8: First time going out to find resources

Qin Lin turned off the engine and returned to the living area.

Su Yuran was awake, sitting on the bed and rubbing her eyes.

Seeing Qin Lin walk in, she subconsciously pulled at her collar.

They had slept in their clothes last night, but after all, they had shared a bed for the night.

"Morning."

Qin Lin said.

"...Morning."

Su Yuran's voice was a bit raspy.

"What time is it?"

"Past six."

Qin Lin took two packs of Compressed Biscuits out of the cabinet.

"Eat breakfast."

The two sat by the small table, eating biscuits with water.

The biscuits were dry, but they were high in calories and could stave off hunger.

Su Yuran ate very slowly, glancing at Qin Lin from time to time.

"Um..."

She finally spoke.

"Will this car become more powerful in the future?"

"Yes," Qin Lin nodded, "as long as we find crystal stone."

"What do crystal stones look like?"

"I don't know," Qin Lin said truthfully, "but I have one in my hand."

He pulled out that pure white crystal from his pocket and placed it on the table.

He wasn't afraid of Su Yuran knowing; after all, even she belonged to him now.

Su Yuran leaned in curiously to look.

The crystal gave off a soft glow under the light.

It looked as if liquid was flowing inside, beautiful beyond anything of this world.

"Is this... the thing that can upgrade the car?"

"It should be something like that."

Qin Lin put away the crystal.

"But I don't plan to use it now. I'll wait until I find a second one."

"Why?"

"Because upgrading requires a crystal stone, but I'm not sure what new functions it will have after the upgrade."

"If the energy consumption increases after the upgrade and we can't find a second crystal stone, then we'll be in trouble. So, we need to have a reserve at least."

Su Yuran nodded, half-understanding.

She suddenly realized that Qin Lin's way of thinking was very... mature.

Not like a college student, but more like a middle-aged person who had experienced many things.

"Qin Lin."

She put down the biscuit.

"Tell me the truth, have you gone through something?"

Qin Lin's movements paused.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you're too calm."

Su Yuran looked him straight in the eye.

"The temperature plummeted, the world went into chaos, everyone panicked, except for you—you bought the car in advance, stockpiled supplies in advance, and even found this Auto Repair Shop in advance. It's as if you knew everything would happen."

She paused, her voice even softer:

"And the way you look at me... it's very complicated sometimes. Not like looking at a girlfriend, but more like looking at an... acquaintance. An acquaintance you've known for a long time and shared many stories with."

Qin Lin fell silent.

He hadn't expected Su Yuran to observe him so closely.

Indeed, the mindset of a Rebirth-er is hard to completely hide.

Especially when facing someone he had entanglements with in his previous life, there would always be subtle differences.

"You're right."

Qin Lin finally spoke.

"I do know some things. But as for how exactly I know them, I can't say. You wouldn't believe me if I told you; you might even think I'm crazy."

He looked at Su Yuran:

"All you need to know is that by following me, you can survive. That's enough."

Su Yuran looked at him for a long time, then lowered her head.

"Alright," she said, "I won't ask anymore."

After breakfast, Qin Lin began to plan today's actions.

"We need water," he said. "The car has three water tanks, and they're all empty now. We also need more food—although we have enough for now, we can't just consume without replenishing. We also need fuel: gasoline, diesel, or anything else that can be burned."

"It's so cold outside, how do we go out?" Su Yuran asked.

"The car can drive."

Qin Lin said, "And we have warm clothes—even though your down jacket is torn, it's better than nothing."

Qin Lin started the engine, shifted gears, and slowly drove toward the iron gate.

"Sit tight."

He stepped on the accelerator, and the RV crashed through the iron gate.

The gate was already half-open from the weight of the snow, and it opened with one hit.

The vehicle drove out of the Auto Repair Shop and into the alley.

The world outside was even more shocking than what they had seen from inside the workshop.

The snow had already reached knee-deep, and the windows of the bungalows on both sides of the alley were covered in thick frost.

One house had a faint trail of smoke coming from its chimney, indicating that someone was still alive inside, burning things for warmth.

But mostly, there was a deathly silence.

To think the world had turned into this in just over a day.

If he hadn't experienced it before, even Qin Lin would have felt that all this was happening too quickly.

