50: Go see Dr. Han Qing

"Pack up, we're leaving today. We'll find Dr. Han first. If she's willing to come aboard, we'll have professional medical support. If not..."

He paused: "I won't force it."

Qin Lin walked to the large screen, pulled up the offline map, and entered the address provided by Lin Wanwan:

South of the city, Jinxiu Garden Community, Building 12, Room 1809.

The route planning showed that the straight-line distance from their current location was fifteen kilometers.

However, considering the snow and road conditions, the actual drive might take two or three hours.

He set the autonomous driving route and selected the "Safety Priority" mode.

The System would automatically avoid potentially dangerous areas, preferring a detour to ensure safety.

Everything was ready.

At ten in the morning, the RV set off again.

This time, no one was in the driver's seat.

Qin Lin, Su Yuran, and Lin Wanwan sat on the sofa in the living area.

The steering wheel turned automatically as the vehicle smoothly pulled out of the temporary camp and onto the snow-covered road.

The feeling of autonomous driving was wonderful.

The vehicle was like a living thing, automatically judging road conditions, adjusting speed, and avoiding obstacles.

In deep snow areas, it would automatically switch to all-terrain mode.

It would increase power on uphills and slow down in advance for turns.

Qin Lin only needed to glance at the screen occasionally to confirm the route.

This gave him more time... to do other things.

For example, asking Lin Wanwan for details about Dr. Han.

"Senior, are you close with Dr. Han?" Qin Lin asked.

Lin Wanwan sat on the sofa, hugging a cushion, and nodded:

"Very close. In my sophomore year, I took on English tutoring for Han Yurou through a tutoring agency. I went twice a week for two years."

"Dr. Han was busy and often worked overtime, but whenever she was home while I was there, she would cook personally."

"She's a great cook and cared about me a lot. Knowing I was far from home, she often invited me to eat at her place or gave me small gifts."

Her eyes held a touch of nostalgia: "Dr. Han is a very good person. Professional, dedicated, and responsible to her patients."

"At home, she's a gentle mother."

"Yu Rou was raised well by her—sensible, polite, and a good student."

"Yu Rou is eighteen this year?"

Su Yuran chimed in, "Then she should have just started university, right?"

"Yeah," Lin Wanwan nodded.

"She got into the Medical University in the province, following in her mother's footsteps."

"When the disaster happened, she should have been in her first semester of freshman year, possibly at school."

Qin Lin thought about it.

If Han Yurou was at home, Dr. Han would definitely find a way to get home for her daughter.

If Han Yurou was at school, Dr. Han might have gone to the school to find her first, then come home together.

In either case, the home was a key node.

"Is there anyone else in Dr. Han's family?" Qin Lin asked.

"No."

Lin Wanwan shook her head.

"She's been divorced for many years. Her ex-husband went abroad and they lost contact. She raised her daughter alone; it wasn't easy."

A single mother, a doctor, and a daughter who just reached adulthood.

This combination would have a hard time surviving in the Apocalypse.

But looking at it the other way, it meant they needed help more and were more likely to accept an invitation to join the vehicle.

"When we arrive, I'll go up with you."

Qin Lin said to Lin Wanwan.

"You know them, so it'll be easier to communicate."

"Okay," Lin Wanwan nodded.

Su Yuran suddenly asked, "Qin Lin, if Dr. Han is willing to come aboard, what about her daughter? Will she come too?"

"Of course," Qin Lin said. "We can't separate mother and daughter."

"Then..."

Su Yuran hesitated for a moment.

"Yu Rou is eighteen. According to the System's standards, she should count as a 'female passenger,' right? If her rating is high enough..."

She didn't finish, but Qin Lin understood.

Lin Wanwan, however, only half-understood.

After all, she didn't know the specific mission details, only that a mission involving herself and Qin Lin had been completed.

Qin Lin knew that if Han Yurou's rating was high enough, she would also meet the criteria for the "Many Children, Many Blessings" mission.

This made his feelings complicated.

On one hand, for the mission and to upgrade the RV quickly, he indeed needed more qualified female passengers.

On the other hand, she was only eighteen, just started university, and he was taking them in to save them.

Having such motives felt... a bit despicable.

But then again, he really did need them.

"Save them first," Qin Lin finally said, putting a noble spin on it.

"We'll worry about the rest later."

The vehicle drove smoothly through the snow.

Outside the window, the city ruins lay silent in the snow.

Occasionally, figures could be seen moving with difficulty among the ruins, like ants in the snow.

When they saw the RV pass by, those people would stop in their tracks.

They looked over with eyes full of longing or wariness.

But no one dared to approach.

This vehicle was too conspicuous—thick armor, unique design—it clearly wasn't something an ordinary survivor could own.

Qin Lin had the System avoid densely populated areas, even if it meant taking the long way.

Now was not the time to be exposed.

At twelve noon, the vehicle arrived near the Jinxiu Garden Community.

This was a high-end residential area, with over a dozen high-rise apartment buildings neatly lined up.

The community gate was grand, but now it was half-buried in snow, and the guard booth was empty.

The autonomous driving mode switched to "Cautious Exploration," and the vehicle pushed through the snow, slowly entering the community.

It was even quieter inside than outside.

No lights, no sound, only snow-covered green belts and parking spaces.

The windows and doors of some buildings were smashed, leaving the interiors pitch black.

Other buildings were tightly shut, like silent tombstones.

Building 12 was at the very back of the community, a twenty-eight-story high-rise.

The vehicle stopped in front of the building.

Qin Lin checked the outside temperature:

-38°C. It was a bit warmer than a few days ago, but still lethal.

"Wait for me in the car," Qin Lin said to Su Yuran.

"I'll go up with Senior."

"Be careful," Su Yuran urged.

Qin Lin nodded, and he and Lin Wanwan began to gear up.

They didn't need protective suits this time, but they still had to wear their thickest clothes.

Down jackets, hats, scarves, gloves—fully armed.

Lin Wanwan was a bit nervous:

"Qin Lin, what if... what if they're not there anymore, or..."

"Let's go check first."

Qin Lin patted her shoulder.

"Regardless of the outcome, at least we tried our best."

The two got out of the car, stepping through knee-deep snow toward the unit entrance.

The building door was glass and had been smashed.

The lobby inside was a mess; delivery lockers had been pried open, mailboxes overturned, and various debris scattered on the floor.

Naturally, the elevators weren't working.

They found the emergency stairs and began to climb.

Eighteenth floor.

Climbing eighteen floors in minus thirty-eight degrees was a massive test of stamina.

Qin Lin was fine, but Lin Wanwan started panting by the tenth floor and had to stop to rest.

"Wanwan, are you okay?" Qin Lin asked.

"I'm fine," Lin Wanwan gritted her teeth. "Let's keep going."

The two continued upward.

Fifteenth floor, sixteenth floor, seventeenth floor... finally, the eighteenth floor.

The safety door was slightly ajar.

Qin Lin pushed the door open; the hallway was very dark, with only the faint green light of the emergency lamps.

There was snow on the floor—who knows where it had blown in from.

Room 1809 was at the end of the hallway.

The two reached the door.

The security door was tightly shut, with Spring Festival couplets pasted on it.

They were from last year and had already faded.

The peephole was dark; nothing could be seen inside.

Lin Wanwan took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock.

"Knock, knock, knock."