Bai Hanlin did not collect the corpse of the elder Bai Hanlin. Instead, he dug a pit beside it and placed his body inside, burying it to form a simple grave mound.
"If Xu Lu from my own world knew that I had died, she would definitely wish to see me one more time..."
Bai Hanlin thought silently.
After finishing these tasks, he opened the diary. He randomly flipped open a page, which read:
Apocalypse Day Fifteen, Sunny.
We finally escaped from those ill-intentioned fellows.
All of this is thanks to Dad's foresight in preparing a spare scalpel, as well as the mutual infighting between two groups of scoundrels, which gave us the chance to escape in the chaos.
Xu Lu vowed never to randomly show kindness and save people again. This time, it was because she wanted to help a couple whose car had broken down, which led to us being ambushed.
However, I know Xu Lu only made this vow to prevent our parents from worrying. I understand her; the healer's compassionate heart is exceptionally evident in her.
If she encounters someone who needs help again, she will likely offer her assistance.
I won't change her because this is precisely how I like her.
All I can do is improve my ability to discern people and make meticulous plans to ensure we are not ambushed again.
...
Apocalypse Day Twenty-Two, Sunny.
We found a very good foothold, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
And the number of survivors we've rescued is also increasing.
We established a camp, and we named it Greenwood.
The name is a homophone for Xu Lu's "Lu" and the "Lin" in my name. Greenwood also signifies a group of outlaws.
I hope the many of us can withstand the first wave of suppression after the apocalypse is lifted in thirty days!
However, I feel something is off about the few newcomers to the camp.
But every time I see them, they greet me with smiles, work diligently without complaint, and give me no reason to find fault.
Yet, I still feel there's something wrong with them!
...
Apocalypse Day Twenty-Eight, Sunny.
A few days ago, I pretended that my ring space was insufficient and stored a small portion of water and expired food in a warehouse, letting everyone in the camp know about it.
As expected, those new camp members pried open the warehouse, took the supplies, and I caught them red-handed as they were leaving.
Thieves are unbearable in any camp, so we decided to expel them.
It felt quite satisfying to conduct a sting operation for the first time.
...
Apocalypse Day Thirty-One, Foggy.
Those thieves were forced back to the camp entrance by a swarm of insects.
Actually, I didn't want to take them in because they had deceived me.
But Xu Lu took pity on them and decided to give them a chance to reform.
I agreed.
...
Apocalypse Day Thirty-Seven, Heavy Rain.
We encountered the first energy storm of the apocalypse.
We also encountered several individuals wearing yellow rings on their hands. These guys are too strong.
A few of them killed over a dozen of our strong fighters and seized our camp.
If it weren't for this downpour, we might not have had a chance to survive; we would have all died.
Initially, I thought those thieving scoundrels would flee at the first opportunity.
But to my surprise, they voluntarily offered to stay behind and cover our retreat, buying precious time for Xu Lu and me to escape with their lives.
I'm starting to not understand human nature.
They were selfish, greedy thieves, but in the end, they were willing to sacrifice themselves to save us... So, are they good people or bad people?
Perhaps I should change my suspicious nature.
Perhaps Xu Lu's kindness isn't always a bad thing; perhaps she has truly changed some people.
...
Apocalypse Day... I've forgotten the exact day...
These days, without day or night, we've been on the run, and camp after camp has been destroyed.
The monsters in the apocalypse have become increasingly formidable.
Especially those colossal behemoths that resemble mountains; my scalpel can't even scratch their hides.
...
The regional channel is soliciting strong individuals to join a coalition to attack the Supreme Being and those with yellow rings on their hands.
I want to go. Mom and Dad died at the hands of those wearing yellow rings. I want revenge!
But Xu Lu stopped me. She said the reason she dared to save people, dared to be willful, and still believed in the bright side of human nature after experiencing betrayal was because I was there.
Because I could tolerate everything about her, and as long as I was there, there was a home, and the two of them were complete.
If I died, she would join the coalition, following in my footsteps.
I can die, but how can I bear to let her die?
And frankly, the instigators of this war were two individuals wearing yellow rings. I don't trust these people.
What if it's a trap?
Furthermore, killing any number of people with yellow rings is useless. I must find the real culprit to achieve revenge.
So... I chose to give up, to protect the happiness in front of me.
But I haven't forgotten my hatred. To prevent my memory from fading, I printed out the appearance of the enemy with an external printer.
Two photos are attached below this diary entry.
Both individuals are wearing masks, revealing only their eyebrows and eyes, making it impossible to distinguish their appearances.
Bai Hanlin paid attention and noticed that the person on the left had a faint scar on their wrist, like a mark from an insect bite.
The person on the right had a problem with their stance; it seemed their thigh tendons were injured, causing a significant difference in the weight-bearing points of their legs.
He tore off the photos of these two individuals and stored them in his ring. Facing the grave, he murmured:
"Your revenge, I will avenge it for you..."
The rest of the diary entries were about daily trivialities.
The elder Bai Hanlin and Xu Lu finally found an area far from high-level monsters.
It turned out that the ecological system of the apocalypse also had distribution patterns; high-level monsters were not evenly distributed across every corner of the world.
They had their own habitats.
As long as they were not provoked, they would generally not travel long distances to attack humans.
Thus, safe zones without high-level monsters were formed.
Many people established camps in these safe zones, thus managing to survive precariously in the terrifying apocalypse.
Of course... the so-called safety was also divided based on the strength of the survivors; the stronger they were, the more safe zones they perceived.
For the weak, there were no safe zones at all.
"Next, I need to find your Xu Lu. I hope your spirit will bless me in finding her!"
Bai Hanlin bowed towards the simple grave mound, then stood up and looked around.
In this vast world, where could he search?
Moreover, Bai Hanlin had no idea about Xu Lu's usual retreat routes.
If the elder Bai Hanlin couldn't find her, how could he?
He had initially hoped the diary would contain relevant clues, but he found nothing.
He had no choice but to search manually!
Bai Hanlin jumped onto a giant tree and surveyed the surroundings, then jumped onto another giant tree, continuing his search.
After about ten more minutes of this, he suddenly heard the strange cries of lizardmen coming from the roots of the giant trees.
"Found it?"
Bai Hanlin rejoiced.