The Pursuing Convoy
The group’s return trip was fairly smooth. Su Wenwen completed the mission and received a handsome reward; the attribute points alone were nearly seven hundred. All told1, she could buy two pieces of intermediate-grade equipment.
The clothes and the belt respectively added thirty attribute points and reduced damage taken by 5%. After that, she would just need to buy the final piece, the helmet, and her set of equipment would be complete.
Along the way, Wang Kelin was marveling at Su Wenwen’s freakish recovery ability and Luo Xi’s mental power, saying that in the future, as long as they could organize more ability users, the pressure on survivors in the apocalypse would be much lower.
After listening, Su Wenwen just gave a faint smile and deftly changed the subject, saying, “I saw there’s still a lot of empty land at the camp. My parents have been farmers their whole lives. We can have them plant the seeds there. It’s always good to be self-sufficient. The food outside will eventually be eaten up or expire.”
Wang Kelin nodded, agreeing with this opinion.
Not only did they need to farm, but they also needed to dig a cistern. However, seeing the hot weather, Su Wenwen thought it wouldn’t rain for a while. Who knew that three days later, a torrential downpour would begin?
The raindrops splattered on the ground, kicking up a spray that looked like a thin mist, draping a veil of gauze over the bustling crowd. The machinery continued to run in the heavy rain, the sound of the downpour masking its noisy din.
The cement ground was washed clean, with water pooling into muddy ponds on the dirt patches. Su Wenwen and Luo Xi decided to use the cover of the rain to set off for J City. After bidding farewell to Father Su and Mother Su, the two embarked on their journey.
Father and Mother Su stood at the entrance holding umbrellas, watching the car drive further and further away, sighing with melancholy. “I hope their journey is a smooth one!”
Just then, Wang Kelin came running over in a hurry. After looking all around, she asked, “Uncle, Auntie, have they left?”
“Yes, they just left.”
“Sh#t, why didn’t she tell me?”
Father and Mother Su looked at her, a bit embarrassed, and said, “Luo Xi said it. She’s familiar with you, so there was no need for a farewell. Wenwen isn’t familiar with you, so there was no need to specially say goodbye to you either.”
Wang Kelin: “…”
Su Wenwen didn’t take this little interlude to heart. She figured leaving without saying goodbye was fine, too. In any case, they would surely meet again once the base was built. Besides, with her parents there, there was no reason she wouldn’t see her again.
The car galloped like a wild horse, trailing an elegant white wake in the rainwater. The sky was gloomy, and from time to time, a bolt of lightning would flash across, illuminating the desolate town.
“I wonder how long this rain will last.” The heavy rain could block out a lot of sounds. The zombies just stood on the streets, seemingly unable to see the vehicle passing by them. Naturally, Su Wenwen hoped the rain would last a little longer.
“It probably won’t last too long.”
After saying that, Luo Xi stepped on the gas, accelerating even more.
Su Wenwen watched the scenery flash past her eyes. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the car door’s handle, her heart thumping wildly (dong dong), her body pressed tightly against the back of the seat by the excessive speed.
Occasionally, a car would be blocking the road sideways, but Luo Xi would glide past them with her superb driving skills. Although Su Wenwen was a little scared, she didn’t make a sound, keeping her jaw clenched the entire time.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the torrential downpour turned into a fine drizzle. Fortunately, the car had already left the small town smoothly, and only then did Luo Xi slow down.
“Are you okay?” Luo Xi glanced at the tense-faced Su Wenwen. “Sorry, I was just thinking of using the cover of the rain to leave the town quickly.”
“It’s fine, I get it.” Su Wenwen slowly calmed her mood and relaxed her body. “But I never realized you had such good driving skills before. You’re almost on par with a race car driver.”
“I race with Wang Kelin in my spare time. Her skills aren’t bad either, but she’s never beaten me,” Luo Xi said faintly. “I wouldn’t drive this fast if it weren’t for special circumstances.”
She had been too nervous just now. Thinking back, although Luo Xi drove fast, she was very steady. When she drifted around corners, her full head of beautiful hair2 had swayed along with the movement. Her reserved gaze appeared utterly confident3, possessing a charm that put one’s heart at ease.
The dark clouds in the sky had not dispersed. Another shower had been brewing, and it finally poured down in the night before giving way to silence.
After the dark clouds scattered, bright stars revealed themselves here and there, accompanied by a dizzying, stuffy heat. A layer of sticky sweat coated their bodies, which was very uncomfortable.
Luo Xi parked the car on the side of the road and rolled down the window a crack. But seeing that Su Wenwen was still covered in sweat, she turned around and grabbed some water and a towel from the back seat. Fortunately, the supplies stored in the car and the spatial backpack were plentiful, enough for the two of them to be extravagant.
After dampening the towel, Luo Xi handed it to Su Wenwen.
The towel felt cool and refreshing on her face. The heat on her cheeks subsided a little, but it didn’t last for more than a moment before even the towel had absorbed her body heat.
“If you’re really uncomfortable, just turn on the AC.”
Su Wenwen looked at Luo Xi, who was also sweating but whose expression remained calm. She suddenly felt that she was being too delicate. Shaking her head, she said, “No need, I’ll get used to it in a bit. You’re sweating a lot too, grab a new towel and wipe yourself down.”
Luo Xi lowered her gaze and smiled faintly. “Why waste it? The towel in your hand is fine.”
