Chapter 66: Rescue Team 6

"Alright, looks like everyone’s here."

Chester Pearson got out of the car, his expression suddenly turning serious and stern.

Standing outside the vehicle was Rescue Team 6, a unit composed of 30 people.

Chester Pearson was in charge of leading the team.

"Team 6’s mission today is extremely difficult.

We need to rescue as many civilians as we can!

I only have one requirement for all of you: no one dies!"

"Yes, sir!!"

Hearing the resounding voices from outside, the few people inside the car fell silent.

’No one dies.’

For a rescue team that went out every day, that was an incredible luxury.

Each rescue team was formed on a temporary basis.

It was highly likely you would never see a teammate from the previous day again. Sometimes, the entire team from the day before never came back at all.

They knew casualties were unavoidable, but they still had to go.

"Don’t cry. Maybe everyone will make it back today."

Ian Chandler handed a tissue to Chelsea Walsh, who was sobbing silently beside him.

"Yeah... they definitely will."

Chelsea Walsh knew the chances of finding Forrest Walsh were slim to none, but she didn’t want to give up.

After Chester Pearson got back in the vehicle, Nina Jacobs handed him a piece of paper.

"What’s this? A love letter?"

Only after saying it did Chester Pearson realize the joke fell a bit flat.

He quickly apologized.

"These are some of my insights on the Fire Element Superpower.

I hope it helps you, but practical application will come down to actual combat."

Nina Jacobs ignored Chester Pearson’s bad joke.

The previous night, she had summarized some of the theories from the Skill Book in her own words.

She had also included some important overviews of the Fire Element Superpower.

"You have a lot of people under your command. If it’s useful to the other Fire Element Superpower Users, that’s even better."

Nina Jacobs added.

She didn’t mind if Chester Pearson shared it with others.

In her previous life, Drakonia’s strength had been far too weak.

Its combat power was mercilessly crushed by other nations.

"I thought..."

After a long moment, Chester Pearson finally said something.

His voice sounded more like a choked sob.

"Thought what?" Nina Jacobs hadn’t heard him clearly.

"Nothing."

’He had always thought Nina Jacobs was a selfish person.’

’Ever since he learned she had killed Keaton Sloan, he had been wary of her at every turn.’

’He never imagined Nina Jacobs would genuinely put effort into answering his request for guidance.’

’He had only read a few lines on the paper, but he already realized how invaluable it was.’

’She didn’t even mind him sharing it with others.’

"What kind of insights did you write? Can I see?"

Leo Hale asked curiously.

"I’ll put one together for you later."

Nina Jacobs said.

Right now, she only had the Fire Element and Earth Element Skill Books. She wondered when she would be able to get ones for the other elements.

"Now that’s more like it.

I’m telling you, we can’t be favoring outsiders..."

Accompanied by Leo Hale’s quiet muttering, the vehicle gradually drove out of the shelter’s safe zone.

Rescue Team 6’s destination for the day was a small shopping mall and the two streets outside it.

There was a chain supermarket inside the mall, which was why it made sense for Ian Chandler to come along.

"Our return route happens to pass by Ardmore University.

Today’s mission is relatively lighter than before. If we can finish early, going to Ardmore University won’t be a problem."

Chester Pearson explained to the others in the vehicle.

"There aren’t any large residential areas along these two streets, so there probably won’t be that many zombies, right?"

Leo Hale asked, looking at an offline map.

"Don’t forget, the zombie virus outbreak happened right after the acid rain ended.

That’s when the malls and shops would have been most crowded."

Chester Pearson reminded him.

"However, we’ve already done a preliminary sweep and cull of the area with drones and helicopters.

So you can rest assured, there aren’t as many zombies anymore."

Leo Hale and the others had seen the power of those combat helicopters.

Hearing Chester Pearson say that, they all relaxed a little.

"How do we confirm if there are any survivors?"

Ian Chandler asked.

"We use drones to broadcast a message in the vicinity a day in advance.

Anyone who hears it will usually make preparations,

like hanging distress signals in conspicuous locations."

Chester Pearson replied.

In addition to the drones, rescue alerts are also broadcast over radio signals.

"It’s just that with the widespread power outages, very few people can still use electronic devices.

The drone broadcasts have become the main method of communication."

"Then how come we didn’t get a drone alert?"

Chelsea Walsh asked. The day they were in that old house, they had nearly been gunned down.

"You’d have to ask Captain Sloan about that."

Chester Pearson actually felt a bit of sympathy for Nina Jacobs and her group.

’Keaton Sloan’s rescue methods didn’t follow a single regulation. It was no great loss that Nina Jacobs killed him.’

"But you should still be careful of Dawn Donovan later.

She has some connections with the former mayor’s wife."

Chester Pearson warned.

Keaton Sloan had some connections in high places. It was just that Dawn Donovan was still injured and hadn’t fully recovered, so she hadn’t come looking for trouble with Nina Jacobs... yet.

"Thanks for the warning."

Nina Jacobs gazed out the window.

’I’ve already killed the man. Worrying about all that is pointless.’

’Besides, she didn’t give a damn about Keaton Sloan’s connections.’

"I won’t give her any reason to cause you trouble," Ian Chandler said, his expression darkening.

"That would be for the best."

Chester Pearson resumed observing the surroundings.

The route, which was originally less than 10 kilometers, took them over two hours to reach the vicinity.

Fortunately, there were no casualties along the way.

"We’re going to clear the road first. You all coming?"

Chester Pearson said as he prepared to get out of the vehicle.

The reason was that after the previous day’s helicopter strafing run, the ground was littered with zombie corpses.

The armored vehicle could roll over the corpses, but in places where they were piled up, there was a risk of it overturning.

This was also to ensure that if an unexpected situation arose, the team members could retreat smoothly.

"Yeah, let’s go together."

Nina Jacobs picked up the Fire Roaring Blade from her side.

[Daily Mission: Kill regular zombies (0/30).

Mission Reward: +30 Experience Points.]

She completed small missions like this every day.

The number of zombies required wasn’t large, but she had to complete it by herself.

"Oh, right. Wayne Warner, this is for you."

Nina Jacobs took out a pair of gloves.

She had noticed before that Wayne Warner always used his fists.

Although a Strength Element Superpower User’s skin was tougher, the consequences of getting it scraped and becoming infected were still severe.

"Thanks."

Wayne Warner put on the gloves and followed Nina Jacobs out of the vehicle.

"Look out, Nina!"

Chelsea Walsh, who hadn’t gotten out of the vehicle yet, saw a zombie lunge at Nina Jacobs from under a nearby car.

Chelsea Walsh broke out in a cold sweat.

But the next second, Wayne Warner smashed the zombie’s head in with a single punch.

"Holy shit, dude, you really are the man."

Leo Hale had never seen a punch that powerful.

The other rescue team members all turned to look.

’Are Strength Element Superpower Users really that strong?’

"Thanks. You need to make sure you don’t get hurt first, got it?"

Nina Jacobs was worried Wayne Warner didn’t know how to protect himself.

Wayne Warner nodded.

Nina Jacobs also noticed that Wayne Warner’s eyes seemed to lose their dullness only when he was looking at zombies.

They even held a hint of ferocity.

"Do you really hate zombies?"

Nina Jacobs asked tentatively.

"Hate them."

As Wayne Warner answered, his brow furrowed as if he was recalling something painful.

"Good. Then kill more of them."

Nina Jacobs felt that maybe Wayne Warner wasn’t completely unresponsive.

At the very least, she could see he still had his own likes and dislikes.