Apocalypse: Last Traveler

Seeing Chai Xin like this, Lu Xi'an couldn't help but laugh: "That's good enough, at least you've first become a Neo-Human. As for the rest, let's talk about it later. What if, once you become a Neo-Human, your body slowly begins to change?"

Chai Xin was still glum.

The three of them ate a little more, then got back in the car, ready to continue their journey.

Chai Xin didn't return to the car; instead, she went to the roof, saying she felt full of energy and wanted to experience her body by being on top of the car.

The mountain road ahead was treacherous, and Lu Xi'an drove the car around the mountains for quite some distance. Climbing up and descending, after half a day, they finally got through this dangerous road.

An abandoned village appeared ahead. The map indicated it was Nanshan Village in East Mountain County. The three stopped to have a look, but there wasn't much here.

However, Lu Xi'an noticed two already scrapped tractors, completely rusted and entirely useless.

Behind the village lay a large expanse of open land, which likely were fields long ago, now overgrown with weeds.

Walking past the old fields, they came upon a gas station. After refueling, they drove for about half an hour to East Mountain County.

This city, built on the mountainside, was irregular and uneven. The buildings seemed to have toppled over each other due to the mountain's slope, crowded and different from Mengxin City.

The three confirmed that there was still no one in the city, but abandoned vehicles were scattered on the streets, leaving the reason for their presence unknown.

Lu Xi'an felt this place was once inhabited, and at some point, people scoured the area clean, leaving nothing for the three to find.

But for some unknown reason, those people vanished without a trace.

Perhaps, just as Chai Xin's dad said, it was simply unbearable to stay here, and they had to leave.

"But it doesn't feel like there's anything unusual here... I don't feel uncomfortable either..."

While discussing after searching the city, Lu Xi'an couldn't help but frown and said so.

Chai Xin had previously mentioned that her father felt life in Sword Mountain City was harsh, leading to his departure. Yet, Lu Xi'an didn't feel anything particularly difficult here.

"I don't feel it either."

Yao Wei agreed.

Then Chai Xin scratched her head and added, "I don't either..."

Suddenly, Lu Xi'an remembered something and looked up at the sky.

Today was a sunny day, the blazing sun hung high in the sky, blinding everything else.

Lu Xi'an felt carefully, and the inexplicable pressure from the previous night was still absent.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe the timing is off; back then, your dad felt it was difficult to live here, and now, years later, the environment has changed.

"Or maybe... since we're Neo-Humans, we feel differently than ordinary people?"

Yao Wei and Chai Xin could not make a judgment. They felt both of Lu Xi'an's guesses were quite reasonable.

Since they couldn't find anything here, the three had no intention of staying in East Mountain County, deciding to spend the night and then leave.

Before resting, Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei to take out World Map One and glanced at it, then said to Chai Xin: "From here moving east, through Riverbed County, you'll reach the city of Pingchuan.

"If you traverse River Shore County and across Pingchuan City's urban area, you'll reach Shanyin County.

"Chai Xin, I mentioned before, we have a friend with a good place right there, see."

Looking at the map, Chai Xin suddenly felt a bit flustered.

Lu Xi'an said: "We'll make a detour and get you part of the way to Riverbed County. After that, it will be two more days of travel for you to reach Shanyin County.

"Previously, since you hadn't fully evolved into a Neo-Human, we were somewhat worried. Now that you're a Neo-Human and can camouflage and hide, you should make it there safely.

"Once you arrive in Shanyin County, find a man wearing a green coat and sunglasses and tell him we sent you.

"He's easy to recognize as he's also a Neo-Human, with long hair, pretty tall, but not very clean, and he often smiles with his mouth open, with crooked teeth.

"You'll recognize him at a glance."

Then Chai Xin asked an unexpected question to Lu Xi'an: "What's sunglasses?"

"..."

Lu Xi'an then remembered that the people of this world didn't possess the same common knowledge as he did, so he explained, "It's what you wear on your eyes, with two dark lenses covering them."

"Alright, got it."

Chai Xin took note and asked, "How can I make sure I've reached Pingchuan City's Shanyin County?"

This was indeed a bit tricky; Lu Xi'an couldn't think of a good solution for a moment. He asked Yao Wei for a pen and took out his long-cherished diary, turning to a blank page.

After Yao Wei handed him the pen, she saw Lu Xi'an flipping through his notebook filled page after page with writing, becoming curious about what he had written there.

Although uncertain, she sensed for some reason that the words on it were written by Lu Xi'an.

Lu Xi'an focused on drawing a simple hand-drawn map based on World Map One, mainly illustrating regions and roads and labeling place names.

Once complete, he tore off the page and handed it to Chai Xin, saying: "Just follow this."

Chai Xin: "I can't read."

Lu Xi'an: "..."

But he quickly came up with another solution, drawing on the hand-drawn map with a marker. He circled the area representing Riverbed County and then drew arrows along the road all the way to Shanyin County.

After finishing, he showed it to Chai Xin and said: "Now you don't need to read, just follow the arrows.

"You can also make marks as you walk; when you reach a city, draw a circle.

"I've marked all the towns and villages along the way on the map. Each time you reach a place with houses or city buildings, draw a circle, and you'll roughly know where you are."

He handed the pen to Chai Xin as well, having previously found plenty of pens at the Tan Village Shelter, so there was no shortage here, giving one to Chai Xin wasn't a problem.

Chai Xin carefully stored it away and asked, "And what about the item to show Luo Ping?"

Lu Xi'an noted how keenly she remembered what he previously said and was able to mention Sharp Brother Luo Ping's name right away.

She felt her transformation into a Neo-Human had indeed enhanced her memory.

Lu Xi'an then took the paper and pen back from Chai Xin and wrote on the back: This is Chai Xin, introduced as a friend. Left by Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei from Fengcheng County.

After writing, he felt as if he and Yao Wei had somehow become matchmakers, uncertain of what he was introducing Luo Ping to.

Damn it, what am I thinking?!

Chai Xin is still a kid!