Su Wan's thoughts stirred, and the miraculous small sapling, along with the sand it was planted in, instantly vanished, collected into her spatial storage.
Red Bean, who was sound asleep, was also moved in by her and placed on a soft blanket.
"Go to sleep," Lu Shiyan's voice came from behind her.
Su Wan didn't try to be strong; she took out a wide army cot from her spatial storage and set it up next to the off-road vehicle.
She had expected to be sleepless with worry for Li Kui and the others, but her body's exhaustion was far beyond imagination; almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, her consciousness plunged into darkness.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already turning a fish-belly white.
Su Wan sat up, her first reaction being to look towards the small road leading to the motel.
It was empty.
Lu Shiyan leaned against the front of the car, playing with a military knife in his hand. Xiao Han and A Mo sat on a nearby rock, the campfire in front of them already extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy.
"They... haven't returned yet?" Su Wan's voice carried a hoarseness she hadn't even noticed.
Xiao Han stood up, stretching his somewhat stiff shoulders. "Don't worry, Su Wan, good people are always blessed." His words were light, but his pacing back and forth betrayed his inner turmoil.
Lu Shiyan sheathed his dagger and straightened up. "It's about time."
No sooner had he spoken than two stumbling figures slowly appeared at the distant intersection.
It was Li Kui and Jin Dongdong!
Their bodies were covered in dark stains, indistinguishable as mud or blood.
Jin Dongdong was better off; though disheveled, he seemed to have no new injuries.
As for Li Kui... he walked in front, his steps heavy but exceptionally steady, tightly clutching the fire axe, its blade still covered with congealed dark liquid.
There was a shallow scratch on his cheek, but his entire being, compared to before they left, seemed to have been reborn.
"Lu Ge," Li Kui stopped in front of Lu Shiyan, his voice low but every word clear, "We're back."
He placed a bulging cloth bag on the ground, emitting a dull thud. "This is what we found. Some cans, a few boxes of painkillers, and this." He pulled a few grayish-black crystal cores from his pocket and spread them in his palm.
Not many, only three, and judging by their color, their grades were not high.
But this was the first time Li Kui had obtained spoils of war entirely through his own strength.
Lu Shiyan's gaze lingered on the crystal cores for a moment, then shifted to Li Kui's face. "Injured?"
Li Kui raised a hand and lightly touched the wound on his cheek. "Minor injury. There were a dozen zombies in the motel; we dealt with them." He spoke calmly, as if stating a perfectly ordinary matter.
"Dongdong, what about you?" Su Wan looked at the equally exhausted young man beside her.
Jin Dongdong took a breath, forcing a somewhat strained smile onto his face: "I... I'm alright. Mainly... mainly Li Kui Ge is amazing. I... I only used ice spikes to ambush one, and then... then he protected me behind him." He lowered his head, a little embarrassed.
Li Kui didn't refute, merely leaning the fire axe against the car wheel in silence.
Xiao Han walked over and patted Li Kui's shoulder, "Not bad, kid! I'm impressed! It seems Lu Da Shao's provocation really worked!"
Li Kui's body trembled slightly. He looked up, meeting Lu Shiyan's gaze. "Lu Ge, I know I'm still very weak now, nothing compared to you all."
"But I won't drag you down anymore. I will become stronger, I definitely will. I want to be like my brother..." He paused, his eyes a little red, but quickly, that hint of wetness was forcefully suppressed. "I want to personally avenge my brother and kill all these mutated things."
Su Wan's heart twinged slightly. Li Xinhu's death had hit Li Kui too hard, but it had also completely ignited the ferocity in his bones.
Lu Shiyan looked at him for a few seconds before speaking: "Very good."
The simple two words caused Li Kui's tense body to relax slightly.
"Eat something first, and then rest." Su Wan took out food and water from her spatial storage and distributed them.
Jin Dongdong took the biscuits and devoured them. As he ate, he mumbled indistinctly: "Lu... Lu Da Ge, Su Wan Jie, Xiao Da Ge, A Mo Ge... thank you all. Yesterday... if it weren't for you all yesterday, I..."
"Tell me, why were those people chasing you?" Lu Shiyan interrupted his thanks.
Jin Dongdong's face instantly turned ugly, even showing a hint of disgust and anger. "Those people... they're from the nearby 'Black Wind Stronghold'. After the apocalypse, they occupied an abandoned factory by the national highway, specializing in robbing passing survivors, burning, killing, and looting, committing all sorts of evil."
"Black Wind Stronghold?" Xiao Han raised an eyebrow. "In this day and age, someone actually dares to take such a name?"
Jin Dongdong gave a bitter smile: "They have many people and many guns, and they are ruthless. I... I wasn't originally from this area. I fled all the way from Lincheng, wanting... wanting to go home, to Qingyang City in the north. The road was too long, and I encountered danger several times along the way; all my companions who were with me... they're all gone."
His voice dropped, "A few days ago, I passed through Black Wind Stronghold's territory and was accidentally discovered by their people. They captured me and took me back..."
Jin Dongdong's body involuntarily trembled, and strong disgust appeared on his face. "Their leader, called 'Black Wolf,' is a bald man. He... he not only likes to rob supplies, but also... also likes to collect beautiful women... and... and some handsome boys..."
Su Wan looked at Jin Dongdong, who, despite being disheveled, still looked fair and tender, a handsome young man.
"That Black Wolf took a liking to me..." Jin Dongdong's voice carried humiliation. "He locked me up, wanting... wanting to do something to me..." He bit his lip, unable to continue.
Xiao Han clicked his tongue, "Damn disgusting! In this world, there are all kinds of perverts!"
"I found an opportunity, knocked out the person guarding me, and escaped," Jin Dongdong continued. "I also... I also took some things from their warehouse along the way."
"What did you take?" Lu Shiyan asked.
Jin Dongdong took out a small box carefully wrapped in cloth from his embrace. He opened it, and inside was a pen that looked somewhat old, its body dull, yet exuding an unusual texture.
"This is... my father's relic, which they stole before. When I escaped, I saw this box on their leader's table, so I took it back with me."
Jin Dongdong's tone was a little excited, "And this, I don't know what it is, but it looks quite important. They locked it in a small safe, and I pried it open and brought it out too."
He took out a palm-sized metal instrument from his pocket, with several buttons and a small screen on it, looking like some kind of detection device.
Lu Shiyan took the palm-sized metal instrument.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on the buttons, which were stained with some rust, and the small, dim screen, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"You can do that?"
"A safe," he paused, his gaze subtly sweeping over Jin Dongdong's fingers, which were unconsciously clasped tightly due to nervousness, "You can even pry open a safe?"