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Chapter 22. Part 2
She was clearly torn.
“In disaster movies, I hate the Saint type the most. They have no real ability but insist on saving everyone, ultimately dragging everyone down. I don’t want to be like that.”
“You’re right, we shouldn’t be Saints in the Doomsday. But you don’t have to force yourself to become selfish and cold either. Humans have been living in social groups and cooperating to survive since we left Africa millions of years ago. Abandoning the dying has never been our nature.”
Lu Yuan paused, then added, “Whether we save him or not is up to you. Whether we can save him is up to me. Don’t worry.”
Zhou An’an looked up in surprise. “Are you really willing?”
“We were going to pass by anyway. Saving him is just a small effort.” Lu Yuan’s tone was casual.
She considered this and nodded. “Then let’s try. What should I do?”
“Keep driving. Blast through this section. The dodder is still burning; it shouldn’t be able to focus on us. I’ll tell you to stop when we reach him. Just be ready.”
Zhou An’an nodded, then scrambled into the car and rummaged through the storage compartment. She emerged with a motorcycle helmet and handed it to him. “I grabbed this from the mall. I wanted to find a protective suit too, but there were none. Wear a helmet, at least it’ll protect your head.”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and took the helmet, putting it on.
She pulled the face shield down for him and instructed, “If it becomes too dangerous to save him, don’t. Your safety comes first.”
Lu Yuan smiled. “I’m tough. I’ve survived Doomsday for over twenty years without a scratch. I won’t die here.”
As he spoke, the man was already engulfed in flames, his cries for help growing weaker.
Zhou An’an quickly started the vehicle and charged toward the inferno.
Lu Yuan stood by the car door, estimating the distance to the man.
When they were only a few meters away, he shouted, “Stop!”
Zhou An’an, who had been bracing herself, slammed on the brakes. The car skidded several meters forward, the door swinging open to face the burning man.
Lu Yuan opened the door, and the searing heat washed over him, his exposed skin feeling the intense temperature.
He leaned out, and a flaming stem filament whipped toward him, striking his helmet with a jarring thud.
Hearing the impact, Zhou An’an asked anxiously, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Lu Yuan replied.
He adjusted his helmet and reached for the figure on the ground.
The man had already passed out, his clothes still ablaze.
Lu Yuan strained, dragging him into the car. After closing the door, he grabbed a shower head from the bathroom and sprayed it over the man’s body.
Zhou An’an pressed the accelerator, ready to burst through the wall of flames.
The flames on the man’s body had been extinguished. Lu Yuan removed his helmet, about to catch his breath, when the vehicle lurched violently.
“What did we hit?” he rushed to the back of the driver’s seat. Because the vehicle was so low, he had to tilt his head to look outside.
The dodder, sensing they were the source of the fire, sent all its stem filaments surging toward them, tightly wrapping around the wheels.
Zhou An’an gritted her teeth, stomping on the accelerator with all her might, but the wheels didn’t budge.
This was only because the dodder was also on fire and preoccupied with its own survival. If they had tried to force their way through before setting the fire, they would have ended up mummified like the zombies.
Lu Yuan glanced at the situation for a few seconds, then turned and grabbed his gun, preparing to climb onto the roof.
Zhou An’an caught a glimpse of his movement in the rearview mirror and shouted, “Don’t go out there! It’s dangerous!”
The dodder was already burning wildly. What if it wrapped around him too?
Lu Yuan replied confidently, “It can’t hold me.”
With that, he climbed onto the roof.
Zhou An’an was frantic with worry, but she couldn’t leave the driver’s seat. She could only watch helplessly, her heart pounding in her chest.
She couldn’t see what was happening on the roof, only heard a few gunshots and felt the wheels loosen slightly.
She immediately slammed the accelerator, pushing the Unimog to its limit. The powerful vehicle tore through the remaining dodder, breaking free like a wild horse galloping across the road.
Fearing the dodder might pursue them, Zhou An’an drove several miles at full speed before finally stopping. Only then did she slap her thigh in realization.
“Damn it! Lu Yuan hasn’t gotten in yet!”
He must have been thrown from the car during that frantic drive!
She rushed to the stairs, ready to climb up, when Lu Yuan’s foot swung down, nearly crushing her nose.
His already long hair was now a disheveled bird’s nest, and he glared at her with a resentful look. “Are you biting the hand that feeds you?”
Zhou An’an felt terrible. “I’m so sorry, I forgot…”
“I was yelling at you to stop from the roof until my voice went hoarse!” he accused.
Her face burned with embarrassment, and she wished she could crawl under the car.
“I didn’t hear you…”
Her mind had been consumed by the need to shake off the dodder, and the Unimog’s roaring engine had completely drowned out his voice.
Lu Yuan scoffed. “Forget it. All that talk about my safety being the most important thing? Just empty words, it seems.”
Zhou An’an was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.
The man lying on the ground groaned.
Forgetting their grievances for the moment, they both went to his side.
Lu Yuan checked him again, confirming there were no bite marks that could lead to zombie transformation.
Zhou An’an pulled a short, withered stem filament from his nostril. It looked dried out, as if it had been severed from the main plant.
“Dodder actually grew into his nose and he survived? He’s one tough guy.”
Lu Yuan took the filament and examined it closely, fascinated by this parasitic plant.
The man’s face was covered in soot. Zhou An’an wiped it with tissues, and as she cleaned him, she felt a growing sense of familiarity.
“Have I met this person before? Where…?”
She grabbed more tissues and scrubbed his face clean, finally recognizing him.
“Isn’t this the mechanic who modified our bus back then?”
Perhaps her voice was too loud, because the man slowly opened his eyes, seemingly recognizing her as well.
“You… you…”
He was too weak to form complete words.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you some food.”
With that, Zhou An’an stood up and went to the kitchen.
Lu Yuan looked at her retreating figure, then at the man on the ground, and then remembered his own disheveled state, sprawled on the car roof. He suspected he’d made a bad deal.
“I’m hungry too! I want braised pork!” he shouted angrily at Zhou An’an.
“Eat this first to tide you over. I’ll make you braised pork later.”
Zhou An’an tossed him a bag of crackers. Lu Yuan caught it with one hand but didn’t open it, his face full of disdain. He wanted to see what delicious treat she’d prepare for the man.
After a while, Zhou An’an returned with a basin of dark, purplish liquid.
Lu Yuan wrinkled his nose. “What is this?”
“Grape juice from the bottle, with water, sugar, and vitamins. I added a lot of vinegar and salt to boost his energy and aid recovery. You must be exhausted tooβwant some?”
“I get the salt, but why the vinegar?”
“Disinfection. The dodder has grown into his nose.”
As she spoke, she scooped a cupful. Lu Yuan took it and took a sip, his expression freezing.
“How is it?” Zhou An’an asked.
“Great. Give him more. I’m going to the bathroom.”
Lu Yuan hurried into the bathroom, dumped the entire basin of grape juice down the toilet, and felt his mood instantly improve.
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