Chapter 1424: Chapter 591: Iron Serpent Wood_2

The man spoke with such fervor that a more simple-minded person might actually believe him.

Wang Tao glanced at the looted food on their vehicles and said with a smile:

“Strong? Is that why you’re trapped here? A truly strong force wouldn’t be without even a single Fifth Order Awakener.”

Wang Tao’s words seemed devoid of mockery, but the members of the Gale Convoy suddenly felt their faces burn hot. There was no way around it; their current predicament didn’t lend much credibility.

Still, they had thick skin and excuses aplenty.

“Our Gale Convoy is indeed very powerful; this is just one of our sub-teams. Among our entire convoy, we have a Fifth Order Awakener!”

“Oh?”

Wang Tao was genuinely surprised to hear this.

He hadn’t expected that this group was just a detachment. They also had other units and even boasted a Fifth Order Awakener… With that in mind, their strength could be considered formidable indeed.

It seemed these people felt Wang Tao was astonished by their reveal, so they pressed on:

“So rest assured, if we promise you something, we will deliver! Just name your terms!”

Of course, Wang Tao didn’t buy it. If this had been peacetime, maybe, but in the Apocalypse, even he wouldn’t dare claim he could accomplish anything. How could the Gale Convoy be so confident?

However, when faced with the icy wilderness, the Gale Convoy had chosen to stay mobile rather than establishing a base, akin to a Nomadic Tribe… This indeed demonstrated capability.

“I need food, and lots of it.”

Wang Tao cut straight to the point.

“Food? Great, we have plenty of it!”

The group was overjoyed upon hearing that Wang Tao wanted food; that was the one thing they had in abundance.

As for whether they might suspect Wang Tao was from the Zizhu Base, clearly they did not. After all, food was one of the most sought-after commodities in the Apocalypse. Desire for food was nothing out of the ordinary.

“We have food, in our vehicles, lots of it!”

Someone quickly spoke up.

Another person promptly opened up a sack to reveal the distinct grains of wheat.

“Look at this, these are all wheat! There’s also rice in the vehicles, all top-quality food! If you can get us out, all the food is yours!”

“Fine, then throw the food out to me first. I’ll save you after I have the food.”

“…”

The Gale Convoy members were instantly embarrassed.

It wasn’t that they were unwilling to throw out the food; they were actually hoping to give Wang Tao a little incentive. But the problem was, nothing could get out, including the food. Any thrown items would be caught by the Mutant Trees.

“Right now, we can’t throw out the food, these Mutant Trees will grab hold of it…”

Someone explained helplessly.

Wang Tao wasn’t surprised by this response. Shrugging, he said:

“Well then, I’m sorry but I can’t trust you. Unless I get the food first, I won’t intervene.”

“…”

The situation seemed to be at a stalemate.

At that moment, Wang Tao added:

“I’ve already thought of a method that could quickly free you without costing me much…”

Regardless of whether Wang Tao was telling the truth or not, the Gale Convoy members got restless. After a brief discussion, one of them proposed:

“Since we have an excess of food, and it slows down the vehicles, we’ve stashed some outside. But only we know where… So, how about this: we’ll tell you the location of the hidden food as your reward for rescuing us. What do you think?”

As expected, they had hidden food away.

Wang Tao feigned deep thought before responding directly:

“The food outside will be mine, and the food in your vehicles will be mine too. If you agree, I’ll help.”

“…Deal!”

The group wasn’t surprised. If Wang Tao hadn’t been greedy, they would need to be more cautious. Them stating their terms upfront was actually more reassuring. No matter how much food they had, being trapped and dying here was pointless.

The only thing they regretted now was not hiding the food in different places. All Wang Tao had to do was take one look, and he could find it all. They had figured it’d be more convenient to have someone else come along later and haul it back, never imagining this turn of events…

After the Gale Convoy agreed, someone produced a map and held it up for Wang Tao to see.

Fortunately, Wang Tao had good eyesight; otherwise, at this distance, it really would be hard to see clearly.

A location on the map was marked, labeled with the word “Food”.

Wang Tao carefully recalled and quickly found that place; he had passed by there while chasing the bandits.

“Alright, I’ll take a look first. As long as I confirm there’s food there, I’ll come back.”

Without another word, Wang Tao turned and left.

“Good, we’ll wait for you! Remember, friend, if you save us, all the food in our vehicle is yours!”

As Wang Tao left, the Gale Convoy sighed in relief.

They weren’t sure if Wang Tao would return, but they had no other choice but to believe he would.

“Why must these Mutant Trees trap us? Is it to eat us at an opportune moment?”

At that moment, someone spoke up in frustration.

“…”

Silence fell even heavier upon the group.

They had all thought of this possibility, and deep down, they believed it was the most likely. But speaking it out loud was too morale-crushing…

“Let’s wait. I think that guy from just now will come back to save us. After all, with so much food, I can’t believe he wouldn’t be tempted.”

“Even if he comes back, he needs to have the ability to rescue us…”

“Don’t worry, I’m quite accurate at judging people. When he said he had a way to rescue us, I could tell from his demeanor and body language that he seemed to be telling the truth…”

“What? He can really save us?!”

Everyone suddenly became excited.

“No, what I mean is, he truly believes he can save us. He’s very confident! As to whether he actually can, I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait and see…”

Despite saying this, everyone was still visibly excited, eagerly waiting for Wang Tao to return quickly.

And Wang Tao didn’t keep them waiting long; he returned after a short while.

“Friend, there’s no problem with the food, right? Can you make your move now?”

Someone asked impatiently.

“The food’s fine,” Wang Tao nodded, then added, “Although you took it by force, you’ve protected it quite well.”

“Ah?”

The Gale Convoy was dumbfounded.

What did he mean by that? Did he know the food was stolen? Were there dash cams inside the food supplies?

They hadn’t even considered the people from Zizhu Base. After all, they had traveled so far; who would have thought someone could still pursue them!

Wang Tao ignored these people and approached the Iron Serpent Wood. To the shock of the onlookers, he placed his hand directly onto the Iron Serpent Wood.

“Don’t–”

The others instinctively tried to stop him. One shouldn’t touch it carelessly; touching it meant getting hit!

But to their astonishment, after Wang Tao placed his hand on the Iron Serpent Wood, not only was he not struck, but the Iron Serpent Wood also began to move rapidly, shrinking in size, and with a loud rumble, it disappeared completely.

“Ah? Is this an illusion?”

Watching those Mutant Trees that had trapped them to death disappear, the Gale Convoy was still in disbelief.

Wang Tao was equally incredulous.

“Something’s not right, why was it so easy? Doesn’t this Iron Serpent Wood have an owner? It didn’t put up any resistance at all, as if it couldn’t wait to be subdued by me… And the consciousness left by its owner to control the Iron Serpent Wood is also very weak, not like that of a normal person…”

Thump, thump, thump–

At this moment, the ground seemed to be trembling, the sound coming from far away.

The recently freed Gale Convoy instinctively looked up; when they saw a gigantic figure emerging in the snowstorm, their eyes widened in shock, and faces filled with despair.

“Sixth Rank Lords… Giant Zombie!”

“We’ve been targeted, it’s over! This time it’s really over…”

Compared to the pale-faced crowd, Wang Tao dropped his jaw in disbelief.

“The owner of this Iron Serpent Wood… is a Giant Zombie? WTF, zombies can use biological weapons now?”