Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 983 - 36 Status

Chapter 983: Chapter 36 Status

"Stay in the car and don’t move!" Tang Zheng, curled up in the car seat, jumped up and reminded Jing Xiang while darting out of the Whale Hunting Vehicle at the fastest speed. After a roll, he dodged potential incoming bullets and held his rifle in a combat stance.

Tang Zheng had found the nearest cover but didn’t rush over because he caught sight of the place where the explosion occurred and guessed the reason.

An unmanned Beetle Assault Vehicle, which had been leading the way for the fleet, was now flipped over by a buried landmine, lying on its side with flames still burning on its body. Dantai had been smartly controlling it with a wristwatch.

The newbies staying on the bus didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, and some even let out screams and caused a commotion. Some ducked and covered their heads, while others tried to flee the bus, creating chaos.

"What’s all the noise? Shut up, or get out of the fleet!" Tang Zheng ran by, lifting the Heavy Magnetostorm Rifle and fiercely banging it several times on the bus body, making a loud thudding sound as he dented the metal wall.

The newbies quieted down after Tang Zheng’s roar, then saw him run to the front and felt much relieved. They noticed the other Conquerors only then started coming out, obviously much slower in both courage and response compared to the group leader.

"Announcement to the whole team, it’s just a regular explosion, the fleet hasn’t been attacked, please stay calm." Using a megaphone, Dantai called out a couple of times, pacifying the newbies before walking over to the scene of the explosion.

"What happened?" Tang Zheng inquired, as the pioneer opening the way was Dantai, and he was clear about what had occurred.

"Stepped on a new landmine." Dantai looked ahead at the passage with a worried frown, "We must have entered a minefield."

"Definitely." Tang Zheng put away his rifle and surveyed the surrounding terrain, which was still a series of passages with storage rooms of various sizes on both sides. Some had been broken into, while others were intact and still stored goods, but that was not attractive to him. "You’re the deputy group leader; let others do the scouting. As for the newbies, they can’t be left idle either."

"I’m not at ease," Dantai denied, picking up a fire extinguisher and spraying a large amount of foam, extinguishing the flames on the Beetle.

"You can’t worry forever. Also, we can’t let the Instant Noodle Team enjoy all the benefits. Better send out the scouts," Xu Biyun suggested as she chewed on a piece of chocolate, her hand forming a makeshift sunshade as she peered into the passage. Due to insufficient electric power, the light was very dim, and some sections of the lighting fixtures were also broken, leaving pitch darkness. Without scouts, any attack would leave the entire fleet very vulnerable.

"That’s a good suggestion, but we should be operating on a rotation system; can’t have us bearing all the burden, right?" Having scouts would allow the rest of the fleet to rest, but Zheng Xiaxia did not forget the disparity in numbers between the groups. If counted together, it would be the Warhammer Team at a disadvantage.

"Why should we? If we do rotate, it would be within our own team," Lu Fan retorted bluntly, unwilling to give extra advantage to others, "Each side contributes one person, then we can also take a few newbies, and form an eight-person squad."

"That’s not fair; that way, you’ll have more rest time than us," Xu Nian complained sarcastically, "If we’re to cooperate, where is your sincerity?"

"Ha, I think you’re the ones lacking sincerity. We have more people because our group leader has saved more people. If you’re envious or jealous, let your leader work harder!" Lu Fan stood with her hands on her hips, defiantly glaring at Xu Nian, "Anyway, if you think you can make us suffer losses, you can drop that thought right now."

"Then let’s part ways, go our separate paths; it’d spare us this annoyance," Zheng Xiaxia’s words were fierce, instantly tensioning the atmosphere.

Lin Chen and Zeng Fanghai’s hearts skipped a beat. They knew Zheng Xiaxia’s character; she would definitely not leave the team. This was just to pressure the other side, but clearly, the tactic was ineffective; the members of the Warhammer Team remained nonchalant, paying no attention.

"Suit yourselves," Lu Fan shrugged her shoulders, turning her back to play handheld games with Xu Biyun, discussing the game, almost driving Zheng Xiaxia mad.

"After all, you won’t follow my orders, so it’s normal that we each mind our own business." Tang Zheng had no intentions of implementing a rotation system with the Instant Noodle Team; he wouldn’t play such a game.

"Well, alright then," Tong Ping conceded, knowing if they were to leave, they would face even more problems, and not a single newbie would follow them; no one wanted to be with losers, which was a pity because the Warhammer Team just looked too strong.

In less than a minute, the unfortunate Jesus Man was elected.

"Why is it always me?" Jesus Man made the sign of the cross in front of his chest, his face full of unwillingness. Sadly, the Instant Noodle Team didn’t practice democracy, and since he wasn’t even a Conqueror, he was doomed to do the dirty work.

Zheng Xiaxia and Xu Nian exchanged looks, having already decided that no matter what, they weren’t going to scout, planning to exploit Jesus Man fully.

"Qing Shuang, your ability is more suitable for scouting, please take on the task," Dantai named directly, his tone very calm.

