Eyes Open, Eyes Closed

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei checked the area outside the station together, then sent the Mechanical Dog inside.

Once its eyes lit up, they confirmed that, just as before, the gas station was safe.

They had to scout every new place they came to. To be honest, Lu Xi'an hadn't been as cautious as Yao Wei. He only thoroughly checked a place the first time he set foot in it, then tended to relax afterward.

But he saw nothing wrong with Yao Wei's approach. Safety was no small matter, so he followed her example.

To be honest, he'd learned quite a lot from her.

Afterward, Yao Wei took the device that could power the circuits out of her backpack and headed for the electrical box outside the station.

Lu Xi'an noticed her frown as she looked down at the square device in her hands. She seemed hesitant, and a little reluctant to use it.

"What's wrong?"

He asked.

"It's almost out of power."

Yao Wei said.

Those four words were enough for Lu Xi'an to understand. The thing was probably a Power Bank or something similar, and it was nearly drained. It might only work a few more times.

It might not even have enough charge for one more use.

No wonder Yao Wei was reluctant to use it.

Come to think of it, battery technology in this world was pretty advanced. Just look at the Mechanical Dog, then at the Power Bank in Yao Wei's hands. They didn't make anything this impressive in his previous life.

But Lu Xi'an suspected that the Mechanical Dog's power source wasn't an ordinary battery.

What kind of battery could keep the little dog hopping around for so long, walking, scanning, and lighting up its eyes—and even power a villa?

He suspected it had an Ark Reactor or something similar inside.

He was intensely curious about it. If he weren't worried his skills weren't up to the task and that he might not be able to put the dog back together, he would definitely have taken it apart to see.

"You should put it away and save it for later."

Lu Xi'an said to Yao Wei, then turned to the Mechanical Dog, which had just come trotting out of the station. "Come on, boy."

Yao Wei looked surprised and glanced down at the tiny dog.

The Mechanical Dog's eyes lit up, then shone on the electrical box mounted on the station's outer wall. It was scanning the box's circuitry.

Lu Xi'an instructed, "Just connect the circuit to the fuel pump."

The Mechanical Dog quickly found the right circuit. Square openings appeared on either side of its body, and black cables with connectors shot out, heading straight into the box.

Once they were inside, the light in the dog's eyes dimmed. The black cables lifted its whole body off the ground, leaving it hanging motionless with its back to the wall, just as it had at the villa.

At the villa, though, it had been stuck flat against the wall. The electrical box outside the station jutted outward, so the dog hung from it with its body suspended in the air, swaying back and forth instead of coming to a stop.

"Bzzzt—"

The lights at the fuel pump came on.

Yao Wei glanced back, then stared at the Mechanical Dog, wide-eyed.

"Impressive."

She exclaimed.

This was the third time Lu Xi'an had heard emotion in her voice.

The first time, she'd murmured a repetition of his words, "proctologist." The second time, she'd said "what a shame" because proctologists couldn't eat.

All three times she'd shown emotion, it had been because of the dog.

"Think of it as paying you back in advance for lending me the wrench and screwdriver."

Lu Xi'an said.

But Yao Wei still said, "Thank you."

She still had her thrifty, careful attitude toward conserving energy. She hurried back to the car, worked the fuel pump, opened the tank, and filled it up.

When the tank was completely full, she told Lu Xi'an, "All done."

Lu Xi'an told the dog to come down.

The Mechanical Dog retracted its cables and dropped to the ground with a "thump," then trotted unsteadily over to Lu Xi'an.

Yao Wei had kept her eyes on the dog the whole time. She clearly thought it was adorable.

Only after Lu Xi'an picked up the Mechanical Dog did she say, "Let's go."

They both got in the car and slammed their doors shut. Yao Wei started the engine and continued west.

The moon had passed its zenith; it was probably already past midnight.

But neither Lu Xi'an nor Yao Wei had a watch or anything like one. The car did have a clock, but it had long since stopped keeping accurate time, so neither of them knew exactly what time it was.

After they'd driven a long way from the gas station, a hill appeared ahead. Yao Wei drove into the mountains.

When the woods grew denser, she said, "Let's go."

Lu Xi'an turned to look. Seeing Yao Wei get out of the car too, he followed.

He and Yao Wei scouted the surrounding area together. Once they found a suitable concealed spot that the car could reach, they got back in.

"Actually, we could leave this job to the dog."

Lu Xi'an said after getting into the car.

Yao Wei drove toward the spot they'd chosen and said, "I shouldn't keep asking you to do everything."

Eight words.

"You're very polite."

Lu Xi'an smiled and made an offhand remark, then said no more.

When Yao Wei reached their destination, she stopped, turned off the lights and engine, and asked Lu Xi'an to get out with her. They covered up the tire tracks they'd left on the way there, then returned to the car.

She must have been used to doing this. She handled the tire tracks with practiced efficiency, and Lu Xi'an learned another useful skill.

Back in the car, Yao Wei reclined her seat, took off her leather jacket, and covered herself with it. "Time to sleep."

Lu Xi'an followed her example and reclined the passenger seat.

He closed his eyes, holding the Submachine Gun in his arms. He waited a little, deliberately slowing his breathing as if he were already asleep. Then he listened carefully for a while. When he heard nothing from beside him, he finally relaxed a little.

Only then did Yao Wei open her eyes. Her nerves had been taut the whole time, and beneath her leather jacket, her hand still gripped her gun.

She didn't turn her head. She only glanced to the side out of the corner of her eye, then, seeming reassured, closed her eyes again.

A little while later, Lu Xi'an rolled onto his side and smacked his lips. The Submachine Gun was still in his arms.

He waited a moment, then cracked his eyes open and peeked toward the driver's seat.

Still no movement. Good.

So he closed his eyes again.

After a while, Yao Wei shifted slightly too. She cracked her eyes open and glanced sideways again.

Only after that did her hand, still gripping her gun beneath the leather jacket, relax a little.

By then, they were both sure that whether or not the other person in the car was asleep, at least they didn't mean to kill them.

Only then could they truly sleep in peace.

While they slept, the dog turned into a box and sat quietly by Lu Xi'an's feet.

Of the two people and one dog, it was the one that slept most peacefully.

The night passed. The next morning, as the sky began to lighten and the morning sun crept into the woods, a sudden sound rang out.

The two people in the car woke with a start and looked toward the sound. A wild boar had appeared not far from the car. It wasn't very large, but it wasn't small either.

The wild boars in this apocalypse looked lean, with little meat on them, but this one was still enough for two good meals.

They were lucky today. The weather was warm, the cold wave hadn't arrived, and the sky was clear.

And they'd already had prey show up first thing in the morning. Unlike a hyena, this animal should be edible.

Lu Xi'an immediately raised the Submachine Gun and carefully rolled down the window.

—The windows in Yao Wei's car were hand-cranked.