Apocalypse: Last Traveler

Just like at the entrance of Tan Village, Yao Wei's period lasted only three or four days before it ended.

Thus, after leaving the shelter, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei stayed here for another three days.

During these three days, the two cleaned up the car, trying to make it as neat as possible, so it would be more comfortable to stay in.

The clothes they wore were also washed, and during the third hot day of Yao Wei's period, they hung them on branches to dry properly.

On the day Yao Wei's period ended, the weather suddenly turned cold, with temperatures well below freezing as expected.

Fortunately, they had replenished their water supply at the Xijian River, so they didn't need to struggle to chisel ice for water.

The weather was only cold without snow, so they had to continue their journey.

Before setting off, they went to Xiaogang Village, grabbing a lot of corn to stuff into the car, so they wouldn't need to worry about food for a while.

Even after filling the car, there was still a lot left in Shu's cornfield.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei didn't want to waste it, so they picked the corn, shelled the kernels into the frying pan, which was filled, enough for several meals.

Then they set off, returning to the Xijian River's edge, and drove across the ice, which was a bit slippery.

The plan was originally to go to Riverbed County and then detour back to the original route, when they previously sent Chai Xin.

But now, they skipped Riverbed County, abandoning their original plan, returned to East Mountain County to refill the car with fuel, and continued south.

South lies Ox Head County, which has a mountain called Ox Head Mountain, presumably how the county got its name.

However, between East Mountain County and Ox Head County, there's a stretch of mountain road.

Lu Xi'an drove through the mountains slowly, hoping desperately for no snow, as a heavy snow would make the road perilous.

The journey was mostly uphill, with few level roads, occasional downhill sections, and sharp turns leading to abysses, which would be treacherous if covered in snow.

Fortunately, the weather was favorable, and they spent half a day traveling without encountering any snow.

Only after descending the winding mountain road did the snow finally come down in flurries.

Lu Xi'an found a spot to park the car, and together with Yao Wei, decided to rest here and proceed into Ox Head County once the weather cleared.

After parking the car, Lu Xi'an looked out through the window, seeing towering mountains in the distance, with two peaks, tall and short, seemingly piercing the sky, with snowflakes hanging on them, making them strikingly prominent.

"No wonder this place is called Ox Head Mountain."

Lu Xi'an glanced at Yao Wei's map and said, "This is the highest point in Jianshan City..."

This city located on the Sword Mountain range, with Ox Head County being the highest county in terms of elevation.

This was noted with a small remark on the map.

On the page of Jianshan City in World Map One, there was a little symbol after the words "Ox Head County," with a small circle marking it "1," and at the bottom of the page, a note indicating the elevation of Ox Head County.

Putting aside the map, Lu Xi'an gazed at the towering mountain and its twin peaks, suddenly feeling a throbbing sense of unease.

He leaned forward, looking up at the sky through the front windshield, the snowflakes filling the sky, making it feel oppressively heavy.

The expansive sky behind the white dots was grim and dark, like a "lid" pressing down, stifling.

"Did you feel it?"

Lu Xi'an asked in a subdued voice.

"Yes."

Yao Wei nodded, also looking up at the sky through the windshield.

"Whew..."

After withdrawing his gaze, Lu Xi'an exhaled lightly and said, "This place feels too strange. Once the weather clears, we'll go into the city, search briefly for supplies, and leave."

"Okay."

Yao Wei nodded in agreement.

That night, neither of them ate anything; for them, skipping a single night wouldn't be a problem.

The remaining dry food was very portable, to be consumed at critical times to replenish energy and recover quickly, avoiding unnecessary waste.

Then they went to sleep.

In their dreams that night, the oppressive sky seemed to press down on them, making it difficult to breathe.

When they woke up the next day, the feeling from the dream suddenly dissipated.

Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei if she had felt the same, and Yao Wei nodded.

Then Lu Xi'an remarked, "Seems like this place is indeed not suitable for staying long..."

The car was heated by Gou using the air conditioner, so they wore thin clothes inside, but donned thick clothing when stepping out to take care of personal matters.

Leaving the car, they were greeted by a snow-white landscape, with the trees in the deep valleys adorned with rime, and the distant city blanketed in white.

Lu Xi'an wasn't in the mood to admire the view; after parting with Yao Wei, he went to the edge of the mountain, unzipped his pants, leaving a steaming pit on the thick snow in the distance.

He then used the snow to wash his hands, returned to the car, opened the trunk, and both he and Yao Wei drank a bottle of water from the mineral water bottles, then filled them from the bucket, replenishing the latter with snow.

——The snow outside the car was frozen hard, cold enough to hurt hands.

However, once thrown into the water bucket, it quickly melted.