"Alright," Shen Qingshuang replied, her expression unchanged, though she felt slightly aggrieved inside. As expected, the weak had no rights. Glancing at Jesus Man, she wondered whether she could survive an encounter with the enemy with her modest strength and make it back alive.

"Feng Ning, Kong Dai, Xue Hanmei, come here!" Tang Zheng shouted toward the bus, and the three newbies didn’t dare to delay, quickly running over.

Standing in front of Tang Zheng, they were uneasy, not knowing what the group leader wanted them to do.

"Qing Shuang, you’re familiar with them, so cooperation should be pretty seamless. If you’re not satisfied, you can still choose some other newbies. Actually, I think you should still select a few male newbies," Tang Zheng waved toward Lu Fan, "Fanfan, bring out an Armored Humvee and some food too."

"No need for food, I’ve prepared," Shen Qingshuang knew there was no chance to refuse, so she immediately started to think about how to do the scout team’s work well. Although there were two women, she was acquainted with them, which made them easier to use than those men.

Upon hearing Tang Zheng’s words, Kong Dai and Feng Ning didn’t react much, just feeling a bit unlucky, but Xue Hanmei started trembling out of fear. The term "scout" often meant danger and death, not to mention there was an overturned Beetle next to them.

"Perform well, and you’ll receive our special care, attaining a higher status than the ordinary newbie," Tang Zheng comforted Xue Hanmei, then took out a Heavy Magnetostorm Rifle and handed it to Shen Qingshuang, "This is my capture, use it."

"Thank you." Shen Qingshuang slung the rifle over her shoulder, ready to board the Humvee when Xue Hanmei grabbed her.

"Big brother Shen, can I not go?" Xue Hanmei was too scared and didn’t care about the situation; she asked outright.

Dantai frowned, not liking her character. On the contrary, Feng Ning, the female university student, caught his eye, thinking maybe she could be trained.

"Don’t worry, there’s no danger." Shen Qingshuang didn’t dare say she would protect them since the team’s second-in-command was right next to her. Comments like that could give rise to misunderstandings of factionalism.

"Qing Shuang has a Mechanical Dragonfly, be cautious, and you won’t encounter any danger," Tang Zheng consoled them and then sent them on their way. Jesus Man also chose three newbies, all females.

"Do you think this is a field trip? What combat power do three female newbies have?" Xu Biyun felt Jesus Man had ulterior motives.

"Anyway, the newbies are a burden, male or female doesn’t matter. I might as well choose three pretty ladies to please my eyes," Jesus Man complained, "Besides, your group also has two women."

Hearing this, the three female newbies’ faces turned very ugly.

"Don’t worry, if he does anything out of line, tell me, and I will make sure he’ll regret ever being born," Tang Zheng glanced at Jesus Man, turned, and walked away. He was guessing the man’s motive, which probably involved using the male newbies as cannon fodder—a trouble, obviously less conveniently than women.

"He couldn’t have guessed my thoughts, could he?" Jesus Man’s expression became unsightly. He chose three women because, in case of danger, he planned to throw them out as cannon fodder. As for beauty considerations, they could wait until after winning the game to indulge as desired.

"After extracting his remaining value, I’ll finish him off!" Tang Zheng unwrapped a piece of chocolate and chewed it up.

The scout team drove the Humvee, and for safety, stayed a mile away from the fleet. Shen Qingshuang was cautious by nature, so she deployed the reconnaissance Mechanical Dragonfly. Jesus Man let her fiddle on her own, not hurrying her, so the fleet traveled very slowly.

"A bunch of cowards, so inefficient. By the time we get to the bridge, the Yellow Flower Vegetable will have gone cold," Su Ameng pouted, very dissatisfied with the pace.

"It’s okay; at least we haven’t hit any more landmines," Zheng Xiaxia thought only about the present, living one second at a time without consideration for the future, and with her barren brain, she couldn’t come up with any better ideas.

The newbies were powerless, left to endure what came their way, struggling to survive in such a brutal environment. They sat in the bus, all worried about the future, and as time passed, those of similar status had formed their small teams.

Teng Yuangxiang looked through the war chariot’s car window at the newbies squeezed in the bus, feeling fortunate. Then, she turned to look at Tang Zheng, who was sleeping in the back, and felt a strong sense of gratitude mixed with superiority.

"Those who don’t actively do everything to struggle and survive deserve to squeeze in the bus and suffer, huh, serves them right!" Teng Yuangxiang sneered, then turned to Jing Xiang sitting nearby, smiling at her, "Jing Xiang, your wristwatch is lovely. Does it hold a lot of stuff?"

"Don’t disturb Tang Zheng’s rest." Jing Xiang gestured for silence, not wanting to engage with her, but she couldn’t resist Teng Yuangxiang’s pestering, and almost all her secrets were pried out through their conversation.

"Are you hungry?" Teng Yuangxiang touched her stomach, suggesting, "Should we wake him up? Get some food?"

"Don’t bother him, I have food." Jing Xiang took out some food, completely unaware of Teng Yuangxiang’s triumphant smile. She knew Jing Xiang cared a lot about Tang Zheng, which is why she made that comment—if she had directly asked for food, she would have definitely been rejected. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)