Kapitel 25: Zhao An’s Safe Haven
More than Shen Yize, Jiang Zhi felt extremely worried and uneasy. Jiang Zhi approached Shen Yize, who was vomiting on the side of the road. He helped massage Shen Yize's back to calm him down.
Not long after, Mu Yang joined them. He asked in confusion, "What's going on? Ah, Shen Yize, are you okay?"
Shen Yize wiped his mouth and let out a relieved breath. He nodded.
"I'm fine."
He wasn't lying. Shen Yize knew he had just used his healing powers too much and felt a bit sick afterward. However, these symptoms were normal and would improve with time.
Jiang Zhi gazed at Shen Yize for a moment before asking, "Can you handle the car ride?"
"Um." Shen Yize nodded weakly.
Even though Shen Yize answered that way, Jiang Zhi still felt uncomfortable. So, he turned to Mu Yang. "Hey Mu Yang, do you know a good place to rest overnight?"
Mu Yang shook his head and sadly replied, "I'm not a local resident, so I don't know, sorry."
Jiang Zhi was disappointed by the answer, but he couldn't blame Mu Yang. Likewise, Mu Yang regretted not being able to help.
"I'll be fine soon." Shen Yize changed the mood, looking at both of them in turn. "But you can't keep driving all night without rest."
"Yeah, that's the issue." They needed to find a place to rest soon. Everyone was tired and couldn't risk running into trouble by pushing on with the driving.
However, they didn't know a safe place either. Jiang Zhi was thinking of a solution when Shen Yize interrupted his thoughts again.
"By the way, how's Bo Hueming doing? He also used a lot of his powers."
"He's okay. He's unconscious now." Mu Yang pointed to the back of his car to reassure Shen Yize.
After a bit more conversation, Jiang Zhi decided that they needed to leave the current spot.
"If we find a safe place, we'll rest there."
The car window opened from the inside, and an unfamiliar man named Zhao An spoke to them.
"Hey, I know a place nearby that's really safe. We can go if you want, but if not, that's okay."
Listening to him, the three of them looked at him simultaneously, making Zhao An feel a bit guilty for no reason. Then Jiang Zhi asked, "Are you sure this is safe? Your friends might go there after you."
Zhao An shook his head confidently, "No, this is my secret spot, only I know about it."
Shen Yize squinted and stared at Zhao An as if he were a lie detector. "You won't trick us, will you?"
Sighing, unable to blame Shen Yize for doubting him, Zhao An earnestly replied, "I'm not tricking you. If you don't believe me, forget I ever mentioned it. No pressure!"
After a little thought, they decided to trust Zhao An and headed to the secret location he mentioned. After about half an hour, they reached the outskirts of town and saw an isolated house.
Its garage was large enough to safely park their car. They got out of the car one by one. The secret place was quite spacious, like a house.
Upon closer inspection, it was apparent that the place wasn't a house; it was actually Zhao An's workshop where he experimented with cars.
"I used to be involved in electric vehicle modification races."
Shen Yize nodded and recalled the recent events. "No wonder you were brave enough to say you'd take our car and drain its fuel."
Reminded of his foolish actions, Zhao An could only chuckle awkwardly.
Everyone who got out of the car started looking for a room they could use as a resting place.
As Zhao An had said, this place was safe and hardly anyone had come to this area before the apocalypse, so they wouldn't encounter zombies for now.
Satisfied, Jiang Zhi commented, "Yeah, it's spacious enough. Despite the moss, we can make it work."
They worked together to clean the moss and arrange some wooden boards to use as makeshift beds. After their efforts, they could finally enjoy a bit of tranquility.
"Let's relax here for a few days, regain our strength, then head to the headquarters." Jiang Zhi looked at Shen Yize, though he was addressing everyone.
Shen Yize returned the gaze and chuckled lightly before saying, "I'm tired. I'll sleep some more."
Jiang Zhi nodded and handed Shen Yize some fabric that would provide comfort. He spoke softly, "Rest."
Not only Shen Yize, but almost everyone decided to sleep, especially those who had used their special abilities throughout the day.
While the others slept, Jiang Zhi remained awake. His mind was filled with the scene of Zhang Rui saving him from the creeping plant. However, he couldn't bring himself to share this with anyone.
Jiang Zhi went outside to explore the area around the house and encountered Zhao An, who was also unable to sleep.
Zhao An was surprised, but quickly neutralized his expression and asked, "You can't sleep either?"
Jiang Zhi nodded and countered, "How about you?"
"I... Do you have your own guess?" Zhao An let out a long sigh, avoiding Jiang Zhi's gaze a bit. He could only be lost in the bad emotions from earlier. Who knew if he would be stabbed from behind by the people he was trying to protect?
