I Have a Post Apocalyptic Online Friend C11.1

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Chapter 11. part 1

The bus was painted a matte dark gray, providing excellent camouflage at night and dusk.

Sturdy protective bars were installed over all doors and windows. Once locked from the inside, even someone hacking at them with an axe wouldn’t break through anytime soon.

The front of the bus was specially reinforced with a ramming structure, strong enough to plow through most obstacles without sustaining significant damage.

The roof was covered with solar panels. Combined with the in-motion charging system installed at the auto repair shop, it could generate three kilowatt-hours of electricity in just one hour under strong sunlight.

The central luggage compartment housed two 500-liter water tanks, totaling one ton. When full, this supply could easily last the two of them for a week.

Next to the water tanks were battery packs capable of storing fifty-six kilowatt-hours of electricity. This meant they could rely on stored power even during bad weather or if the charging system malfunctioned.

The interior of the bus was divided into two sections by an eight-centimeter-thick alloy steel plate, with a small door connecting them. The rear ten-square-meter space was used for storing supplies, as well as the vehicle repair tools and raw materials Lu Yuan had specifically insisted on.

If the rear of the bus came under attack, locking the small door would create another solid line of defense.

The front section, nearly fifteen square meters, served as their living area. In a corner right next to the steel plate, about two square meters had been converted into a bathroom. The plumbing was connected to the water tanks in the luggage compartment below, and using it felt no different from using regular tap water.

Next to the bathroom, a folding bed was mounted on each side of the bus’s interior walls. They could be lowered for sleeping and folded back up against the wall when not in use.

A curtain hung between the two beds, offering a semblance of privacy.

At the head of each bed, a stainless steel cabinet was bolted to the floor, providing storage for their personal belongings.

Overall, the bus’s structural modifications far exceeded Zhou An’an’s expectations, while the interior furnishings were as minimalist as they could possibly be.

The mechanic stood beside her, admiring his handiwork.

“This battle wagon is the dream of every man in the world. Don’t be fooled by its rough, unluxurious, and low-tech appearance. The materials used for the modifications are the best money can buy right now. It weighs eighteen tons—if you mounted a cannon on it, you could practically use it as a tank! Building a vehicle like this in my lifetime… I can say I’ve fulfilled a lifelong dream.”

Then he added, “But I did warn your partner—with all these modifications, it’ll never pass inspection to be street-legal. You know that, right?”

Zhou An’an nodded.

She wasn’t worried about that at all.

It didn’t need to be on the road before the apocalypse. By the time it did need to be, no one would care about regulations anymore.

She swiped her card to pay the final balance. The modifications had cost a total of 1.2 million yuan—three times the price of the bus itself.

“Could you please arrange for a tow truck to take it to this location? I’ll cover the cost,” she said, sending him an address.

She hadn’t been idle these past few days, having spent her time searching for a suitable parking spot in City A.

The location had to meet three criteria.

First, it had to be secluded, with few people passing by. The fewer who knew about the bus, the better.

Second, it needed to be close to a national highway, allowing them to leave City A quickly once the disaster struck.

Third, it had to be spacious. The modified bus handled differently from a regular vehicle, and she needed to practice extensively to get a feel for it before it was officially put to use. It would be a complete waste if she couldn’t drive it properly during an emergency.

Since Lu Yuan was still stuck in the apocalypse, she would have to be the one to practice driving for now.

As for who would be the primary driver later, they could decide that after they reunited.

She successfully found a suitable location on the edge of a suburban factory district. It had previously been a ride-hailing company that had acquired a large fleet of used cars for its operations. After the company went bankrupt, all its vehicles were towed away to settle debts, leaving the several-thousand-square-meter lot outside the premises empty. Surrounded by a wall that blocked outside views and currently unmanaged, it was the perfect place to park her bus.

The bus was towed to the empty lot, and Zhou An’an moved into a nearby hotel.

Even the closest hotel was seven or eight km away, and taxis were hard to come by.

Fortunately, there were shared bikes. So, every day in the sweltering September heat, Zhou An’an would head downstairs at 8 a.m. sharp, cycle for half an hour to the parking lot, and practice driving under the scorching sun for eight hours. For lunch, she’d use the hot water in the bus to make instant noodles. At 5 p.m., she’d cycle back to the hotel.

It felt like she was reliving the summer after her college entrance exams, once again experiencing the dread of being dominated by driving practice.

Although the bus had air conditioning, the sunlight penetrating the glass still tanned her skin several shades darker. Looking in the mirror, she could already imagine what Lu Yuan would say when they met again.

I never knew you had African ancestry, he would surely tease.

Thankfully, she didn’t have the pressure of passing a driving test. She just needed to learn how to handle this behemoth by following online tutorials.

Besides, once she was on the road, even if she got into an accident, as long as she and the bus were unharmed, it wouldn’t matter. No one would be chasing her for compensation.

On rainy days, Zhou An’an would sometimes spend the entire day lying alone in the bus.

She bought two sets of bedding and laid them out. Hers had a strawberry pattern, while Lu Yuan’s was plaid.

In the bathroom, she prepared two sets of toiletries as well.

She placed the flowers she’d bought for him by the window—three pots in total: one of daisies, one of roses, and one of cacti.

She had pruned the daisies and roses, so they should be in full bloom just in time for Lu Yuan’s arrival.

She was about to live with a man, yet in her twenty-three years of life, she had never even been in a relationship.

The thought alone struck Zhou An’an as incredible.

In mid-September, she received a call from her eldest uncle.

He sounded accusatory. “Didn’t your fiancé say he’d visit me soon? The wedding date is almost here, and he still hasn’t shown up? If he continues to be this disrespectful, our family won’t approve of this marriage!”

Unwilling to waste time and energy arguing, Zhou An’an stated bluntly, “The wedding is off.”

“Aren’t you getting married in October? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“He cheated on me. We broke up. The wedding’s not happening.” All those years of reading romance novels were finally paying off.

Her eldest uncle clearly hadn’t expected this. He froze for a moment before trying to persuade her.

“Men cheat, that’s normal. As long as his heart is still with you, it doesn’t matter. The economy is bad right now, and it’s hard to find a good man, especially one so willing to spend money on you. Just pretend you don’t know anything. Why be so stubborn about it?”

Growing up, she and her uncle had rarely spoken. While she hadn’t held him in high regard, she had at least seen him as an elder deserving of respect.

His words just now completely shattered her worldview.

Zhou An’an said expressionlessly, “We’ve already broken up. We’re not getting married.”

Her uncle sounded deeply disappointed. “Why are you being so stubborn? I don’t remember you being like this. I’m done talking to you. Have your fiancé call me. He’s a man, he’ll understand my good intentions.”

“I don’t have his contact information anymore. If you want it, find it yourself. Also…”

Zhou An’an paused, deciding to fulfill her final duty to her relative. Whether he believed her or not, at least her conscience would be clear.

“Instead of wasting time on us, you should spend more time with your wife and kids, stockpile food, and protect your family when the disaster hits. That’s what a real man should do.”

Her eldest uncle was utterly bewildered. “Disaster hits? What disaster? You’re just trying to change the subject!”

Zhou An’an pursed her lips, hung up the phone, and immediately blocked his number.

She opened her chat with Lu Yuan and typed: My eldest uncle just called me. Guess what he said.

Half an hour passed with no reply. The last message from him was from two days ago.

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