Zhou Hai-mei was already sound asleep, emitting soft snores. Xu An, on the other hand, had always been a light sleeper. Despite setting up traps, she couldn't fully relax and fall asleep like Zhou Hai-mei.
Watching Zhou Hai-mei sleep, she couldn't help but shake her head and smile, sighing inwardly at how carefree Zhou Hai-mei was, able to fall asleep in an instant.
She found herself envying this peculiar ability.
Not to mention being on zombie-infested ground, even within the lighthouse, Xu An had tossed and turned every night, unable to find sleep.
Just as she was about to close her eyes again, she heard the roaring sound of a car engine coming from outside the factory.
Xu An had considered the possibility of survivors, but she assumed the lighthouse had been more thorough in their calculations.
She had expected that the lighthouse would have dropped them into an already abandoned city, devoid of any survivors.
Even if there were, she didn't expect the current situation where people could drive around the streets at any time.
However, Xu An had actually misjudged the lighthouse on this point.
When choosing a landing site, they would undoubtedly prioritize it.
But as fate would have it, Lin Zhuo-ran's base was underground. After a cursory scan of the surface revealed no trace of human presence, the lighthouse designated this area as their landing spot.
After all, who would have thought that someone would actually build an underground fortress in the apocalypse?
Xu An remained still, observing the situation. The only window in the room offering a view of the outside was a small one.
She carefully moved towards the window, making as little noise as possible. Xu An was unsure if the people in the car had discovered them and were specifically coming to cause trouble, or if they were merely passing by.
If it was the latter, Xu An's best course of action was to not alert them and wait for the group to leave.
But her hopes were dashed. The increasingly loud roaring sound confirmed that their destination was the water plant where they were located.
Xu An quietly returned to Zhou Hai-mei's side, gently covering her mouth and nose with her hand, and then shook her awake.
Zhou Hai-mei seemed startled and was about to cry out when she realized her mouth was covered. Fearfully, she looked up at the hand blocking her mouth.
She then saw that the hand belonged to Xu An. With a look of bewilderment, she used her eyes to ask Xu An what was happening.
"Someone's here," Xu An mouthed the words to Zhou Hai-mei without making a sound.
They were so close that they could almost smell each other's breath. Zhou Hai-mei froze for a moment, then understood what Xu An meant by "someone."
She instinctively thought Xu An was referring to Qin Chuan and his group catching up from behind. But then she reconsidered.
If it were truly Qin Chuan, Xu An wouldn't be acting so mysteriously or covering her mouth.
This meant that the approaching people were unknown and unfamiliar.
Instantly, Zhou Hai-mei became alert as well. She looked at Xu An, signaling with her eyes, and then glanced towards the window, making a gesture of tilting her head up.
These actions were peculiar, but Xu An understood their meaning.
Zhou Hai-mei was asking if the people had left.
Xu An shook her head, relaxing her half-crouching legs and slumping to the ground.
The best outcome for them now would be if the approaching group were simply passing by. If they saw nothing of interest, they would leave, and they would remain undetected.
However, Xu An's hopes were once again proven wrong.
As they drew nearer, the deafening roar of the car could no longer drown out the dense sound of footsteps following closely behind.
Xu An's senses sharpened, and listening to the footsteps sent a prickle of fear down her spine.
Unable to help herself, Xu An let out a soft curse, "Shit."
"What is it?" Zhou Hai-mei, not blessed with Xu An's keen hearing, silently inquired what had happened.
"Quick, we have to go. They've attracted a massive horde of zombies this way."
Earlier, due to the overwhelming noise of the car, Xu An hadn't noticed any other sounds. But now, as they got closer, Xu An realized that no matter what, she and Zhou Hai-mei couldn't remain unaffected.
Zombies had a far more accurate sense of direction when it came to finding humans than humans did. Even if the group in the car drove away without discovering the two living people here, the zombies following them wouldn't let them off the hook.
The water plant Xu An had chosen was in a secluded area with sparse population. Any stray zombies that wandered by had been dealt with by her.
However, this place was not suitable as a stronghold. Once surrounded by zombies, escape would be extremely difficult.
They couldn't stay here and wait for death.
Thinking of this, Xu An tightened her grip on her bag, inwardly cursing whoever had chosen this particular path among so many, and, moreover, led so many zombies here.
...
"Qinqin, how much fuel is left?"
Lin Zhuo-ran, looking at the endless stream of zombies behind them, felt a surge of irritation and asked the other person in a heavy tone.
"Not much."
"Can we speed up one more time?"
Yu Qin thought for a moment, gritted her teeth, and decided that even if it wasn't ideal, it had to be done. She nodded, "I'll try my best."
Saying this, she made a turn and immediately accelerated forward. But just as they were about to leave the water plant, they heard gunshots coming from within.
Yu Qin's eyes widened, her gaze lighting up. "Zhuo-ran jie, there really are survivors! Shall we..."
Lin Zhuo-ran remained silent.
To be honest, after her experience in the apartment, she had developed a phobia, often showing hesitation when it came to saving people.
As she hesitated, she caught sight of a familiar face with short hair.
Instantly, Lin Zhuo-ran could hardly believe her eyes. Her slender yet rough fingers tightly gripped the steering wheel Yu Qin was holding.
Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Wait a moment."
When the person, accompanied by a woman with fiery red long hair, broke through the zombie encirclement and emerged, Lin Zhuo-ran finally couldn't hold back the tears that had been gathering in her eyes.
"Xu An!"
"Lin Zhuo-ran!"
Xu An turned her head at the sound, her face filled with disbelief. She met Lin Zhuo-ran's gaze squarely.
For a moment, a thousand unsaid words filled the space between them, all condensed into Lin Zhuo-ran's single sentence.
"Get in!"
Without hesitation, Xu An pulled the still bewildered Zhou Hai-mei and, as the car slowed down, clung to the rear door frame, dragging Zhou Hai-mei onto the vehicle.
The vehicle Lin Zhuo-ran and her companions were driving was a personnel carrier, a military jeep. Scattered in the spacious cargo area were the spoils of their day's hunt, their supplies.
Everyone knew this was not the time for catching up. Even though Zhou Hai-mei's mind was filled with questions, she had to suppress them and obediently join Xu An in fighting zombies.