Zhao An felt like his effort to survive with his friends was a cruel joke!
Seeing him caught up in negative emotions, Jiang Zhi offered some input, "As Shen Yize always says, this world is chaotic, and you can only trust yourself."
Zhao An pondered those words and turned to face Jiang Zhi. "Yeah, I've been fooling myself. I knew they weren't on my side from the beginning, but I ignored it because I wanted to survive and hoped they would too."
"Well, at least you're done with them now. Even if they eventually face problems, you won't have regrets."
Zhao An nodded. "Yes, you're right."
They stopped behind the house, where there were many heavy tools.
Jiang Zhi pulled out the remnants of a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Zhao An. "Want to smoke?"
Not declining, Zhao An took the cigarette from Jiang Zhi and lit it up.
With so many car modification tools here, Jiang Zhi felt it was a waste to just leave them unused.
Meanwhile, Zhao An let out a sigh as he looked at his belongings. What could he do? The world had changed. People were now focused on surviving in this chaotic world rather than pursuing their passions.
They had to leave their hobbies behind.
Jiang Zhi noticed his regret. "Want to join us? I can't promise everything will be enjoyable, but your skills could be used to modify vehicles for our travels in tough times like these."
Hearing the offer, Zhao An looked at Jiang Zhi again with mixed emotions. But before he could ask, Jiang Zhi explained.
"We need eco-friendly vehicles." In this chaotic world, where the sun was often hidden by clouds, electricity was scarce, and fuel was running out, they had to start adapting and thinking of ways to adjust.
"If you're willing, you could stay at the headquarters and figure out ways to modify cars without fuel or electricity."
Zhao An nodded; Jiang Zhi's offer sounded appealing to him, given his desperation. There was no reason to refuse. So he nodded confidently.
After discussing many things, Jiang Zhi and Zhao An decided to sleep.
For several days, they remained at the location, where Jiang Zhi took responsibility for moving almost all of Zhao An's tools and personal items to his own space.
After days of recovery, they decided it was time to return to the headquarters. Jiang Zhi looked at his new friends and asked, "Are you ready to head back to headquarters?"
This was a first for the others, so they were a bit excited.
Mu Yang was the first to respond, "Yes, we're ready. Thank you for providing us a place to stay."
Jiang Zhi waved his hand and said lightly, "We're all in this together, so no need to be too formal."
Zhang Rui was equally enthusiastic. "Alright, let's head back sooner. I need to attach my prosthetic hand for a moment and I want to sleep without worrying about sudden zombie attacks."
Everyone nodded. They decided to return the next day and started preparing from now. After checking the condition of the car beforehand, they were now ready to depart without worries.
Getting into the car, Shen Yize made a heartfelt wish. "Hope we don't encounter crazy troubles on this journey!"
Zhang Rui agreed; he was tired of dealing with zombies. He and Shen Yize had just recovered from an illness for two days. If they had to deal with zombies again today, they would be utterly exhausted!
Jiang Zhi glanced at Shen Yize through the windshield and reassured him with a gentle tone, "Don't talk like that; everything will be alright."
The journey to the headquarters took a full day due to various obstacles, including decaying infrastructure from disuse and the continuous presence of wandering zombies.
Seeing the familiar place, Zhang Rui exclaimed happily, "Hey, I'm back!"
Jiang Zhi ignored his enthusiasm, accustomed to Zhang Rui's character. He turned to his new friends. "We'll be staying here; you can choose places to rest as well."
There were plenty of rooms in their base, but if they kept bringing in more people, they might run out of space. He thought that once they had more people, they needed to construct more buildings on the open land around the headquarters.
Mu Yang, Mu Xiao, Bo Hueming, and Zhao An expressed sincere thanks; their expressions clearly conveyed deep gratitude.
Jiang Zhi returned to his room to freshen up. Once done, he was eager to check his space. He whispered, "Let me in."
Unlike before, this time Jiang Zhi couldn't enter at all. Then he heard the familiar sound of the Paper Roll.
"Sorry, the space is undergoing an upgrade; you can't enter until the upgrade is complete."
"Seriously?" Jiang Zhi was surprised, not thinking he could gather enough zombie crystal cores to upgrade the room so quickly during the journey.
Jiang Zhi stood up from his chair, intending to find Shen Yize to talk, but was disturbed by Zhang Rui causing a commotion.
Zhang Rui shouted like a madman, "Hey, hey, don't do that, bro! I won't be able to handle it, seriously! I'm afraid of pain, really scared!"
Jiang Zhi furrowed his brows and wondered, "What's wrong with..."
Zhang Rui's shouts echoed again, "Hey, Mu Yang, calm down, be a little gentler! Ugh!"
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein