wong Xue Guo had the same thought as Ash while gazing all over the place for any sign of danger.

Their car was already far away from the Munisaba land and the nearest town was already within their sight. While their car was not the loudest, it was also not completely silent. They were still unsure how sensitive the zombies’ hearing was, and were cautioned that their car would be chased by zombies.

But there was no danger at all.