Chapter 562: Chapter 562

She sat up, bleary-eyed, "When did you get back?"

"I can’t believe I slept through that," Su Mo sat up and noticed that Yang Yichu was still squatting by the sofa, lost in thought.

She stood up, picked it up, and sat it on the sofa before walking over to the desk.

"What are you working on?"

"Selecting the list of volunteers."

She grabbed a stool and placed it next to her, "How many people signed up?"

"Including those from Y City, a total of 2,000 people," Lu Chen placed a huge stack of documents in front of Su Mo, "Go have some food, and then help me take a look."

"I’ll cook some noodles so we can eat here."

After making two bowls of shredded pork noodles, they ate while reviewing the documents.

The record sheet contained all sorts of people, and the 2,000 documents in Lu Chen’s hand were already pre-screened.

He believed all those who were qualified were young enough to drive and healthy.

"Only then are they smart enough and fast enough to escape."

Su Mo sighed softly, "I have something to tell you, about Yang Yichu... it..."

"I know, it has already spoken to me," there was no surprise in Lu Chen’s eyes, which astonished Su Mo, "You two had a friendly conversation?"

Her silly question made Lu Chen laugh. He flicked her forehead, "It’s much smarter than you."

Su Mo: "... So, do you need my help with anything next?"

"No need, the traps outside are almost fully set up, and after reinforcing the city wall a second time, it should hold up against two waves of attacks. With Yang Yichu’s help, our chances of winning are at least fifty percent."

"All that’s left now is Rong Bai. I wonder how they’re doing."

In preparation for the impending battle, Su Mo stayed cooped up in her room, making a large quantity of teas and neatly packing them into many boxes.

Her goods were no longer a secret among the high-level superpower users, and she planned to provide them for free, hoping only to preserve the refugee camp.

The atmosphere in the camp had been getting worse over the past two days, with signs of frequent Mutant Beast activity in P City.

Whatever beasts could be killed, everyone tried to kill and transport the meat back.

The temperature, which should have been warming up in spring, oddly started to drop after a rain.

It wasn’t exactly cold, but the trend was eerie, aligning well with what the geologist had said.

The list of 100 volunteers was confirmed.

Some were happy, others disappointed, and various shades of mournful sentiment enveloped the entire refugee camp.

There was only one week left to the time Yang Yichu had mentioned.

Yet there were still no signs of Rong Bai and their group returning.

The people in the refugee camp were becoming increasingly agitated, with many harboring thoughts of escaping the place soon to be overrun.

At that moment, Su Mo was coincidentally nibbling on beef jerky in a restaurant, listening to the sporadic conversations outside.

Only after randomly stopping someone did she learn that a few superpower users were giving speeches at the entrance of the mission hall.

Su Mo followed the crowd over.

On just three wooden boxes, stood three individuals yelling strenuously,

"Hurry up and go, the Beast Tide is coming soon. What are you still expecting from the refugee camp, Xiao Bai has already taken off!"

"This place is poor and lacks food, why are you still working so hard for the camp? Don’t you value your lives?"

Below, many faces wavered.

Su Mo knew that Jin Han and the others had gone outside the city wall to check the final work today, hence most patrols inside the camp were ordinary soldiers.

Her gaze turned cold and she was about to step forward to say a word or two when suddenly a soldier brandishing a gun fired a shot into the sky.

"Shut up! Admiral Lu is passing a message!"

He was a superpower user with no small talent, and for a moment, the three people on the wooden crate fell silent.

"Before nightfall, anyone who writes down their voluntary departure from the refugee camp and vows never to return can leave immediately! Admiral Lu’s order begins today, and you all have an afternoon to consider."

He had known all along.

Su Mo’s voice floated lightly, "With beasts and zombies roaming, where else could we possibly go?"

Having said this, she walked away without regard for the surrounding gazes that followed her.

Everyone doubted Rong Bai would return, but Lu Chen believed in him. Unless he was dead, he would crawl back if he had to.

With the chance to leave the base now before them, how many were determined to go?

To find out the number, Su Mo walked alone to the top of the city wall,

where a pathway had been widened sufficiently for passage. Superpower users could launch attacks from up here, the sharp metal spikes on the outer side of the wall gleaming with a chilling brilliance.

Standing atop the wall, Su Mo surveyed the distance when someone came up beside her unnoticed.

"What brought you here?" she asked, turning her head.

"To see how many will leave."

"What if they all leave?"

"Then we leave too," Lu Chen replied calmly.

They were staying not just for the sake of protecting more people; if nobody trusted them, then indeed there was no necessity for them to remain.

"Why hasn’t Rong Bai come back yet?" Su Mo looked up at the gloomy sky, longing for a glimpse of the sun, which had been absent for so long.

Influenced by the trio’s instigation, some really began preparing to leave the refugee camp.

When the time set by Lu Chen arrived, a long line had formed at the gate.

With a quick glance, Su Mo was surprised to find that most of those in the queue were ordinary people; they formed a lengthy procession.

She couldn’t help feeling a hint of irony.

When they were nearly starving, they had opened the doors wide to invite these people for a meal, and now that the refugee camp was in crisis, each person ran faster than a rat.

"It’s better for these people to leave; it’ll save some food."

"Come down, the wind is stronger up here."

To Su Mo’s surprise, Mo Yan was leading a group in line to leave the camp.

He saw her too and came over right after signing his name, "Su Mo, come with me. It’s not safe here anymore, Rong Bai won’t be coming back."

Even in such times, he didn’t forget to feign deep emotions. Su Mo admired his act. She waved him away as if shooing a fly, "Hurry up and go. Whether you’re here or not really isn’t that important."

Erin, standing beside him, still hesitated about signing. She couldn’t read any urgency in Su Mo and Lu Chen’s expressions.

Suddenly, a lookout on the wall, peering through binoculars, spotted a familiar figure and burst out shouting excitedly,

"Admiral Rong! Admiral Rong is back! They’re returning with weapons!"

Upon hearing his cries, Su Mo immediately looked to Lu Chen, unable to hide the joy in her eyes.

Lu Chen was also delighted, his facial expression softening considerably.

"Let’s go out to meet them."

The two of them bypassed a stupefied Mo Yan and headed straight for the main gate.

The line of people that had been preparing to leave dispersed in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, Erin, as if reassured, said, "Mo Yan, I’ve followed you for long enough. Let’s part ways here."