Apocalypse: Last Traveler

Later, Lu Xi'an searched for a few more songs, but either they didn't involve the apocalypse theme, or they were like the previous ones, focusing on emotional expression without providing much valuable description of the old world.

Lu Xi'an gave up on exploring the past through songs and just listened to the music honestly.

Oh well, he hadn't planned to explore the past through songs from the start; it was just a whim brought on by hearing a song called "Countdown Stars".

He lay back leisurely, listening to the music quietly with Yao Wei.

The playlist did include some post-apocalyptic songs, but there weren't too many.

It seems that even in that era, these songs didn't become mainstream.

As a rock song ended, a few slow ballads followed. Lu Xi'an's consciousness gradually blurred, and he unknowingly fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was already dark outside.

"You're awake."

Yao Wei's voice made him feel like he had returned from another world. If he wasn't sure he was still in the car, he might even have thought her next words would be about a world-changing event.

"Yeah, I accidentally fell asleep."

Lu Xi'an sat up, rubbed his eyes, and said.

The computer was still playing music. This song was a bit cliché, about love triangles, but the melody was catchy and appealing, reminiscent of popular songs on short video platforms.

"Do you want to eat now? You rarely sleep so well, so I didn't want to wake you by opening the door to get the meat strips."

Yao Wei said. She now prioritized consuming the meat strips, considering their uncertain preservation time, needing to deal with the perishable items first.

Lu Xi'an touched his forehead and the back of his neck, making sure he hadn't sweated while sleeping before saying, "Go ahead. It's probably because you're here that I subconsciously feel safe.

"If I were alone, I'd never be able to sleep this deeply."

Yao Wei replied, "No, I just noticed you were sleeping and didn't make any noise. You're so skilled, you'd wake up immediately if there was any disturbance."

Lu Xi'an vaguely sensed a change in Yao Wei's voice at that moment.

It seemed to become... a bit cheerful?

Was it because of listening to music or because he praised her for providing a sense of safety?

"Click—"

The passenger seat door opened, and cold wind rushed in. Yao Wei leaned out to retrieve the meat strips hanging on the wire outside.

The night wind was even colder than during the day. Lu Xi'an couldn't help but shiver and also opened the driver's seat door to get some food.

Carefully plucking the meat strips from the wire, they quickly closed the car doors after retrieving them.

Lu Xi'an exhaled gently, seeing the white mist puff out under the starlight.

"Let's warm it under the air vent before eating, don't rush."

Lu Xi'an said, putting the meat strips he got back under the air vent.

Yao Wei had no objections and also placed her meat strips there.

After placing the meat strips, Lu Xi'an withdrew his gaze from the air vent, sighed, and said, "We're really lucky to have the air conditioning. Otherwise, it'd be uncomfortable to sleep in this weather."

Yao Wei replied, "Yeah, it's cold all over. Even wrapped in clothes, it's uncomfortable."

Lu Xi'an reminisced, "Especially these two feet, wearing shoes feels like wearing ice."

Yao Wei nodded with deep understanding, "Yeah..."

But now, with the air conditioning, they didn't need to wear shoes and stayed warm in the car.

This apocalypse-special air conditioning is really useful!

Lu Xi'an suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you think... how did those ordinary people get through such freezing conditions?

"In the past, in such weather, they would probably have frozen to death by now, right?"

Yao Wei wondered, "Would they freeze to death?"

Lu Xi'an replied, "Yeah, why wouldn't they?"

Yao Wei thought and said, "Maybe... some would freeze to death, but I haven't met many people, so I haven't seen any.

"But if they were prepared, they should survive, right? Just like those fish frozen in ice, they live when the ice melts, don't they?

"And those hyenas, pigs we encountered..."

She pointed to the meat strips under the air vent and said, "And this dog."

Lu Xi'an: "..."

Pointing at the dog meat strip and calling it "this dog", why does it feel a bit abstract?

But listening to Yao Wei's words, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

It sort of makes sense!

Let's not talk about the hyenas encountered at the villa in Yubei City, Jiang Yu.

Those hyenas were clearly not like ordinary animals, their bite force was terrifying, and even Yao Wei, a Neo-Human, had to cooperate with him.

Those hyenas might indeed be a new dog species.

Looking back, it was really thanks to Yao Wei's accurate shooting.

If they were a new dog species, their vitality would probably be much more resilient than typical animals.

If Yao Wei couldn't take them down with a single shot, those hyenas might have charged up the stairs?

But then...

If hyenas are a new dog breed, what about the wild boars, fish they encountered later, and the dog under the air vent?

The wild boar was easily shot dead by Yao Wei, but it was a sneak attack, so let's not count that. The fish doesn't really provide much reference either.

But this dog, killed by ordinary people in Tongzhou County who didn't even have guns, could it really be a new dog breed?

"You're right..."

Lu Xi'an's thoughts gradually clarified, saying, "If what you said is correct, then people now, even ordinary ones, are no longer the same as the people before the apocalypse.

"Whether it's animals, plants, or humans, surviving in such terrifying cold has gone beyond imagination.

"They might not be Neo-Humans like us, but they're still Neo-Humans in a way.

"It's just that we and them, Neo-Humans and Neo-Humans, are defined differently."

"Mm."

Yao Wei wasn't confused by Lu Xi'an's reasoning and understood him. She nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the meat strips.

This issue, for her, clearly wasn't as important as the meat strips under the air vent.

After warming the meat strips under the air vent for a while, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei picked them up and had their dinner.

The music was still playing, still indulging in worldly pleasures unrelated to the apocalypse. Yao Wei couldn't quite comprehend why matters of love, heartbreak, and the desire to live or die were so important.

But aside from all those messy lyrics, Yao Wei found the voice rather pleasant.

So she lay down, covered herself with a blanket, enjoying the melody flowing into her ears.

"Why aren't you lying down?"

Yao Wei asked.

Lu Xi'an said, "You sleep; I just woke up. It's a good time to keep watch for a while."

Yao Wei said, "There's no need to keep watch. If anything happens, I can wake up."

Lu Xi'an smiled and said, "That's not the point. The point is I just had a nap, so I'm not sleepy now. You go ahead and sleep; I'll sleep later when I get sleepy."

"Mm."

Yao Wei nodded and closed her eyes.

Lu Xi'an quietly observed Yao Wei. After confirming her breathing had become steady and she had fallen asleep, he reached into his backpack and took out a comic book to read.