Yet he still headed towards the plane's landing spot with Sun Lu, secretly hoping to see familiar faces.

This time, Zhuo Hao was leading the team. Due to the hurried retreat last time, many valuable documents and assets in the base were left untransferred.

When the news of Shao Qi's disappearance reached Dawn City, the higher-ups convened meetings day and night, unanimously concluding his demise. Nobody believed anyone could survive under such conditions, not even a martial god.

The entire Central Army was engulfed in immense grief, especially the Fire Brigade, which became uncontrollable. They ardently requested to join the search for Shao Qi.

Therefore, when they learned experts were headed to the Life Base for data retrieval, the Fire Brigade followed en masse—officially to protect, but in reality to secretly search for Shao Qi.

Perhaps, there might still be a glimmer of hope?

"Zhou... Brother Zhou!" Situ Han was the first to spot Zhou You. Upon hearing his voice, everyone quickly gathered around.

Zhuo Hao pushed through the crowd to stand before Zhou You. Before he could utter a word, tears streamed down. The once cheerful, gentle, and handsome youth now appeared emaciated, looking much like a refugee, save for his bright eyes.

He couldn't imagine what Zhou You had gone through all these days.

"Brother Zhou..." Although Zhuo Hao was older than Zhou You, he cried like a child in front of him.

Zhou You's sliver of hope shattered. Whispering, he asked, "You didn't find him either?" His vision darkened, and he fainted.

"Brother Zhou..."

"Mr. Zhou..." A chorus of concerned voices filled the air as Zhuo Hao quickly carried him to the med bay in the transport plane.

Meanwhile, Sun Lu, brought by Zhou You, was being closely guarded. No one was paying attention to him at the moment.

At that time, Shao Qi, whom everyone was concerned about, wasn't too far away. The armored car broke down midway, surrounded by a group of mutated monkeys who seemed intent on tearing it apart with their hands.

Sitting inside, Shao Qi watched their antics, disassembled a weapon from the vehicle, stepped out, and asked in resignation, "If I leave the vehicle to you, may I go?"

Seeing a human, the monkeys retreated slightly, shifting their gaze between the vehicle and Shao Qi.

Trying to maintain an intimidating posture, Shao Qi shouldered his cannon, aimed at a white-haired monkey, and began retreating step by step.

The monkeys followed him for a bit but seemed more enamored by the vehicle, eventually flocking back to it.

Relieved, Shao Qi put down the heavy cannon, his injured arm still weak, unable to even lift it properly.

After roughly discerning the direction, he realized he had to continue on foot, which was quite a physical challenge.

More critically, this was a jungle where danger lurked at every corner.

He went around the area, wrapping himself with some pungent mutated plants, applied a bug-repellent liquid on his exposed skin, and used a rusty iron sword he found as a walking stick. With an uneven gait, he continued.

Perhaps it was his good fortune, but he didn't encounter any danger on his way. The few creatures he came across kept their distance—probably due to the foul smell emanating from him.

Crossing through the forest, Shao Qi arrived at a main road and settled down on a large boulder to rest. He had limited food in his backpack, so he ate just one packet of compressed biscuits.

It's a shame he didn't find any nutrient fluid; otherwise, food wouldn't be a concern.

After eating, Shao Qi closed his eyes to meditate, attempting to resume his training. But as soon as he began, his entire body ached as if swarmed by countless biting insects.

Even if he could endure such pain, his meridians couldn’t gather any Qi. His empty Dantian felt like a shattered bottle, unable to contain any Qi.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, soaked in sweat. His muscles twitched painfully, making it hard to stand.

Just then, the sound of vehicles approached from the distance. Shao Qi touched his face, scarred from burns. With the salve applied, he appeared even more terrifying. He wondered if he'd be mistaken for a monster.

He hid behind the boulder and waited. Soon, a convoy of around a dozen vehicles appeared, consisting of three large trucks and several armored vehicles. They were probably an exploration team from some base.

The Life Base had sent out exploration teams that hadn't returned during the attack. He wondered if this convoy was one of them. But their direction seemed to be towards the Dawn City.

Shao Qi emerged from his hiding spot, waving his arms and shouting, "Help..."

The convoy was forced to halt. A fierce-looking head popped out of the lead vehicle, demanding, "Hey, why are you blocking our way? Move it!"

Shao Qi raised his hands in surrender, "Brother, my team was ambushed. I barely escaped. May I hitch a ride with you?"

"Ha! No! How do we know you're telling the truth?" These days, with dangers lurking at every corner, human deceit was ever-present. Usually, no one would bother with such a suspicious stranger in the wilderness.

Desperate, Shao Qi offered, "I can pay."

The man's eyes gleamed with interest, his tone softening, "How much can you offer? And where do you want to go?"

"Any base will do. I lost my ID card, but as soon as I get to a base and get a new one, I'll transfer the funds immediately. How about a thousand credits?"

A thousand credits wasn't much for an exploration team, but it was a hefty price for a single passenger's fare.

A burly man then stepped out of one of the vehicles, a steel knife in hand, and sized up Shao Qi.

"Wow, you're quite injured. You're a martial artist, aren't you?"

Shao Qi nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Zhou Qi."

"Which base are you from?"

Shao Qi sighed, "I used to live in the Life Base. I escaped with my team, but we encountered a high-level mutated beast on our way. They're all gone now."