The Woman Downstairs

At the instant lightning split the sky and light flashed, Lu Xi'an got a clear look at the woman downstairs.

Her hair barely reached her shoulders. It was choppy and messy, as if she had cut it in a hurry.

She wore loose, hard-wearing pants and a tight black tank top. A brown leather jacket was tied around her waist by its sleeves. Her boots were brown too, but old and badly scuffed.

Her skin was a little rough and her lips were chapped, but even so, her striking, delicate features stood out. With her cold eyes and slender, well-muscled arms, she had a wild kind of beauty.

She carried a backpack bigger than her entire upper body, stuffed to the brim. It looked like she was strong, just like Lu Xi'an.

She was highly alert. In one hand, she carried a large green metal can; in the other, she held a pistol. After entering, she crouched and quickly moved to another window, gently set down the can, then held her pistol level and carefully scanned the room, her gaze following its aim.

Lu Xi'an stayed put upstairs.

Shooting was hard. Unless you were skilled, hitting even a stationary target from just five meters away wasn't easy.

A moving target that could shoot back was even harder to hit.

Lu Xi'an, who had enjoyed ample firepower at the police station, knew that all too well.

He still hadn't gotten the hang of shooting. Ammunition was no longer as plentiful as it had been at the abandoned police station, and he didn't want to waste any unless he had to.

While the woman searched downstairs, Lu Xi'an watched her from above. Once he confirmed she was alone, he relaxed a little.

After searching the downstairs rooms, the woman prepared to check upstairs.

When she reached the foot of the stairs, Lu Xi'an finally spoke. "If you don't come up, I can leave the downstairs to you for now."

Lu Xi'an and the Mechanical Dog were already guarding the top of the stairs, the only passage connecting the upper and lower floors.

The woman stopped, then immediately ducked out of his line of sight.

Lu Xi'an knew she had slipped into the blind spot beyond the stairs. He stayed motionless, holding his position at the top.

The villa had unusually high ceilings. Lu Xi'an had fought other people in this world before, knew the limits of his considerable strength, and had searched both inside and outside the villa. He was certain the woman couldn't climb up from anywhere else.

So all he had to do was hold this spot.

After a long while, the woman's voice finally came from an unseen corner downstairs. She said just one short word: "Okay."

Her voice was quite pleasant, though a little hoarse. Maybe she was dehydrated.

At last, there was a normal person he could talk to. That was no easy thing in this world.

Lu Xi'an felt a little better, but he stayed on guard.

He kept watch by the stairwell. After a while, it seemed the woman knew he was there, because she remained hidden where he couldn't see her.

"There's water in the taps. I checked, and it's drinkable. You can fill a can."

That was what Lu Xi'an told her.

He couldn't take the water in the pipes with him anyway, so he might as well be generous with someone else's supply.

It couldn't hurt.

He had already noticed that the metal can she carried was empty. She must have brought it along for a reason—to fill it with liquid, either water or something else.

As he offered a little goodwill, Lu Xi'an also wanted to test her and find out what she planned to use the can for.

"Okay."

The woman downstairs agreed, but didn't move.

Perhaps she was wary and didn't trust Lu Xi'an.

Still, she had gone out of her way to bring an empty can, so she must have needed something. If she was desperate for water, she wouldn't give up on a possible source over a little risk.

--It was raining outside, but the rain had started suddenly. It was possible the woman had gone out looking for water before it began, then taken shelter here when the storm drove her in.

In this world, water was absolutely worth taking a risk for.

And if it wasn't water, what else could she be trying to put in such a big empty can?

Gasoline? Or diesel?

That was the only possibility Lu Xi'an could think of. His mouth started watering at once.

He had been wandering for a long time and had seen gas stations along the way, so he was certain there were cars and fuel in this world.

But unfortunately, all the cars he'd seen were completely wrecked and impossible to start. He hadn't found a single one in working order.

What would someone need gasoline or diesel for?

Could the woman actually have a car?

If so, he was seriously jealous.

As he searched for a place to settle, Lu Xi'an's biggest headache was getting around.

He had been in this world for so long and traveled through so many places, yet all he could do was trudge along with a Mechanical Dog, huffing and puffing. It was exhausting.

If he could get a car, he couldn't even imagine how great that would be!

If that was the case, then maybe her car had run out of fuel, and she needed to carry a can to find more nearby.

He just didn't know if that was really what was going on—or whether there was a gas station nearby.

If she was like the others he'd encountered, Lu Xi'an wouldn't mind spending a few bullets and taking a vehicle for himself.

If she wasn't, he wondered whether she'd be easy to talk to—and whether she'd let him ride with her.

After seeing the deranged people in this world, Lu Xi'an didn't want to become like them. So as long as he could keep himself safe, he was happy to stick to his principles.

--But all of that depended on the woman having brought the can to collect gasoline.

The woman still hadn't moved.

Lu Xi'an didn't ask her outright. He knew that cars must be precious resources in this world too.

If she had a car and left with the can, it would mean her vehicle had run out of fuel and was stranded. If he casually asked about it, might she think he was after her car and start an unnecessary fight?

Better to watch patiently.

Fortunately, his patience had been honed in this godforsaken world, so he waited quietly.

"Rumble!"

Thunder followed the lightning.

Rain poured outside, beating against the villa's outer walls.

When the white flash of lightning lit up the sky, Lu Xi'an could see slanting lines of rain driven by the howling wind through the broken windows.

But neither of them did anything about it.

They both sat quietly through the rainy night, leaving each other in peace, like strangers who had come to take shelter in the abandoned villa and would go their separate ways once the rain stopped.

But the rain fell all night without letting up.

The woman didn't use the can to collect water either.

When the night finally faded and the sky cleared, the woman spoke at last. "I'm leaving."

Lu Xi'an paused, then said, "Okay." This time, it was his turn to say it.

The weather stayed clear that day, which was a relief.

Lu Xi'an saw the woman come back into view, her gun held high and aimed at him as she backed away.

So that was why she'd spoken to him first: to find out where he was.

Lu Xi'an thought, I've learned something, then raised his own gun and aimed it at her.

He had a Submachine Gun, which looked a lot more intimidating than her pistol.

As long as he didn't shoot, his weapon would definitely be more threatening than hers.

The woman held her gun warily, but didn't seem ready to pull the trigger. She backed away to where she'd left the metal can, picked it up, then opened the villa's door and retreated outside.

She hadn't filled it with water? Could she really have a car?

Lu Xi'an prepared to send the Mechanical Dog after her to see what was going on.

The dog moved stiffly and clumsily, but it was fast. It also seemed to have some kind of special sensor, letting it follow from a long distance without being noticed. It made a pretty handy scout.

But before he could give it the order, he heard a gunshot outside. Then the woman suddenly rushed back in.

Outside the villa, a series of "Keh-keh-keh-keh" cries rang out. There were definitely a lot of whatever was making them.

Lu Xi'an's heart jumped.

--He'd seen these things in videos in his previous life. Hyenas!