Apocalypse: Last Traveler

The sound, it seemed like someone was walking in the heavy snow.

But in such cold, with the snow already so thick, who would brave the wind and snow to come here?

Lu Xi'an instantly thought of the girl who had scared away the wolves using wolf howls and a bow.

Listening carefully, the footsteps seemed somewhat sluggish, as if struggling in the thick snow, making the steps difficult, not like a Neo-Human.

—Of course, as Luo Ping mentioned, there are differences even among Neo-Humans.

Like Yao Wei and myself, we possess great strength, and even walking through heavy snow, we can rely on our brute strength to push forward without affecting our speed.

But for Type B Neo-Humans like Luo Ping, that's not necessarily the case.

So to be precise, the person outside doesn't seem to be a Neo-Human like Yao Wei and me.

The "crunch, crunch" of footsteps in the snow gradually approached.

The heavy snow obscured the view, so Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei could only determine the direction by sound, seeing nothing with their eyes.

The two exchanged a glance, communicating their thoughts without words and reached a decision.

Almost simultaneously, they opened the car doors, stepping onto the car's exterior running boards.

Yao Wei grabbed her handgun, aiming at the source of the footsteps the moment she stood.

Meanwhile, Lu Xi'an picked up his submachine gun. Unable to aim precisely, all he could do was sweep in suppression fire at the critical moment to cover Yao Wei.

Then, the two saw a figure in the distance within the snow.

—Their hearing was excellent, so they detected the person before she could get too close.

And indeed, as Lu Xi'an expected, the person was the girl from across the river earlier.

The girl was not tall, and at this point, her legs were, at times, completely submerged in the snow.

Her whole body seemed like a snowman; her head covered in white snow, eyebrows turned to white lines, and eyelashes adorned with crystalline snowflakes.

Yet, unlike her head, her body, still in motion, had not accumulated snow.

Behind her, two irregular long, deep tracks marked her path.

The cold was extreme; even Lu Xi'an, when opening the car door, shivered as the biting wind and snow gusted in.

The girl quivered all over, her movements stiff, and seeing Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei aiming guns at her, she immediately halted and raised her hands, smiling with a tremor, "You really are Neo-Humans!"

Having been frozen along the way, the girl's speech was a bit sluggish, her voice quivering, teeth chattering, looking pitiful like a helpless creature seeking aid in dire straits.

Her teeth were uneven and slightly yellow, confirming to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei that she definitely wasn't a Neo-Human.

The biggest difference between Neo-Humans and ordinary people is the natural upkeep of personal hygiene.

In fact, from the girl's greasy, yellowed hair and the dry, red skin of her face, it was already visible; checking teeth was just Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei seeking further confirmation.

Compared to other features, teeth are the most telling characteristic.

Yet, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei did not lower their guard, keeping their guns trained on the girl.

The girl managed a weak smile, saying, "I mean no harm; otherwise I wouldn't have helped you drive the wolves away earlier. If you don't believe me, I can throw down my weapon."

She was carrying a bow and arrows and started to lower her weapon as she spoke.

Lu Xi'an interrupted, "No need. Just don't reach for your weapon."

Hearing Lu Xi'an finally talk to her, the girl seemed relieved, nodding heavily, "Okay!"

The cold wind suddenly whipped hard, and Lu Xi'an felt a stabbing pain in his ears, his face seemingly scraped by ice blades, while his hands stiffened, nearly unable to hold his gun, his fingers on the trigger almost numb.

He truly wondered how the girl endured in the deep snow.

He could only stand firm, confronting the girl, asking, "What do you intend to do?"

The girl said, "I've run out of supplies, no choice."

Lu Xi'an scoffed, "Who are you fooling? You can scare off a pack of wolves but can't hunt them?

"Even if you can't hunt them, following the sound of previous gunshots, you could find the carcasses of at least a couple of wolves, enough to last a while. How could you be out of supplies?"

The girl bitterly laughed, "I really can't hunt them. They're all scared of my shots and run when they see me. If you hadn't drawn their attention today, I wouldn't have had any chance at them with my bow.

"Even if today's meal is settled, there'll still be nothing but starvation ahead. I had no choice but to seek you out, hoping for your help."

Lu Xi'an asked, "Aren't you afraid we might not be good people?"

The girl replied, "Then I'll just die sooner."

Lu Xi'an: "..."

That does make some sense.

"To the east is Tongzhou County, to the west is Mengxin City; why come to us instead of heading to those places?"

Lu Xi'an asked again.

The girl said, "Going to those places would mean certain death."

Which means coming to Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei might afford her a chance to survive.

It seems urban areas like Mengxin City and Tongzhou County don't have many good people, either.

Lu Xi'an's gaze never left the girl, watching as he asked Yao Wei, "What do we do? Help her?"

Yao Wei hesitated for a moment, saying, "Is she a good person?"

Lu Xi'an said, "I don't know. Do you want to save her?"

Yao Wei didn't answer immediately, pausing before saying, "She helped us, but saving her could be risky."

Lu Xi'an felt that Yao Wei was influenced by him; if it were before, she might have left decisively.

Everyone is struggling to survive in this world. Even for them, death is a constant possibility; who can afford to care for others?

But now Yao Wei hesitated.

Still... I'm the same, aren't I...

If it were before, I would have left decisively too. But now, I'm asking Yao Wei.

Isn't that also hesitation?

It's not just Yao Wei who's being influenced by me; I'm influenced by her too.

And perhaps, also due to Luo Ping.

The person who continually seeks out good people.

Are Yao Wei and I perhaps hoping this person who actively approached and showed weakness is a good person?

"Puff——"

A muffled thud of the solid snow layer under pressure.

The girl suddenly collapsed in the distance.

She was frozen, so even falling into the snow, her body remained somewhat stiff.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei exchanged a glance, got out of the car, their gun muzzles trained on the collapsed girl in the snow.

After walking over and confirming that the girl had indeed lost consciousness, Lu Xi'an said, "Then you watch here, and I'll go get the rope from the car?"

Yao Wei nodded, "Okay."

So Lu Xi'an went back to the car, retrieved a rope Yao Wei kept there, tied the girl up securely, and then carried her back.