The violent jolt and explosion left the entire vehicle swaying unsteadily.
The people outside who had blocked the vehicle were also frightened into falling to the ground, staring fearfully at Fu Erdie and the others through the front windshield.
They… they had only wanted some benefits. They had not meant to damage the vehicle and trap these people here.
The weather was very hot. Fu Erdie was in a terrible mood, but she still had to get out and change the burst tyre. While she was at it, she gave them some food and water to send away the refugees who had gathered.
This refugee had been forced into desperation. The only ability user in his family had fallen ill from farming under the blazing sun, so they had taken the risk to look for help after hearing that there were ability users moving around in this area.
After all, they had also seen that this group of ability users seemed to be luring zombies somewhere and had not been looting the remaining resources from each place. They probably were not bad people.
So the refugee thanked them repeatedly, hugged the food and water tightly, did not dare linger any longer, and quickly left.
The weather was truly too hot. Fu Erdie and the other two had not been out of the vehicle long before their whole bodies were covered in sweat. The ground under their feet was burning hot, as if they were about to be roasted and melted by it.
They worked together, checking and changing the tyre as quickly as possible. Then they used abilities to move the vehicle into the shade beneath some branches, planning to wait until nightfall, when the ground cooled, before setting off again.
But once they stayed, problems appeared.
The refugee from earlier had received food and water from Fu Erdie. After a few scattered refugees and ability users nearby saw that they seemed easy to talk to, they all came out to check the situation, approaching the resting place to beg for some benefits.
If this had been before, Fu Erdie would have ignored them. After all, it was one of these people who had forced the bus to stop, causing the tyre to burst. Even now, Fu Erdie’s ears seemed to still ring from the explosion.
But now, she was no longer in the state where she was unclear about her own strength and had no surplus food.
Her complex’s infrastructure was already established. Without task quotas, the plants in the complex casually produced enough food every day to feed everyone, with a lot left over. Food was piling up again.
When a person’s own life and safety were greatly satisfied, things they used to care about no longer seemed worth caring about so much. So although Fu Erdie was annoyed about the tyre bursting, she did not do anything to the refugee. Instead, she gave him food.
As a result, after others discovered it, they also gathered around.
Fu Erdie thought for a moment and said that she would only set off after dark. Everyone could bring containers for water and food, and before leaving, she would fill them as much as possible.
The refugees and ability users had imagined that the girl in front of them might get angry, fly into a rage, or even directly use her ability to drive them away or kill them. Or perhaps, like with the previous refugee, she would give a little something and make them leave.
But even a little, even that tiny bit of charity, was enough!
Under the high temperature, the grain they had planted had all been sun-scorched to death. They were barely surviving on grain harvested during winter and spring. But even that grain had been ruined by the heat. No matter how carefully they stored it, it was now rotting and stinking. They had thought that any food they could beg for was something, and surviving one more day was one more day.
The person who had blocked the road in the afternoon had actually also been unable to keep living. He had gone to the middle of the road with the determination to die.
Either way, without food, he would die. If he were hit to death, perhaps death would even be easier, and he would no longer have to endure the torment of slowly starving.
Yet now, the person in front of them was really willing to give them water and food.
After an instant of disbelief, everyone made the most direct decision: they ran madly back to their homes to find all kinds of pots, bowls, ladles, basins, and sacks.
The box truck floated down from the roof to the ground. The three of them sat inside the cool box truck, enjoying the cold air simulated by the box truck’s air conditioning. They pulled out a water hose from the ice-cold tap and prepared the zucchini to produce food, intending to distribute food to everyone one by one.
There were not many zombies in this area. It was like the rural village where Grandma had previously stayed. Farmers guarded and cultivated the land, relying on a large enough planted area to feed themselves and barely survive.
After waiting for about ten minutes, many people gradually came over carrying buckets and dragging carts.
Fu Erdie worked unhurriedly, using her ability together with the zucchini to produce zucchini that could be eaten directly, placing them onto the refugees’ carts. Sang Wenhao and Han Zhi used the tap to fill water for everyone one by one.
They did not say much. They only quietly handed out water and food while waiting for nightfall.
People here informed one another. By evening, when fifty or sixty people had gathered, Fu Erdie said, “In half a month, we will still take this road. If you need it, you can send someone to wait in the shade by the road. When you see us pass, call our name. At that time, we’ll give you mutated plants that can produce crops.”
Everyone was surprised and delighted. They were so excited that they tugged at and patted one another, temporarily unable to speak.
The people had long wanted to ask, and now someone finally asked aloud, “May we know the name of our benefactor?”
Fu Erdie said, “We are Butterfly Garden from C City.”
Sang Wenhao added at the right moment, “She is Butterfly Principal.”
An ability user let out a short “Ah,” eyes widening. “You’re Butterfly Principal!”
He was especially excited and could not help murmuring to himself, “So you’re Butterfly Garden. So that’s how it is… If you’re willing to save us, then we can be saved!”
The others did not understand, but in front of Fu Erdie, none of them asked. After pulling away cart after cart of food and water, they saw that Fu Erdie was already tired and refused to continue producing zucchini, only giving water. So they stopped troubling her and instead sat around in the shade at a neither-too-near-nor-too-far distance, asking whether Fu Erdie needed help with anything.
Fu Erdie did not, but she did not drive them away either. She only said, “My zucchini has a certain healing effect. When you go back, if anyone has injuries or illnesses, don’t deliberately avoid eating to save food. Eating more in moderation is good for recovery.”
Everyone gratefully sat around them. After night fell and the temperature dropped, they stood up, escorted the bus back to the roadside, and then watched Fu Erdie and the others leave.
Only after they could no longer see the shadow of the bus did they ask the ability user who had reacted so strongly what Butterfly Garden was.
The ability user hurriedly told them what he knew about Fu Erdie’s deeds.
How she could wipe out a city’s zombies by herself.
How she alone suppressed a zombie tide of several million.
How she was now clearing zombie kings everywhere, wanting to return the whole world to ordinary people.
What had originally been a matter worth ten points became one hundred points after being exaggerated through repeated retellings.
Everyone went from excitement and trembling, to deep respect, to blood boiling so fiercely that they almost wanted to fight alongside Butterfly Garden, all in an instant.
Naturally, Fu Erdie did not know about the increasingly exaggerated rumours about herself outside. She, Sang Wenhao, and Han Zhi maintained a rhythm of travelling at night and resting during the day. Hurriedly pushing on, they finally returned to Senyu Residential Complex at the end of August, welcomed by everyone lining the road, and returned to the most comfortable Building Seven.
This time, nine batches of ability users had lured back a total of 100,000 zombies.
One and a half months, 100,000 zombies. The efficiency was very low, but this was within expectations. After all, this was the first time those ability users had gone out. On the road, they also faced extreme heat, heavy rain, and all kinds of situations. The process of luring the zombies back in batches was generally smooth, but still full of difficulties.
Fu Erdie estimated that with this temperature, it would be best for the ability users to stay home and not go out. She would go out first, batch by batch, collecting the ability zombies across the vast north-western land.
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