A week passed in the blink of an eye, and they continued their relentless journey. The hull of the ship was now heavily surrounded by parasites, like a thick layer of armor. At this moment, the parasites had not yet climbed onto the ship. Every day, they remained on high alert, the four men divided into two groups, taking turns patrolling and inspecting the ship. Once they found even the slightest trace of the parasites, they would use a flare gun to spray and kill them.

Night fell, and Xu Anran counted the days until it was time for her to have a precognitive dream.

In the northern mountains, there is a peak that was not submerged by the flood. There, some animals survived, having cleverly taken refuge in the mountains before the raging floodwaters arrived, thanks to their keen instincts.

At the point where the mountain meets the water, countless parasites roam. However, if these parasites are out of the water for too long, they will die like candles in the wind. Therefore, about four or five meters below the water's surface, no trace of these parasites can be found.

Awakening from her dream, Xu Anran gripped the compass, gazing ahead. The ship was heading straight north. She quickened her pace, racing northward. Finally, after three days and three nights of relentless travel, she saw the mountain from her dream.

At this moment on the ship, insects kept crawling ashore. Luo Xi, as if in a dream, studied their habits, and so while Xu Anran focused on sailing, she led the two children in a battle against these insects.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they quickly changed into rubber shoes. First, they used a flamethrower to clean up the surrounding parasites as if sweeping away fallen leaves in autumn, and then they worked together to climb the mountain.

Along the way, they carefully avoided areas where animals frequented, and finally found a small cave halfway up the mountain. There were no traces of animals inside. They carefully cleaned the cave and set up their tent.

After days of travel, everyone's nerves were on edge, and now they could finally get some rest. The two children were sent back to their tents to sleep first, while Xu Anran and Luo Xi lit a roaring fire outside and sat side by side.

Luo Xi stared at the leaping flames and asked, "Sister Anran, I've always wanted to ask you, why did you go to the trouble of saving Liu Yue? You two haven't known each other for very long, have you?"

Xu Anran pondered for a moment and replied, "I could ignore her safety, but now that I know, I think my conscience would be uneasy if I just left her like this."

Looking at Luo Xi, whose brows were furrowed and who looked indifferent, she smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "Do you think I'm a saint?"

Luo Xi tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded in response, "That's true to some extent. If it were me, I probably wouldn't bother with so many other people's business; it's too much trouble."

“At first, I only wanted to take care of myself, but as time went by, I realized more and more how insignificant one person’s strength is. Just like in this world, without your meticulous care, I might have to run around, eat, and bandage myself after dealing with the parasites, being troubled by these complicated and trivial matters. It is because of you that I can concentrate on recovering and sailing, leaving everything else to you,” Xu Anran said with emotion.

Luo Xi still disagreed: "But even though you might be a bit flustered if you're alone, you won't be in danger while saving people. You just need to take care of yourself."

Xu Anran nodded in agreement: "That's true. I could easily stay out of trouble and not worry about other people's business. But one person's strength is ultimately limited. When faced with a problem, I always want to try. There might be danger, there might be failure, but how will I know if I don't try? Perhaps I will be hurt by my actions, or even lose my life. But I only do things that I think I'm confident about. If it really doesn't work, I will give up. But I can't do it without even trying."

Luo Xi asked, "What if the person you helped hurts you?"

Xu Anran laughed and said, "Then I will take revenge. As long as I live, I will repay that person tenfold and kill him."

"But you can't be sure if the people you help are good or bad. If you help others and don't get anything in return, wouldn't you be at a great loss?"

"Yes, I've been taken advantage of. But once I've been taken advantage of, I won't take advantage of the same person again. It may sound ridiculous, but the world of today requires teamwork, and trust is the foundation. Only when everyone works together can we go further. I hope to become the person that everyone trusts, so that we can go further together and build a new world."

She continued, "Rather than being alone, drifting aimlessly in an endless apocalyptic world, I want to have a goal: to support each other with my companions and end this journey together. Maybe it's idealistic, maybe it's silly, but how will I know if I don't try?"

Looking at Xu Anran's face in the firelight, Luo Xi saw a dazzling light in Xu Anran's eyes—a light she herself had never possessed. Perhaps that was the ideal Xu Anran spoke of, so naive and foolish. Yet, she liked it very much, because she also wanted to try that idealistic new world.

At this moment, the two people who should have been sleeping in the tent ran out. Xiaoyue hugged Xu Anran and said, "I won't let you suffer. I will definitely become very powerful. I will never hurt you."

Standing to the side, Xiao Feng quickly assured him, "I will become very powerful too. I will definitely protect Sister An'an from now on and prevent you from getting hurt!"

Although she didn't know if they would keep their promise in the future, Xu Anran believed that they were sincere now, and that was enough. Time is cruel; instead of thinking too much, it's better to live in the present.

Actually, what she didn't say was that since her rebirth, she had thought she would embrace a new life and live an ordinary but happy one. She never imagined she would be embarking on these repeated apocalyptic journeys.

She's over forty years old now, spanning both her lives, and shouldn't be so naive and impulsive anymore. But life is about trying new things, isn't it? Rather than being all alone, she wants to try connecting with others and working together towards a common goal.

When she saved Xiaofeng, she was actually confident she could succeed before jumping in. At that moment, she genuinely wanted to save him. Perhaps she had been lonely for too long and needed companionship. She wanted to open herself up. She felt that since she had been given this life, why not live it freely and follow her own heart? Regardless of gains or losses, success or failure, she should do what she wanted to do.