Starry Sky and Skylight

The dinner was quickly finished. The two of them cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks together, refilled their water from the small river, and loaded everything back into the car.

The Doggy had already checked the river water, and it was fine for Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei to drink.

Under the harsh conditions of the Apocalypse, they weren't that picky; they used the river water as needed.

After tidying up, Yao Wei drove the car a bit further away, found another good spot, stopped, turned off the engine, and brought over the blankets they'd scavenged from the Shelter to cover themselves, preparing to sleep.

There would be too many mosquitoes and insects by the water, making it unsuitable for resting. If they were to set up camp long-term, the best choice would be a location that was slightly elevated, offered cover and concealment, was near a water source, but also a short distance away from it.

Both of them had been surviving alone in this world for quite a long time, so they still knew some basic survival knowledge.

However, they were on the road now and didn't need to set up camp long-term, so they ate by the water and then found another place to rest.

They reclined the driver's and passenger's seats, leaning back. The soft, light, yet sufficiently warm blankets covered their bodies, leaving only their heads exposed. Lu Xi'an couldn't help but let out a groan and say, "Comfortable!"

"Mhm."

Yao Wei wasn't as unrestrained as Lu Xi'an, but she agreed with his sentiment.

Having these two blankets was much more comfortable than just covering themselves with their clothes.

Especially since her jacket was made of leather, a somewhat stiff material, it couldn't compare to the blankets at all.

However, Lu Xi'an was still a bit unsatisfied. With such blankets, the best enjoyment would be to strip naked and lie down, letting their bodies make perfect contact with the softness.

But given the current limitations, doing so would be inappropriate, both considering the difference between men and women and for safety reasons.

"The starlight seems nice tonight. It would be great if your car had a sunroof."

He couldn't fall asleep for a while, so he started chatting with Yao Wei.

Night deepened, and the starlight in the sky was no longer sparse. As the night grew darker, more and more stars emerged.

If viewed from outside, the sky was already densely packed with stars by this time, so the visibility wasn't too poor.

"Mhm."

Yao Wei responded, also feeling that the starlight outside was good.

Then she said, "It used to have a sunroof, but it wasn't sturdy, so I replaced it."

Lu Xi'an widened his eyes and examined the car roof. It didn't look like it had any signs of being pieced together.

He thought for a moment, then understood and asked, "You replaced the car?"

"Mhm."

Yao Wei agreed again, explaining, "The previous car wasn't good. It had a small gas tank, was very fuel-inefficient, and wasn't sturdy. Later, I encountered this car, and seeing that it could still run, I switched."

Lu Xi'an said, "You're really lucky." He had traveled from north to south for almost a year without encountering a single car that could be driven.

He hadn't seen cars along the way, but they either had this problem or that problem, and none of them were minor. He couldn't even piece together a car from spare parts.

However, Yao Wei didn't agree with Lu Xi'an's assessment. She glanced at the Mechanical Dog and said, "Not as lucky as you."

Lu Xi'an chuckled and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Isn't it good now? We're together. I can hitch a ride with you, and you can hitch a ride with my Doggy."

Yao Wei thought about it and seemed to genuinely believe Lu Xi'an's words. She nodded and said, "Mhm."

Neither of them mentioned their previous agreement.

Before getting into the car, Lu Xi'an had agreed with Yao Wei that he would get out once they found a suitable place to live.

After that, the two of them stopped talking, closed their eyes, and fell asleep shortly after.

They slept much better this time than the day before. When they woke up, the weather hadn't changed, and there were no beasts outside. The air conditioning was quiet and hadn't been used.

The two of them drove the car back to the riverbank, confirmed it was safe, set up a fire, and roasted the remaining pork. They then took care of their personal needs before returning to finish the roasted meat.

The weather had been good for the past two days, and the meat had been in the car for a day. If they didn't eat it soon, it would spoil. Eating it now was the best option.

Lu Xi'an had long since changed his habits from his previous life to survive in this world; he no longer ate three meals a day. Two meals, morning and evening, were normal, and sometimes, when food was scarce, he'd make do with one meal a day, which was also common.

Therefore, filling their stomachs and replenishing their energy before setting off in the morning was the most appropriate course of action.

Then, they set off, continuing westward.

After passing Fengcheng County, they traveled a considerable distance before reaching another city.

Lu Xi'an looked at the map. It was marked as Mengxin City.

There was a highway between the two cities called the Jiangjiang Expressway. There was also a service area in the middle section, which had a gas station. If they took the highway, they could save more than half the journey.

After Lu Xi'an looked at the map, he explained the situation to Yao Wei.

But Yao Wei said it was best not to take the highway. The situation there was unpredictable, there were no alternate routes, and there were guardrails along the sides. If the road was destroyed, they would have to turn back.

Or, if people were occupying it, they would have nowhere to hide. If they encountered danger, they might have to abandon the car and flee.

At that point, all the supplies in the car would be lost.

Lu Xi'an, who had previously relied solely on walking and hadn't driven a car on the highway, hadn't considered these issues.

Hearing Yao Wei's opinion, he thought it made a lot of sense and didn't argue.

So they took another route, which the map indicated as a provincial road turning into a county road.

There were also several gas stations along the way. They carefully checked them as they passed. Some were intact and usable, while others were completely abandoned. But at least they managed to refuel.

It was only when they reached the county road entrance that the two of them didn't expect three or four people to be holed up in that gas station.

Those three or four people didn't open fire at the slightest disagreement like the group in Gao Family Village, Fengcheng County. Instead, they hid when they saw the car approaching.

But Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei still chose to avoid it and didn't stop at that gas station.

Both of them adhered to the principle of minimizing conflict whenever possible. They decided not to interact with those people unless absolutely necessary, as provoking the tense and fragile nerves of people in this Apocalypse was the worst possible choice.

However, after passing another gas station on the county road, they unexpectedly encountered people after all.

They hadn't sought out others, but someone had sought them out.

"Beep beep beep--"

The county road wasn't wide, but it wasn't narrow either. It could accommodate two cars driving side-by-side, with an emergency lane on the inside for vehicles to stop.

Yao Wei was driving in the middle lane when she suddenly heard honking from behind.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, and Lu Xi'an also turned to look back, seeing a sedan speeding towards them.

Yao Wei didn't hesitate to floor the accelerator, but this vehicle, primarily designed for off-road performance, couldn't match the sedan's speed.

The sedan accelerated to catch up, the distance between them shrinking.

Then, they both heard amplified voices from the sedan behind them: "Car ahead, want to trade something?"