Chapter 61: The Team Arrives, Verification
Fu Qingge was among the first wave of rescue personnel to arrive at the Ninth Base.
When they reached the Ninth Shelter, the devastation before their eyes shocked and saddened everyone.
The shelter had completely fallen—walls collapsed, buildings destroyed, the place a total wreck.
Fortunately, since the Ninth Shelter had not yet been officially put into use, most residents had not moved in, so casualties were relatively low. However, this did not mean the situation wasn’t severe.
What was most concerning was the massive amount of supplies stored inside the shelter that had been left behind. These materials were crucial for the survivors, and losing them would bring great hardship to their survival.
Fu Qingge stood not far from the ruins, his expression grim, his entire being exuding a chilling aura, as though he had become one with the surrounding devastation.
His gaze was sharp and resolute, fixed on the enormous rats darting among the rubble.
“Ever since the captain returned from the dungeon, he seems to have gotten even stronger,” one teammate muttered with a shiver.
The others nodded in agreement, though more than anything, they were filled with admiration for Fu Qingge.
“The Administrator sent the captain here specifically to deal with the rat king occupying the Ninth Shelter,” another teammate added.
“But first we need to locate the food supplies. Defeating the rat king will require backup from other shelter teams. Just relying on our captain would be too risky.”
Someone raised this practical concern, prompting the group to start discussing how to locate food to sustain the disaster survivors nearby.
“Killing the rat king is easy. It’s the army of rats behind it that poses the real challenge,” Fu Qingge calmly analyzed. He knew well that against such a massive rat swarm, personal strength alone would never be enough.
Fu Qingge’s gaze remained locked on the rats crawling around the ruins, his mind strategizing a response.
He knew the upcoming battle would be extremely tough, but he believed that as long as they united and played to their strengths, they could defeat the enemy and protect the survivors.
He issued an order, “Lu You, try to sense where the supplies of the Ninth Shelter are stored.”
The boy named Lu You, wearing glasses, pushed them up after receiving the command. “Yes, sir!”
He knelt and placed his hand on the ground to activate his ability.
Lu You’s talent was called Earth Resonance Perception, which allowed him to detect his surroundings through ground vibrations. This was the reason the shelter had sent him for the rescue mission.
After a brief moment of concentration with his eyes closed, Lu You opened his eyes and pointed in a direction.
“Captain, the food is stored 500 meters in that direction underground. But there’s a swarm of rats inside.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Qingge frowned.
“As expected, retrieving food won’t be easy.”
As he pondered their breakout plan, a subordinate rushed over with news.
“Captain, rescue teams from other shelters have just arrived. Should we coordinate with them before continuing?”
Fu Qingge nodded after hearing that.
“Withdraw for now. Let’s check out the other teams first.”
Three kilometers outside the Ninth Shelter, in an abandoned factory, teams from twelve different shelters had gathered.
Su Ning stood there, filled with curiosity and anticipation.
It was her first time seeing people from other shelters. Everyone’s clothing and gear varied, showing their different origins.
However, everyone was too busy building the temporary base to make small talk.
Zhang Xing, their team captain, was discussing the rescue plan with other team leaders.
Su Ning and the others barely had time to rest before diving into preparations.
Su Ning and Jiang Nana were tasked with ensuring food safety—a critical job.
Jiang Nana stared at the rationed biscuits in her hands and sighed. “I really don’t want to eat bug biscuits again.” Her expression revealed clear disgust. But in such a harsh environment, they had to face reality and do their best.
Kou Dingshan muttered, “I wonder if there are any other creatures nearby we could catch.”
The Ninth Shelter area was mostly mountainous and forested. Known animals here had a chance of acquiring talents and entering dungeon worlds.
Could they be hunted for food?
Of course, this idea wasn’t unique to him—other players were thinking the same.
Su Ning’s mission included checking any hunted mutant animals for toxicity and edibility.
She was also in charge of food safety and occasionally food prep. But because of her past toxic abilities, neither chefs nor others dared let her cook.
Zhang Xing had initially felt helpless about this situation.
Given the circumstances, it was frustrating to still see discrimination against people with certain talents.
In the end, he just asked Su Ning to focus on food safety and use the rest of her time however she wished.
Su Ning didn’t care about being ostracized—she just shrugged it off. In fact, she felt quite relaxed. If you can slack off, why not? Rather than being upset, she was actually pleased.
Jiang Nana was called away by Zhang Xing to help move special equipment using her weight-shifting ability.
Kou Dingshan, the ever-loyal “knight,” followed her closely.
With her inspections done, Su Ning had nothing to do. She took out a water bottle from her spatial storage. Inside was ice water poured from her temperature-shifting thermos.
Though the weather was cooling, the air was still unbearably hot.
She took a sip of cold water to refresh herself.
Su Ning, who had sharp eyes, quietly observed the other shelter teams.
Around her, injured residents who had heard of the rescue teams’ arrival were gathering for protection and treatment.
Meanwhile, Fu Qingge returned to the temporary gathering site to find the other shelter teams already at work.
“Where are the other team leaders?”
“Captain, they’re waiting for you.”
Fu Qingge entered the makeshift command tent.
The other leaders were already seated.
A stern-looking middle-aged man with a facial scar spoke up as soon as Fu Qingge entered. “Now that everyone is here, let’s start planning our next steps.”
His name was Qin Fan, captain of the First Shelter and the primary leader of this rescue operation.
One of his subordinates turned on a digital device, projecting several images in front of everyone.
“Based on brief footage from within the Ninth Shelter, I’ve confirmed two things: the rat king responsible for the destruction has two abilities. First, it can control rat swarms. Second, and more dangerously, it carries an unknown virus. This is the main reason the Ninth Shelter fell so quickly.”
Many hearing this for the first time were visibly shaken.
“Unknown toxin? Is it carried only by the rat king, or by all the rats? If it’s the latter, and they spread to other places, that would be a disaster.”
Qin Fan’s expression was grim. “That’s exactly what we need to verify now.”
(End of Chapter)