“Alright…” Su Wenwen subconsciously handed it over. Only after the towel was taken from her hand did she realize that Luo Xi was a clean freak. How could she use a towel she had just used!
Luo Xi poured a little water on the towel and then draped it over her long neck, showing no sign of discomfort. She didn’t look like a clean freak at all.
In the night, Luo Xi’s skin appeared exceptionally silvery-white. The way she slightly parted her collar with her fingertips was extremely alluring, like an enchantress4. Her furrowed brows seemed to hold a magical power, causing anyone who glanced at them to fall deeply into their depths, unable to pull away.
Su Wenwen subconsciously held her breath, terrified of being discovered by the enchantress, yet she couldn’t look away.
Luo Xi noticed Su Wenwen’s gaze. A smile played on her lips as she looked over, deliberately throwing the words Su Wenwen had said before back at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Su Wenwen snapped back to her senses, hemming and hawing for a good while before saying, “I was looking because you’re good-looking. Can’t I take a couple more glances?”
“How good-looking?”
Su Wenwen’s eyes widened, momentarily at a loss for how to answer. I can’t just say you’re more beautiful than an enchantress, can I? Wait… why do I feel like she’s teasing me again?
“Not as good-looking as me, anyway,” Su Wenwen said, putting on a brave face5.
“Mm, you’re the best-looking,” Luo Xi said, looking at Su Wenwen earnestly, as if there was a hidden meaning in her words.
Su Wenwen was self-aware about her own looks. She wasn’t ugly, but she couldn’t be considered exceptionally beautiful either. She had only said that because she didn’t want to be led by the nose, but now she was left at a complete loss.
I don’t understand, is Luo Xi just being polite, or is there a hidden meaning?
If it’s the latter, isn’t that basically a confession?
The temperature inside the car felt much higher than outside. It was so hot that the tips of Su Wenwen’s ears turned red. Although her gaze was fixed straight ahead, her intuition told her that that scorching line of sight was still on her, not having moved an inch.
She nervously pinched the back of her hand, her heart thumping erratically (pu pu). Not daring to guess wildly, she was just about to open her mouth when she heard Luo Xi say, “You sleep first. I’ll take the first half of the night.”
“Oh.” Along with the disappointment in her heart, she let out a pent-up breath. Su Wenwen touched her empty-feeling chest and closed her eyes, deceiving herself.
After a full day of driving, both of them were tired. The surroundings were desolate, with open fields and a few single-story houses in sight. Naturally, there were few zombies nearby, but they still had to take turns on watch, only able to nap in the car.
Luo Xi looked at Su Wenwen’s side profile, an inscrutable smile flashing across her face under the bright moonlight, gone in an instant as if it were just an illusion.
The next morning, it was Su Wenwen’s turn to drive.
However, the car had only gone about 1.5 km6 before its path was blocked by abandoned vehicles. With her current strength, Su Wenwen could easily move a car. Just as she was about to get out, Luo Xi stopped her.
“Let me.”
Luo Xi realized that she hadn’t been training her mental powers enough. She stopped Su Wenwen and stared at the cars ahead. Under the pull of her mental power, the cars were moved bit by bit. If an uninformed person saw this, they would definitely think they had encountered a ghost.
Once the road was clear enough for the car to pass, Su Wenwen started the engine again. However, they didn’t notice a person by the side of the road staring at them. Only after the car was far away did that person quietly disappear.
After driving for half a day, the gas was almost gone.
It was a hassle to get gas like this. Su Wenwen and Luo Xi discussed it and decided to expand the spatial backpack to nine square meters and then go to a gas station to stock up on a large amount of gasoline at once.
The zombies wandering around the gas station were all controlled by Luo Xi and then handed over to Su Wenwen for the finishing blow. The process of getting the gas wasn’t too difficult. Her spatial backpack had a fixed height, and a dozen or so barrels of gas took up about two square meters. She had wanted to load a bit more, but there were no more barrels. The remaining four square meters of space were filled with some tools that might come in handy.
After being busy for half an hour, just as the two were about to leave, several cars suddenly drove over from a distance. The cars were side-by-side; it looked like they were a team.
Su Wenwen and Luo Xi glanced at each other, reading the word “trouble” in each other’s eyes with a tacit understanding7. They didn’t want to deal with strangers, so they quickly got into the car. They had thought they could mind their own business8, but who knew that the people from the convoy would block them in at the gas station from the front, back, left, and right, preventing them from leaving.
Su Wenwen’s face darkened as she watched a man get out of a car. The man was holding a machete, his face covered with a thick beard. He was rather burly and looked very tough.
The man walked to the car window and knocked.
“What is it?” Su Wenwen didn’t roll down the window. After all, this car was bulletproof. As long as the other party wasn’t an ability user, it would be very difficult to break through the doors.
“Interested in joining our convoy?”
Su Wenwen said directly, “Not interested.”
The man didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, “Don’t refuse so quickly. I don’t mind telling you, everyone in our convoy is an ability user. If you’re willing to join us, your safety will be no worse than at a base. How about it, beauties? Give it some thought.”
Su Wenwen wasn’t surprised. After all, a team composed entirely of ability users was indeed the safest. She just didn’t expect to run into a team of only ability users so soon.
She rolled down the window. She had originally planned to pretend to be an ordinary person to get away, but her line of sight was suddenly filled by a familiar figure, which made her freeze, forgetting what she was about to say.
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This person, guess who it is.
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