Xu An finished her meal and tidied the bowls and chopsticks before returning to the living room.
After preparing food for Gou Dan, she walked up to Xu Yan and said, "Mom, I know about the base."
"Ah, where did you hear that? I've been glued to the radio all day, and there's been no news," Xu Yan asked, perplexed. Her daughter had gone out to find supplies at the mall; how could she have gotten news about the base?
"I ran into an acquaintance today. She wanted to trade information about the shelter for food, so I went along with it," Xu An replied, omitting any mention of Qin Chuan. If possible, she never wanted to have anything to do with that man again.
"So that's how it is. But why haven't we received any information about the shelter?" Xu Yan wondered. They had practically been watching the radio around the clock, yet there was no news. Others on the outside could still get information while on the run. It was truly baffling.
Xu An pondered for a moment and decided to tell her mother about the Morse code.
After listening, Xu Yan fell silent. She had thought it was a fair lottery, but it turned out to be the cruel law of the jungle. It seemed that no matter the era, unseen forces were always manipulating everyone's destiny.
"Mmm... Mom understands. Are we leaving again?" Xu Yan's spirits were low. While she had been excited when she first heard about the base, after knowing the whole story, Xu Yan didn't feel happy at all. This was not a fair selection process to begin with, and on top of that, they had cheated.
"Yes, the embarkation point is in City B. We have no internet or navigation now, so to be safe, we'll depart tomorrow." As Xu An spoke, she retrieved a map from her spatial storage, and the mother and daughter began drawing on it. She was a terrible navigator and would rely on her mother to find their way and direction along the journey. Although time was tight, with her spatial ability, Xu An wasn't too worried. She could simply pack her usual items and put them all into her spatial storage before leaving.
Mid-sentence, Xu An remembered what Lin Zhuoran had told her about Fang Chang's hideout in their residential complex. Thinking about the impending heavy rain, she felt it would be a waste not to go, so she informed Xu Yan and headed out to check it out.
Arriving at Fang Chang's residence, Xu An let out a cold snort. Those two had surprisingly good luck. The family living there had a considerable amount of preserved food. If not for their greed, rationing it carefully would have been enough to last them a year or a half without issue. However, Xu An felt no pity for them. She directly collected all the remaining mineral water and food into her spatial storage. She then found a locked safe in the master bedroom. Seeing the safe, Xu An smiled; it was the exact model she had used for lock-picking practice in her previous life. In no time, she expertly opened the lock. Inside were nearly 20 small gold bars. Xu An's face lit up; this trip was indeed worthwhile.
Leaving the master bedroom, she collected most of the valuables in the house and then headed to the underground garage. To her surprise, she saw the sports car she had been longing for – a Ferrari! Although this car was rather impractical in the apocalypse, it was undeniably cool! What rich woman wouldn't want to drive a Ferrari with one hand on the wheel? Without hesitation, Xu An took the sports car into her possession and then turned to leave, completely satisfied.
Upon returning home, Xu Yan had already packed most of the belongings. Some larger items were still waiting for her to come back so she could put them directly into her spatial storage. Xu An dismantled the solar charging panels and the blackout curtains in the living room and stored them away. The evening sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating everything as if it were gilded. Xu An gazed out the window, greedily taking in this moment of tranquility, then shook her head and returned to the room to continue packing. The bed in the living room, the custom furniture, the projector, the television, the coffee table, the DVD player... Xu Yan had also processed all the ingredients they had taken out, turning them into cooked food, portioning them into containers, and preserving them in her spatial storage. Considering that this area would soon be submerged by floodwaters, Xu An left nothing behind; she took everything.
For dinner, they had a simple barbecue. The sizzling lamb skewers still retained their freshly grilled heat, their aroma filling the entire house. Xu An took out two bottles of chilled cola and clinked glasses with her mother. "To smooth sailing!" she toasted. After the afternoon's busy work, Xu Yan's earlier anxieties had mostly subsided. "To peace and safety!" she replied. Gou Dan also came over to join the celebration, and Xu An opened two cans of dog food for him. Amidst the clinking of the cans, a pleasant sound echoed. No matter how the world changed, a place with family was always home.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Xu An was awakened by her mother and groggily began her morning routine and packing. An hour later, ensuring that all belongings from the house were taken, Xu An and Xu Yan, fully prepared, walked towards the front door. Xu An first stored her long-serving Wuling Hongguang into her spatial storage and then retrieved the RV she had previously purchased. It was only then that Xu Yan saw the RV Xu An had bought. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You get what you pay for. When you said this 'piece of junk' cost a hundred million, I thought you'd been swindled again," Xu Yan exclaimed, praising the vehicle as she boarded with her orchid. This left Xu An standing there speechless. "Do I really look like a gullible fool?" she muttered. Xu An opened the driver's cabin, lowered the step, and got into the car with Gou Dan. The car's interior was spacious enough for the three of them to live comfortably, featuring not only a kitchen and a separate dry/wet bathroom but also two double beds. There was even a dining area, making it the dream vehicle for any camping enthusiast. As soon as Xu An got in, she completely forgot about her old car and was instantly captivated by her new RV. Without further delay, Xu An started the engine and drove the massive RV out of the complex.
Perhaps it was the RV's considerable size, but Xu An noticed a group of men and women blocking the entrance to the complex, waving at her. Until that day, she hadn't known there were so many survivors in this complex. She couldn't tell if these people were overly cautious or just very good at hiding. There were about seven or eight of them. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw more people running behind the car in the distance. Judging by their lip movements, she knew they weren't saying pleasantries. They were simultaneously worried about the wandering zombies and banging on Xu An's RV, their faces filled with envy and longing. But Xu An remained unfazed. Her car had undergone special soundproofing, so people inside couldn't hear anything from the outside. She glanced back at her mother, who was happily exploring the car's features with Gou Dan, completely oblivious to the people outside pleading for help. Turning her head back, Xu An silently drew all the blackout curtains, completely cutting off her mother's view of the outside. Then, with a cold smirk, Xu An continued straight towards the group without any hesitation!