When exactly they should leave was something that needed serious thought.
Lan Jin was the first to speak. "We still have people living here. As long as that's the case, this place can remain as it is. But once we leave, I doubt we'll be able to live here again. I'm not saying I don't want to go. I just want to make it clear—once we walk away, there's almost no coming back."
She was not wrong. Huang Jinghe added, "We've seen the empty rooms downstairs. When there are people living inside, it's one thing. Without people, it's completely different. Besides, the glass and doors we use are top quality. If we're leaving, I'd definitely want to take them with us. That means once we move out, coming back to live here would be nearly impossible."
Leaving was possible, but returning afterward was another matter entirely.
So yes, this trip would require careful planning.
Lao Gao spoke next. "Here's my view. I'm in favor of leaving. To be honest, this place isn't safe anymore. No matter how careful we are, we can't hide the fact that we have a vehicle and food. Even with abilities, so what? These days, the world is full of ability users. I'm afraid we've already become someone's prime target.
"The four of us have strong abilities. We can hold off a small group. But if a crowd comes at us, even if we hide in Sister Lan's space, living every day on edge isn't something any of us can endure. So yes, I suggest we leave."
He continued, "And looking at the outside situation, I don't think this extreme cold will end anytime soon. At least half a year, maybe longer. Even if the trouble I mentioned never comes, if we stay here much longer, new trouble will find us. Of course, I'm not saying we should leave immediately. We need a solid plan before going. The Capital city base is definitely far from here."
It was a reasonable opinion. As for the extreme cold, no one needed to say it aloud. Everyone knew it would not end soon. Temperatures were still falling. Yesterday, it had dropped below minus fifty-one degrees.
Lan Jin raised another issue. "With such low temperatures, can our vehicles even handle a long trip?"
She had a point. Right now, there were no cars running outside at all. The market had not reopened since the last blizzard. Recently, she had driven her vehicle a couple of times, but always with her heart in her throat, afraid the engine would freeze mid-trip.
Luckily, the car had not broken down.
But those were only short trips. A short trip was one thing. Could it survive a long journey?
So they not only had to decide whether to leave, they also had to make sure the vehicles could endure it. Other than one Hummer, she only had a fuel-powered RV.
"I have a solar-powered vintage car, a Hummer, an energy sedan, an RV, and dozens of bicycles. There are also more than a dozen electric scooters."
The bicycles and scooters were all taken from a supermarket. The scooters needed charging, so they were useless for the road.
Lao Gao said, "We don't have to leave right away, but Sister Lan, since you managed to get a Hummer, why not get more vehicles?"
Lan Jin rolled her eyes. "The Hummer and RV were rentals, picked up the day before the poisonous fog came. I could have collected other vehicles into my space, but I didn't have the keys. I didn't even know how to start them."
"Ah." Lao Gao slapped her shoulder in mock frustration. "I could have done it, Sister Lan. I know how to start them."
"I didn't know you back then. Whether you could open a car lock had nothing to do with me." Lan Jin gave a wry smile. So the result was the same. She only had two fuel vehicles. The Hummer would have to last her a very long time. A pang of regret hit her. Why hadn't she gotten more cars? Even renting a few extra would have been better. It was simply a lack of foresight.
"Such a pity." Lao Gao still felt it was a waste. But given the current situation, finding more vehicles was impossible. "That energy sedan—have you tried driving it?"
"No. I've seen people in the market using fuel vehicles. I don't dare use a charging one, in case it freezes and breaks. Remember the electric scooter you built yourself? It froze solid."
"The materials are different. You can't compare them." Lao Gao thought for a moment, then nodded. "Forget it. In this cold, better not risk breaking the car. Once the extreme cold ends, there'll be other chances to drive it."
Really, all they needed was to pick the right route and wait for a good day to leave.
Huang Jinghe had been thinking about this for some time. He now spoke up. "Driving straight from J City to the Capital city is nearly impossible. Who knows what the roads are like between here and there? What if we run into danger? And didn't we say we wanted to gather more supplies?
"My idea is to head for the nearest base first—the J City base. We can take our time getting there, gathering supplies along the way. Once at J City base, we rest, recover, and ask about the route to the next base. Then we move on the same way—collecting supplies, having a safe place to rest. Two birds with one stone."
"That's a nice thought, but a bit too optimistic," Lao Gao said. "Will the base really let us stay for just a few days? With so many people, going into a base costs supplies. We'd be better off saving that for the Capital city base."
Huang Jinghe explained, "Going to a base isn't only for resting. It's also to gather information on the next base's route. If you're worried about wasting food, we don't all have to stay outside. Sister Lan has her space. Most of us could wait inside, with only one person staying out to keep her company—someone good at asking around. Once we're in a base, there shouldn't be much danger, so Sister Lan's safety wouldn't be an issue. That way, we save food too."
But Huang Jinghe still preferred another approach. "Honestly, I think all four of us should go in together."
Ling Jiang was strong in battle but less smooth in dealing with people than Lao Gao. Lao Gao could handle any situation, but inside a base, Huang Jinghe's background was far more useful. A major, well-organized base would definitely have been set up by people in power. In the end, each of the four of them had strengths the others lacked. Besides, they had plenty of supplies. There was no need to be overly frugal.