Xu An looked at Zhou Haimei's expression and felt that she was like a sunflower that couldn't get enough sun.
She looked listless and pitiable.
Even her usually arrogant red hair was slowly fading.
For easier styling, Zhou Haimei had cut her hair short, just like Xu An.
Her previous red hair had faded, replaced by a head of glossy black hair.
With black hair, Zhou Haimei's flamboyant and overbearing aura gradually disappeared, and she became more lively and spirited.
She didn't look like "Sister Mei" at all.
Instead, she resembled an energetic girl who championed justice.
Xu An smiled at her, and the two leaned against the hood of the car.
They tilted their heads to look at the sky. Even though there wasn't a single speck of starlight in the sky,
Xu An still found it beautiful.
"Don't worry, you'll always wait for the sun."
Just like, someday, the sky will brighten.
...
At this moment, Zhou Haimei's stomach rumbled, breaking the mood.
"An'an, I'm hungry." she said, with the look of a puppy begging for food.
Xu An smiled, got into the car, and took out her backpack. The two found a sturdy tree at random.
They parked the jeep that had followed them along as a temporary shelter.
Then, Xu An took out the tent and tarp needed for camping from the trunk.
As before, she spread the tarp completely and hammered the ground stakes along the ropes.
She then took out the alcohol stove and kerosene lamp that had been prepared in advance.
Zhou Haimei helped to take out the small table and found two relatively smooth stone stumps nearby.
These served as stools for the two of them.
Xu An began to take out the items from the backpack one by one, preparing their dinner.
They had left in a hurry, fearing that Chu Yu would catch up. They had driven out of the Southern Base almost overnight.
Then, they drove non-stop until just now.
During this journey, they hadn't eaten or drunk a single drop of water, so it was no wonder Zhou Haimei's stomach was rumbling with hunger.
"An'an, I'm starting to wonder how much food you've brought down. How is your bag like Doraemon's magic pocket? How do you always have an endless supply of food?"
Xu An chuckled, busy with the food in her hands, and looked at Zhou Haimei, saying, "You won't go hungry."
Not only would she not go hungry, but the meals were comparable to those served at the Lighthouse.
Xu An took out the red fruit that the stall vendor had given her when she bought juice earlier and boiled a pot of warm fruit soup with it.
After serving it, Xu An started cooking in a small pot beside it.
Because Zhou Haimei was present, Xu An dared not openly take out ingredients from her spatial dimension to eat.
However, some convenient and easily stored instant foods were acceptable.
Xu An took out two packs of pork bone ramen, two soft-boiled eggs, and some ham sausage, dehydrated vegetables, and other side dishes.
After cooking, she divided the noodles and soup into two portions, then took out the dried meat she had shown before.
"There's still dried meat?!" Zhou Haimei exclaimed with delight.
She had previously thought Xu An had given all the dried meat to her friends.
She hadn't expected there to be more.
Xu An naturally wouldn't tell her that she had hundreds of pounds of braised dried meat in her spatial dimension.
She just said, "Maybe I didn't take it all out properly, there's still a little bit left."
Zhou Haimei was so excited she almost jumped up.
Xu An took out half a sausage and a small piece of lard, then stir-fried the dried meat and sausage with the lard.
Then, she added the red fruit, which had been roasted until slightly burnt by the charcoal fire, to the dried meat, and sprinkled in seasonings.
A refreshing aroma wafted from Xu An's hands, making one's appetite soar.
If Xu An hadn't been waiting for the sauce to thicken, Zhou Haimei would have pounced on it and devoured it.
Seeing Zhou Haimei's famished expression, Xu An didn't delay any longer. She smiled and served the stir-fried dried meat onto their makeshift small table.
Although dried meat is a dried product, because it was preserved in the spatial dimension, it retained its salty and chewy texture, but without the traditional dryness and toughness of preserved meat.
Combined with the sausage and lard, the aroma was elevated to another level.
What's more, the red fruit Xu An added had a sweet and sour taste.
It perfectly neutralized the saltiness of the dried meat.
Although its appearance wasn't particularly appealing, this was the apocalypse, and they were out in the open.
To be able to make it like this, Zhou Haimei was almost moved to tears with satisfaction.
"Alright, eat up."
As soon as Xu An finished speaking, Zhou Haimei immediately hugged her bowl and began to devour the food.
She smiled helplessly, knowing this would happen, which was why she had deliberately made pasta and soup.
Because both of them had not eaten for a day, Xu An knew Zhou Haimei must have been starving. Compared to eating hard, dry food,
Noodles and soup, which were soft, easy to digest, and easy to chew, were more suitable for them.
Xu An also ate her bowl with relish.
But Xu An didn't know that danger was quietly approaching.
Perhaps because everything had gone smoothly after leaving the Lighthouse, she had let down her guard.
The habit of minimizing fire in the wild, especially in the apocalypse, seemed to have been forgotten.
Just as they put out the fire and Zhou Haimei was responsible for washing all the dishes,
Danger was also approaching them.
Xu An was about to remind Zhou Haimei not to sleep too deeply at night.
When she heard rustling sounds from the surroundings. Her brow furrowed, and she asked Ze Yuan with some concern, "Is something approaching?"
Ze Yuan's schadenfreude voice came through her ear: "The aroma of your cooking seems to have attracted a wolf pack."
Xu An: ...
She really wanted to slap herself. She had indeed become complacent after living too comfortably.
How could she forget that this was the wilderness? They wouldn't always be lucky enough to escape the pursuit of wild beasts.
"Sister Mei, wait a moment! Don't extinguish the fire yet!"
Xu An stopped Zhou Haimei as she was about to put it out.
Zhou Haimei heard Xu An's voice and, although somewhat confused, did as she was told and relit the torch.
They had poured gasoline on both the bonfire and the torch, so as long as they didn't intentionally extinguish them, the flames would soon ignite.
"What's wrong, An'an?" Zhou Haimei asked, holding the brightly burning torch and walking towards Xu An.
However, she found Xu An's expression solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy, her beautiful eyebrows tightly knitted together.
Only then did Zhou Haimei sense something was amiss from Xu An's demeanor, and a strange sense of pressure filled the air around them.
"An'an, don't scare me." Zhou Haimei's voice trembled slightly, but she tried to remain calm, looking at Xu An.
Xu An gently held Zhou Haimei's hand and placed her index finger on her lips, motioning for silence.
She then drew the long saber she carried with her.
As the firelight reflected, the cold saber swayed with a seductive chill in the firelight.
Xu An listened to the sounds, remaining vigilant, and softly whispered in Zhou Haimei's ear.
"Be careful, there's a wolf pack."