59: uninvited guest

She thought about how interesting it would be to see the expression on that lucky person's face when, in the midst of despair, they suddenly found this place and discovered so much food and water. Leaving this food behind was a mere drop in the bucket for her, and she didn't feel the least bit stingy.

Ai Yue put Dawang into her space. Traveling light on her own, she left the city and brought out the marauder, setting off with a loud rumble.

The marauder made quite a commotion, alerting people outside the city who were searching for food. Some intended to stop Ai Yue, but their two legs were no match for the vehicle, and she soon left them far behind.

The further out she went, the more lush the grass became and the scarcer the people, until finally, not a single soul could be seen.

In the three months without human activity, the grass on the ground had grown wildly, even squeezing through the cracks in the concrete roads. The remaining tree stumps from logging had also sprouted branches as tall as a person, swaying in the wind.

The entire land was devoid of animal and human activity, appearing silent yet full of life.

It was as if the entire planet had returned to a primitive era, lush and green. The once glitzy and neon-lit metropolises had become dilapidated after several natural disasters. Resilient grass bloomed with small flowers from within the reinforced concrete buildings, as if announcing its tenacious spirit to the world.

Along the way, Ai Yue was mugged countless times. Fortunately, they didn't have any powerful weapons, and she managed to make it through without any major mishaps.

During this journey, she saw too many tragic and inhumane things happening; it was simply hell on earth.

Several times she almost lost control, but fortunately, she had prepared herself mentally beforehand, so she didn't lose her composure.

After a journey full of hardships, Ai Yue finally returned to the base. Her mind relaxed slightly—she was finally home.

But something unexpected happened: Ai Yue couldn't get in.

A hundred meters away from the Safety Tower's main gate, she was stopped and warned not to approach.

Only then did Ai Yue learn that because the virus had not yet been resolved, people returning from outside were not allowed to enter the base. They even told her to leave quickly, or they would open fire.

Ai Yue looked helplessly in the direction where her parents were, reluctant to leave.

When Ai Guosheng and his wife learned that Ai Yue had returned but couldn't enter, they were incredibly anxious and said they would find Gu Xiheng for help, but Ai Yue stopped them.

Their days in the Safety Tower would be long, so they couldn't trouble him with everything. As the saying goes, favors are used up the more you use them.

Favors should be saved for critical moments.

Moreover, Ai Yue had just rejected Gu Xiheng's help a few days ago, so she didn't want to turn to him at this time.

After comforting her parents, Ai Yue drove the marauder toward the nearby mountains and forests. She didn't want to run far away. Since the area was surrounded by mountains, she could just find a cave to live in for a while. Once the rainwater evaporated, she could go straight home.

At the foot of the mountain, Ai Yue put the marauder into her space, put on her hazmat suit, and walked into the mountains.

After searching for half a day, she found nothing. Ai Yue smiled bitterly, suddenly realizing that Dawang could help. Regardless of whether Dawang was willing or not, she forced it into a hazmat suit and let it lead the way.

Dawang let out a low, dissatisfied growl but still obediently led the way.

Dawang truly lived up to being the king of beasts; it was impressive! In a short time, it found a wide and large cave.

Ai Yue did a circuit of inspection inside—it was excellent!

There were no puddles nearby, nor any other dangers. The cave was relatively dry and perfectly suitable for living in for a while.

To reward Dawang for a job well done, Ai Yue gave it a bloody pig leg as an extra snack before mealtime. Dawang, who had been unhappy about being free labor, finally cheered up.

It gave a low roar of satisfaction and lowered its head to eat.

Ai Yue cleaned the cave. She didn't know how long she would be staying there, so she decided to tidy it up a bit.

After cleaning the cave, she placed a bed at the very back, put Dawang's nest at the foot of the bed, lit a fire in front of the bed, and set a pot over the fire to make herself a hotpot as a reward.

The aroma of the hotpot wafted far, far away... to the Yingjin City Safety Tower.

"What did you say? Ai Yue came back? And was driven away by the guards?" Gu Xiheng exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the news.

"Yes, Young General!"

"Take three men and come with me!" Gu Xiheng ordered coldly.

As he spoke, he strode out.

Soon, a military vehicle sped out of the base, following the main road to chase after Ai Yue. Unfortunately, they chased in the completely wrong direction, having no idea that Ai Yue had already gone up the mountain, and they could only return empty-handed.

Having gained nothing, Gu Xiheng could only instruct the gate guards that if they saw Ai Yue, they must not drive her away but should report to him immediately so he could make arrangements personally.

Ai Yue had no idea that because of her, Gu Xiheng had scoured the towns and counties near the Safety Tower. Meanwhile, she was leisurely hiding in the cave, eating roasted meat and watching happy soap operas, looking quite pampered.

Every day, Dawang would run around joyfully in the mountains wearing its hazmat suit, having a great time. From time to time, it would even catch a rabbit from some nook or cranny, much to Ai Yue's pleasant surprise.

Ai Yue wasn't worried about its safety; Dawang was fully capable of protecting itself. Besides, she hadn't let Dawang out alone without preparation—the drones she had stockpiled before the Apocalypse now came in handy.

Sitting in the cave, she could observe Dawang's situation from all angles on her tablet via the drone.

Five days passed uneventfully in the mountains. This day, Dawang went out to play and stretch its legs. Through the drone, Ai Yue discovered several people acting suspiciously on the west side of the forest. They didn't look like good people at first glance, and they were carrying weapons and nets... She immediately realized that Dawang had been spotted and targeted. Ai Yue immediately controlled the drone to fly near Dawang and called out, telling it to come back quickly.

Dawang looked a bit reluctant, as it was having fun! However, it still obediently returned to the cave quickly.

Ai Yue put everything in the cave into her space and gripped her military knife, checking the movements of those people through the drone.

After wandering around the forest for a long time, those people still headed toward the cave.

Seeing that they were about to arrive, Ai Yue recalled the drone and waited for them to come to her.

Sure enough, after ten minutes or so, these people found the place and walked toward the cave. Ai Yue hid in the shadows.

"Liu The Third, didn't you say you saw a fat tiger here? Where is it? We've been circling for so long and haven't found even a single hair."

"Yeah, the four of us risked our lives to come here with you. Don't tell me we won't see any meat and instead lose our lives here."

"Hmph, Liu The Third, don't blame me for not warning you in advance. If we don't find the tiger, we'll eat you!" one of the men said in a nasty tone.

Having walked for so long, taking every step cautiously for fear of stepping into a puddle and catching the virus, they were currently full of resentment.

"I saw it, so I saw it. Why would I lie to you? Don't be so ungrateful. Did I beg you to come? You were the ones who insisted on following me, and now you have the nerve to blame me." Liu The Third retorted rudely. He was now tired and hungry, and these people wouldn't leave him alone, complaining all the way. He was furious and would definitely make them pay if he got the chance.