Slicing through a handful of Deathclaws barely registered as an event for Great Vajra. Speed unbroken, chassis blades retracted, the vehicle kept moving down the expressway without pause.

An evolved bird had been circling overhead. It waited for the convoy to pass, then dropped down to investigate the remains.

The next hour produced nothing worth noting beyond that Deathclaw interlude.

Past Jianshan and Fuchashan, the territory shifted — the air thinned of ambient Activity as they crossed into the barren zone. The contrast with Hefei's abundant zone was visible in the landscape: sparse, emptier, the colors washed out. But the storm had done something to even this depleted terrain. Whatever scraggly ground cover had survived was putting out new green growth, and occasionally a Featherweight-or-below evolved beast could be seen browsing leaves at the roadside in unhurried contentment.

The food chain is trying to repair itself. Herbivorous evolved beasts...

Then the Juchao District ruins came into view.

Bantang Township again.

The convoy's engine noise broke across the silence of the abandoned streets. Shen Cong turned them off the expressway at the northern ring road and called a temporary halt.

He launched the DJI Generation 8.

The Fenghuang Mountain Vineyard Camp appeared in the feed. It had changed substantially — stone construction everywhere, more organized than he remembered, developing at a reasonable pace.

"Move out." He restarted Great Vajra and headed for the mountain's base.

Twenty minutes later, the convoy reached the foot of Fenghuang Mountain. The camp was clearly visible from there. A group of survivors in leather armor came spilling out of the gates — they'd spotted the convoy.

Thud. The mesh skirting dropped, enclosing the undercarriage and tires.

Shen Cong radioed Liu Qihang. "Fenghuang Mountain Vineyard Camp. You can go in and open negotiations."

"Understood."

Liu Qihang took his team toward the camp. Shen Cong stayed in Great Vajra and changed into the Half-Activated Armor. He didn't go out yet — he needed a read on the situation before deciding his next move.

He'd brought the convoy here without telling anyone that this was the camp he'd founded…