☆ Suspicion, seeking supplies

The night after the rain was filled with a damp smell.

A tall iron wall enclosed a piece of land, which, from the sky, should have been brightly lit. For some reason, usually countless howling zombies would gather outside the iron wall, but there was nothing there. Upon closer inspection, one could even see tall wild grass swaying in the wind at the corner of the wall, creating an eerie silence.

"They must have used some special method to eliminate the zombies," Ye Xi thought to herself, her brows furrowing even more. They must have ample firepower, and there were definitely cameras on that wall—no blind spots whatsoever. This government base looked incredibly strange, especially since it was built right by the roadside, at most 500 meters away. Normally, a high-level base would be located either in the middle of nowhere or in the wilderness. This base was clearly of a high level. Even if there weren't many humans left in the world, the government still had Umbrella, their mortal enemy. How could they have so little…security awareness…?

Besides this base, the appearance of Anelpot was also very strange. Although Ye Xi outwardly appeared carefree and unsuspecting, she knew exactly what to be wary of. Leaving aside his enormous wound, which couldn't possibly have been "man-made," his mere presence before her was enough to make her suspicious. This wasn't because Ye Xi was narcissistic or arrogant; she knew that both Umbrella and the so-called government were eyeing her, or more accurately, the O virus, with hostility. This forced the ever-vigilant Ye Xi to be suspicious of any stranger for survival.

Before they fell asleep, they were on a deserted highway. After they woke up, they were on a small road with a government base nearby. Even if Ye Xi was stupid, she would be alert. Besides, she wasn't so brain-dead as to be beyond redemption.

"None of my business." As if sensing what Ye Xi was thinking, An Er stared expressionlessly into Ye Xi's eyes. His deep blue eyes seemed devoid of any impurities, yet also so profound that only icy coldness remained. Ye Xi couldn't figure out what he was up to, but she could sense that he was definitely up to something.

An'er's lie infuriated Ye Xi. Although he spoke with a straight face, Ye Xi preferred to believe her own instincts. "Oh, really?" She glanced at An'er coldly, but a relaxed smile played on her lips. "I don't plan to stay here any longer. I don't get along with the government. Do you want to go over there and take a look? They should have a shelter there."

An'er shook his head, glanced deeply at Ye Xi, whose expression was as relaxed as before, and said slowly, "Me too. I thought you would place your hopes on them." As he spoke, he snorted coldly, a single snort enough to show his disgust for the government—this emotion was genuine, Ye Xi could sense it, but perhaps this man, being a natural-born spy, was just faking it.

"Okay, you take a rest, I'll drive from now on," Ye Xi suggested casually, trying to regain control of the car.

“You’re not suited to driving at night,” An’er said coldly, his expression unchanged, as he began to turn the steering wheel.

Hearing this, Ye Xi frowned slightly. Wasn't this man supposed to be leading her inside? Why was he cooperating with her to leave? Was he setting an ambush? She pondered this, but couldn't figure it out. This feeling of helplessness made Ye Xi feel utterly defeated. Before, she had figured out Wesker's plans based on her understanding of him, but now it was different. She knew absolutely nothing about this man named An'er… Damn it, maybe his real name wasn't "An'er Potter" at all!

At this moment, the poor Ye Xi realized the truth a little, but she certainly wouldn't notice it now.

"Where are we going now?" Ye Xi asked, looking at the base receding into the distance behind them. An Er was driving along the road through tall weeds and rocks. Although the weeds could conceal the large SUV, there were quite a few rocks. However, whether it was An Er's good driving skills or the excellent performance of this seemingly ordinary car, Ye Xi didn't feel much of a bump.

"Find supplies," An'er replied indifferently, his attention focused entirely on driving. If Ye Xi were driving, she would never be as busy as An'er, constantly pressing the clutch, shifting gears, and turning the steering wheel; she would just stubbornly keep going straight. Of course, her backside would definitely be in pain, and she would most likely have a flat tire.

Ye Xi blinked and glanced at her backpack on the back seat. She knew full well that there wasn't much food or water left, and if she didn't find something to replenish her supplies, she might not last three days. Ye Xi frowned and opened her mouth, but said nothing. The reason was good; she couldn't find any way to refute it. However, she still felt that things weren't that simple. Ye Xi refused to believe that their encounter with the government base was a coincidence. In this world, there weren't that many coincidences, except for those orchestrated by humans.

