Apocalypse: Last Traveler

"I don't know."

Yao Wei answered and then thought for a bit before saying, "But it should have nothing to do with the Fish Rider."

Lu Xi'an followed Yao Wei's words and thought for a moment before saying, "You're right, we've encountered models A, B, C, and D of Neo-Humans, none of which can control the weather.

"No matter how outrageous Neo-Human abilities are, they are merely controlling others' emotions through pheromones. If they could change the weather and cause mist to descend, that would be too ridiculous."

"Hmm."

Yao Wei nodded, indicating she meant the same.

Not far after leaving the village, they encountered a river. They filled buckets and pots with water.

Then they took turns watching out for danger while the other bathed and washed their hair.

Yesterday, in the orchard area, they were covered in ash from above, making cleaning inevitable.

With the sun out and spare clothes on hand, it was a good opportunity to wash up, change clothes, and let the wet clothes dry.

Yao Wei went into the water to wash first. When she finished and called Lu Xi'an over, he saw her short hair wet, and not thoroughly dried.

Her hair was a bit longer than when they first met, and now it clung to her cheeks after bathing, giving Yao Wei a subtle hint of allure more than usual.

Lu Xi'an quite liked seeing Yao Wei like this, just as he did back at Tan Village Shelter when Yao Wei would shower; he'd often steal a few glances.

Watching her now, he couldn't help but reminisce about the days at the shelter.

Unexpectedly, Yao Wei too felt nostalgic about the past.

"I kind of miss the shelter in Fengcheng County; bathing there was so much easier than having to get into the river."

Yao Wei remarked to Lu Xi'an.

Lu Xi'an replied, "If we get the chance, we'll find another shelter somewhere and do the same. Surely, there must be other shelters out there."

"Hmm."

Yao Wei nodded, then left the riverbank to help Lu Xi'an keep watch, incidentally finding a place to hang up her washed clothes to dry in the sun.

Though called watchkeeping, it was more like avoiding each other. Lu Xi'an had been very mindful before, adhering to principles, never peeking out of mere admiration.

Now Yao Wei was the same.

Lu Xi'an went into the water to wash himself, focusing mostly on his hair, as too much ash had accumulated.

After washing, he used his undergarment to dry his body and hair.

Neither he nor Yao Wei sweated much, so the undergarment was relatively clean, suitable for drying off.

Then Lu Xi'an changed clothes, washed what he took off, and called Yao Wei back.

Yao Wei helped Lu Xi'an hang up the clothes. Turning around, she saw Lu Xi'an shaving the beard that had long sprouted.

She attentively watched, finding Lu Xi'an shaving quite interesting and pleasant.

The stiff, black stubble was slowly shaved off, leaving his face clean again, which Yao Wei found inexplicably enjoyable.

Lu Xi'an had shaved a few times before, each time drawing Yao Wei's steady gaze, making him a bit embarrassed initially.

But now, Lu Xi'an was used to it and didn't mind at all.

They stayed there another day, waiting for the clothes to dry before moving on.

Halfway through the journey, they saw another gas station, still named "First Petrochemical."

However, the character "第" had lost its radical and stroke, now looking like "弔一石化," causing Lu Xi'an's mouth to twitch.

Gou powered up, but the gas pumps here were broken, making it impossible to refuel conventionally.

After inspecting, Gou found that the underground storage tank still contained gasoline with minimal risk in opening it, prompting Lu Xi'an to dismantle anti-theft bolts, open the tank, and use handmade pumps to refuel.

— Pity the tank's valve had no lock; whether it was taken away or originally missing was unknown.

In any case, Lu Xi'an found it regrettable losing two hidden weapons.

Upon opening the valve, Yao Wei volunteered to try using the pump.

Therefore, Lu Xi'an assigned the task to Yao Wei while he handled pouring the fuel.

Yao Wei, of course, didn't treat the task as a toy; Lu Xi'an knew well she simply wanted to test a new skill she learned.

And she indeed mastered it, doing the job well, refueling smoothly.

They moved on afterward; nearing Gu County as evening approached.

Lu Xi'an then found a place to park the car, and with Yao Wei, ate some roasted beans with water.

The wok was still left with quite a bit of roasted beans, the water remained warmed from the morning corn boil, staying warm with the lid of the thermos opened.

They ate beans while sharing the thermos, alternating sips until the water was finished, and were fairly full.

As for hot water, they planned to boil corn the next morning, refilling the thermos then.

After the meal, they stood outside, overlooking the county town of Gu County for a while but saw no movement.

Lu Xi'an then retrieved the Resonant Gene Scanner, had Gou power it up, scanned briefly, showing just three dots—Lu Xi'an, Yao Wei, and the Fungus Stone, before putting it away for sleep.

Speaking of which, the Fungus Stone was truly effective; kept on the car, both Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei felt clearer visually and audibly, their spirits much improved.