Xu An, after exiting her space, had been tailing Zhang Bo's vehicle at a not-too-close but not-too-far distance.
By a twist of fate, Xu An missed Yu Qin. It seemed Yu Qin's vitality was unexpectedly tenacious; even in her current state, she wasn't quite dead.
She drove an off-road vehicle retrieved from her space. It was a new car, but after just half a morning, it was covered in dust, its new car appearance completely obscured.
"It's more comfortable being alone," Xu An murmured, sipping the hot milk tea in her hand as she drove.
"Then why are you still traveling with that group of humans?" Ze Yuan asked, a hint of confusion in its voice.
Ever since Xu An decided to head for the lighthouse, this question had been lingering in its mind.
"With your strength and wealth, why don't you build a base for just you and your mother to live in?"
Xu An pondered for a moment, her answer seeming to veer off-topic.
"The Fog Period is almost over, isn't it?"
"Yes, if there are no deviations, the Extreme Cold Period will follow the Fog Period," Ze Yuan replied, though it didn't quite understand the shift in conversation.
"Then, with the earthquakes and tsunamis, where could a base be built without perishing? In my previous life, by the later stages, all bases except the large ones constructed with massive amounts of manpower and resources were annihilated."
Xu An looked at Ze Yuan with a patronizing expression, as if it were an idiot. "I already know the standard answer to this problem, so why would I take a detour?"
"Besides, humans go mad when they're alone. Humans are inherently social creatures. Even if I don't socialize, I'm still in an environment with others, which is healthier for my mind and body. Watching others scheme and plot is just too entertaining."
Ze Yuan: It found Xu An's reasoning surprisingly sound, almost impossible to refute.
By noon, Xu An had a makeshift meal in her car, a casual serving of fast food, which she enjoyed contentedly.
She noticed her eyesight was no longer affected by the fog; she could clearly see a crooked tree five hundred meters away.
It was also at noon that day, while using binoculars, she saw Zhang Bo's convoy suddenly stop by the roadside. Then, several people got out, carrying what appeared to be a person, and placed them into the trunk.
While Xu An lived a life of relative ease, the group ahead of her was not faring as well.
It is easy to get used to luxury, but hard to return to simplicity.
Without Xu An to improve their meals, Lin Zhuoran and Zhou Haimei found their food tasteless.
Following the zombie night raid from the previous day, they dared not delay any further. Zhang Bo's two scout team members couldn't drive.
There was only one driver originally. Fortunately, Lin Zhuoran's group had another driver, allowing them to alternate.
They had to eat their meals in the car. The compressed biscuits that Zhou Haimei had brought from the lighthouse now proved useful.
Lin Zhuoran, however, reminded her softly.
"Remember to hide the packaging."
It had to be said that Lin Zhuoran's vigilance in this regard was almost a conditioned reflex.
It was easy to imagine that Zhou Haimei's compressed biscuits were either brought from the evacuation before the apocalypse or produced by the lighthouse itself later.
But a year had passed, and being seen now might inevitably arouse suspicion from others.
Following Lin Zhuoran's reminder, Zhou Haimei first tore open the packaging and put it into her backpack before taking out the biscuits to eat.
"Do you want some?"
"You eat yours, I have some."
The two exchanged a few awkward words before falling back into their silent state.
The rest of the journey proceeded without further incident, but Yu Qin never regained consciousness until they reached their destination.
Wang Zhao had been on edge the entire way, looking for an opportunity to get rid of Yu Qin.
However, Lin Zhuoran was watching him too closely; even when attending to their physiological needs, they took turns, never leaving Yu Qin alone.
Wang Zhao had no choice but to give up.
Finally, on the evening of the third day, they arrived at the territory of the "Human-Beating Willow."
The area was shrouded in thick fog, and Lin Zhuoran's group could not discern their direction. It was only with Zhang Bo's detection equipment that they managed to pinpoint the exact location of the mutated willow tree.
Zhang Bo said, "We'll rest here tonight and enter the mountain tomorrow morning. It's nighttime now, and other mutated animals will appear on the mountain. Let's be cautious."
The others had no objections, as no one wished to lose their life in vain.
Seeing everyone get out of their vehicles, Zhang Bo walked over to Lin Zhuoran. For some reason, he felt that the atmosphere of Lin Zhuoran's team was a bit off. He attributed it to the loss of her friend.
"Captain Lin, please accept my condolences. Although your friend has passed away, you still have other teammates. I am very sorry about Xiao Qin's current condition, but you must look forward."
After speaking, he cast a meaningful glance in Wang Zhao's direction.
Zhang Bo had sought out Lin Zhuoran's team because they were quite well-known in the bunker, reputed for their integrity and reasonable prices.
But now, with Yu Qin's comatose state, the captain Lin Zhuoran clearly had developed a rift with the remaining three team members.
It was evident to anyone with keen observation.
"Doctor, please rest assured, it will not affect your operation," Lin Zhuoran assured Zhang Bo.
The unsolicited comfort made Lin Zhuoran feel a bit embarrassed, but she currently had no evidence to support her suspicions.
Zhang Bo's stance was also somewhat unclear. Lin Zhuoran decided not to involve him in this matter until she could fully trust him.
After getting out of the car, Lin Zhuoran also brought Yu Qin out. Yu Qin was still unconscious.
However, she was still breathing, and as long as Yu Qin was present, it could deter Wang Zhao from having any other ideas, any wicked thoughts.
"But, Doctor, when do we go in? Have you thought of a solution? Although the Human-Beating Willow's attacks are slow, their range is wide, and their power is such that after three to four strikes at most, one's life would be in danger."
"You don't need to worry about that. We'll go in first thing tomorrow morning. I've brought an instrument that emits a sonic wave, which will inhibit the Human-Beating Willow's movements. At that time, as long as we can reach the base of the Human-Beating Willow within the control period, it won't be able to attack us."
As he spoke, Zhang Bo turned to his two students and instructed them to begin calibrating the equipment.
Lin Zhuoran was rather curious about what Zhang Bo intended to do at the base of the Human-Beating Willow, but when she had inquired earlier, Zhang Bo had merely smiled without answering.
...
Seeing that the group ahead had stopped and were resting again, Xu An guessed they might be waiting to depart tomorrow, which presented her with a good opportunity.
Xu An got out of her car, recalled the vehicle back into her space, and took a detour to ascend the mountain ahead of them.