章 47: Another trading point

"Hey, Haizi?" Liushi called him once they got some privacy.

"Yes? What can I do for you, brother Jiang?"

"I want to know if there are other places for trade aside from Satellite Town. There seem to be plenty of survivor teams out there. There must be other trading places where they can deal with each other."

"Actually, there is" he said seriously, his previous happy demeanor having left. "We heard about it during a previous trip to Satellite Town. It's basically a black market, close to Lan County, so much further than Satellite Town. Weapons are scarce over there, so they would sell for much more than what the military base would offer. Before, I wouldn't have recommanded we go there, but with our current capabilities, thanks to you, we can go there without much risks to ourselves."

"I see. With how far it is and the usual conditions of the roads, it would take at least 6 hours to reach... In that case, I'll make some preparations. We will leave the day after tomorrow, and will probably be away for 3 days."

Liushi left him and got back to the Doomsday Ride. He sat on his couch, and stared at the ceiling.

When they left, he had been thinking about helping distressed children stuck in their homes. His drive to help them came mostly from having lost his parents himself and having to take care of both himself and his sister. He had that experience and knew that things were a thousand time worse for them. He just couldn't be unsympathetic.

He wanted to use the drones to locate them and deliver some food, then point them to other survivor groups. But others people probably wouldn't be able or willing to go help them. They would end up being beggars, like many adults he had seen at Satellite Town. He himself couldn't spent much effort on them because he had to strenghten his own group. He had to prepare for the ever growing strenght of mutant beasts and hostile paranormals. And as he said to the former captive girls, the zombies were most likely also evolving.

Spending too much time in towns and cities to help them could very well bring disaster to his team. And finally, after the events of the last 20 hours or so, he didn't have the heart to look for people in such tragic conditions and witness more horrors. The streets alone were bad enough on a daily basis. If he came across them, he would definitly provide some help. But he would not look for them.

'And Xiaotian was so happy that I though of providing some help to them. Giving up on that coupled with what happened yesterday will definitly make her dislike me' he thought with a self-depreciating smile. 'I was growing quite fond of her...'

While people were happy with the result of their expeditions, Liushi was more subdued for the rest of the evening, and went to bed early. He had to make up for the lack of sleep from the previous night. During diner, he did tell the group about their next expedition. The following day, he got busy.

He had to make some protective gear for the rest of the group. He made reinforced long sleeves jackets for the paranormals, along with armored vests. For Qingping, he added reinforced gloves and boots. They were a dull dark grey in color. He also made 10 reinforced jackets for the non-paranormals fighters and scavengers of the group.

The SUV had to be improved. To hide the Starseed ability, he used the tools from the second part of the technical module. He hadn't used it except for when he killed the mutant boar, and when he left the giant hive in the sisters hometown. He made a small show of dismanteling the car with the tools, changing many parts, and reassemble it with several additions. He used the matter manipulation ability with the complex and advanced tools as mediums.

The entire body, the windows and the tires had been replaced with bullet resistant materials. The engine had been cleaned and improved, alongside the brakes and the suspensions. The SUV was changed into a camper, so there were 2 berths at the back where the guys could sleep at night. The space under the berths was used for storage.

For that trip, he didn't want anyone sleeping beyond the protection offered by the cars. Qingping could sleep in the driving cockpit. The seat was made to be comfortable enough for sleeping. No matter how much he wanted to be a gentleman, he didn't like her nearly enough to give her His place on His bed. Not at all.

In the evening, after diner, he gathered the sisters and the paranormals for a private chat.

"I'll go straight to the point" he started. "I have no intentions of staying in Nanjing."

"""What?""" shouted several people.

"After our trip to the black market, I intend to go to Shenhai Island."

"Why?" asked Zhuying. "We are doing quite well here."

"Mutant beasts and paranormals are growing stronger with time. Even though we call the zombies 'zombies', they aren't undead, they are still living. I have no doubt that they are growing stronger as well. Staying in a city, even at the outskirt, is asking to be swarmed and killed."