She pondered, subtly stroking the Miao sword at her waist, gazing silently out the window. "It seems I've really gotten myself into trouble," Ye Xi thought to herself. Loneliness or isolation—emotions of vulnerability—make one an easy target for malicious individuals. She had already done more than enough by saving him; even if An'er truly had nothing to do with the government or Umbrella, she couldn't genuinely trust him if she took him along. It was better to stay away than to live in constant fear.

"Sigh, Ye Xi, you're such a cowardly wimp who hates trouble." Ye Xi sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile, but her eyes were clear. "Do you know which city we're going to?" Ye Xi turned her head, the glint in her eyes vanishing instantly. An Er, who was focused on the road ahead, would never notice anything amiss. Ye Xi was so confident—to avoid attracting the attention of the government base behind them, An Er hadn't turned on his headlights, meaning he couldn't focus on Ye Xi; he had to be constantly aware of the road ahead. "You know, I've never passed American geography," Ye Xi added casually.

She was telling the truth; this "Ye Xi" really wasn't good at geography, let alone remembering the locations of all the states in the US. She said this only to give An Er a hint—if you were driving in circles, she wouldn't know either, so…

However, just because this "Ye Xi" is unfamiliar with American geography doesn't mean that the other "Ye Xi" is also unfamiliar with it. The exam-oriented education system of our great nation has deeply ingrained the geography of the entire world into her mind. Although she may have forgotten some places over the years, she still has a general impression.

In other words, if the man goes in circles, she is very likely to find out, but An'er will absolutely not find out about this.

“Sacramento. Los Angeles is too far from here, and we didn’t have enough gas, so we went to a big city nearby.” It’s best to go to a big city for supplies; there are more resources, and the chances of finding gasoline are much higher. Listening to An’er’s nonchalant explanation, Ye Xi nodded and continued looking out the window. Having lived in the US for so many years, this “Ye Xi’s” common sense told her that Sacramento was in California, while her geographical knowledge told her that Los Angeles—the city where she met Chris—was in California, and located west of Sacramento.

Ye Xi remembered clearly that after leaving Los Angeles, she had been heading southeast, so this route would definitely not get her to Sacramento. "After finding supplies, where do we go next? I heard there's a paradise in Las Vegas, how about we go there?" Ye Xi said casually, propping her head up with her hand, her eyes constantly fixed on An Er's expression.

An Er snorted coldly, "I didn't expect you to be so naive. At this point, you still dare to dream of a so-called pure land?" He said slowly, his magnetic voice full of sarcasm. This tone was easy to irritate, arrogant and domineering. If it were the Ye Xi of the past, she would definitely have given him an annoyed glare.

Ye Xi frowned, closed her eyes to cover her tracks, and pretended to rest. "Yes, I was so naive to actually believe there was such a naive place. So, Mr. Anelport, who is so realistic, where do you think we should go to see the reality of the situation?" She retorted sarcastically, continuing to probe for information.

"Northeast, the Great Lakes." An'er made no attempt to hide his intended destination.

The Great Lakes? Is there something there? Ye Xi didn't ask further. Asking might not even get her the answer she wanted, and besides, Ye Xi wasn't sure if the destination An Er had told her was correct. Only time would tell. Ye Xi thought, maybe she should just find an opportunity to abandon him halfway and run away—that was a good idea.

Honestly, I don't know why I was so stupid to save him back then. Apart from his blond hair, he doesn't look like Ethan at all... Ye Xi sighed inwardly, snuggled into the back seat to find a comfortable spot, hugged her chest and continued to sleep with her eyes closed—of course, it was a light sleep, as she still had to be wary of any accidents, such as being kidnapped by An Er to some dangerous place.

Unfortunately, Ye Xi, who was resting with her eyes closed, didn't see the meaningful look An Er gave her as she lay on her side with her arms crossed, sleeping. But it was fortunate that Ye Xi didn't see it; if she had, she probably would have been so troubled that she couldn't sleep, wondering what An Er was plotting.

