"There's still a chance!" His survival instinct unleashed astonishing strength, and Ning Yu rushed toward the gap without hesitation, squeezing through with all his might.
As soon as he squeezed out of the gap, he felt a pair of old hands tightly grip his arms, and then he was pulled out by a strong force.
"Cough cough..." Ning Yu coughed violently, looked up with a dusty face, and saw Grandpa Sun looking at him in shock.
"You...how could you..." The old man pointed to the room, which had been reduced to ruins, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
"Luckily, I escaped with my life." Ning Yu dusted himself off and smiled, trying to appear relaxed. He didn't dare look into the old man's eyes, afraid of seeing disappointment and anger within them.
"You..." Grandpa Sun pointed at the backpack in Ning Yu's hand, hesitating to speak.
Ning Yu took a deep breath and slowly opened his backpack, bracing himself for the old man's wrath, but froze the next second—the backpack contained not food and water, but a pile of tattered clothes…
“This…” Ning Yu suddenly felt a dry mouth and a wave of despair wash over him.
However, at that moment, he keenly sensed a damp smell coming from not far away...
He slumped his shoulders helplessly, his backpack slipped from his hands, and the tattered clothes inside scattered all over the floor, as if mocking his foolishness and impulsiveness.
Grandpa Sun sighed, walked over to Ning Yu, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Child, don't be discouraged. Survival is the most important thing. Let's just consider those material possessions as a joke that God played on us."
Ning Yu nodded with a wry smile. He knew the old man was right; in the apocalypse, survival was the most important thing. He bent down and silently picked up the clothes on the ground, but suddenly felt a cold touch on his fingertips.
He opened his palm in confusion, and there lay a crystal-clear blue crystal, emitting a faint glow. The crystal was only the size of a thumb, and its shape was very irregular, like a drop of water solidified.
"What is this?" Ning Yu asked curiously.
Grandpa Sun shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
Ning Yu played with the blue crystal, a cool sensation emanating from his fingertips, bringing comfort to his feverish body. He subconsciously brought the crystal close to his nose, a faint, moist scent entering his nasal cavity, which suddenly reminded him of something.
"Water! It's the scent of water!" Ning Yu suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming as he looked around.
Grandpa Sun looked at him, puzzled: "Water? Where's the water?"
Ning Yu did not answer. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the faint dampness in the air, trying to find its source.
Gradually, he sensed that the aura was coming from the ruins of a collapsed building not far away. Although faint, it was real.
"Come with me!" Ning Yu grabbed Grandpa Sun and ran towards the ruins.
Grandpa Sun was startled by his sudden action. He staggered after him and asked in confusion, "You found a water source?"
"Shh!" Ning Yu held up a finger, signaling him to be quiet, then slowed his pace, crouched down, and cautiously approached the ruins.
The closer Ning Yu got to the ruins, the stronger the damp smell became, mixed with a hint of earthy stench. A spark of hope ignited in Ning Yu's heart.
He looked around and saw that this ruin should have been a large shopping mall, but now it was just a pile of broken walls, with twisted steel and broken concrete blocks everywhere, like the carcass of a giant beast lying there quietly.
"Be careful, it's dangerous here," Ning Yu whispered a warning, then led the way into the ruins.
The two walked through the pile of rocks, with a broken beam hanging precariously overhead and a dangerous road surface covered with broken glass and steel bars under their feet. A slight misstep could result in injury.
"It's right ahead!" Ning Yu suddenly stopped and pointed to a relatively intact wall in front of him.
Grandpa Sun looked in the direction he was pointing and asked in confusion, "What's there?"
"You'll see when you come with me." Ning Yu smiled mysteriously, then quickly walked over.
He went to the wall, reached out and felt around on it for a while, then pushed hard. With a loud "bang," the seemingly solid wall was opened up, creating a hole as tall as a person.
"Go in!" Ning Yu was the first to crawl inside, followed closely by Grandpa Sun.
Behind the cave entrance was a narrow passage, dimly lit and damp, with the faint sound of rushing water coming from deep within the passage.
"Water! There really is water!" Grandpa Sun was so excited he was almost incoherent. He grabbed Ning Yu's arm and asked in a trembling voice, "How did you know there was water here?"
Ning Yu smiled, about to reply, when his expression suddenly changed, and he whispered, "Watch out!" He pulled Grandpa Sun behind him.
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