Soon, four modified off-road vehicles and trucks appeared on the horizon, stopping not far away.
The doors opened, and many people disembarked one after another.
A rough count showed at least twenty individuals, including white-haired elders and children timidly holding adults' hands, looking around.
A team. A large, seemingly unwieldy team of survivors.
Xiao Han put down his instant noodle cup, his hand resting on his waist.
Lu Shiyan also stopped his movements, slightly adjusting his posture to face the approaching people.
A middle-aged man walked out from the opposing team. He was tall and strong, dressed in oil-stained work clothes, with a weathered face. He carried no weapon, but his steps were steady.
The man stopped a few meters away, his voice booming: "Hey, buddies, resting?"
His gaze swept over Lu Shiyan and Xiao Han, finally settling on their obviously superior vehicle, the scattered food packaging nearby, and the conspicuous pile of eggshells.
"You don't seem to have many people," the man rubbed his hands, "We're also heading to Central Base. The road isn't peaceful, so how about we team up and go together?"
Su Wan, holding a fifth half-peeled egg, paused her movements.
The man continued: "More people mean greater strength, and we can look out for each other."
Xiao Han scoffed, his voice particularly grating in the woods.
He leaned lazily against the car, his hand still on his waist, not even changing his posture.
"You want to team up with people without even introducing yourselves?"
"In this world, without some basic common sense, you won't live long."
The middle-aged man's smile froze for a moment. He rubbed his hands with greater amplitude, appearing somewhat flustered.
Su Wan still held the half-peeled egg, the egg yolk crumbs on her fingertips seeming to solidify.
"Cough," the man cleared his throat, his voice no longer as booming as before, carrying a hint of deliberate flattery, "Look at my memory. My name is Wang Jianguo; they all call me Old Wang. Our team, all of us escaped from the west side of the city. We have old and young, over twenty people gathered together."
He pointed to the silent or curiously observing crowd behind him.
"We're going to Central Base. We met you on the road and saw that you have few people, are efficient, and have good equipment, so we thought we could go together and look out for each other."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the leftover food and the pile of eggshells on the ground. "In our team, we have a water-type ability user who can get clean water. I see you guys... your drinking water consumption must be quite high, right?"
He silently counted the pile of eggshells; there were at least five or six.
Looking at these few people, they were neatly dressed, clean, and looked healthier than most people in his team.
In the apocalypse, food and cleanliness were luxuries.
These few people clearly lacked neither.
Though few in number, their strength was probably not simple.
Xiao Han naturally noticed Wang Jianguo's gaze lingering on the food and eggshells.
He put down his lunch box, wiped his mouth, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Old Wang, is it?"
"We few are used to being on our own."
Xiao Han gestured towards their off-road vehicle, then glanced at the vast, noticeably cumbersome team behind Wang Jianguo.
"Your twenty-plus people are too big a target, and make too much noise."
"If you run into something, you won't even be able to run away properly." His tone was light, but his words were unapologetically direct. "We won't join in on this fun."
The smile on Wang Jianguo's face completely vanished. His eyes flickered; he clearly hadn't expected such a direct refusal.
He forced out a smile, rubbing his hands: "Brother, that's not how you say it. With an extra water-type ability user, it's convenient for water on the road, isn't it?"
"We can use water to exchange for some of your food, what do you think?"
He felt this was a very fair trade, perhaps even one where they had the advantage.
After all, clean water sources were as precious as food in the apocalypse.
Xiao Han scoffed as if he had heard a joke.
"Water?"
He stood up, walked to the car door, pulled it open, and took out a shiny metal canteen from inside, shaking it.
A dull sloshing sound of water echoed within the canteen.
"We don't lack it."
"Food, we don't lack that either."
These words were like a silent slap to Wang Jianguo's face.
His team had someone who could get clean water, yet the other party was completely unfazed?
Just who were these people?
Wang Jianguo's face turned from green to white. Seeing Xiao Han's unyielding demeanor, and then glancing at Lu Shiyan, who remained silent but had an undeniable presence, and that woman... who was still slowly peeling a sixth egg.
He gritted his back teeth, and the last sliver of hope in his heart was completely extinguished.
"Alright, to each his own."
Wang Jianguo dryly dropped a sentence, his face grim.
"Then we won't disturb you."
He turned, carrying the stifled feeling of rejection and a hint of indignation, and called out to his people.
Su Wan finally finished peeling the sixth egg, the white stained with some previous yolk crumbs.
She put the egg in her mouth, chewing slowly.
The forest returned to its previous tranquility, leaving only the four of them and the scattered remnants of their meal.
Wang Jianguo led his people away sullenly, but they didn't immediately go far. The team slowly stopped at the edge of the woods not far away, seemingly still observing.
Su Wan had just swallowed the last bite of egg and was about to clean up the trash on the ground.
A thin, sallow boy, appearing seven or eight years old, timidly walked out from Wang Jianguo's group and slowly approached them.
His eyes were fixed on the conspicuous pile of eggshells at Su Wan's feet, and the unpeeled eggs.
The child didn't speak, only extended a dirty small hand, pointed to the pile of trash, then pointed to his own mouth, a faint swallowing sound coming from his throat.
This scene had clearly played out before.
Su Wan paused her movements, looking at the child.
Her heart stirred slightly; a flicker of pity arose, only to be suppressed by the cruelty of the apocalypse.
The small life within her prevented her from taking risks easily.
Xiao Han, who was wiping his dagger nearby, raised an eyebrow, a faint, almost imperceptible sneer on his lips, his gaze passing over the child to the adults behind him, who were either numb or encouraging.
Lu Shiyan leaned against the car door, his gaze calm, showing no emotion, but the air pressure around him seemed to drop slightly.
Just as Su Wan was about to say something, the child, seeing her lack of reaction, grew anxious and suddenly lunged towards her, his target seemingly the boiled eggs at her feet.
This happened quickly and suddenly.
Su Wan was startled. Almost instinctively, she abruptly covered her lower abdomen with both hands and recoiled.
"Don't move!"
A low shout, not from Xiao Han, but from Lu Shiyan.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an icy chill, and his eyes instantly became as sharp as knives. An invisible sense of oppression suddenly spread, directly aimed at the lunging child.
The child was startled by the gaze and voice, stopping abruptly a step away from Su Wan, his small face instantly turning pale, his eyes filled with terror.
Xiao Han clicked his tongue, straightened up, and took a step forward. The dagger spun nimbly between his fingers, its tip pointing directly at the child's nose.
"One more step, and my hand might not be so careful."