As dawn broke, the warm, soft sunlight gently fell upon Ye Xi's eyelids. She frowned, opened her eyes, and stared at the source of the light, remaining stunned for a moment before coming to her senses. She hadn't seen sunlight for over a week, and now, witnessing this sunrise, she was somewhat disoriented. Not far away, where the sun rose, she saw towering buildings—their destination, the place to find supplies.

"Didn't you stop and rest for a bit?" Ye Xi stretched and asked sleepily, her voice still languid and hoarse from just waking up. Yawning, she continued teasingly as she looked for water, "You know, driving while fatigued can easily cause an accident!"

An'er glanced at her coldly without saying a word. Although he appeared strong and powerful, it was important to remember that he was essentially just a human. His severe injuries and the lack of anesthesia during surgery had left him exhausted. Now, after driving all night while constantly on guard to avoid being discovered, Ye Xi would despise herself for not being as physically strong as a human if he weren't tired.

"Tsk, does showing weakness cause pregnancy?" Ye Xi rolled her eyes at him. An Er's bloodshot eyes and dark circles were enough to prove his haggard appearance. "You're just trying to save face, so keep opening the can for me." Ye Xi grumbled, about to take out the half-eaten cookies from her backpack, when she saw the can underneath and froze—a can of caviar…

'Eating this all the time will lead to malnutrition...'

'Give me the cookies, and you can eat my canned food...'

Scenes flooded her mind, one after another. Those conversations she thought she'd forgotten now seemed like illusions. Ye Xi gave a bitter smile, unsure whether it was for the man who had warmed her like sunshine, or for her own selfishness. All that remained of her memories was a sigh. Perhaps Ye Xi would never forget that warm man, quietly awaiting death with a gentle, contented smile.

After a pause, all the turmoil within her was buried deep inside. On the surface, Ye Xi remained calm, even sporting a teasing smile, as she took out the caviar can for her breakfast. "There are also biscuits, canned fruit, and some hard bread that's been sitting out for days. What do you want?" Ye Xi asked, rummaging through her bag.

An'er glanced at the contents of Ye Xi's bag—they were driving on a highway, not in the grass, so he didn't need to constantly watch for sharp stones—then looked at the caviar can Ye Xi was clutching tightly, as if afraid it would be snatched. For some reason, he frowned. "This," he said coldly, snatching the can from Ye Xi's hand with such force that Ye Xi, caught off guard, almost bumped into the car.

"You! No way, that's mine! Don't push your luck just because I gave you breakfast!" Ye Xi was furious and immediately pounced to snatch it back.

An'er casually put the can of food into his left pocket, then freed his right hand to slap Ye Xi on the head, pushing her back into her seat. His cold eyes were full of mockery: "What, you want to die with me for a mere can of food?"

Ye Xi's arms were clearly shorter than An Er's, and with his head pinned down, she couldn't get close to him. Ye Xi's eyes turned cold. The resentment at having her things stolen and the anger at being treated like this by An Er made her want to slash him with a knife, but when she heard his words, she froze, gave up resisting, and sat quietly in her seat.

Why was she angry? Was it because An'er had ruined the memories Ethan had left her? Was it disrespect for the deceased? Ye Xi herself didn't understand. She could rationally tell herself that this wasn't driven by so-called love; perhaps it was guilt, perhaps it was what Ye Xi felt she owed Ethan, perhaps it was something else entirely. In any case, she was in a terrible mood right now.

Seeing Ye Xi suddenly become dejected, An Er snorted coldly, her brows furrowing even more. She looked at the city ahead with some irritation, and a chilling ferocity flashed in her icy blue eyes.

Author's Note: Am I going through a burnout phase? OJZ Why is writing so difficult? OJZ Sigh, don't doubt An'er's abnormal behavior. It's probably just something like jealousy that's impossible in your minds—more accurately, a domineering and possessive nature. And don't doubt his conspiracy in Sacramento. As for his stated final destination, the Great Lakes region, tsk, I'll tell you that's just something he made up based on his current driving direction because he never intended for Ye Xi to leave California! Waaah, I'm still begging for reviews, especially long ones! >///< Is there no other way to make this tyrant appear except through curses?!