On the evening of the second day, just as the last rays of light faded, the search team finally returned.
As soon as she heard the sound of car engines in the distance, Zheng Lanxin hurriedly grabbed a flashlight and rushed out of her house. She anxiously waited at the village stone bridge.
After living a comfortable life for so long, her courage had grown, and she didn't hesitate to rush out. However, she had a close call on the way when she almost got entangled by a mutated willow tree. It was Jian Yi who followed behind and used a sickle to rescue her.
For Zheng Lanxin, who was worried about her son's safe return, that little incident was just a minor scare. After patting her racing heart, she continued picking up what had fallen on her way to the stone bridge.
It wasn't only Zheng Lanxin who was anxious; all the villagers who had stayed behind in the village were worried. They had gathered near the stone bridge, peering at the approaching convoy of vehicles.
When they left, they had taken a large truck and five Wuling Hongguang minivans, along with Jian Yi's SUV.
One of the villagers counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six... Hey? Why is there one missing?"
The words were not spoken quietly, and immediately, the hearts of the onlookers were filled with anxiety. They shone their flashlights and stretched their necks to see if they could spot their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, or mothers.
"They're here, they're here! Our Junsheng is here!" Zheng Lanxin watched the SUV that was following the convoy, and a sense of relief washed over her.
Jian Yi's face remained calm, but upon hearing those words, the heavy stone in her heart also fell.
The convoy stopped in front of the stone bridge. There was a relatively wide parking area on this side, but it was still not enough for all the vehicles. They lined up along the road.
Indeed, one of the minivans was missing. However, all the people were there. Feng Tang jumped down from the leading truck, covered in dust, and looking a bit worse for wear.
"Sis!"
Chen Junsheng, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, got out of the car and flashed a bright smile at Jian Yi. "I'm back."
It looked like they had a good harvest.
Jian Yi nodded and said, "Hmm, I'm glad you're back safely."
"Yeah, I'm fine, no injuries," Chen Junsheng honestly replied. He only had eyes for Jian Yi, completely ignoring his biological mother who was standing right beside him, her face growing dark.
Then, Zhang Ming, who was leading Tuantuan, walked over. His head was wrapped in bandages, and Zheng Lanxin anxiously asked, "Are you injured? Is it serious?"
Zhang Ming shook his head. It was just a minor flesh wound. He was a support member, and the injury on his head had been caused when he accidentally scraped it against a shelf.
Seeing Jian Yi's attention also turning to Zhang Ming, Chen Junsheng tentatively took her arm, and when she didn't shake him off, he guided her towards the SUV.
"Sis, we brought back a lot of medicine this time, and also the milk tea you like."
Milk tea?
Jian Yi was momentarily surprised, but then she looked inside the car and saw boxes with illustrations of instant milk tea.
Even though she was prepared for something like this, she still couldn't help but be shocked. There were so many packs of milk tea, she was afraid they couldn't finish them all before they expired!
"You only brought back milk tea?" Jian Yi raised her eyebrows and asked, her tone sounding like a test.
Chen Junsheng, his hopeful eyes glued to her, nodded and said, "The rest is in Tuantuan's space. Oh, by the way!"
He suddenly became mysterious, glanced towards the large truck, and said, "Sis, we brought something unexpected this time..."
Jian Yi looked at the large truck covered with tarpaulin. "Don't tell me it's guns?"
She guessed casually, and Chen Junsheng smiled, saying, "Sis, you're really smart."
However, Chen Junsheng's hopeful gaze faded when he noticed that Jian Yi didn't seem as excited as he had hoped.
Although it was a large haul of weapons he had specially found for his sister, he couldn't help but feel frustrated when all her attention was on Feng Tang and the weapons.
Jian Yi, on the other hand, was excited. She asked Feng Tang about the details of how to exchange for the weapons.
This was even more exciting than the boxes of instant milk tea!
However, Chen Junsheng felt a sense of disappointment. He wanted to pull Jian Yi away, but seeing her so engrossed in conversation with Feng Tang... If he really did that, would his sister be angry?
Thinking of his sister's angry face, Chen Junsheng suppressed his frustration. He didn't want her to ignore him.
Finally, after their discussion, the two of them finished talking. Since Jian Yi's family had contributed a lot to this mission, they could take five weapons directly without needing to exchange for them.
Each weapon came with fifty rounds of ammunition, and Jian Yi didn't hesitate to choose five. She picked up a gun with an enthusiastic smile. Her focus was entirely on the firearms, and she seemed to forget everything else.
Chen Junsheng had been hoping for some words of praise from his sister, but it seemed that all the credit had gone to Feng Tang. He tried to put on a forced smile and led Jian Yi towards the area where the weapons were stored.
Having seen Jian Yi's reaction, Feng Tang couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. Although Chen Junsheng's abilities were indeed remarkable, Feng Tang had a nagging worry in the back of his mind when he recalled the brutal way Chen Junsheng had exploded the head of a mutated zombie from a distance. He couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Unmistakably, Chen Junsheng's abilities were incredible, and even the weapons they had brought back this time were found by him. However, the more Feng Tang saw him, the more unsettled he became, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"Feng Secretary, there were no casualties on this mission, right?" Jian Yi asked with concern.
Seeing the siblings standing in front of him, Feng Tang nodded at Chen Junsheng, suppressing the inexplicable unease in his heart. He then shook his head.
"We were lucky this time. Thanks to Junsheng, everything went smoothly. We only lost one vehicle. Apart from that, no casualties."
Feng Tang's praise and gratitude didn't seem to register with Chen Junsheng. All he saw was that Feng Tang was getting all the credit, and he felt frustrated.
Despite the considerable contribution he had made, all the recognition was going to Feng Tang. Chen Junsheng's expression dimmed, but he forced a smile, taking Jian Yi to see the stash of weapons he had arranged.
The night was already quite late. After settling the villagers, Feng Tang, holding a fresh and hot gun, went to his residence. He lived in the village committee building, which consisted of a single room.
Feng Tang inserted his torch into a groove on the door frame, pulled out his keys, and opened the door.
The orange light flickered, casting shadows inside the room. Feng Tang was taken aback when he saw the silhouette in the room. Instinctively, he raised the gun in his hand.
"Who's there?" he asked cautiously.
Inside the room, a tall figure turned around. It was an exceedingly delicate face, with deep, dark eyes fixed on him. The disdainful glance from those eyes, weathered and worldly, didn't look at all like the gaze of an eighteen-year-old.
There was also a powerful aura emanating from the person, along with a suffocating wave of psychic energy, as if they were an entirely different person!