By noon, the weather suddenly warmed up, temperatures rising quickly; Lu Xi'an felt that today and into tomorrow, the snow would melt away, so he and Yao Wei cooked a meal and patiently waited.

As night fell, that oppressive feeling returned once more.

Amidst the throbbing unease, Lu Xi'an glanced up at the sky through the front windshield, unexpectedly spotting a purple glow cascading down from the vast sky over the distant Ox Head Mountain, streaming into the mountains and beyond.

"Yao Wei, look!"

He suddenly got startled and spoke to Yao Wei.

The scene before them resembled an endless night sky pouring down like a spreading purple waterfall, dazzling and making the night sky exceptionally striking.

Yao Wei was shocked and bewildered, "What is...this?!"

Lu Xi'an asked, "When you first came here, didn't you see scenes like this?"

"No."

Yao Wei shook her head and said.

Lu Xi'an unplugged the air conditioner's power, picked up Gou, placed it on the car's dashboard, and commanded Gou, "Check the light in the sky. Is there any problem? Is it harmful to us?"

Gou's dog eyes shone towards the sky for a good while and blinked brightly once.

It meant it hadn't found any problems.

However, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei were not completely at ease. After all, this spectacle in the sky was unlike anything on the earth, and Lu Xi'an wasn't sure if Gou's observation had problems.

They didn't sleep the entire night, staying alert of their surroundings while watching the sky, being vigilant but simultaneously entranced by the magical and magnificent purple light falls.

Those light falls layered upon layers, initially a large piece, then becoming twisted and interwoven, strand after strand, truly breathtaking.

Nothing happened that night, which suited Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei perfectly.

Lu Xi'an felt that just watching these beautiful sky waterfalls was worth it.

In his past life, Lu Xi'an always wanted to visit a place with auroras, but when he checked online, the traveling cost was too high. He didn't have the money for a blade, so he had to abandon this plan.

Now, in this desolate post-apocalyptic world, he didn't expect that while traveling, he would come across such a marvel.

If it weren't so eerie, making one feel pressured, appreciating this spectacle would've been more delightful.

After dawn, the snow indeed had disappeared.

The two set off again, heading into Ox Head County.

This small county was built on a hillside and was similarly irregular.

Yao Wei stood on the car roof, holding Gou, and launched a drone high into the sky.

Now this had become their standard formation for ensuring safety whenever they reached a new place, having found it effective while in Mengxin City.

Lu Xi'an drove the car, not entering the town but searching for a gas station along the outskirts, then stopped to refuel.

When Yao Wei jumped down from the roof to fuel the car, Lu Xi'an intended to check out the station room for any useful items. But as he reached the station door, he noticed a car parked in the space next to the station.

It was a sedan with a rather high chassis, almost rivaling Yao Wei's SUV. The tires were already flat, and the door was open, the steering wheel inside appearing to have been taken by someone who dismantled it.

These weren't the main issues; most things that could be taken had already been taken, with the center console storage box and passenger glove compartment unknown who opened them. Lu Xi'an, upon checking, found nothing.

The most important thing was that the car had paintwork outside, even though it had become patchy and peeling, it still read clearly with six characters—Ox Head Mountain Observatory.

Seeing these six words, Lu Xi'an's heart skipped a beat, suddenly thinking of last night's spectacle and the pressure that surged in his heart.

"Didn't you check inside the station room?"

After finishing fueling, Yao Wei came over to ask Lu Xi'an.

Lu Xi'an shook his head and said, "No, look at this."

"Ox... Head... Mountain... Observatory?"

Yao Wei also noticed the words on the car.

"Yes."

Lu Xi'an nodded and said, "I'm thinking...could this observatory be related to the purple light falls we saw last night."

"Hmm."

Yao Wei nodded, finding no fault in Lu Xi'an's logic.

"Gou."

Lu Xi'an suddenly inspired, called out.

The mechanical dog connected to the gas station's electrical box was abruptly awakened, disengaged from the box, and "pitter-pattered" over.

"Check this car, any problems?"

So, the mechanical dog circled the vehicle once, then stopped at the car's rear, its eyes glowing towards the back.

Its stature was too low, the light shining on the rear end of the car's chassis.

Both Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei crouched down, leaning to the side to look at the undercarriage, but found nothing.

"Not here?"

Lu Xi'an asked Gou.

Gou's eyes blinked twice, indicating no.

Lu Xi'an pondered for a moment, then went to open the car's trunk.

The trunk remained tightly shut, so he directed Yao Wei to press the edge, while he grabbed the handle of the trunk. With brute force, he pried it open.

The trunk was largely empty. Earlier people could fold down the back seats in the front and grab items from the trunk if they couldn't open it.

Lu Xi'an picked up Gou, letting it illuminate the trunk from above, and the mechanical dog's eyes shone upon the empty center of the trunk.