Yu Hanjiang and his teammates dug behind the warehouse. After digging all morning, they finally dug an opening that connected to the city's underground pipe system. The underground pipes were intricate and complex, and Yu Hanjiang planned to investigate them himself.
Looking at the dark cave in front of him, Xiao Lou said worriedly, "The underground is damp and cold, which is the environment that the Zerg like. Could there be Zerg inside? If there really are Zerg, they might swarm us from all sides and surround us. If we are surrounded by Zerg in the narrow passage, it will be even harder for us to escape, right?"
Xiao Lou's words made a lot of sense. The underground passages were intricate and complex, and if the Zerg were to surround them, it would indeed be difficult to deal with. Yu Hanjiang looked at him and nodded, saying, "Your concerns are valid. Therefore, I want to make some preparations underground before the Zerg arrive in the East City District."
Old Mo asked curiously, " Captain Yu, how do you plan to decorate?"
Yu Hanjiang took out a pen and paper, roughly drew a few lines on the paper, and said, "The tunnel we dug in the warehouse can be used as an escape entrance. Then we can find a manhole cover within five kilometers as an exit. After finding the shortest path, we can block all the side roads around it."
He crossed out the intersecting lines with an "X", leaving only a path from the starting point to the end.
Xiao Lou immediately understood, his eyes lighting up: "The side roads are all blocked, even if there are Zerg around, they can't surround us." He turned to Lao Mo: "Lao Mo, your S card can come in handy."
Old Mo realized: "Right, marble! I'm good at blocking roads."
He took out the S-rank card [ Marble Bricks ] that he had drawn last time from the card holder.
The advantage of this card is that it allows you to combine and change the shape of marbles at will, directly building a wall from marble bricks. A wall built from high-quality marble bricks is indestructible, and even the Zerg cannot pass through it.
As long as Lao Mo uses Marble Bricks to seal off all the branching points of the underground passage, leaving only one passage—from the entrance at the warehouse location to the exit found by Captain Yu —then no Zerg will come to interfere with them along the way.
The entrance is near the warehouse, and everyone will keep a close watch to prevent the Zerg from getting in.
In this way, their underground evacuation route is essentially a closed secret passage unaffected by the surroundings.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi and the others exclaimed, "With Captain Yu leading the way, we're practically the most unreasonable underground construction team! While other construction teams clear the way, we're responsible for blocking it!"
Long Sen laughed and said, "Blocking all the side paths will prevent the Zerg from getting in, allowing us to retreat as quickly as possible. That's a great idea!"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "Let's go, everyone, let's get moving as soon as possible."
Led by Yu Hanjiang, the teammates entered the tunnel together.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou walked in front, with Xiao Lou carrying a luminous pearl light, and their teammates followed closely behind.
The city's drainage system was very well-constructed. Going down from where Yu Hanjiang had dug, and turning a few corners, you'd reach a crossroads. Looking at the long, narrow passages leading in all directions, Ye Qi pressed his temples in exasperation: "I can't even tell which way is which! This place is like an underground maze!"
Yu Hanjiang pointed confidently in two directions and said, "This is west, and this is north."
Ye Qi gave him a thumbs up in admiration: " Captain Yu, you've gone around in circles several times, can you still tell directions underground?"
Yu Hanjiang picked up the map in his hand and showed it to everyone: "I've been memorizing the route."
Long Sen joked, "A construction team naturally needs a construction route map. Xiao Ye, you're so unprofessional."
Ye Qi was completely convinced: " Captain Yu is just too professional!"
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang's "construction route map." Captain Yu's sense of direction was indeed very strong. Xiao Lou had circled around underground a few times and was almost unable to distinguish east from west, but Yu Hanjiang's map always had directions marked so that no one would get lost.
At the crossroads, Yu Hanjiang took out the card [ Four-Way Arrow ] and left an arrow as a marker.
The narrow underground passage was filled with the sound of dripping water, the noise of drainpipes and sewers, and leaks in some places. Naturally, the smell was not pleasant.
Yu Hanjiang pointed in a direction at the fork in the road and said, "Let's go take a look this way."
Everyone followed without hesitation.
After passing several forks in the road, Yu Hanjiang looked at the map and estimated that the distance was about right. He then selected a manhole cover and said, "Everyone, please wait a moment while I go up and take a look."
He used his Lightness Skill Card to leap up and forcefully pry open the manhole cover.
The first exit I found was a main road with many low buildings on the side. Across the street, a three-story building had the words "Home Expo Park" written on it, indicating that this area was a furniture and building materials market.
Yu Hanjiang frowned, put down the manhole cover, and went back underground.
Xiao Lou asked, "Is that not allowed?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "It's not the best option. Let's look around some more."
After walking for a while, Yu Hanjiang found an exit near a primary school, and he gave up without hesitation.
The third time, after Yu Hanjiang lifted the manhole cover and went out, he finally stopped.
