Luo Xiyun

Chen Xu sat by the river for over an hour, his eyes growing sore. The five floats on the water had not moved at all. Forget fish—he had not even seen a single tiny shrimp.

"Looks like the fish in the river have disappeared, just like the other animals."

He was somewhat disappointed. He had originally wanted to catch a few fish and eat some fresh meat. As expected, that path was a dead end.

During the month he had spent here, he had discovered many things about this world that made no sense.

For instance, all living animals had vanished. Dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, fish, shrimp, even rats... all had disappeared without a trace.

Whether it was supermarkets, wet markets, pet stores, aquariums, or even zoos, he could not find a single living animal.

So far, the only living things he had found were mosquitoes and flies.

Clearly, those animals had vanished into thin air just like the other humans.

The second strange thing was that phones, wallets, bags, and other items were scattered everywhere along the roads—things left behind after people disappeared. Yet he had never once seen any clothing.

In other words, the clothes had vanished too.

Why had clothes disappeared along with people while phones and wallets remained? A little thought was enough to reveal how abnormal this world was.

Chen Xu felt that it had been deliberately designed this way, to remind him that this was a dream and keep him from becoming completely lost in it.

He checked the time. It was nearly five. After packing up his things, he drove toward Main Camp.

Not far down the road, as he passed an intersection, he habitually looked to the right. It was an area he had not explored yet.

He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a subway entrance here.

Suddenly, he caught sight of several unusual vehicles from the corner of his eye and instinctively hit the brakes.

They were several black SUVs, with the words "Special Police" painted on their bodies in white.

Over the past month, he had focused most of his energy on modifying his living quarters, so he had not explored very far. This was the first time he had seen vehicles like these.

He wondered whether the Special Police vehicles parked here had been on duty.

Curious, he opened the door and got out, walking over. Peering through the dark tinted window, he saw what was inside. His eyes immediately lit up. There really were guns in there.

He tugged on the door handle, but it was locked.

He took a glass cutter from the backpack he carried with him and slashed the window several times. He easily cut a hole through it, reached inside, and successfully opened the door. Then he took out the guns.

From the three vehicles, he found nine handguns, nine rifles, and quite a lot of ammunition.

He was thrilled. Few men disliked guns; he simply had never had the chance to handle them before. Now, he could finally indulge himself.

He found an empty duffel bag and packed all the guns and ammunition inside, planning to study them properly after returning.

Just as he zipped up the duffel bag, he suddenly heard a deafening bang behind him.

He jolted and whipped around.

Over the past month, he had grown used to this silent world. The sudden, unexpected noise shocked him beyond words.

On the main road across from him, he saw a black Hummer that had rammed several cars over. Smoke was continuously billowing from its hood.

Screech—

An overturned orange-red car slowly tipped onto its side, metal twisting with a teeth-grating shriek.

Chen Xu suddenly threw down what he was holding and charged desperately toward the black Hummer.

He had no idea where the vehicle had come from, but if it could move, then someone had to be inside.

He had survived in this empty world for a month, waiting every day for the person who should have appeared long ago to stand before him. Yet he had waited an entire month.

He had always thought he could endure loneliness. Now, he realized he had been wrong.

Humans were social creatures. When the entire world had only one person left, it was far harder to bear than he had imagined.

The daytime was manageable, but when night fell and everything outside turned pitch-black, that loneliness and solitude became impossible to dispel. Whenever that happened, he desperately wished someone could keep him company and talk to him.

To find Luo Xiyun, he had tried many methods. He had set off fireworks, shone high-powered spotlights, and broadcast radio signals. Yet she had never appeared.

After a month, he had already given up hope. He guessed she had left the city. The world was so vast—where could he possibly look for someone? Thank heavens, she had finally appeared now.

At that moment, Chen Xu was beside himself with joy.

The distance was only a few dozen meters. He reached it in a single sprint.

The Hummer's front end was somewhat deformed. Through the shattered windshield, he could see the situation inside. A woman was slumped over the steering wheel, completely motionless. All he could see was the back of her head.

Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat. Please don't be dead.

"Are you okay? Hey—hey—"

He shouted as he pulled at the door, but it would not budge. The door was locked.

The woman inside moved her head when she heard him.

Seeing her react, Chen Xu was overjoyed. He shouted, "Don't move. I'll get you out right away."

With that, he ran back.

The Hummer's windows were tightly shut. He had tested them before—the glass windows on cars were extremely sturdy, and without the right tools, they were difficult to smash open.

In a few quick strides, he ran back to the truck, found a box beneath the front passenger seat, rummaged out a glass cutter, and rushed back.

He cut through the front passenger window with the glass cutter, pulled open the door, and finally managed to drag the woman out, half carrying and half pulling her.

It was her!

When Chen Xu carried her out, her head drooped down. It was Luo Xiyun.

Her forehead was covered in horrifying bloodstains. He hurried to the roadside, laid her down, and examined her injuries.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and she had completely lost consciousness. Chen Xu gave her a quick check and found that the only injury on her body was the wound on her forehead.

He was not a doctor, so he had no idea how serious her injury was. However, her breathing was steady, and her temperature and heartbeat were fairly normal, which reassured him slightly.

After confirming that her life was not in immediate danger, Chen Xu carried her into the vehicle and took her back to Main Camp.

He drove very slowly along the way, afraid that too much jostling would worsen her injuries.

After returning to Main Camp, Chen Xu carried Luo Xiyun into his room and laid her on his bed. He used a clean towel to wipe the blood from her face, then cleaned and disinfected the wound before wrapping it in a bandage.

"I hope you get better soon."

Chen Xu thought to himself. After all that work, his stomach began to rumble. He checked the time and saw that it was already past seven. He glanced at Luo Xiyun lying on the bed, then gently closed the door.