I continued to manipulate the drone, hovering above Lin Yan and him, trying to get their attention.

With the tacit understanding we had developed over the years, Lin Yan sensed that something was wrong in my control and turned his head to look back.

—The mutated zombie was chasing after them in the assault boat, constantly reaching out with its tentacles, attempting to grab the boat. Unfortunately, it was still some distance away from the boat, and the resistance of the water limited its speed.

Meanwhile, the assault boat glided smoothly on the water, accelerating and leaving the mutated zombie far behind. The zombie seemed frustrated because it couldn't reach Lin Yan and the others, continuously emitting beast-like roars.

When they were close to the entrance of the residential area, the mutated zombie was still chasing after them at a distance. Lin Yan quickly turned the boat's bow and swiftly turned into another street.

Watching the screen on the sofa, I was astonished by his maneuver and manipulated the drone to dance frantically above his head.

"Let's shake it off first."

Lin Yan freed one hand and spoke into the walkie-talkie.

I instantly understood.

He was worried about the mutated zombie discovering their hiding place.

As expected, the zombie chased after them in their direction, while Lin Yan, familiar with the area, evaded the ordinary zombies on the road and skillfully shook off the mutated one by taking various turns.

I couldn't recall how many streets he turned into. Controlling the drone, I felt dizzy just by watching the transmitted footage. All I knew was that the distance between the residential area and the assault boat was gradually increasing, as well as the distance from the mutated zombie.

I glanced at the digital clock, realizing they had been in a confrontation with the mutated zombie for a full half hour, and sweat started to trickle down my forehead.

Looking at the distance displayed on the drone, they were already twelve kilometers away from the residential area. At this point, the assault boat finally stopped making random turns.

I maneuvered the drone to look back, and indeed, I couldn't see the shadow of the mutated zombie anymore.

Lin Yan gestured a few movements toward the drone. Since we had purchased professional walkie-talkies with a maximum range of ten kilometers when I was stockpiling supplies, we could no longer establish a connection at this distance.

He first

pointed his finger at the road ahead, then made walking motions with two fingers, and finally mimicked binoculars with his hands.

I quickly grasped his meaning—he wanted me to send the drone to observe the situation ahead.

I controlled the drone at the fastest speed and explored the road ahead, as our pursuers were not limited to just the mutated zombie. Ordinary zombies along the way were not "blind," so Lin Yan maintained a certain speed, following the flight path of the drone.

After each turn, when I confirmed that there were no abnormalities, I turned the drone back and circled in the air to indicate "OK." Only then did Lin Yan dare to accelerate and continue moving forward.

Finally, after a thrilling and safe return to the residential area, it took nearly forty minutes, and by then, it was gradually getting dark.

I had already prepared a household crane at home, which I intentionally left by the window without a wire mesh.

Along the way, Jiayang also kept busy, wrapping Little Gu and Lin Yan's equipment in waterproof cloth and securing them with hemp ropes. When the assault boat reached the ground floor, he hung Little Gu and the equipment on the crane, and I used the crane to lift them up from upstairs.

After starting the crane, I continued to control the drone to monitor their situation. They drove the assault boat into the fire escape passage, got off the boat, and together closed the door of the ground-floor fire escape passage, locking it with a key, isolating the zombies outside, leaving them futilely pounding on the door.

The two of them couldn't afford to rest. They joined forces to carry the assault boat upstairs. Going downstairs was easy, but going upstairs was difficult. It took them twenty minutes of rest and effort before they safely reached home. The crane also successfully completed its mission, safely delivering the equipment and Little Gu back to our floor.

When Lin Yan and Jiayang returned home, drenched from head to toe, I finally couldn't hold back my tears and rushed into Lin Yan's arms, crying uncontrollably.

Lin Yan looked at me helplessly and smiled, "I'm all wet. If I hug youright now, you'll get wet too."

I wiped away my tears and chuckled, "It doesn't matter. As long as you're safe, I don't care about getting wet."

We embraced each other tightly, finding comfort and solace in each other's arms.

Little Gu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with gratitude, "Thank you, Lin Yan. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have made it back."

Lin Yan patted Little Gu's shoulder and smiled warmly, "We're a team, and we look out for each other. Don't worry, we'll get through this together."

With the immediate danger averted, we took a moment to catch our breath and assess the situation. We were safe for now, but we knew that the threat of zombies and other mutants still loomed outside. We had to come up with a plan to survive and find a more secure location.

Gathering around the table, we discussed our options and made a plan. We decided to fortify our current location, reinforcing the doors and windows, and setting up traps and alarms to detect any approaching zombies. We also agreed to take turns keeping watch throughout the night to ensure our safety.

As the night grew darker, we set to work, using the resources we had collected over time to fortify our home. Lin Yan and Jiayang used their engineering skills to reinforce the doors and windows with metal bars and boards, making it difficult for the zombies to break in.

Meanwhile, I used my knowledge of electronics to set up a surveillance system using the drone and a network of cameras. This would allow us to monitor the surrounding area and detect any threats in real-time.

Little Gu, who had medical training, checked our supplies and made sure we had enough food, water, and medical provisions to last us for a while. He also patched up any minor injuries we had sustained during our escape.

With our tasks completed, we gathered in the living room, exhausted but relieved. We knew that our journey was far from over, but for now, we had secured a temporary safe haven.

We huddled together, finding comfort in each other's presence. We shared stories, laughter, and hope for a better future. Despite the dire circumstances, we were determined to survive and rebuild.

As we settled in for the night, the sound of the rain against the window provided a soothing backdrop. We knew that tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, we could find solace in the momentary peace.

We closed our eyes, grateful for each other's company and the strength we found in our unity. Tomorrow, we would face whatever came our way, together.