Removing a wheel was easy.
They didn't have a jack, but Yao Wei's car did have a tire iron.
As the saying went, great strength created miracles. Yao Wei used the tire iron to remove the lug nuts from the wheel and put them away. Then Lu Xi'an simply lifted the car, letting Yao Wei take the tire off.
There was also a rope in the pickup, but nothing else of any use.
Lu Xi'an guessed the rope was meant for tying people up, but it was just right for securing a tire now.
Yao Wei's car had a special wheel rack on the back. They fixed the "new tire" they'd taken from the enemy's vehicle onto the rack, secured it with the rope from the pickup, then got in, ready to leave.
Before getting in, Lu Xi'an pulled the pickup's keys out of the ignition and brought them back to the car.
Yao Wei was a little confused. "What's the point of that?"
Lu Xi'an smiled. "What if those three have a spare tire? Then they could keep driving after us.
"Taking their keys makes sure the truck is completely useless to them."
Yao Wei thought Lu Xi'an was overdoing it.
She'd shot out one tire and taken another. What kind of people had enough supplies to have two usable tires?
Then Lu Xi'an added, "Besides, this could be used as a hidden weapon. Don't you think?"
Yao Wei nodded in agreement.
Lu Xi'an really did love collecting hidden weapons.
But just then, an engine roared somewhere up ahead.
The sound was a little familiar, like the engine of the man with the goods from before.
Still, Yao Wei leaned out of the passenger seat without hesitation and aimed her gun.
This time, she'd let Lu Xi'an take the driver's seat while she kept watch with her gun from the passenger seat.
"Skrrt—"
The sudden braking sent the oncoming car skidding a long way down the road. Its tires were nearly smoking.
Sure enough, the familiar car had appeared again. A man's voice blared from the speaker on its roof. "I... damn!"
After blurting that out, the man quickly shouted, "Don't shoot! I mean no harm! I was trying to lead them away, but they didn't chase me, so I hurried back.
"Those people are completely insane. They go after anyone they see, no questions asked. They're barely human. You agree, big brother, big sister?"
Lu Xi'an didn't have a loudspeaker, so he had to shout back. "That's true. But we don't need your stuff, either. You'd better get going."
The man said, "Sorry, big brother. I didn't realize the other person in your car was a big sister. You definitely wouldn't have any use for the stuff I offered before.
"I have other good stuff that could spice things up..."
Lu Xi'an said, "If you don't leave, I'll shoot."
"Okay, okay."
The man started his car and slowly drove past Yao Wei's.
As the two cars passed each other, the man kept one hand on the steering wheel and raised the other outside the car. "Big brother, big sister, take a good look. I mean no harm. Don't get nervous. We don't want anyone's gun going off by accident."
By the time he'd finished speaking, the two cars had passed. The man's voice came through the car's speaker again. "Also, those people have set up a roadblock ahead. You can't get through here.
"I was going too fast just now and nearly couldn't stop in time. My tires almost ran over their caltrops and got wrecked.
"Look, they even shot up the back of my car. I haven't had a chance to check it. No idea if there are any holes."
Lu Xi'an's mouth twitched.
Now he understood why the man hadn't turned around after seeing what was happening.
He glanced in the rearview mirror. There were indeed two small round holes in the back of the car, with irregular dents around them. They looked like bullet holes.
He looked at Yao Wei. When she nodded, he didn't hesitate. He turned the wheel, made a U-turn, and caught up with the car.
Once their car was driving alongside the other one, Yao Wei had pulled back inside. She turned sideways in the passenger seat and aimed at the man in the car.
He'd just pulled his hand back in to grip the steering wheel. Seeing her, he quickly raised it again. "Big brother, big sister, let's talk this out. Peace brings prosperity, peace brings prosperity."
His words and actions showed how submissive he was, but Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei still didn't dare let their guard down.
Lu Xi'an had learned how to read people by their appearance. The man stood straight, and although his teeth were a little crooked, they weren't yellow. There was a good chance he was a New Human, too.
The fact that he was a New Human was enough to make them wary.
Yao Wei asked, "Who are those people?"
"I don't know much," the man said. "I only know they're from Liangshui Village and don't get along with the people in the county town.
"I went to their village to do business. When they found out I'd been to the county town, they suddenly attacked me. Luckily, I ran fast, or I'd have been in trouble.
"But I get the feeling they would've attacked me even without that excuse.
"They're a rotten bunch, much worse than the people in the county town.
"If they were decent, they wouldn't have changed targets on a whim and ignored me to chase after you. Am I right, big brother, big sister?"
After hearing all this, Lu Xi'an asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
"Anywhere I can hide for a while.
"I was going west and then south, but now the people from Liangshui Village have probably blocked all the roads west. I can't drive through.
"There aren't many roads going west. They only need a few checkpoints to block them all. But I can't bear to abandon my car and go on foot, so I'll have to hide for now.
"Oh, right, big brother, big sister, a word of warning: don't go back to the county town, either.
"The people there are a little better than the ones from Liangshui Village, but not by much. They don't really follow the rules.
"If we could come and go freely without offending anyone, we'd be fine.
"But with things as they are, they'll definitely team up with Liangshui Village. They'll keep after us, wear us down until we're exhausted, then take our supplies."
Lu Xi'an said, "Didn't you say they didn't get along?"
"That doesn't stop them from joining forces against us. There aren't many of us, and we've got supplies. Liangshui Village has more people, but that doesn't mean they have more to eat than we do.
"Once they've worn us down, they can fight over our supplies—or just wait for luck to decide who gets them.
"We're New Humans. We're naturally at odds with ordinary people. We might not see it that way, but they just can't stand us."
Lu Xi'an didn't ask anything else.
A fork appeared ahead: one road led into a village, while the other stayed on the county road. Lu Xi'an said, "Pick a road."
He didn't intend to travel with this man.
"You decide. Either one's fine with me. But before we part ways, how about we make a deal? I've got more good stuff."
As he spoke, he pulled something else out of the car. "Take a look at this: a remote-controlled drone! I got it from someone fleeing south.
"It doesn't have much battery left, but it should still work a few times.
"When you need to, you can send it out to scout the area and make sure it's safe. What do you think?"
Before you continue