An Qian's mother looked at her daughter, then asked, "Where are you two going?"
Qin Shilei explained, "Zhang Xiaoli's home is in Tongquan City, Laishan Province. We're heading west to find her parents."
"I see." He Yaoyao paused, then suddenly asked, "Shilei, are you two a couple?"
Zhang Xiaoli immediately turned to look at Qin Shilei, while An Qian listened intently.
"Heh heh."
Qin Shilei rubbed the back of his head and joked, "I wish I had such a beautiful girlfriend, but alas, I don't."
He then added solemnly, "We are teammates who share life and death."
From the look in Zhang Xiaoli's eyes, Qin Shilei sensed a hint of affection.
However, the image of a certain silhouette deep in his mind still surfaced, making him reluctant to rush into another relationship.
After hearing Qin Shilei's answer, a flicker of light appeared in An Qian's eyes, and a hint of secret joy bloomed in her heart.
Zhang Xiaoli, on the other hand, became dejected. She stood up and forced a smile, "I'll go make something to eat. It'll be our farewell feast."
"Good, make a couple of extra dishes."
Qin Shilei continued, "An Qian, try to stay far away from Tang Haotian's Tianqi Zhi Jia. We killed Tang Haotian's aunt and cousin, and they won't let this go."
"Mm," An Qian replied distractedly.
Qin Shilei wanted to say more, to urge her to take it seriously, but then he thought that An Qian wasn't someone who didn't know the gravity of a situation.
He then changed the subject, "An Qian, can you show me the way? I need to find Zhang Qiang and have him buy me some arrows."
An Qian looked up and asked, "Now?"
Qin Shilei nodded, "Yes, now. We'll be back in time for lunch, and then Xiaoli and I will be leaving."
He then called out to Zhang Xiaoli, who was busy in the kitchen, "Xiaoli, An Qian and I are going to buy some arrows. Please look after Auntie."
"Okay, be careful," Zhang Xiaoli replied, then returned to chopping vegetables.
Qin Shilei took out two pairs of sunglasses and two sun hats, put them on, and then opened the door to leave.
An Qing pointed east, "Just go straight along Dongfeng Road. I'll tell you if you need to turn."
"Okay." Qin Shilei twisted the throttle, and the Lei Long roared out like a white dragon. "Hold on tight."
An Qing, who had been sitting steadily with her hands on the seat, leaned forward slightly upon hearing Qin Shilei's words, her hands hovering in front of her, hesitating whether to embrace him.
'Let me hold onto him tightly,'
An Qing encouraged herself inwardly. Then, she closed her eyes and gently rested her head on his back, her arms wrapping tightly around the man who was about to leave.
Feeling the softness of her back, Qin Shilei's muscles tensed, then slowly relaxed.
He thought for a moment and reduced the speed of the Lei Long.
Breathing in his faint scent of sweat, feeling the gentle breeze, and hearing the beat of his heart, An Qing wished this journey would never end.
She wished she could hold his waist like this forever, letting him carry her on and on, until the end of time.
But why did this damnable wind blur her eyes again?
Would Qin Shilei laugh at her for getting his clothes wet?
Qin Shilei drove aimlessly, and An Qing forgot to give him directions.
Half an hour later.
"Um, are we far from Zhang Qiang's place?"
Qin Shilei couldn't help but ask, "I'm afraid if we keep driving like this, Xiaoli and the others will come looking for us."
"Uh."
An Qing looked up, glanced around, then pointed to the right, "Turn right at the next intersection. It's about ten minutes away."
This time, she didn't dare to rest her head on his back again, but she still kept her arms around Qin Shilei's waist until they saw Zhang Qiang and the others.
Zhang Qiang ran over as soon as he saw Qin Shilei's motorcycle, "Brother Qin, what brings you here?"
Xie Haimei also pointed to several bundles of arrows on the motorcycle, "We were just about to send them over to you."
"Three hundred arrows. You're very thoughtful."
Qin Shilei waved his hand and collected the arrows. He then added, "I also want to buy some supplies. Do you know anyone?"
"Then follow me. I happen to know a black market. We bought the arrows from them."
Zhang Qiang got on his bike first. Qin Shilei put away the Lei Long and sat behind him. An Qing stamped her foot and had no choice but to get on too.
After a series of twists and turns, they arrived at an abandoned factory.
"This is a trading post run by An Yue. As long as you have enough supplies or crystal cores, they can get you anything you want," Zhang Qiang explained as they walked inside.
"Anything? Do you have blood awakening pills, skill books, and such?"
Qin Shilei's eyes lit up as he asked.
"Uh," Zhang Qiang replied awkwardly, "They use those good things themselves. If you have them, they can get you armored vehicles, rocket launchers, and other modern weapons."
He paused and added, "Today, we noticed that the effectiveness of firearms has decreased further. Pistols are almost useless beyond thirty meters. If you have crystal cores, I suggest you don't exchange too much for modern weapons."
Qin Shilei nodded, understanding.
Actually, he was out of crystal cores and only planned to exchange some daily necessities.
Zhang Qiang quickly led Qin Shilei and the others to a short, stout middle-aged man.
"Boss Jin, my brother here wants to buy some things from you. Make sure to give him a good price," Zhang Qiang introduced them briefly.
Boss Jin smiled and said, "No problem. As long as you have what we need, An Yue can get anything."
"Let's start with ten thousand arrows," Qin Shilei decided to replenish his arrow supply all at once, so he wouldn't have to pick them up from corpses all the time.
Xie Haimei's face turned slightly red. She had felt generous giving three hundred arrows as a token of gratitude for saving her life, and now Qin Shilei was asking for ten thousand at once.
Boss Jin was also visibly taken aback. 'Is he buying for his team? He looks like a stranger.'
"Ten thousand is a lot, but as long as you have enough to exchange, I'll get them for you immediately."
Qin Shilei took out several packs of the most expensive cigarettes from his spatial ring and asked, "What's the value of these?"
Boss Jin's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Alright. One hundred packs for ten thousand arrows."
Zhang Qiang expressed his displeasure, "These top-quality cigarettes, only ten arrows per pack. Boss Jin, you're being a bit too greedy."
"Alas, what can I do?"
Boss Jin made up a story, "Tianqi Zhi Jia just transported a large batch of cigarettes back from a small town yesterday, so there's an oversupply."
"Fine, I also need some armor, and various types of bullets..."
Qin Shilei had plenty of cigarettes in his ring, and exchanging them for much-needed supplies was the most cost-effective.
Finally, Qin Shilei completed the transaction by paying five tons of rice, five tons of flour, and five hundred packs of various cigarettes.
They agreed to complete the exchange at a warehouse not far away in one hour.