Draw Away

About five minutes later, Mu Xiao had another backpack on his back. Inside were the Mechanical Inner Armor, Laser Pistol, High-Vibration Electromagnetic Military Saber, and other equipment, along with enough nutrient solution to fill it completely. He made his way back to An Rongru's room. Since the bombs he had planted had not exploded, he used the controller in his hand to deactivate and retrieve them so they could be used again later.

The moment Mu Xiao opened the door, he saw An Rongru with her back to him, busy drying her damp hair. She was still wearing that black-and-white dress.

"Finished washing?" Mu Xiao set down a backpack and took out three pairs of shoes: sneakers, canvas shoes, and hard leather shoes. He also laid several sets of Black Armor defensive suits on the bed. "Pick whichever shoes you want. Wear the pair that feels most comfortable, but you have to put on these defensive suits."

"Mm." An Rongru turned around and replied, "I only washed off the smell of blood, so it was quick. I think I still need time to adjust before I can get used to the bloody days ahead."

After a simple wash, she looked refreshed and radiant, like a jewel shining with magnificent light. Her bright, watery eyes were captivating. Having consumed plenty of nutrient solution and high-calorie food to replenish the nutrition her body had lost, her skin seemed nourished again, regaining its supple softness. Her jet-black hair, still glistening with moisture, draped lightly over her shoulders, setting off her snow-white, elegant face like a blooming flower—so alluring it stirred the soul.

"I'll pick something." An Rongru lowered her head to choose from the clothes on the bed. A few damp strands of hair fell across her cheeks, and she casually tucked them behind her ear with her slender fingers. That unintentional gesture revealed a refined, mature charm that made Mu Xiao's heart stir. He could not help but think she truly was a beauty capable of awakening a man's primal desires. Unfortunately, this was not the time...

An Rongru handled other matters swiftly and decisively. In less than a minute, she had chosen suitable clothes and gone into the bathroom to change.

When she emerged in the defensive suit, it looked rather bulky on her. The clothing itself was thick and oversized, and with her curvy figure and ample chest, she had naturally chosen a larger size. Mu Xiao only glanced at her before he could not help laughing. "So the saying that beauties can wear anything isn't true after all. Not everyone can pull it off."

"This is men's defensive gear, okay?" An Rongru's face reddened in embarrassment. The moment she saw the suit, she knew it would not suit her, but there was no helping it for the sake of safety.

Mu Xiao did not continue teasing her. Women loved beauty no matter when or where, and she was already being quite reasonable about it.

After An Rongru put on the sneakers, Mu Xiao equipped her with a Laser Pistol and a High-Vibration Electromagnetic Military Saber. He also had her carry a bag of food before the two returned to the entrance of the building.

Mu Xiao used his Mental Power to scan the situation outside and found that most of the zombies had already left. The corpses on the ground had been picked clean. The marble steps were covered only in patches of half-congealed black blood. When Mu Xiao opened the door and looked down, he muttered, "Those zombies ate so cleanly. They didn't even leave a single Blood Bead from the loot I didn't have time to collect."

Earlier, a large group of zombies had tried to charge into the Lawyer Building. Mu Xiao had killed more than a dozen of them, but he had not had time to collect their Blood Beads. Naturally, the other zombies had quickly devoured them, bones and flesh alike, turning them into nourishment for their own evolution.

An Rongru followed behind Mu Xiao and stepped through the doorway that had once filled her with fear and unease. Perhaps she had endured a life-and-death ordeal, or perhaps it was because Mu Xiao was beside her, but when she looked upon the hellish street outside, she no longer felt the same terror as before.

After locking the doors of the Lawyer Building, Mu Xiao formed a small area with his Mental Power that concealed their presence. It was only large enough for the two of them. Expanding its range would naturally consume more energy. Every bit of strength had to be conserved in battle outside; only then would they have a better chance of survival in danger.

This was the conclusion Mu Xiao had reached after countless battles.

"I'll go find some transportation first. Keep a closer eye on the surroundings, but no matter what happens, don't make too much noise," Mu Xiao reminded her.

"Mm," An Rongru replied seriously. Mu Xiao walked slowly beneath the shadows of the buildings, his sharp eyes sweeping back and forth across the fallen vehicles in the street. Before long, he found the Little Sheep Maglev Scooter he had ridden here on, but unfortunately, most of its body had been smashed apart by a long hovercar. It was barely any different from a wreck.

"Cars take too long to repair, and they might not even be repairable..." Mu Xiao's gaze moved over the vehicles, eliminating unsuitable options one by one. As long as the vehicle could fully utilize its speed and he could repair it quickly, it would be the ideal means of transportation for now.

Not long after, a bright crimson Thermal Motorcycle Racer entered Mu Xiao's sight. It had smooth lines and a bullet-like shape. At its rear were three small thermal acceleration pipes and two large ones. Its burst speed could exceed a hundred meters per second, completely meeting Mu Xiao's requirements.

However, the motorcycle was located right in the middle of the street. If Mu Xiao and An Rongru walked over, they would certainly attract the attention of the seventy or eighty zombies nearby. If any zombies made probing attacks, they could easily be exposed. Furthermore, while Mu Xiao repaired the motorcycle, fluctuations in his Mental Power were unavoidable, making it unstable and likely to leak their presence.

Mu Xiao's current Mental Power had its limits. He could not steadily conceal their presence while simultaneously repairing a vehicle. This was the restriction of an ability that was still too low-level. There was nothing he could do but use another method to lure away the surrounding zombies.