It was as if this state of affairs had already been going on for years.

But Qin Lin knew that before long, it would get even worse.

Qin Lin drove very slowly.

The tires pressed through the snow, leaving deep ruts.

The alley was too narrow; the RV could barely pass through, with the side mirrors almost brushing against the walls.

Finally, they drove out of the alley and onto a slightly wider street.

The scene here was even more miserable.

Several cars were parked haphazardly in the middle of the road, their windows frozen and no one inside.

The door of a small supermarket had been smashed, shelves were overturned on the floor, and packaging bags were scattered around, but there was no food left.

A man in a down jacket was curled up on a roadside bench, motionless, covered in snow.

Dead.

Su Yuran covered her mouth and turned her head away.

Qin Lin remained expressionless and continued driving.

He remembered there was a Gas Station nearby, just two streets away.

Gas Stations usually had small supermarkets with water and food, and most importantly—fuel.

The vehicle trudged through the snow with difficulty.

Suddenly, figures appeared ahead.

Three men, wrapped in thick clothes, were holding clubs and steel pipes.

They were stunned for a moment when they saw the RV, then quickly walked over and waved for it to stop.

Qin Lin didn't stop; instead, he accelerated.

"Qin Lin!" Su Yuran cried out, "Do they need help?"

"People who need help don't carry steel pipes," Qin Lin said coldly.

The vehicle sped past the three men.

One of them tried to block it but was pulled back by a companion.

They didn't dare to actually block the vehicle with their bodies.

In the rearview mirror, the three men stood in the snow, staring at the departing RV with hostile eyes.

"They..."

Su Yuran's voice trembled.

"Did they want to hijack the car?"

"Possibly," Qin Lin said, "or they might have just been looking. But in the Apocalypse, it's best not to take risks."

Su Yuran fell silent.

She finally truly realized that this wasn't a temporary disaster, but a new world where the strong prey on the weak.

They arrived at the Gas Station.

Fortunately, this place hadn't been extensively looted yet.

Perhaps because its location was relatively remote.

The glass door of the Gas Station's small supermarket was shattered, but the shelves inside were still standing.

Qin Lin parked the car under the Gas Station canopy and turned off the engine.

"Stay in the car and lock the doors."

He said to Su Yuran, "I'll go in and take a look."

"I'm coming too," Su Yuran said. "An extra person means an extra pair of hands."

Qin Lin thought about it and nodded.

The two got out of the car and walked through the snow toward the supermarket.

The supermarket was a mess, but there were still some things left.

Mainly daily necessities: tissues, toothpaste, shampoo.

The food section had been picked clean, but Qin Lin found two unopened cases of Mineral Water and half a box of Instant Noodles in the warehouse.

"Load them into the car."

Qin Lin said.

Together, they moved the items into the RV.

Then Qin Lin checked the fuel dispensers.

As expected, there was no power, and the fuel pump wasn't working.

But he had a way.

A Manual Oil Pump found in the Auto Repair Shop, plus a hose.

Qin Lin pried open the maintenance hatch of the Underground Fuel Tank, inserted the hose, and began manually pumping fuel.

Diesel.

The smell was pungent, but it was precious.

He pumped two full barrels, about a hundred liters, and moved them onto the vehicle.

The fuel barrels were placed inside the vehicle and secured with ropes to prevent them from rolling while driving.

"That's enough," Qin Lin said.

Returning to the cab, Qin Lin started the vehicle and prepared to leave.

Just then, the sound of an engine came from a distance.

A Pickup Truck drove over haphazardly, with four or five people sitting in it, all carrying weapons.

When they saw the RV, they clearly picked up speed.

"Sit tight." Qin Lin shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator.

The RV rushed onto the street, with the Pickup Truck in hot pursuit.

But when driving on snow, the pickup didn't have much of an advantage.

Although the RV was heavy, its tires were wide and had good grip.

Qin Lin skillfully turned into an alley, and after a few turns, he lost the pickup.

"They... they've stopped chasing us." Su Yuran looked back.

"Yeah," Qin Lin said, "but we can't stay here. We're going back to the Auto Repair Shop. We'll spend the night there and look for a new base tomorrow."

Back at the Auto Repair Shop, Qin Lin used the iron bar to prop the door shut again.

It was almost dark.