Yu Hanjiang tossed the manhole cover aside, jumped down to look around, and said to his teammates underground, "This place is alright." Then he threw the white silk down from the hole and said, " Xiao Lou, Liu Qiao, come up and take a look."
Xiao Lou grabbed the white silk, and Yu Hanjiang pulled him up with a slight effort.
Liu Qiao had his own Lightness Skill card, so he flew up and landed next to Xiao Lou.
The two looked around and saw that the wasteland, which covered more than ten acres, was surrounded by a blue fence with the words "Bingzhou City 18th Construction Team" written on it.
Urban development zones often have this type of land: developers buy the land, fence it off, and construction is not suitable in winter. Construction can only begin in summer when the weather warms up.
Yu Hanjiang glanced around and said, "We are still in the East City District. The area is very desolate. These dozen or so acres of wasteland should be land that the government just sold. It hasn't been developed yet. There's not even a foundation yet, and there's no place for the construction team to stay."
Liu Qiao said, "It is indeed very spacious here."
Xiao Lou looked around. The area, spanning several acres, was completely unobstructed by any buildings, offering a clear view. He turned to Yu Hanjiang and said, "This place is deserted. The Zerg shouldn't come here. They'll probably use this as their final destination when they retreat. What do you think?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "This is the best option. Of the nearby exits, this is the most suitable."
Those listening to the three people's conversation underground all breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Qi asked, " Captain Yu, what's the situation outside? Are there any bugs?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Don't worry, the Zerg haven't had time to get here yet." He walked to the cave entrance and looked down at his teammates: "Come up and take a look. We need to make some arrangements at the exit."
Long Sen and Qu Wanyue's legs lengthened, allowing them to leap up. Ye Qi's Teleportation Card only allowed horizontal teleportation, not vertical jumping, so he, CEO Shao, and Lao Mo were quickly pulled up by Yu Hanjiang. Standing on the vast white open space, they looked around and felt that this place was like a boundless snowfield. There were no blind spots, nowhere for insects to hide, and not many buildings nearby, making it indeed a good place to escape.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and lowered his voice: "What is the furthest range that the drone that Mr. Tang gave you can monitor?"
Xiao Lou took out a card and said, "It can monitor and take pictures within a 5-kilometer straight-line distance."
Hearing the conversation, Ye Qi scratched her head in confusion: "Who is Mr. Tang?"
Xiao Lou turned around, smiled at Ye Qi, and said, "I'll explain this to everyone in detail when we get back later."
The teammates are currently unaware of what happened between Brother Jiu and Director Tang, and it's time to let everyone know.
Yu Hanjiang nodded to Xiao Lou and said, "Set up the drone to monitor the surrounding wasteland at all times. We can only evacuate through this exit when it is safe to do so."
Otherwise, everyone would rush out of the manhole cover, only to find a huge swarm of insects around them...
Wouldn't that be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, walking into a trap?
Captain Yu was indeed very thoughtful. Xiao Lou immediately activated the [ drone ] card, placed the delicate drone on a flagpole in the distance, adjusted the angle, and activated the "monitoring" mode to check the field of view. Only when the drone's camera could clearly see the surrounding situation did Xiao Lou fix the drone in place.
This S-rank tool card has two modes: "Shooting Mode" allows for remote control at any time, taking 15 photos continuously or intermittently from any angle within range; "Monitoring Mode" is similar to a real-world surveillance camera, providing continuous dynamic monitoring for 30 minutes. The skill cooldown refreshes every night at 24:00.
The skill was activated just now to adjust the field of view and angle. When it's time to evacuate, Xiao Lou will remotely activate the "monitoring" function. Within 30 minutes, he can see the movement of the entire wasteland through the [ drone ] card window to ensure the safety of the destination during the evacuation.
When Xiao Lou was setting up the drone, the other teammates also consciously formed teams of three and quickly scouted the surrounding area using movement cards.
The group walked around the blue fence and found that there were few buildings nearby. Ye Qi took the initiative to report the results: "There are hardly any buildings for several kilometers around. This area is obviously a remote suburb that the government has marked out but has not yet had time to develop. The Zerg should not come here for no reason. I think it is very safe!"
Relieved, Yu Hanjiang waited for Xiao Lou to finish setting up the drone before leading his teammates back underground to cover the manhole.
Yu Hanjiang was drawing a map as he walked, so there's no need to worry about getting lost when returning the way he came. At each fork in the road, Yu Hanjiang had Lao Mo use marble to block off the other paths, leaving only one road leading to the warehouse base.
Old Mo's supply of Marble Bricks was limited, but the underground passage was already very narrow. He built the walls vertically, and only needed five or six Marble Bricks at a time to make a wall. He could change the shape of the marble according to the passage and block off several passages.
Soon, all the side roads along the way were blocked off, and Yu Hanjiang led everyone through the entire route again.
The entrance is in a cave behind the warehouse, and the exit is in the middle of the wasteland. It is about 3 kilometers from the entrance to the exit. Although the road is winding, all the side roads have been blocked. They don't have to worry about being attacked or surrounded by the Zerg from the side. If they use the teleportation card to quickly evacuate, Yu Hanjiang tried it and found that it only takes about 8 minutes to reach the destination.
