The Woman Downstairs

Lightning struck, and in the flash of light, Lu Xi'an saw the woman downstairs clearly.

The woman's hair was shoulder-length, messy and disheveled, as if it had been cut haphazardly.

She wore loose, durable pants and a black, tight-fitting tank top, with a brown leather jacket tied around her waist by its sleeves. Her boots were also brown but very old and worn, looking rough and fuzzy.

Her skin was a bit rough, her lips dry and cracked, but even so, it couldn't hide her refined, delicate features. Combined with her cold eyes and slender yet muscular arms, she exuded a wild beauty.

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

She was extremely vigilant, holding a fairly large, square green metal bucket in one hand and a pistol in the other. Upon entering, she crouched and quickly moved to another window, gently setting the bucket down. Then, holding the gun level, she carefully scanned the room with her gaze.

Lu Xi'an remained upstairs, waiting.

Shooting is difficult. Without high proficiency, it's hard to hit even a stationary target five meters away.

A moving target that can fight back is even harder to hit.

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

His marksmanship hadn't improved yet, and bullets weren't as plentiful as they were at the abandoned police station. He didn't want to waste them unnecessarily.

As the woman searched the downstairs area, Lu Xi'an observed her from above. Once he confirmed she was alone, Lu Xi'an relaxed slightly.

After finishing her search downstairs, the woman prepared to come upstairs.

As she reached the staircase, Lu Xi'an finally spoke, "If you don't come up, I can let you have the downstairs for now."

Lu Xi'an, with his Mechanical Dog, was already guarding the staircase, the only passage connecting the upper and lower floors.

The woman's footsteps stopped, and she immediately moved out of Lu Xi'an's line of sight.

Lu Xi'an knew she had stepped out of the blind spot of the staircase's view. He remained still, guarding the entrance.

The ceiling height of this villa was extremely high. Having fought with others in this world before and knowing the limits of his own strength, and having inspected the villa inside and out, Lu Xi'an was certain the woman couldn't climb up from anywhere else.

Therefore, all he had to do was guard this spot.

After a long while, a voice finally came from an unseen corner downstairs. It was a very short word: "Okay."

Her voice was pleasant, though somewhat hoarse, perhaps from dehydration.

Rare indeed, finally another normal person to communicate with. It was truly not easy in this world.

Lu Xi'an's mood improved slightly, but he didn't let his guard down.

He continued to crouch at the top of the stairs. After watching for a long time, the woman downstairs likely knew he was there and was still hiding somewhere he couldn't see.

"There's water in the faucet, I checked. It's drinkable. You can fill a bucket."

Lu Xi'an said.

He couldn't take the water from the faucets with him anyway, so he might as well be generous.

It wouldn't hurt.

Lu Xi'an had noticed earlier that the metal bucket the woman was carrying was empty. Carrying it specifically meant she intended to fill it with liquid. Either water or something else.

While extending an insignificant act of kindness, Lu Xi'an also wanted to probe her intentions, to see what she planned to do with the bucket.

"Okay."

The woman downstairs agreed but made no move.

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

However, carrying an empty bucket specifically meant she had a need. If she desperately needed water, she wouldn't give up a potential source just because of a little risk.

--It was raining outside, but it had only started suddenly. If this woman had come out looking for water before the rain and was driven here by it, it would make sense.

In this world, water was a resource absolutely worth risking for.

And if not water, what else could she possibly want to fill such a large empty bucket with?

Gasoline? Or diesel?

Lu Xi'an's mind could only come up with one possibility, and he instantly salivated.

He had been wandering for so long, he had seen gas stations, so he was sure there were cars and fuel in this world.

But unfortunately, all he had seen along the way were completely wrecked cars that couldn't start, never a functional one.

Under what circumstances would one need gasoline or diesel?

Could it be that this woman had a car?

Then she was truly enviable.

Lu Xi'an's biggest headache when looking for a base was travel.

Having traversed so much time and so many places, he could only walk with his Mechanical Dog, "clunking" along, which was extremely arduous.

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

If that were the case, then the woman's current situation was that her car was low on fuel, so she needed to carry a bucket to find fuel nearby?

He just didn't know if that was true, and if there were any gas stations nearby.

If she was like those other guys he'd encountered, Lu Xi'an wouldn't mind wasting a few bullets to acquire a means of transportation.

If it wasn't the case, he didn't know if she'd be easy to talk to, or if she'd give him a ride in her car.

Having witnessed the depravity of people in this world, Lu Xi'an didn't want to become like them. So, as long as he could ensure his own safety, he was happy to stick to his principles.

--But all of this was based on the assumption that the woman was holding the iron bucket solely to get gasoline.

The woman hadn't made a move yet.

Lu Xi'an didn't ask directly. He knew very well that for the people in this world, cars were definitely a very precious resource.

If the woman had a car and was leaving now with the bucket, her car must have run out of gas. If he casually asked, would she suspect he was coveting her car and trigger an unnecessary fight?

He decided to patiently observe.

Fortunately, Lu Xi'an's patience had long been honed in this dog-eat-dog world, so he waited quietly.

"Rumble!"

Thunder followed lightning.

Outside, heavy rain poured down, battering the outer walls of the villa.

When the white light of the lightning flashed, Lu Xi'an could see slanted rain streaks outside the window being blown in through the broken panes by the howling wind.

But no one paid it any mind.

Both of them stayed quietly in the rainy night, coexisting peacefully, as if they were just strangers seeking shelter from the rain in this abandoned villa, waiting for it to stop before leaving and going their separate ways.

But the rain didn't stop all night.

The woman also didn't take the iron bucket to find water.

As the night faded, the sky finally cleared. The woman finally spoke, "I'm leaving."

Lu Xi'an paused for a moment and said, "Okay." This time, it was his turn to say "Okay."

The weather hadn't changed today, which was a relief.

Lu Xi'an saw the woman reappear in his line of sight, her gun held high, aimed at him as she backed away.

So, she had spoken to him earlier to confirm his position.

Lu Xi'an thought he had learned something and then raised his gun, pointing it at the woman.

The Submachine Gun in his hand looked much more menacing than her weapon.

As long as he didn't fire, his deterrent effect was definitely stronger than hers.

The woman was just holding her gun defensively, with no intention of pulling the trigger. She retreated all the way to where she had placed the iron bucket, picked it up, and then opened the villa door and backed out.

She didn't get water? Did this woman really have a car?

Lu Xi'an prepared to send the Mechanical Dog to follow and check the situation.

Although this Doggy moved stiffly and clumsily, it wasn't slow. Moreover, it seemed to have some unique sensing system, allowing it to follow from a distance without being discovered, making it quite useful as a reconnaissance tool.

However, before he could give the Doggy its orders, he heard a gunshot from outside, followed by the woman suddenly retreating back inside.

Outside the villa, a series of "hee-hee-hee-hee" sounds suddenly erupted. The things making the noise were definitely numerous.

Lu Xi'an glanced out the window. A group of wolf-like, dog-like creatures had appeared outside, and they looked somewhat familiar.

His heart skipped a beat.

--He had seen these things in videos from his previous life. They were Hyenas!