After resting for two days, Luo Ning began to prepare for their trip. They were still some distance from the base. Although they knew the base was in the north, they didn't know the exact location, so they had to be prepared for a long search and prepare dry food, weapons, bedding, and clothing.

She arranged for Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo to air out their bedding and tidy up their clothes at home. Since Lu Xinghe was now able to protect them, she needed to go to a more distant mountain to find some uninfected animals to make jerky, which would be easier to preserve.

Moreover, Lu Xinghe gave her a lot of blood to save her, so she needs to replenish his blood.

"Remember not to only air out one side of the quilt. I'm going out now. You two take good care of yourselves and wait for me to come back." Luo Ning stood under the crabapple tree and reminded the two who were airing out their quilts.

"Okay." An Xiaoruo and Lu Xinghe answered together. An Xiaoruo gave Luo Ning an OK sign, while Lu Xinghe spread the quilt on the rope and looked at her under the flowering tree: "Be careful too."

"Okay." Luo Ning smiled at him, then headed into the mountains.

It was an ordinary day, but when the gears of fate began to turn for the three of them, this day was destined to be anything but ordinary.

After entering the mountain, Luo Ning first dug up some tender bamboo shoots, which could be dried and eaten for a while. Then she caught some uninfected wild animals. By the time her bag was full, it was already afternoon. On her way back, she saw a field of ripe raspberries, which looked very appetizing.

She remembered that neither An Xiaoruo nor Lu Xinghe had ever eaten this before, so she stopped and picked several large bunches, then wrapped them separately with leaves. She wanted to share her favorite with the two of them, especially Xiaoruo. The little girl liked to eat sweet and sour things, but she didn't usually have any to eat, so she would definitely be very happy now.

She hummed a song as she descended the mountain, quickening her pace to get home. But as she neared her doorstep, she sensed something was amiss. She could no longer feel An Xiaoruo and Lu Xinghe's presence, and the blankets on the rope hadn't been turned over. When she left, the flowered side of the blankets was facing up, and now they were exactly as they had been when she left that morning.

An Xiaoruo might forget, but Lu Xinghe definitely won't.

Could something have happened? Her heart pounded, and she ran forward, calling out, "Xiao Ruo, Lu Xinghe, where are you?"

No one answered her in the quiet town; only the rustling sound of the wind carrying dust filled the air.

She went straight down to the basement as soon as she got home, her voice trembling: "Xiao Ruo... Lu Xinghe..."

There was still no sign of the two. They searched the area thoroughly but still couldn't find them. It shouldn't be any alien species that came, otherwise there would definitely be signs of a fight and bloodstains at the scene. But everything around was clean and tidy, as if Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo had simply vanished into thin air.

"They must have gone fishing," she murmured as she ran toward the river.

But she stopped shortly after leaving the house because she saw tire tracks by a small puddle. She took a few steps forward and saw more tire tracks, and more than one.

There are no vehicles on the road in the apocalypse, unless someone from the base has been there.

She paused for a moment, then reached out and touched the mud stain. It was already dry, indicating that a car had passed through here a long time ago.

She realized something and took off chasing after the tire tracks. As it was getting dark, she saw a relatively intact section of road, but the tire tracks disappeared there. She looked left and then right, unsure which way to go. Finally, she burst into tears in the wind.

After crying herself to exhaustion, she walked back dejectedly. It was pitch black all around, and there were no lights in the room, whereas the grease lamp would usually be on.

The door was open, meaning that Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo had gone straight in. After she went in, she lit the lamp, trying to find some information they had left behind, but there was nothing. Even An Xiaoruo's favorite crystal was on the table, and the holster she had made for Lu Xinghe's gun was carelessly thrown on the ground, with a dirty footprint on it.

They left nothing behind, but took nothing with them, as if they had no attachment to this place.

"Ungrateful wretches." Luo Ning lay on the bed and cried again. She could imagine how happy the two of them were when they saw people arrive. They must have gotten into the car with those people right away.

She cried for a long, long time. She finally stopped crying, but when she saw An Xiaoruo's clothes, she started crying again. She had never cried like this when she first came to this strange world. Now she was sad, upset, and reluctant to part with them.

She knew that Lu Xinghe and An Xiaoruo must have been taken away by humans. Although she had been hoping for humans to appear and take them back for the past two years, she felt heartbroken when they were actually gone.

She didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to them properly.

It wasn't until dawn that she stumbled out, her eyes swollen from crying. She looked around at the misty world with a dazed expression. For the past two years, she had been up every day at this time. Lu Xinghe would be making breakfast in the yard, always managing to fry the meat until it sizzled but didn't burn, the aroma filling the entire yard. She would be sitting under the flowering tree in the yard, combing An Xiaoruo's hair. After breakfast, they would go hunting and training together. When they were tired, they would lie together on the grassy riverbank, watching the blue sky, white clouds, moon, and stars…

But now she doesn't know what to do next. Her life seems to have suddenly lost its purpose and motivation, and she doesn't know where to go from here.

On the plane.

Lu Xinghe sat in a chair, facing dozens of heavily armed soldiers, each with a serious expression and a chilling aura in their eyes. He could tell that every one of them was a seasoned veteran.

An Xiaoruo sat beside him, clinging tightly to his arm, too afraid to move. It was the first time she had ever seen so many humans. Although her mother had told her countless times how wonderful humans were, she was still scared. She wanted to go home, to return to her mother's side.

"Uncle," she called softly.

Lu Xinghe gently shook his head at her, signaling her not to say anything.

Around 11 a.m. this morning, four vehicles suddenly appeared in the town. At first, he thought it was the base that had seen the message on the winged alien's leg and had come looking for them. Later, he learned that there were signs of a nearby volcano erupting and they had come to monitor and collect alien specimens. They found them when they passed by.

He was glad that Luo Ning had gotten out; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to survive in the hands of these people.

Dai Wanglin walked over with two cans of meat and handed them to them: "Eat some first. We'll reach the base in two hours. The general has already learned that you're still alive, and you and your son will be reunited soon."

Lu Xinghe showed no emotion towards the 30-year-old military major. He took the can of food, opened one, and gave it to An Xiaoruo. An Xiaoruo used to love this kind of canned food the most, but now she had no appetite at all.

"Eat up," Lu Xinghe said to her, then calmly began to eat.

Dai Wanglin stood aside, looking at the two thoughtfully: "It's really not easy for the two of you to live outside for so long. Haven't you encountered any alien species before?"

Lu Xinghe replied, "I have encountered it, but I killed it."

"Oh, it seems you were lucky enough not to encounter any groups of alien species."

"yes."

"How did you meet this young girl?"

“I was rescued by her and her mother near Tacheng. They had a car, and I used the fuel I had on the plane to drive the car toward the base. After the car ran out of fuel, we settled down in that small town.”

"And what about her mother?"

Lu Xinghe said in a low voice, "I died in the beast tide two years ago."

Dai Wanglin nodded: "Now you're home. Welcome home."

"Thank you," Lu Xinghe replied.

Dai Wanglin smiled, patted the boy on the shoulder, glanced at An Xiaoruo, and walked towards the driver's seat. The smile on his face disappeared the moment he turned around. After entering the driver's seat, he picked up the communicator and said to the person on the other end: "Initial suspicion is that he is being raised by mutants. Please prepare to receive him."