Chapter 82: 72: Idiot
The morning sun spilled across the garden, and Tao Yu continued to water Cao Shaolin's preserved corpse with his blood for today's portion. He then ate a new can of beef.
Nutrient Paste and Stamina Potion were rare and hard to come by for Tao Yu, who could almost use them instead of Yuan Force with the help of Swallowing Essence Skill, even effective in battle, much more cost-effective.
The reason the Yuan Force consumption was so much less during the surprise attack on the Alien nest was not only because of the short burst of time but also due to the significant effect of that Stamina Potion.
In times when one could recover through ordinary food, it was still good to be a little sparing.
The Alien, Little Black, lay on one side of the garden, continuously smearing saliva on its wounds, which had formed a white film over them.
After eating some Zombies, the Alien, though not having Tao Yu's healing abilities, healed much faster than normal creatures.
However, the scars made by its exoskeleton made the originally metallic and smooth exoskeleton look pitted and uneven, making the already ugly creature even uglier.
"Wow, what did you do last night? Roll around in a pile of Zombies?"
Jack's voice came from behind, startled by the sight of Tao Yu's combat uniform, tattered and scorched.
How had this guy become so wretched overnight?
His hair seemed to bear some signs of being singed.
"None of your business."
Tao Yu gave a sideward glance to this blabbermouth.
"I'm about to leave, just came to say goodbye, haha, hope it's not the last time."
Because the future was uncertain, Jack's expression was somewhat melancholic.
"What, still taking that bunch of dead weight with you?"
Tao Yu's words carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Well, man does what he can; the rest is up to fate."
Jack sighed, not denying that there were many burdens in his group.
He was a former CIA task force member and had done his fair share of dirty work. His profession wasn't exactly noble.
But as someone with the protagonist's template and character, even in these morally collapsed end times, he still had a strong personal will and stuck to his principles.
"You'll be dragged down to death by them sooner or later."
"I've decided, after I get them to the base, I've done my part. I won't care anymore after that, haha, if your company sets up a haven, I'll leave it to you guys."
Jack did not argue with Tao Yu's words; since he had built this haven and taken on the responsibility, he would continue to fulfill it until he could hand it over.
He was aware of the risks and difficulties; he just wanted to stand his last post well.
"What the hell did you do? Was it an explosion or a fire? Did you go out last night?"
Jack changed the subject, but it seemed more like a casual pivot. He still noticed some more details.
It wasn't just Tao Yu; the Alien also had many new wounds on its body.
Clearly, they had gone out last night, and it had been intense.
Zombies definitely couldn't have caused those injuries.
"It's none of your damn business, if you're leaving then get on with it."
Tao Yu waved his hand impatiently.
"Alright, I'll get ready then, but be careful on your own."
It seemed Jack had thought of something. He pursed his lips and said no more.
"Go ahead."
...
By noon, watching the people from the haven coming out one by one, Jack drove a pickup to divert some Zombies, then Tommy came with a container truck. Tao Yu knew they shouldn't have much trouble on the road.
The Alien probably didn't have to worry for the time being; ordinary Zombies had a limited effect on a big truck, though the conditions along the way were harsh, and once in the desert, the truck's container would be stiflingly hot, possibly even fatal to some.
But that had nothing to do with Tao Yu, who was always watching silently with the Alien by his side.
The people from the haven, frightened by the sight of Tao Yu squatting next to an Alien, dared not even give him a direct look and hurried onto the truck.
"We're off."
In the end, Jack drove by the hotel lobby, rolled down the window, and honked the horn twice.
"Safe travels."
"Till we meet again. Next time, teach me your Fist Technique."
The engine roared as the pickup followed closely behind the container truck and then overtook it, leading the way.
Tao Yu watched those zombies chasing after the car and, listening to the scraping sounds of their movement, let out a light laugh.
No wonder the will of those fragments chose a "Chosen One", but it's a pity that his strength is too weak to save the world...
"Go find me some canned food and take a bag for yourself."
Tao Yu kicked at Little Black, who was lying beside him, sending the latter scurrying up the stairs with two backpacks in tow, then squeezing through the window and climbing swiftly across the building's exterior like a gecko.
Meanwhile, Tao Yu leisurely picked up a chair and placed it in the garden, leaning back and relaxing for a rare moment; he charged his watch and listened to music from a Las Vegas radio station.
Abyss, you truly know how to mess with people...
...
On the other side, Senke, the black man in the pickup truck, couldn't help but say to Jack, who was driving,
"Boss, is brother Tao Yu going to stay there by himself? What the heck does he plan to do?"
"A Pioneer always has some skills, who knows what he's up to."
Jack had indeed heard from Tao Yu about corpse refinement, but he certainly wasn't going to spread the word.
After the visit from Zhang Wei and his group, Tao Yu's name had naturally been corrected.
"Man, it would have been good if he came with us; he's got incredible mobility."
"I would hope so too, but he's already given us a hand."
"Ah? How did he help?"
"Who knows..."
Jack glanced at the zombies outside the window; the convoy was almost out of the city now and hadn't encountered an attack from any aliens, which led Jack, who had been on edge, to speculate.
He had experienced Tao Yu's combat capabilities firsthand.
The source zombies had been killed, he didn't know what was done last night, he returned looking disheveled, and that alien was covered in wounds.
And, as a former CIA agent, Jack could tell that the alien had claw marks on its body.
Leaving claw marks on such an exoskeleton likely meant that it was also dealt by another alien.
That guy went out overnight to hunt down nearby aliens, alleviating a lot of pressure off of himself.
If he doesn't want to talk about it, then so be it; what a temperamental, fussy fool...
...
Roar~
Like a tiger's bellow, the power of his blows stirred the air in the hotel lobby as Tao Yu practiced continuously.
With the bonus from the new talent "Fist Intention", his training efficiency had skyrocketed.
It's just a pity that he didn't have much Yuan Force left.
Even though he had a stamina potion and nutrient paste, Tao Yu only kept five hundred units of Yuan Force in reserve for emergencies.
But the Yuan Force he could use for training was merely enough for daily consumption, given his current strength.
It helped him to fully adapt his own skills to the "Fist Intention" over the past few days.
"Soon, I'll head back after raising the corpses today, then I can complete a batch of tasks and exchange them for rewards."
After completing the set of exercises, Tao Yu slowly performed the closing move.
However, at that moment, Tao Yu raised his head and looked upwards, his ears twitching slightly.
He had just heard some faint noises from above, which caused him to raise an eyebrow.
Glancing toward the garden, Tao Yu signaled Little Black with his eyes, and then they both stealthily made their way toward the upper floors of the hotel.
The aliens had strong concealment skills, but Tao Yu's own stealth abilities were even stronger. Even without using Shadow Evasion, he moved in utter silence, quickly approaching the upper floor where he heard some low voices talking,
"Brother Lin Chao said that type of alien is good at sneak attacks, we must be careful."
"I heard they went crazy killing everywhere in the grasslands; a lot of people have fled back here."
"Hope they haven't come over here yet."
Hearing the voices, Tao Yu knew who these guys were; turns out they were the three unlucky ones.
They wanted to coerce the locals into being cannon fodder but ended up being captured, and then they pleaded with Chaoyang Society to have Lin Chao come and mediate.
Knowing it was these three harmless guys, Tao Yu deliberately coughed loudly.
It scared the three of them significantly,
"Who's there?"