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Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chapter 15. Part 1
Zhou An’an was awakened by the sunlight streaming in through the window.
As she opened her eyes, her vision filled with lush green leaves swaying gently in the breeze. The clean scent of camphor wood lingered in the air, mixed with what seemed to be the fragrance of flowers.
The surroundings were quiet, broken only by the occasional chirp of a bird outside.
The birdsong was crisp and ethereal, like the music of celestial instruments, making her involuntarily relax and take a deep breath of the almost sweet air.
Has the apocalypse really arrived? she wondered. Why does it feel like I’ve reached paradise?
She got up and leaned against the window, trying to get a better look. Suddenly, a blood-and-flesh-mangled face lunged at the glass, its mouth wide open in a desperate roar, trying to smash through and bite her.
Caught completely off guard, Zhou An’an screamed and tumbled off the bed.
With a swish, Lu Yuan yanked open the curtain. He assessed the situation outside, then calmly walked to the driver’s seat and started the bus.
He slammed the accelerator to the floor. The bus shot forward, and the zombie fell to the ground.
Lu Yuan shifted into reverse. The eighteen-ton bus sped backward, crushing the still-struggling zombie into a pulp.
The moment the tire made contact with its head, Zhou An’an distinctly heard a splat—like a large watermelon being smashed.
Lu Yuan stopped the bus, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Afraid to be left alone, Zhou An’an quickly followed him.
He examined the gruesome corpse and noticed it was dressed in a camouflage uniform, with a red forest ranger’s armband on its left sleeve.
“Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot,” he said with a grin.
Zhou An’an stared at him blankly. “What jackpot?”
“A forest ranger living alone in a place like this would definitely keep a hunting rifle in his cabin to deal with wild animals. Even if there’s no rifle, there’ll be other self-defense weapons. With a weapon, our chances against zombies will be much better.”
He finished with a disdainful look. “Don’t you watch movies? How could you not know something so basic?”
Zhou An’an was speechless. Being looked down on by someone who learned “common sense” from movies was infuriating. “Movies are movies, and life is life. They’re two different things. Movies have Superman, too. Why don’t you become Superman?”
Lu Yuan crossed his arms. “If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet. What do you say?”
“Bet on what?”
“If I’m right, from now on, you’ll have to cook whatever I tell you to.”
“Even the most skilled cook can’t make a meal without ingredients. What if you ask me to make bird’s nest soup or shark fin? What am I supposed to use?”
“Of course, you’ll only have to use the ingredients we have,” Lu Yuan taunted. “Don’t tell me you’re scared?”
Zhou An’an had initially found the bet childish and wasn’t interested.
But one look at his bushy beard ignited her fighting spirit.
“Fine,” she declared. “But if you lose, you have to shave off that beard. Not a single hair left.”
Lu Yuan, confident of victory, agreed instantly. “Deal. Let’s eat. After we finish, we’ll go find the Ranger’s Cabin.”
They returned to the bus and washed up.
Lu Yuan filled a basin with water, first watering his beloved rose bush before distributing the rest between the other two potted plants.
Zhou An’an prepared breakfast. She had originally pitied Lu Yuan for never having eaten well before and planned to make him a proper meal. But after his arrogant display earlier, she decided to take the easy way out: one packet of compressed biscuits for each of them.
To her surprise, Lu Yuan wasn’t picky at all. He devoured the dry biscuits with relish.
Zhou An’an ate half of her portion and tossed the rest to him. Without a hint of disgust, he swallowed it in a few bites.
“What’s in this?” he asked, studying the wrapper with lingering interest.
“Probably wheat flour, sugar, butter… stuff like that.”
He nodded. “This little packet… in a hundred years, you could trade it for a person’s life.”
A chill ran down Zhou An’an’s spine. She wanted to argue that he was exaggerating, but he was from over a hundred years in the future. It could very well be true.
She could only feel fortunate that she wouldn’t live long enough to see it.
Lu Yuan tossed the wrapper aside and stood up. “Let’s go.”
“Okay,” she murmured, moving to open the bus door.
“You’re going out like that?”
Zhou An’an looked down at herself. “What’s wrong with this?”
Lu Yuan shook his head and beckoned. “Come with me.”
They walked to the back of the bus. He rummaged through shelves piled high with tools and materials, explaining as he searched, “This forest might be mostly deserted, but you can’t rule out other rangers or vagrants. Even if you don’t encounter zombies, wild animals are still dangerous. If you want to survive the apocalypse, you can’t be as naive as you used to be. You have to remember one thing at all times: always prepare for sudden danger.”
Perhaps it was the beard, but Zhou An’an sensed a faint air of a life mentor about him. She nodded obediently.
Lu Yuan found a large roll of aluminum foil tape. “Hold out your hands.”
She did as he said, extending both arms.
Lu Yuan wrapped several layers of tape around her forearms, calves, thighs, chest, abdomen, and neck.
Feeling like she was being mummified, Zhou An’an cried out, “Loosen it! Loosen it! I can’t breathe!”
“When a zombie bites through your neck, you’ll know what really feels like you can’t breathe.”
After wrapping her, Lu Yuan methodically covered himself in the same aluminum tape armor.
Armor: check. Now for weapons.
Zhou An’an looked around and, as usual, reached for the sledgehammer. But Lu Yuan took it from her and set it aside.
“The sledgehammer is too heavy. You’ll be exhausted after three swings and won’t be able to deal any effective damage. That’s dangerous. You need to choose a weapon that suits you.”
Lu Yuan pulled a long-handled pickaxe from the shelf and handed it to her. “This is lighter, has a longer reach, and you’re less likely to hurt yourself with it.”
Zhou An’an took it and swung it a few times. It was indeed much easier to handle than the heavy sledgehammer.
“What about you? What are you using?”
Lu Yuan secured the short knife he’d used when they first met to the back of his waist. “This is all I need. Let’s go.”
As they passed the driver’s cabin, Zhou An’an couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know how to drive this bus? When did you learn?”
“Yesterday, while you were driving.”
“But you were just sitting next to me! You didn’t even touch the steering wheel.”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “This might hurt your feelings, but you need to understand that there’s a gap in intelligence between people.”
Zhou An’an: “…”
She shouldn’t have asked!
They locked the bus and cautiously began their search for the Ranger’s Cabin.
Finding the cabin wasn’t difficult. The forest floor was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, but a single narrow path looked well-trodden.
They followed the path, their shoes rustling through the leaves with every step.
Terrified of encountering more zombies, Zhou An’an remained on high alert, constantly scanning her surroundings. The slightest rustle of wind in the grass made her freeze.
Lu Yuan, however, seemed more interested in the surrounding flora. To him, every blade of grass and every tree was a marvel.
“Have the plants here always been this lush?” he suddenly asked, turning his head.
Zhou An’an had never been here before. Recalling photos her classmates had posted, she said, “Probably.” It was normal for plants in a scenic area to be abundant.
Lu Yuan nodded and continued forward.
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