The moment the idea of a "reborn person" surfaced in Xu An's mind, she couldn't help but shiver.
If the nation already knew about the apocalypse but still proceeded with the [Lighthouse Plan] and made thorough preparations, then what were those people in charge plotting?
Xu An felt as though she had glimpsed a giant web of conspiracy enshrouding the entire Huaxia. Even though she knew it seemed to be a conspiracy, she was powerless. She was merely an insignificant grain of sand in this conspiracy, and Xu An subconsciously dared not think about it any further.
Besides her spatial ability and memories from her past life, Xu An felt she had no other support. Yet, these secrets, which should have been out of reach for ordinary people, seemed to have gathered around her. This was the original intention behind her wanting to distance herself from Qin Chuan.
Xu An fell into her own thoughts, unable to extricate herself for a long time, until a voice called out to her.
"Xu An... Xu An... are you listening to me?"
Hawoer looked at the distracted Xu An and called out to her.
"Ah... what is it?" Xu An replied.
"I said, I'm going to lead this Officer Qin Chuan to Hellfire. You and Ana should return to Sand City first."
As soon as Hawoer finished speaking, he was met with fierce opposition from Ana.
"No! I'm going with you!"
"..."
Xu An really had no interest in listening to the argument between Hawoer and Ana. A scrutinizing gaze was fixed upon her from above. She knew it was Qin Chuan's gaze, and she didn't know what madness Qin Chuan was up to now.
"No need. I'm also very interested in Hellfire. I want to go with you. After this, I'm going to look for my mother."
With that said, Hawoer found it difficult to refuse. After all, his words rarely held any authority, so everyone was accustomed to refuting him.
After some discussion, the original team of five became a team of seven. At Zhou Zhe's suggestion, the five of them squeezed into Qin Chuan's car. Fortunately, Qin Chuan's car had ample space in the back, and with Ana and Xu An being slender, the five of them managed to fit in by shifting around. Among them, Zhou Zhe drove, and the burliest, A Wu, sat in the passenger seat.
What Xu An hadn't expected was that Qin Chuan would squeeze into the back seat with them. She had thought Qin Chuan would take the passenger seat.
Facing Xu An's questioning gaze, Qin Chuan seemed to explain, "I'm quite thin. If I sit in the back, everyone can fit."
While these words seemed plausible, if Xu An didn't know how cold-blooded and ruthless Qin Chuan was, she might have almost believed him. If someone couldn't fit, Qin Chuan would likely have said coldly, "Get out and walk." How could he be so kind? Offering favors without reason means either treachery or theft!
Zhou Zhe's driving skills were not very good, and the ride was bumpy. Xu An felt her back of the head hitting the backrest constantly, but someone seemed to be using their chest to block her, preventing her from hitting her head. Xu An was quite grateful to that person. The carriage was silent, everyone lost in their own thoughts.
"Miss Xu An, you don't seem to be from Sand City?" Qin Chuan's voice echoed in the cramped carriage.
Xu An almost rolled her eyes to the heavens. Was Qin Chuan doing this on purpose! Why was he pretending here? If he had nothing to say, he could just stay silent! Were they that close?
"Yes, Xu An suddenly appeared in this desert a few days ago." A voice answered Qin Chuan's question.
"Speaking of which, Officer Qin Chuan and Xu An are quite similar, both appearing in this desert silently and suddenly."
"However, Xu An said she came from a neighboring city to escape the floods. I wonder where Officer Qin Chuan came from?" Old Six not only answered Qin Chuan's question but also started chatting sentence after sentence. But these words, though casually spoken by the speaker, were taken to heart by the listener.
Xu An heard the underlying meaning in Old Six's words. She secretly wondered if this Old Six had noticed something. Before Xu An could speak, Qin Chuan replied in a cold tone, "Comrade, you seem very interested in where we came from?"
"No, no, I know your team carries out secret missions, it's just... doesn't everyone think all of this is too coincidental?" Old Six deliberately lowered the emphasis on the word "coincidental."
"Speaking of which, Xu An, you and Officer Qin Chuan do have quite a coincidence." Hawoer, not understanding the situation, chimed in with a jest.
Xu An: "It is quite coincidental."
But Xu An and Qin Chuan did not think that Old Six had brought this up unintentionally. Both of them showed a hint of wariness towards this man in their eyes.
Seeing Qin Chuan and Xu An's expressions change in unison, Old Six knew he couldn't push too hard. "Haha, speaking of which, Officer Qin Chuan, what are you going to Hellfire for?"
Qin Chuan's tone became colder, "Confidential information, I cannot disclose it."
Old Six, having been rebuffed, found himself in an awkward situation. After this exchange, the atmosphere in the carriage instantly dropped to freezing point. No one had any interest in continuing the conversation.
An hour later.
Just as Xu An's legs were about to go numb from squatting, the vehicle finally reached its destination.
"Here! Stop the car here!"
At Hawoer's shout, Zhou Zhe stopped the car promptly.
"Here? But there's nothing here?" As Zhou Zhe questioned, everyone got out of the car.
"If you don't understand, don't talk," Ana retorted to Zhou Zhe from the side, then trotted quickly behind Hawoer, following him closely.
"Don't rush. Hellfire is indeed not here, but vehicles can't go further. We have to walk."
"It's very hot inside. The clothes we are wearing are specially made of fur, which are not easily flammable. If you're afraid your clothes will catch fire, you can go to the rocks over there and rub some stone powder on your clothes. This will provide protection."
Following Hawoer's instructions, only Xu An and Zhou Zhe walked towards the rock. Some distance away from the group, Zhou Zhe, who had been holding back all the way, finally dared to speak to Xu An.
"Why are you with these people?"
"Coincidence. And you? What mission are you on?"
"Also coincidence, purely coincidence... Hehehe..." Zhou Zhe scratched his head awkwardly. He couldn't possibly say they were here to catch experimental subjects, could he?
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu An glanced back at Qin Chuan. "Does your captain not need the stone powder?"
"He does. I'll bring it back for him later."
Xu An: "..."