The lights outside suddenly went out. Yao Wei was conserving electricity. After filling the gas can, she hurried over to the electrical box, retrieved the device, and put it back in her backpack.
The Mechanical Dog's lights inside the station suddenly seemed a little glaring. But Lu Xi'an quickly adjusted, then went over and picked up the tires.
There were three toy motorcycles on the ground, all the same size, with six tires in total.
Lu Xi'an picked them up and examined them by the light in the dog's eyes. They were in good condition and seemed well made. They'd do.
At the station entrance, Yao Wei walked in. She saw the toy tires in Lu Xi'an's hands and looked puzzled, but didn't ask.
In the light spreading from the Mechanical Dog's eyes, Lu Xi'an caught Yao Wei's expression and offered an explanation. "I want to see if I can put four tires on the dog. What do you think?"
Yao Wei glanced at the tires in Lu Xi'an's hands, then at the Mechanical Dog, whose eyes were shining on the ground. She nodded. "Sure."
Lu Xi'an sighed. "Too bad we don't have a screwdriver or a wrench. We can't try modifying it, so we'll have to collect the parts for now and deal with it later."
"I have some," Yao Wei said.
Lu Xi'an's eyes lit up. "Then thanks."
"I can use the dog, too." Yao Wei said no more and headed outside with the can.
Lu Xi'an watched Yao Wei's back and smiled faintly. It seemed she'd accepted the fact that they'd be setting out together and really did intend to keep her promise.
Once they left the gas station, Lu Xi'an had the Mechanical Dog turn off the lights in its eyes.
In this post-apocalyptic world, both of them were long used to feeling their way through the dark. As long as they were careful, they wouldn't stumble into a ditch.
On the other hand, walking around with a light on might make them targets for something lurking in the darkness.
Lu Xi'an noticed that Yao Wei hadn't taken much gasoline. The metal can probably held only half a tank.
But he could understand why—
It was easier to carry that way. Besides, even a full can wouldn't amount to much in a car's fuel tank. Better to take a little now, top up the tank, then drive back here to fill it properly.
On the way back, they passed Jiangyu Road 276, 275, and 274, then walked by Villa 272. The villa was quiet inside and out. It seemed the hyenas hadn't returned.
Even so, neither Lu Xi'an nor Yao Wei intended to stop.
Lu Xi'an followed Yao Wei onward as Jiangyu Road turned into a downhill stretch. Halfway down, he spotted numbers 270 and 269.
Numbers 271 and 273 were nowhere to be seen.
At the bottom of the hill, they continued for more than half an hour. Trees lined both sides of the road, thick and lush.
In his previous life, Lu Xi'an would have gladly walked or jogged somewhere like this, breathing in the fresh air. But in this world, a place like this could only make people feel uneasy.
Who knew what might be hiding in there?
Just look at Yao Wei—she'd hidden her car among the trees.
Lu Xi'an followed Yao Wei into the woods. After walking a short distance, they spotted a car at the foot of a small slope.
It had huge tires and an exceptionally high chassis. Its body was entirely clad in sheet metal and looked as if it had been patched up in a lot of places. Even the windows were covered with metal grilles.
Lu Xi'an liked the car at first sight. In this world, a vehicle like this looked a lot safer than a sports car or the like.
But he was puzzled. He glanced at the ground several times behind him. Why were there no tire tracks?
"I cleared them away when I left."
Yao Wei noticed his confusion and answered.
She didn't rush to get in or pour gasoline into the tank. Instead, she first walked around the car and inspected it.
Back in his previous life, this had been a necessary step during the driving test—checking the condition of the car. Now she was still checking the car, but also looking for hidden dangers.
Yao Wei examined it closely, and Lu Xi'an helped her check.
Only after they finished looking around the car did Yao Wei open the door, take off her backpack, and toss it inside.
She opened the fuel tank, then took a metal funnel from the car and used it to pour the gasoline from the metal can.
Once she'd finished, she put away both the can and the funnel, then told Lu Xi'an, "Get in."
The car had a huge interior, with two rows of seats. The can, funnel, and other things were stored in the trunk. It was so spacious that you could step straight into it from the second row of seats.
There was easily enough room in the trunk for several people.
Lu Xi'an opened the rear door and glanced at the trunk. It was packed with all sorts of things. There seemed to be a first-aid kit and a toolbox among them. He wondered where Yao Wei had scavenged them.
"Sit in the front," Yao Wei said firmly.
Lu Xi'an smiled. "I'm putting things away. I wasn't planning to sit in the back."
The woman was afraid he'd attack her from behind.
That was fair enough. If he were in her position, he'd do the same.
In this world, who could completely trust anyone? Letting someone into the car and allowing them to sit in the same row was already a great act of goodwill.
After putting away his backpack and closing the door, Lu Xi'an opened the front passenger door, picked up the Mechanical Dog from the ground, and climbed in.
Yao Wei didn't trust Lu Xi'an, so naturally she didn't trust the Mechanical Dog either.
It might be a Mechanical Dog, but it was still Lu Xi'an's dog.
So Lu Xi'an was considerate enough to pick the dog up and put it on the floor by the front passenger seat.
That was when the dog's small size came in handy. It fit perfectly in the space at the front passenger's feet.
"Where are your screwdriver and wrench?" Lu Xi'an asked.
"In the trunk. Once we've filled up, we'll find somewhere to rest, and I'll give them to you then," Yao Wei replied.
That was a long sentence from her—nearly twenty words.
Lu Xi'an suddenly regretted that he'd used up the water for his pen while writing in his diary. Otherwise, he could have kept track of how many words the woman said each day.
Yao Wei started the car. Its lights came on, and she drove out onto the road.
Lu Xi'an leaned back in his seat. The backrest was hard and uncomfortable.
He watched the dim yellow halogen beams blend with the darkness ahead, stretching his field of vision open.
Then he looked at the pitch-black interior. Faint light glimmered from the seams around the dashboard and the buttons on the center console. For a moment, he felt dazed, as if he'd returned to the past.
How long had it been since he'd ridden in a car?
He really missed this!
Lu Xi'an turned to glance at Yao Wei. She drove with tense focus, still wary of him.
He smiled. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything. You're the one in control of the car. If I tried anything, you could flip it over. What good would that do me?"
Yao Wei fell silent for a moment, then said, "Okay." Sure enough, she relaxed a little.
They drove past Jiangyu Road and saw Villa 272 again, but this time it was just an unimportant roadside sight, flashing by in their field of vision.
They reached the abandoned gas station. Yao Wei drove straight to the pump they'd confirmed was still working and parked beside it, but left the engine running.
She watched from inside for a while. When no one came out, she opened the door and got out with her gun.
Lu Xi'an did the same, taking his gun and following her out.
But his pistol was tucked into his waistband. The weapon in his hand was a Submachine Gun.
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