Even if some Zerg followed them down into the tunnels, the narrow passages restricted their movement. They could easily use fire to block their escape route and isolate their pursuers.
With this secret escape route set up, everyone was more confident in passing through the checkpoint. Of course, they still didn't want to abandon the warehouse base unless absolutely necessary; this escape route was just a precaution.
Back in the warehouse, Yu Hanjiang disassembled a fruit crate and used cardboard to block the hole dug at the back of the warehouse.
By the time all this was arranged, it was already evening.
Everyone worked with Yu Hanjiang's construction team all day, and they were all starving.
Xiao Lou suggested that everyone rest and eat.
The warehouse was spacious and safe, and there were plenty of cardboard boxes that could be used as fuel.
Xiao Lou used The Old Charcoal Seller skill to start a fire, which served two purposes: boiling water and keeping warm.
When the security guard saw the "construction team" return, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "You guys... are you a secret construction team? You've come all this way to secretly dig a tunnel, are you going to plant explosives underground?"
Everyone: "..."
The security guard has quite an imagination; it seems he really wasn't parasitized by the Zerg.
He had snacks in his guardhouse and had already eaten. Seeing everyone cooking noodles, the security guard said kindly, "There are fresh vegetables in the warehouse. You can get some to eat. As long as you spare my life, I will pretend I didn't see anything."
Xiao Lou said helplessly, "We really didn't come here to rob you."
The security guard chuckled twice but didn't say anything.
Yu Hanjiang led the security guard back to the duty room and said, "If we let you out now, it will be difficult for you to survive. Staying here might give you a chance to live. To tell you the truth, there are a lot of crazy people outside biting people everywhere. Once you are bitten, you will also go crazy. You can think of it as an incurable infectious disease."
The security guard's expression changed: "An infectious disease?! My wife and kids are still at home. No wonder I couldn't get through on the phone. I need to go back and check on them. I hope they're alright."
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "There are no cars outside. How far can you walk in the snow?"
The security guard pleaded, "Please let me go home. I need to check on my wife and kids..."
Xiao Lou happened to follow and, upon hearing this, said softly, "Let him go. Life and death are predestined; this is his own choice."
Sometimes, the longing for loved ones can overcome reason. Even knowing it's dangerous outside, the security guard just wanted to go home to see his wife and children. If they didn't let him go back, even if he survived, he would probably have regrets.
They have no obligation to save the indigenous people, especially since it was their own request.
Yu Hanjiang decisively cut the ropes binding the security guard and said, "Go ahead. Infected people's eyes will turn red, so be careful to avoid them."
The security guard nodded and quickly left.
Ye Qi asked worriedly, "If we let him out, won't he attract people here?"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, "This city is about to fall. No one will care about us occupying the warehouse. Besides, he's going home to find his wife and children... If he's lucky, he might be able to get back. If he's unlucky, he'll probably get infected halfway there."
Everyone fell silent.
Ye Qi remembered what the security guard had said—that the warehouse had plenty of fresh vegetables. He turned around and opened a few boxes. Tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, lettuce, green beans, spinach… all sorts of vegetables made Ye Qi's mouth water.
However, having learned a lesson from spending money at Spade Secret Room before, Shao Qingge once caused everyone to have diarrhea after a breakfast. Although the dishes looked very fresh, no one dared to eat them.
Ye Qi was somewhat tempted and suggested, "How about we check it carefully? Wash it first and then grill it? Since insects are afraid of fire, if we grill it directly, even if there are insects in the vegetables, they'll be burned to death, right?"
Everyone: "..."
This is truly the dedication of a foodie.
Yu Hanjiang made the decision: "Put on gloves, cut it open, and examine it carefully."
Everyone immediately sprang into action, unpacking several boxes of vegetables and inspecting them. They even cut open potatoes and tomatoes to check for insect eggs before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Xiao Lou said, "We were too cautious. The Zerg's parasitic method mainly relies on blood; without blood, they die. These foods should be fine."
Everyone relaxed. Xiao Lou made a lot of wire rings with Compass, cut them up, and distributed them to everyone as skewers. Everyone put chopped vegetables such as potatoes and cucumbers on them to grill. Xiao Lou then took out a bag of salt from his backpack: "Add some salt, otherwise they won't taste good when grilled."
Ye Qi looked at him with gratitude: " Professor Xiao, you're so thoughtful! You even bought salt?"
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "I just grabbed a bag at the supermarket, thinking I might need it."
Everyone exclaimed – Captain Yu is there for escaping and fighting, and Xiao Lou is there for everyday life!
Each time I pass through the Spade Secret Room, it's sometimes thrilling and exciting, and sometimes like a wilderness vacation.
Back in Liuxi Village, Captain Yu roasted rabbit for everyone, and this time, everyone roasted vegetables together, which had a unique flavor.
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