Chapter 102: The Greatest Challenge in Resupply

Having gained control of the starship, Du Yun’s mission was complete. She calmly clapped her hands and, wearing a gentle smile, walked past Lia’s bewildered gaze with composure, making her way to the leader’s side.

“Take over the starship’s controls!” The leader saw Du Yun’s demeanor and realized she had no intention of commanding the vessel herself. She promptly issued the order. The members of Team S, each trained to operate the starship’s systems, immediately assumed their positions and began manual control.

While the team members efficiently handled their assigned duties, the leader’s concerns extended beyond piloting. She turned to Lia, Skinny Monkey, and Dong Tiechui to inquire about their supply situation.

“The rations we have can support each team member for roughly ten days,” Lia reported, her face tinged with mild guilt. Had she not been careless and allowed the blue-light starship to ambush them, the supplies aboard the Haimer would have sufficed for everyone to make two round trips to the Emperor Star.

“Our remaining supplies can last five more days,” Skinny Monkey added, accounting for the leader, Du Yun, and their group of four.

“I only have enough for a couple of days,” Dong Tiechui said, his face flushed with embarrassment.

They had initially assumed that once they reached the port and boarded the starship, all would be well. As a result, they had brought more valuables than essential food. But encountering the terrifying blue-light starship changed everything—their survival was uncertain, and there was little thought left for sustenance.

Now that safety was secured, Dong Tiechui realized how pitifully scarce their food was. Even two days’ worth was an optimistic estimate.

Feeling disheartened, Dong Tiechui looked toward the planet where the leader stood. He had no idea how long the journey would take. If it stretched that long without food, they might all arrive as corpses.

Du Yun, overhearing this, quietly calculated the food stored in her compartments. While she had enough to last several months alone, sharing it equally among everyone would be but a drop in the ocean—insufficient.

“Search the starship and confirm food reserves,” the leader ordered, glancing at Du Yun’s expression and already suspecting that neither her team nor Dong Tiechui’s group had enough provisions to endure the trip back to Emperor Star.

“Yes, ma’am!” The starship’s food and fresh water were typically stored in designated warehouses. Upon the command, someone retrieved the starship’s layout to locate the storage rooms. Meanwhile, under Da Zhuang’s leadership, two members stepped forward to investigate firsthand.

“We’ll go too! If there’s something to move, we can lend a hand,” Dong Tiechui volunteered eagerly. Now that the leader had sufficient manpower, their group was otherwise useless except for consuming supplies.

If they weren’t at least a bit eager, with the vast disparity in strength, the leader might have left them stranded on this zombie-infested planet. Worse yet, if they had been sent straight to the energy crystal storage and set ablaze, they’d have no clue how they died.

“Come along then,” Da Zhuang nodded without hesitation. He too felt that Dong Tiechui’s group was more dead weight than an asset and was unwilling to support them without contribution.

Thus, Da Zhuang led two team members along with Dong Tiechui and the others toward the warehouse.

Peach, being young, was not counted among the laborers, but seeing everyone depart, her large, expressive eyes darted about before she scampered after them.

Leading the way, Da Zhuang and his group followed the map and soon found the warehouse. However, since the starship was unmanned, they had no certainty that food or water remained inside.

The moment the door opened, Da Zhuang’s vision blurred momentarily as if something had zipped past him. Startled, he raised his weapon, ready to defend, but found only an empty room.

“Nothing here?” Da Zhuang frowned, scanning cautiously, but detected no abnormalities. At that moment, Dong Tiechui arrived behind them. Seeing the barren warehouse, the group’s disappointment was palpable, though there was nothing to be done. They prepared to return and report.

Only Peach, curious and undeterred by the emptiness, sneaked inside. She hopped around, peering left and right, fascinated by the vastness of the starship. Even after the others left, she lingered, reluctant to depart.

Suddenly, a shadow darted swiftly above Peach, lunging toward her back. Just as it was about to strike, another figure moved faster, knocking the shadow to the ground and standing protectively behind Peach.

“Huh?” Peach turned to see the figure and blinked rapidly before breaking into a wide smile. “Brother Niu!”

“Brother Niu, you’re alive? I thought I saw you turn into a zombie back in town. Are you okay now?” Peach exclaimed, recognizing the man as her childhood playmate who had gone to town to apprentice under his father.

Back in Milin Town, Peach had wept bitterly upon recognizing Brother Niu among the zombies. To see him here again was unexpected.

Just as Peach instinctively believed Brother Niu was safe, he suddenly lifted his head, revealing blood-red eyes. Though his face bore no grotesque expression, those unmistakably undead eyes confirmed his true nature—a zombie.

“Ah! Brother Niu!” Peach was frightened, her face paling. Before she could speak further, darkness closed in and she lost consciousness.

As Peach collapsed, a shadow emerged from the darkness, eyeing her soft flesh hungrily and salivating, preparing to seize its prey.

If Du Yun and the others were present, they would recognize this shadow as the third-tier zombie that had escaped their grasp in the armory. Now, it appeared even more formidable and dangerous.

“Ho!” Brother Niu noticed the officer zombie’s advance, snarled fiercely to halt it, and carefully lifted Peach into his arms.

“Why don’t humans eat?” the officer zombie questioned, its stiff face betraying confusion.

“Mind your own business,” Brother Niu replied stiffly, clearly regaining some human instincts and intelligence, though his speech remained halting.

Cradling Peach, Brother Niu vanished into the shadows of the warehouse, leaving the officer zombie behind, staring after them with a bewildered, puzzled gaze.