An Rongru devoted seventy percent of her attention to watching their surroundings and thirty percent to Mu Xiao. Seeing him frown as his gaze settled on the motorcycle in the street, she seemed to understand what he was thinking.

"You want to use that motorcycle?" An Rongru asked softly.

"Mm." Mu Xiao nodded. "It's just a little far away. Going out might attract the zombies' attention, and I'll need some time to repair it."

"Why not choose one of these maglev vehicles nearby? The distance would be more favorable for us..."

An Rongru did not understand that the mechanical components contained the Negative-Ion Virus and could not be started at all. They had to be repaired with Mechanical Ability. Mu Xiao gave her a brief explanation, then said, "As long as we lure those zombies away for a while, I can repair that vehicle's power system. Too bad you don't have Mechanical Ability..."

"Then I'll lure those monsters away." Somehow, An Rongru found the courage. Her beautiful eyes were frightened, yet resolute.

Mu Xiao looked at her in surprise. He suddenly realized that this woman was actually quite useful at critical moments, not as weak and timid as he had imagined. But Mu Xiao soon understood why she had such determination.

"If something happens to me, I hope you can help take care of my daughter." An Rongru forced a calm smile through her sorrow, as though she were leaving behind her final words.

"Are you an idiot? I never asked you to lure monsters away, and that line was ridiculously cliché..." Mu Xiao said flatly.

An Rongru froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Of course I don't want to go die. I finally managed to gather my courage, but after what you said, I started feeling lucky again. If we run into other dangers on the road, I don't know whether that will be good or bad."

"Don't worry. If there really is danger on the road and only one person can survive, you won't get to decide. I'll just leave you behind," Mu Xiao said indifferently.

An Rongru smiled softly. She could vaguely see that although Mu Xiao appeared cold and heartless, he still had principles and limits inside. At the very least, he had added the condition of "if only one person can survive." His blunt honesty, free of schemes and deception, was easier to accept than someone plotting to send others to their deaths.

I don't have the right to live and die alongside you...

An Rongru felt a faint sense of loss and helplessness in her heart.

"If you want to protect your daughter, you shouldn't entrust her to a strange man like me. As a New Human, you already have the right to change your own fate."

Mu Xiao's casual words struck directly at what An Rongru had been thinking, making her feel even more favorably toward him.

"Is that your way of encouraging me?"

Even beneath the shadows of the buildings, her gentle, dignified face could not be concealed. Her bright, glimmering eyes carried a unique radiance.

"I suppose. What I actually wanted to say was that if you had Mechanical Mastery, I could save a few grenade bombs." Mu Xiao had no time to admire the mature charm of the beautiful woman beside him. He swiftly set down one of the backpacks, took out several High-Explosive Grenades, and said, "There aren't many of these high-damage grenade bombs. Every one used is one less remaining. Especially since we're not using them to kill monsters now, but to lure them away. That's a waste on top of a waste."

Mu Xiao muttered like a miser, and An Rongru found it amusing that he had such a human side as well.

Next, An Rongru understood what Mu Xiao meant by "luring monsters."

Mu Xiao opened the metal cap on a grenade and violently pulled out the safety pin. The muscles in his arm bulged, and in the instant his tremendous strength erupted, he threw it with a gust of fierce wind. The High-Explosive Grenade vanished from his hand, and only when an explosion sounded far away did An Rongru realize in astonishment just how far he had thrown it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five or six High-Explosive Grenades created thunderous explosions that seemed to split the clouds and shatter stone. In the silent street, the blasts rang out like thunder in every direction. The moment the explosions subsided, countless shrill howls echoed from afar. Innumerable zombies roared violently, as if calling out to their kind nearby.

Sure enough, groups of four or five zombies on the street surged toward the source of the explosions like beasts unleashed from a cage, shrieking as they answered their distant companions.

"It worked." An Rongru watched in delight as every zombie on the street disappeared. It felt as though a heavy, oppressive stone had been lifted from her heart.

"I just hope we haven't attracted something big." Mu Xiao was not nearly as optimistic. There was considerable risk in doing this. While it could lure away mindless zombies driven only by instinct, if there were Mutant Humans nearby, they might trace the disturbance back here. That would be no small problem.

"At least now we can safely prepare to leave." After hearing Mu Xiao's words, An Rongru could not help becoming tense again despite her earlier relief.

"Mm. Take this bag of grenades. Use them if anything happens." While observing the area for any remaining zombies, Mu Xiao explained how to use the High-Explosive Grenades and Sensor Bombs. An Rongru quickly grasped it as well; grenade bombs were not particularly difficult weapons to master.

At the same time, Mu Xiao activated the Thunderbolt Cannon's energy storage, just in case.

After the small number of zombies hiding inside the buildings had left, Mu Xiao shot forward like an arrow and quickly stopped in the street. He placed both hands on the front of the Thermal Motorcycle Racer. A faint soft glow lit up, and threadlike rays of light seeped into its power system as he began the repairs.

"Is this Mechanical Ability?" An Rongru ran over a few steps behind him. Seeing Mu Xiao's hands glowing and streams of light emerging from them, she could not help feeling amazed.

"Stay alert," Mu Xiao reminded her before devoting himself fully to the repairs and accelerating the removal of the virus from the power system.

An Rongru put away her curiosity. She held a large pile of grenade bombs against her chest and gripped a Laser Pistol in one hand. Dressed in a bulky set of equipment, she looked somewhat comical, especially as such an elegant and mature beauty. The contrast was striking.

Yet her expression was serious as she watched the movements around them, striving to adapt to everything. That determination earned her respect.