Chapter 153 [Red Phoenix ID: 9]

She saw Chen Yu, and her expression changed instantly.

She suddenly raised her hand, covering her face.

Her whole body shrank back, huddling into the corner of the wall, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt.

“Don't... don't look...”

Her voice came from behind the quilt, muffled.

Chen Yu stood at the door, not stepping inside.

With his back to the room, he walked to the window at the edge of the corridor and looked outside.

Silence lasted for a few seconds.

“Liu Xiaoqian.”

“I know that memory caused you a lot of harm.”

“But there are some things I need your answers for.”

“Because you are the only person who came back alive from her hands.”

There was no response from inside the quilt.

Only the sound of suppressed breathing.

Chen Yu continued, “I don't need to know what she did to you.”

“But I must know...”

“Where did Lin Yue imprison you before?”

Faint sobs came from under the quilt.

Chen Yu spoke indifferently, “If you don't tell me, I'll never find her.”

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Then, a tiny voice came from behind the quilt.

“Road... Road No. 3...”

“At the very end... there's an abandoned factory building...”

“She locked me there... in the basement...”

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes.

Road No. 3, at the very end, a factory building with a red door.

He committed it to memory.

“Good.”

He started walking out.

Liu Xiaoqian's tiny voice came from behind him.

“Chen Yu...”

Chen Yu stopped.

“Th... thank you for saving me...”

“But...”

“Can you... can you really catch her?”

Chen Yu didn't look back.

“I definitely will.”

He walked out, and the door closed gently.

Silence returned to the room.

Liu Xiaoqian huddled in the corner, clutching the quilt, staring at the closed door.

She raised her hand and slowly touched her face.

“Road to Survival...”

“I survived this time thanks to Chen Yu, but from now on, I still have to rely on myself.”

“Yes, I have to be strong! I... I must be strong!”

Chen Yu came down from the Third Floor,

his footsteps echoing softly on the stairs.

In the living room, several girls heard the movement and looked up in unison.

“How is Xiaoqian doing now?”

Chen Yu walked down the stairs and waved his hand.

“A bit scared, but overall... as Dr. Qiao said, her state has recovered somewhat.”

He walked to the sofa and sat down, picking up a glass of water someone had poured on the coffee table and taking a sip.

Zuo Shi asked in a low voice, “Then can she continue living here?”

Chen Yu nodded: “Mm, tell Liu Ming and the others to pick up Liu Xiaoqian once they decide to return to Road to Survival. She should feel more secure here.”

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zuo Shi leaned back on the small corner sofa and whispered, “Thanks, Chen Yu.”

But there was someone else huddled next to her.

Lu Xiaoyu.

She was almost completely covered by Zuo Shi's shadow.

Her head was bowed, holding a cup of hot water, lost in thought.

Chen Yu's gaze fell on her.

Speaking of which, it was strange; Zuo Shi's face looked like a standard villain's face at first glance—high brow bones, upturned eyes, a thin, straight bridge of the nose, and a sense of cold detachment when she wasn't smiling.

Yet, Lu Xiaoyu got along with her the best.

This also proved that Lu Xiaoyu's sixth sense had nothing to do with appearances or personality.

Perhaps her sixth sense was truly accurate...

Chen Yu suddenly called her name: “Lu Xiaoyu.”

Lu Xiaoyu trembled all over and looked up.

In those large, round eyes, there was a hint of panic and a touch of bewilderment.

Chen Yu leaned back on the sofa: “How are the preparations going?”

Lu Xiaoyu froze for a moment: “Pre... preparations for what?”

Zuo Shi closed her book beside her and spoke for her: “He's asking if you've decided whether to join or not.”

Lu Xiaoyu's face flushed instantly.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting together.

“I... I...”

Chen Yu didn't say anything, just waited.

Zuo Shi gave her a gentle nudge.

“He's asking you, Xiaoyu. Say something.”

Lu Xiaoyu looked up: “Can I really join?”

Her eyes turned red again.

Red for no apparent reason.

Chen Yu: “?”

“I don't know how to do anything... and I'm a coward...”

“I can only produce Rice, and only 150 grams of it...”

“Before, when I went to milk tea shops, hot pot restaurants, or convenience stores, no one wanted me...”

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

But she didn't wipe them away, just looked at Chen Yu.

“This place... this place is so good...”

“There's food, a place to stay, and no one looks down on me...”

“It's like a dream...”

She lowered her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Her voice grew even smaller.

“I'm afraid... afraid of waking up...”

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Zuo Shi reached out and put an arm around her shoulder.

Chen Yu pulled a black card from his chest and handed it over.

“Take it.”

Lu Xiaoyu blanked for a moment and looked up.

The card was right before her eyes—black, with fine glints of light along the edges.

“This is...”

“Yes, an invitation card. Today, I officially invite you to board the Vehicle.”

“Accept it, and you'll be one of my people. You can't have any second thoughts.”

Lu Xiaoyu stared at him blankly.

Chen Yu pushed the card forward slightly.

“It's not a dream.”

“Take it.”

Lu Xiaoyu looked at the card and then took it...

Almost instantly—

【Ding!】

【Notification: A new passenger has been added to your Vehicle!】

That voice rang in everyone's mind simultaneously.

“Welcome, welcome!”

“Now we're people who share the same inventory!”

“That's right, Xiaoyu, we're truly a family now!”

The living room erupted in laughter.

Lu Xiaoyu was surrounded in the middle, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

Chen Yu smiled slightly, and before his eyes, another set of text appeared:

【red luan Identified: Lu Xiaoyu】

【red luan Number: 9】

【Connection Nature: Belonging Anchor】

【Connection Depth: Lv.10】

【Current Effective Multiplier: 100x】

【red luan Talent: A-rank 「Rice Summoning」（Can summon 0.15kg of high-quality Rice daily）】

【Talent Return: For each summoning, obtain 15kg of high-quality Rice】

“Nice.”

Chen Yu sighed emotionally in his heart.

Lu Xiaoyu started at Level 10, which could be described as exaggerated.

And what was even more exaggerated...

Chen Yu had actually achieved Rice freedom in the very first post-apocalyptic Living Area.

In his previous life, this was simply unthinkable.

With 15kg of high-quality Rice a day, even if Chen Yu didn't eat it and traded it all, it would be enough for food freedom.

Especially since the regional chat merger was imminent, and the scope of trading would expand.

The abundance of resources would also be incomparable.

Right, there was also a Leaderboard about to go online, and Chen Yu wasn't sure.

Where would his Vehicle rank...

among the ten thousand Vehicles across the 100 nearby regions?