They were all shocked, and paled. Xiaotian had a hoorified face, memories of her escape from Jiangbei at the forefront of her mind. Zhang Hai and Sun Kun glanced at each other, and the later mumbled a curse.

"While we are away, I want the rest of the group to prepare for evacuation, and select a village or small town nearby to relocate. As for me, it was always my intention to go to Shenhai Island after finding Zhuying. I want to go there for a few reasons."

Xiaotian suddenly looked at him, with barely concealed surprise.

When she was fleeing from Jiangbei, she was with her friend, Shao Lili. After being rescued by Liushi, her friend decided to go with the military to Shenhai Island. He said that he had a friend going there, and that they would be able to meet again there. He had basically promised to bring her there as well so she could see her friend again, and hadn't forgotten.

"One of them is that, compared to Satellite Town, which is a temporary outpost, Shenhai Island was made to be a real safe settlement. They have everything to start over."

"You already know I'm going to follow you, big brother" replied Zhuying with a little smile. "And I'm sure Xiaotian and Lu will stay with you. So, that mean we will split once we're done" she said while looking at the other 3 paranormals. "With everything that has been aquired over the last 2 days with my brother's help, you will be able to go on without me."

They looked at each other in perplexity.

Zhang Hai wasn't much of a leader and he knew it, so the prospect of being one didn't appeal to him. His status was barely above normal human in the others eyes, because his ability was considered trash. Qingping disdained him, and she didn't really hide it. However, Liushi didn't look down on him because of that. Furtheremore, he was a mechanic, and Liushi's vehicles and their technological ability fascinated him. He would rather stay with him.

While Sun Kun liked the idea of being higher on the pyramid power ladder, he didn't mind being the subordinate of Liushi. His technological capabilities were too good to just pass up. He knew that Liushi would become a true powerhouse, and being with him would bring a lot of benefits.

Qingping was torn. On one hand, separating from Zhuying and her brother would make her the new leader of the survival group, as she would be the strongest paranormal. However, she would lose all the advantages Liushi's equipment brough, and staying outside of a real, fortified safe place. On the other hand, staying with them would mean staying subserviant to Liushi, being a subordinate instead of one of the leaders. She would be at the same rank as the 2 powerless girls traveling with him, if not lower due to his attachement to them. That fiercly stung her pride.

"You don't have to decide now" Liushi said. "You have all the time to think about it during the trip."

They separated for the night. Back in the Doomsday Ride, while Lu went to her own bed, Xiaotian went to Liushi, who was sitting on his bed. He had made himself some wireless and comfortable earphones to listen to music while going to sleep. Falling asleep with some music was something he missed, and needed. He was preparing his playlist on the pad when he noticed her.

She stopped in front of him with some hesitation, not meeting his eyes. She was wearing a black slip that went down to her upper tights, and no bra. Lu favored tank top and boyshorts, and he liked that just as well. He took the time to admire her, before she gathered herself and took a seat next to him.

"I'm sorry" she started in a low voice, barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry for avoiding you. You've done so much for me, and barely asked for anything in exchange. And yet, I treated you like... like someone who could hurt me without reason, just because they wanted to."

She turned to him and finally looked at him in the eyes. He could see the worry and regrets in them, the sincerity of her words. He liked those eyes better when she smiled.

"I wasn't completly used to how dangerous the world had become, and I sort of lashed out at you. I have been so lucky to find someone like you, you didn't deserve the treatment I gave you. Thank you for having been patient with me" she finished while bowing.

He found her too charming to let her mope any more. He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in a hug. She stiffened for a second, before completly relaxing, releasing a sigh of relief and appreciation. She happily returned the hug, and they stayed like that for a few seconds. They wished each other goodnight and she left with a small blush, and a much lighter heart. Liushi went to sleep, thinking of the feeling of her breasts when they hugged, and the sight of her rear when she left.