Third Floor Office
Wu Fan leaned back in his chair, staring at the system panel in his mind, his brows furrowed deeply.
[ Hive Mall ]
[ Skills ]
Primary Flight Pilot Skill Book: 100 points
Intermediate Flight Pilot Skill Book: 200 points
Advanced Flight Pilot Skill Book: 500 points
[ Vehicles ]
SA330 Puma helicopter: 250 points
He had been struggling with this for a long time.
A pilot is not something that can be trained overnight.
Among his subordinates, there were few who were even proficient at driving, let alone flying a plane.
And he desperately needed rapid mobility right now—to scout around Atlanta, to find any nearby refugee camps that might exist, and to recruit those scattered military personnel.
Rely on driving himself? Too slow, too dangerous, and too easy to get stuck on the road.
Rely on others? No one knew how to fly.
He had to do it himself.
Wu Fan gritted his teeth and focused his mind.
[ Purchasing Primary Flight Pilot Skill Book, consumes 100 points ]
[ Purchasing Intermediate Flight Pilot Skill Book, consumes 200 points ]
[ Learning skill... ]
[ Learning complete ]
In an instant, a massive amount of information flooded his mind.
Instrument panels, control sticks, rotor pitch, tail rotor thrust, hovering, climbing, descending, turning... those previously unfamiliar pieces of knowledge became clear and familiar, as if they had been carved directly into his brain.
Wu Fan rubbed his temples, feeling the dizziness that came after the information shock.
As expected, wanting to master a skill for nothing comes with a high price.
Three hundred points was enough to buy a helicopter.
But there was no choice.
Pilots were scarce! In this world, where could one find someone who knew how to fly? The military had them, but where were the military personnel now? Refugee camps? Or had they already scattered?
He had to find them as soon as possible.
Wu Fan remembered that at the beginning of the apocalypse, the National Guard and regular army would establish refugee camps around various cities to evacuate civilians and maintain order.
Those camps had Soldiers, police, and all sorts of talented individuals.
But in the show, those camps eventually fell.
Either overrun by Walkerss or collapsed from within—too many people, too little food, and those selfish ghosts who hid their wounds after being bitten.
Once someone turned in the camp and bit others, a chain reaction would occur.
Panic, loss of control, forcing doors open, Walkerss from outside flooding in...
Overnight, a camp of thousands could become a new breeding ground for thousands of Walkerss.
He had to go and fish people out before those camps completely collapsed.
Especially the military personnel.
Those formally trained Soldiers, even if there were only a few dozen, were ten times better than the ragtag group he currently had under his command.
Wu Fan took a deep breath and said indifferently to his surroundings:
"red queen."
The computer screen flickered, and the image of the little red girl appeared: "Present, Supervisor."
"After the helicopter is extracted, where will it be placed?"
"There is an open space on the outskirts of the town; the open space has a helicopter landing pad, which has been connected to the Hive entrance tunnel."
The red queen's voice was calm and mechanical: "The SA330 Puma you purchased has been parked and is ready for takeoff at any time."
Wu Fan nodded.
The CDC's AI, Vi, had already been devoured and replaced by the red queen.
Now, the entire building's security system, surveillance network, and communication equipment were all under the control of the red queen.
Although it occasionally felt a bit creepy, it had to be said that it was much more convenient.
He picked up the phone on the desk and dialed an extension.
"Tell Merle to get over here."
Ten minutes later, Merle pushed the door open and entered.
He was wearing that brand-new black combat uniform, looking spirited; he was practically a different person compared to when he first arrived.
"Boss, you looking for me?"
Wu Fan pointed to a chair: "Sit. How is the recruitment going?"
Merle sat down, took a cigarette from his pocket, and glanced at Wu Fan.
Wu Fan nodded, and he then lit it.
"Recruited ten."
Merle exhaled a puff of smoke: "They all want to go out and make a run for it with me."
"Can they handle guns?"
Merle shook his head: "They're all civilians, never touched a gun. A few have hunted, but they only used shotguns."
Wu Fan frowned.
Taking ten people who had never touched a gun out there would be sending them to their deaths.
But training them in the base would take time.
He thought for a moment and said: "Keep recruiting. I want the bold ones, the ones not afraid of death. Marksmanship can be practiced slowly, but courage is innate."
Merle nodded: "Understood."
At this moment, the door was knocked on.
Amy pushed the door open and entered: "BOSS, Rick and the others are here."
"Let them in."
Rick, Shane, and Glenn filed in one after another.
All three were in casual clothes, but they were in good spirits.
Especially Glenn; ever since he joined, he had been training with Rick every day, and he had bulked up quite a bit.
"Sit."
Wu Fan pointed to the sofa.
The three sat down, waiting for him to speak.
Merle puffed on his cigarette, his eyes sweeping over them before finally resting on Shane.
Shane felt his gaze and looked over as well.
Their eyes met in the air, then both looked away.
Wu Fan ignored those little movements and got straight to the point:
"I'm planning to take a trip to Atlanta."
The four of them were stunned.
"Atlanta?"
Shane frowned: "There are millions of Walkerss there."
"I know."
Wu Fan nodded: "That's why I'm not driving there; I'm flying there in a helicopter."
He took a map out of his drawer and spread it on the table.
It was a detailed map of Atlanta and its surroundings, marked with various symbols—red circles, blue dots, question marks.
"I suspect there are still refugee camps around Atlanta that haven't completely collapsed."
He pointed to several possible locations on the map: "Established by the National Guard, they contain Soldiers, police, doctors, and all sorts of talented people."
He looked up at them.
"I need those people."
Rick was silent.
Shane looked at the map, deep in thought.
Glenn blinked, then suddenly asked: "BOSS, you know how to fly a plane?"
Wu Fan didn't answer, just smiled.
Merle interjected from the side: "Boss, you want us to go with you?"
Wu Fan shook his head: "No, you stay behind and continue recruiting. Rick, Shane, Glenn, the three of you are coming with me."
"Why them?"
Merle was a bit displeased.
Wu Fan looked at him and said calmly: "Because you have a more important task: recruiting, training, and preparing the second team for exploration. This time it's just reconnaissance, not a battle."
Merle opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but finally closed it.
He understood.
Reconnaissance requires flexibility and mobility, not numbers.
The three of them—one a former police officer, one a former police officer turned tough guy, and one a Korean kid who runs faster than a rabbit—were indeed more suitable than the ten raw recruits he had under him.
"When do we leave?"
Rick asked.
Wu Fan looked out the window.
It was still early.
"Tomorrow morning."
He said: "Get the preparations done tonight. Go back, pack up, and get some good rest."
The four of them stood up and walked out.
Walking to the door, Merle suddenly turned back: "Boss, be careful."
Wu Fan nodded.
After the door closed, the office quieted down.
Wu Fan sat back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and looked out the window.
In the distance, the Atlanta skyline was shrouded in mist, and the outlines of a few high-rise buildings were faintly visible.
There were millions of Walkerss there.
But there might also be the people he needed there.
He took a deep drag of the cigarette and exhaled slowly.
Tomorrow, he would know.