Treasure Hunting at the Gas Station

There was a cracked, east-west road outside the villa.

Weeds grew along the roadside, climbing onto the road and burrowing into the cracks.

Lu Xi'an looked left and right and asked, "Which way are we going?"

"West."

Yao Wei replied, turning towards the west as she spoke.

Lu Xi'an followed and asked again, "Are we going to find a place to refuel, or are we going back to the car?"

Yao Wei: "Refuel."

Lu Xi'an: "..."

Yao Wei's two sentences, totaling three words, felt like "Go" and "to India" in his ears. This woman would never use two words if one would suffice to convey the meaning.

The problem was, he wasn't the Supreme Treasure who had abandoned the mortal world. The woman in front of him had fine, beautiful hair, and she certainly wasn't a bald monk from five hundred years later.

But then he thought about it, this woman was much more capable than Tang Sanzang. Not only was her marksmanship accurate and her strength great, but she also had excellent stamina—just like him.

They had already spent a whole night and a day in Villa No. 272, and she still had energy.

Lu Xi'an had never understood why he had become so strong and enduring. He figured Yao Wei's physical condition was similar to his, so maybe she would know something.

However, he didn't ask. He wasn't too familiar with Yao Wei yet, and they were mutually wary. It wouldn't be good to reveal too much weakness.

Given his current state, he could probably last another night. He wondered how long Yao Wei could last?

Lu Xi'an thought to himself as he followed Yao Wei westward, passing Villa No. 274, 275, and 276 on Jiangyu Road, but there was no No. 273.

These houses at No. 274, 275, and 276 were also detached single-family homes with small yards, not villas like No. 272, and were far inferior.

The houses in these detached courtyards had collapsed due to years of neglect.

As Lu Xi'an approached, he saw that the roofs had caved in, the brick walls had collapsed, and vines had grown intertwined, covering almost everything. The yards were also overgrown with weeds, leaving no room to step.

He had walked from north to south and had seen such scenes countless times.

Buildings not made of reinforced concrete collapsed too easily, and there wouldn't be much of value inside.

If not for the severe lack of shelter, Lu Xi'an would never have easily set foot in such a place.

Past No. 276, Jiangyu Road led directly into the vast wilderness.

Under the night sky, a few stars could be seen. The outlines of the weeds swayed with the wind, forming patches of messy ink waves.

Within the ink waves, a building stood alone by the roadside. Because it was too far away, only a tiny dot could be vaguely seen.

Lu Xi'an guessed that it was probably a gas station.

He thought of something else and asked, "Are you sure there's gasoline at the gas station? Aren't you afraid it'll be empty?"

"We'll try our luck."

Yao Wei replied.

Okay, this time she used two more words than before.

Lu Xi'an smiled.

Indeed, why shouldn't they try their luck? They had been relying on luck all the way here.

If they couldn't get lucky and find supplies, they would probably be dead.

So, his luck had always been pretty good. This time should be the same.

The two of them, along with a dog, walked in the dark, listening to the howling wind. After about half an hour, they finally reached the building, which turned out to be a gas station.

Yao Wei walked quickly towards it. Lu Xi'an asked, "How did you know there was a gas station here?"

"I have a map, from the old world."

Yao Wei replied.

Lu Xi'an understood when she said that.

Gas stations were built in the old world. If she had a map from the old world that marked these locations, finding this place would be no problem.

However, she didn't seem inclined to show Lu Xi'an the map, and he didn't ask for it.

He just wondered if the map was paper or electronic. Electronic items were not stable in this world. But would a paper map usually mark places like these clearly?

Whether it was paper or electronic, he would have to let Doggy take a good look if he had the chance.

Afterward, they parted ways. With the map in hand, he could determine the direction and know where to go. That was much better than just heading south blindly.

"Doggy, go take a look first."

Lu Xi'an lowered his voice and gave Doggy a new command outside the gas station. The gas station was dark, and there seemed to be no one around, but he still instinctively remained vigilant.

The Mechanical Dog trotted forward on its short legs, swaying as it disappeared into the darkness.

Yao Wei also stopped, looking at Doggy with a hint of envy.

But Lu Xi'an had already figured out Yao Wei's personality and caught the subtle change in her expression with just a glance.

The two of them squatted nearby, waiting for the Mechanical Dog to return from its reconnaissance.

Lu Xi'an sighed and said, "Actually, this Mechanical Dog isn't very suitable for scouting and pathfinding; it's too loud."

Yao Wei said, "Better than nothing."

"That's true."

Lu Xi'an said, "If only it had four wheels."

Yao Wei: "Mm."

After a while, two lights lit up at the gas station. Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei both recognized them as the Mechanical Dog's two eyes.

"Let's go, it's safe, no problem."

Lu Xi'an said as he stood up.

He and Yao Wei walked into the gas station together.

Yao Wei didn't head straight for the gas pump. Instead, she circled the station building, found the electrical box, and flipped it open to look inside.

Lu Xi'an had Doggy help by shining its dog eyes for light. Yao Wei glanced back and said, "Thanks."

Lu Xi'an smiled without speaking.

He carefully observed Yao Wei's actions, but unfortunately, he couldn't understand them.

After Yao Wei fiddled around for a bit, she seemed to have found a circuit. She then put down her backpack, took something out of it, and connected it. The lights at the gas pump turned on.

"Amazing!"

Lu Xi'an exclaimed.

Yao Wei said, "I found it." She was referring to the item she took out of her backpack.

"That's still amazing."

Lu Xi'an said.

His Doggy was also something he found.

With the power connected, Yao Wei quickly went to check under the gas pump. Lu Xi'an followed her. There were four gas pumps; two screens were lit, and two were not.

Yao Wei walked directly to one of the gas pumps with a lit screen and started fiddling again.

Lu Xi'an stopped paying attention to her and took Doggy into the gas station's main building.

The door to the building was glass and had long been smashed, so it was wide open. It was likely that it had been visited countless times already.

But since they were here, they couldn't just not look. Lu Xi'an followed the Mechanical Dog inside.

The building was also a small convenience store. There were two or three rows of shelves, all empty, having been thoroughly looted long ago. Useless items were scattered on the floor, covered in a layer of dust.

Lu Xi'an pushed aside cobwebs and looked around one by one. Then he went to the cashier's counter and the office in the back. The desks, cabinets, and drawers were all open, empty, and covered in dust.

As expected...

He completely gave up and walked out of the back room. His gaze unintentionally swept across the floor, and he suddenly saw several torn-open packages lying in pieces on the ground. They were toy motorcycles.

The motorcycles were either broken from being stepped on or dropped. Perhaps because they were useless in the Apocalypse, the scavengers had deliberately destroyed them out of frustration.

But that didn't matter.

What Lu Xi'an was looking at were the quiet, still-lying motorcycle wheels on the ground.