"According to the map, we should arrive in City A by the day after tomorrow at the latest. There's a small aircraft resupply station about 15 kilometers from here. Perhaps we can spend the night there. What do you think, Milu?"

Su He unfolded the paper map, pointed to the landmarks marked on it, and said seriously, "When all advanced technology fails, we can only rely on the most primitive methods."

"Aircraft resupply station?"

Xu Milu's heart skipped a beat: "Can I find books about aircraft there?"

"Books? Paper books are rare these days. Everyone uses smartphones to transmit information. But if it's a supply station with outdated equipment, you might find these things."

Su He carefully closed the map. He had only recently begun to get used to some of the changes in himself. Sometimes Xu Milu would see him staring blankly at his reflection in the car window.

"...I was just thinking, if I had been bitten by a zombie sooner and turned into this, I would have been able to protect everyone."

Su He rested her head against the window, her wisps of hair obscuring half her face, and a faint light flickered in her downturned eyes, making her appear somewhat vulnerable.

“I’ve met my parents. It was the day we went to find the holographic helmet. They were among that group of zombies, but all I could think about was escaping. I was filled with fear and dread. Am I ridiculous?”

And these past two days I've been having this dream, dreaming that I'm incredibly powerful and snapping the necks of those damned zombies one by one—my parents are blaming me, blaming me for not getting bitten sooner so I could save them—they're also resenting me for not turning into a zombie with them…”

"Thump!"

Xu Milu freed one hand and tapped Su He's head without any politeness, saying irritably:

"Are you a saint? Or some kind of superman? Or do you have some secret mission to save humanity? Yes, you now have a certain ability to protect yourself, but that doesn't mean you weren't brave before. You've already done very well. Let bygones be bygones. Why are you always thinking about this?"

Did you suffer all that for nothing? A normal person would have been driven insane by a fever after three days. You endured it all through sheer willpower. What's there to feel guilty about? Or should I find another zombie to bite you? Are those who survive a sin?

She glanced at the carriage in the rearview mirror; Dou Dou was fast asleep in bed, her peaceful sleeping face serene and harmless, bringing a sense of comfort in this apocalyptic world.

Xu Milu knew perfectly well that he was feeling anxious because they were about to part ways, but the separation was inevitable.

As they spoke, the white RV slowly drove onto a side road, and a small building could be seen standing quietly by the roadside in the distance.

The old plastic sign was dilapidated, and the celebrity images on it were so blurred that the faces were unrecognizable. Only a string of neon lights was still spinning and making a "creaking" sound.

"Don't move, someone's there."

Xu Milu stopped Su He, who was about to get off the car, and pointed to both sides of the road with her chin. Half-inch-long iron nails were scattered on the ground, hidden in the green vines. You really couldn't see them unless you looked closely.

The doors and windows of this aircraft resupply station were also boarded up, and only a faint light could be seen through the gaps in the door panels.

Every few meters along the path, there was a long wooden stick with a string attached to it. Empty soda cans filled with pebbles were attached to the string, making a "clattering" sound when the wind blew through them—it looked like some kind of simple device to attract zombies.

"Don't move—or I'll shoot. Who are you, and where did you come from?"

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared on the rooftop. Judging from the voice, it was a middle-aged man. He was holding an electromagnetic weapon, and the muzzle was pointed directly at Xu Milu's head.

Xu Milu paused for a moment, looked at the man and then at Su He, her eyes filled with helplessness.

Isn't electromagnetic weapon supposed to be a military weapon? How come it's like cabbage, with everyone she meets along the way carrying one?

...

...

"We mean no harm!"

Soho quickly held out her hand to indicate that she had no weapon:

“My brother and I came from G City and wanted to go to the shelter in A City. We saw on the map that there was an aircraft supply station here, so we wanted to see if there were any supplies we could replenish.”

The man poked his head out and glanced quickly, then shone his flashlight swiftly across the two men's faces. After recognizing them, he paused for a moment and said in a low voice:

“I am not a staff member of the supply station. You can use the water and gasoline in the supply station, but you must exchange them for food.”

Xu Milu nodded and said loudly:

"Bartering is fair. How would you like to exchange?"

"One liter of water can be exchanged for ten pounds of meat, one liter of gasoline can be exchanged for fifteen pounds of meat, and nutritional paste is also acceptable."

The man lay on the roof, refusing to show himself, only daring to observe the two from a distance.

Xu Milu thought about it for a moment. Water and gasoline are now considered scarce resources, so the exchange price wasn't too expensive.

The man, seemingly afraid they would change their minds, added in a hoarse voice:

"One liter of water for five pounds of meat, or five pounds of edible grass cakes, but I want a deer hide from the roof of your vehicle."

Su He glanced at Xu Milu, and only after seeing her nod did she turn around and jump onto the roof of the car. She took out a deerskin and a bag of dried meat from the car, which she then waved at the man.

"make a deal."

The person on the roof took one last look, then shrank back into the house. Ten minutes later, the heavy object blocking the supply station door was moved, and a man in a black cotton-padded coat came out.

He was in his forties or fifties, and looked like he hadn't groomed himself for many days. His beard grew haphazardly on his face, like a clump of weeds. His eyes were somewhat numb, but he looked at people with a more wary gaze. What was most striking was the cotton-padded jacket he was wearing. It was a child's size, and it looked ridiculous no matter how you looked at a grown man squeezed into such clothes.

Xu Milu finally understood why this person needed deerskin.

...

...

There was only one man in the supply station, a man named "Old Black". According to his own introduction, he came from the direction of Z province, also on his way to the shelter in A city. But he accidentally discovered this small supply station marked on the map, and that's when he decided to come and explore to find some resources.

“I used to work for a security company. Fortunately, the company had provided wilderness survival training, so I knew a little bit of survival skills. I never thought I would be able to use them one day.”

Old Hei added a piece of firewood to the fire. He seemed to have not talked to anyone in a long time, and once he started talking, he couldn't stop:

"When the disaster first struck, we all thought it was a joke. But then the zombies really came, and nobody could escape—damn it, what kind of world is this?"

He glanced at Dou Dou sleeping in the sleeping bag in the corner, and his gaze grew warmer.

“My son is the same age, very active and energetic. Luckily, I had the foresight to call my wife and have my son and mother head to City A. My whole family is currently in a shelter in City A. I was thinking of getting some more meat to take back so that my family can have enough to eat. It's not easy to feed such a large family—you must be having a hard time taking care of your two younger siblings, right?”

"It's alright. The road we came from has been cleared by the military team from City A that was assisting survivors. There aren't many zombies, so it's relatively safe."

Xu Milu glanced at Su He without making a sound, signaling him to be careful.